The Pope and The Pop Star

"One who condones evil is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it." Martin Luther King Jr.

There's some serious irony in the news these days; has anyone else picked up on it? I'm referring to the juxtaposition of stories about Michael Jackson's trial and the Pope's death.

Comparing the ridiculous to the sublime, you say? Maybe on the surface. But scratch a little deeper and you get the the same dirt.

Think about it: on the one hand we vilify a Pop Star who is accused of molesting children in his home. On the other we lionize a Pope who refused to vilify priests when there was irrefutable proof they molested children in the church.

Something's very wrong with that picture.

Is there anything lower on the human food chain than a pedophile? Not even in prison, a ringing indictment if ever there was one. And within the (yuck, this is getting nauseating) human food chain of pedophiles, is there anything lower than a privileged pedophile who has the means to alter his behavior yet does nothing? Not according to most offenders, who say they want to stop but get little genuine support.

And finally, is there anything truly lower on earth or in heaven than powerful people who claim to revile pedophiles, have endless resources to help them, yet instead harbor and protect hundreds, if not thousands of them within their own community? Not even in the hallways of Hell.

Michael Jackson: guilty; The Pope: innocent? Not so simple, is it?

Because here's the Supreme Irony: If Michael Jackson were a priest, he wouldn't even be on trial.