Carla Bruni, 1st Lady of France, Rips the Pope

It used to be that European elites did not talk disparagingly about the pope in public. But now that they have embraced the amorality that is the mark of secularism.

NEW YORK (Catholic League) - Carla Bruni, wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, is angry that Pope Benedict XVI casts serious doubt on the efficacy of condoms to stop AIDS. She said that such teachings left her "profoundly secular," and she called upon the Church to "evolve."

Catholic League president Bill Donohue doesn't agree:

"When the pope was in France, he urged the people to acknowledge the "irreplaceable" role of religion in society, gently nudging the French to rethink their fondness for secularism.

"President Sarkozy responded by saying it would be "madness" for his country, which "accepts its Christian roots," to "deprive ourselves" of religion. Perhaps he should have addressed his remarks to his wife.

"It is really saying something when Bruni, who lives in one of the most secular societies in the world, concludes that the pope's position on condoms is making her "profoundly secular."

"In other words, when the pope calls on rational human beings to put the brakes on their libido--so that they may actually live long and healthy lives--he is pushing people like Bruni right over the edge. What a confession this is.

"It used to be that European elites did not talk disparagingly about the pope in public. But now that they have embraced the amorality that is the mark of secularism, common decency has been thrown overboard."

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The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination. It is led by its' President, William A. Donohue, Ph.D.