the Pope

I really haven't jumped onto the "The Pope is an idiot for not seeing things my way" bandwagon, in spite of the fact, perfectly clear to all even casual readers of this blog, that the Holy Father and I are not in total sync on the whole "Kill that evil mofo Saddam and set his people free by force of arms if necessary" thing.

Frankly, I find the Rod Dreher cycle of JPII worship/ridicule/repeat thing distasteful--even without getting to the question of whether it is Catholic. (And, for those of you who are tired of the "but it isn't binding!" stuff: if you don't want to hear it, then stop bludgeoning those of us who think the war just with "But the Pope and bishops say...!" It may be possible that at least a few of us are saying "It isn't binding" after a careful and prolonged period of discernment that you weren't privy too, seeing as you aren't usually present when we pray for wisdom and discernment.) And honestly, the fact that the Pope and I disagree about this is something that gives me great pause, and keeps me revisiting my opinions and judgements frequently right now.

At the same time, I have this horribly nagging, uncomfortable feeling that most American Bishops and even possibly JPII himself would be speaking different words if France had not made up its mind months ago to veto anything and everything the US seeks (including an EU resolution merely because it referred to UN SCR 1441, which the French themselves voted in favor of!!). More than any other issue, that particular suspicion (fear? concern? speculation?) upsets me.