Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the woman, Ukrainian citizen Iana Alexandrovna Zhdanova, stands accused of vilification of religion, obscene acts in public and theft. A Vatican policeman stopped Zhdanova, who had "God Is Woman" written on her bare chest, after she seized the statue of the Christ Child and attempted to make off with it shortly after Pope Francis had finished reading his Christmas greeting to the faithful assembled. The policeman attempted to cover Azhdanova with his cape (Vatican police have capes!) with mixed success.
Femen, for its part, is unrepentant, even putting up a gallery of images of the attempted Jesus-napping on its website. In a statement, the feminist collective proudly described itself as "persona non grata" in Vatican City:
"This morning the Holy Vatican court reviewed the case of the kidnapping of baby Jesus Christ commited [sic] by FEMEN sextremist and recognizing the absolute legality of her arrest, however, it has ordered to release Zhdanova. Sextremist Zhdanova will be extradited from Vatican, followed by a ban on enter the territory of the Holy See. The infant, which have been kidnapped by FEMEN, became a symbol of necessity of taking away a woman's right on reproductive function and sexual freedom off the Church. A sacred duty of every woman is to take away the child from Vatican!'
The organization describes itself as "fighting patriarchy in its three manifestations — sexual exploitation of women, dictatorship and religion," and has stated that its goal is "sextremism serving to protect women's rights."
You know I actually started to write this post, which i put off for a few days, with the idea that I would condemn their actions at the end and suggest that there are better ways of getting their point across.
However after reading through this article and few others on the incident I find myself agreeing with them to some degree.
So now I am all conflicted and junk.
So I will leave up to you dear readers. What do you think? Over the top, or reasonable response to an oppressive anti-female organization?
Oppressive anti-female organization?
ReplyDeleteWith some criminal abusers and their enablers mixed in.
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/legion-christs-deception-unearthed-new-documents-indicate-wider-cover
"Maciel built a power base in Rome as the greatest fundraiser of the modern church. He won the undying support of Pope John Paul II, who called him an "efficacious guide to youth" and praised Maciel in lavish ceremonies even after a 1998 canon law case at the Vatican in which the cleric was accused of sexually abusing Legion seminarians"
Ka fucking ching in the plate!
"The cardinal did not confront Maciel about paternity, but says he told a Vatican canon lawyer who was under orders from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to investigate the pedophilia accusations. On that front, Ratzinger, as Pope Benedict, dismissed Maciel from ministry in May 2006, but the Vatican communiqué did not specify why or acknowledge the victims. "
Because? Corrupt.
get the bee out of your butt. Oh, sorry, that was a crucifix wasn't it?
DeleteIs it over the top compared to what the RC church and other religions have done to women? Or are the religions over the top?
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, IMO, that this kind of action is over the top, without addressing the RC church's misogyny in any real meaningful way. It gives the RC church an excuse to call itself a victim, instead of drawing meaningful attention to the women it has victimized.
DeleteVictim how? They suffered no damage.
DeleteTheir property was stolen, 3:17. I'd call that damage if it happened to me.
DeleteI'm conflicted too. No one is a bigger critic of the Catholic Church's sexism and misogyny than I am (I was raised Catholic and given a Catholic education through high school, so, as a female, I certainly experienced it myself at times). But stealing someone else's property isn't right. Period. And I don't see how going topless while committing the theft really promotes feminism in any way. I think it just exposes feminism to even more ridicule. So on balance, I think this action was misguided and counterproductive more than I think it was helpful to the cause.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% with everything you said.
DeleteI don't like all the topless activism lately, either. I consider what I have to be special, and don't appreciate all the cheapness going around about the female body.
I don't approve of the theft but I think women should protest topless everywhere. I would love to see thousands of topless women protesting in St. Peter's square. Not just young ones but old ones too.
ReplyDeletePlease explain how this would advance the cause of feminism?
DeleteRegardless, this old woman sure as fuck isn't protesting topless anywhere.
Given a ticket to Rome, this old woman would gladly go topless.
DeleteMy body belongs to *me*... not some bronze-age misogynist cult of corrupt fascists. I applaud FEMEN, their courage, their determinism, and their optimism. They protest in the face of the world's most heavy-handed governments just to keep the issue alive.
My body belongs to ME too -- not to any organization seeking to use it for its own ends, whether that be a misogynist cult or a protest group that is incapable of staging an effective protest against the former.
Delete3:10
So 4:29, you say your body belongs to you, but for the low price of a ticket to rome... you are willing to sell it for viewing (the top anyways) at the home of the very place you are protesting??
DeleteI'm pretty sure nobody would even pay attention at all if it weren't a bunch of young-ish women. No-one wants to look at saggy baggies, and they are not taken serious- how could they be? What exactly is their end game? Hell, what is even their beginning game? They can take all the clothes off they want, nobody even knows what they are doing it for though.
In the course of civil disobedience, stealing a craven image and bearing her breasts brought attention to her cause. Not a major crime, but a loud shout to be heard. I give her points for the non-violence of her civil disobedience. Given the non adjudication by the Catholic hierarchy to prosecute their miscreants who have committed far more serious offenses throughout the course of history, the ball is in the Church's court. Will they grant her the lenience of no harm, no foul, or will they continue to be hypocrites and prosecute her?
ReplyDeleteYes, but what kind of attention has it brought to the cause? Positive or negative? I think negative.
DeleteHonestly the only thing that she brought attention to was her breasts, images of which will be endlessly googled for boys around the world to wank off to. So all internet wankers should be thanking her for providing a decent rack to look at. Not really sure what else she did though.
Delete4:39pm
DeleteI agree. I'm happy she didn't put forth some saggy tits to assault the world with. They were decent, obviously real, which means they can only be so decent at her age, but at least not hanging to her belly. I'm a chick, but don't need to see any saggy boobs in my face, that's what National Geo is for :-)
I agree with the premise that Baby Jesus--or any other baby--does not belong in the care of the Catholic church. This was a pretty graphic way to make this point, but more polite efforts have failed miserably, so I cannot condemn this action.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the Richard Farina song "It isn't Nice"
"It isn't nice to block the doorway, or to sit in on the floor
Or to shout our cry of freedom
In a hotel or a store
First we tried negotiations, then a token picket line
Mr. Charlie didn't see us, and he might as well be blind
It isn't nice, it isn't nice
You told us once, you told us twice
But if that's freedom' price
We don't mind, no, no, no
O/T SarahPAC filings -- Post-General as of 11/24
ReplyDeleteSarahPAC is down more than $230,000 from the beginning of 2014.
http://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/dcdev/forms/C00458588/974361/
After the Post-General in 2012 SarahPAC had almost 1.2 million dollars left. Now they're down to less than $888,000.
DeleteFiscal conservative at work!!
LMAO - frankly if it gets the Pope and the Cardinal's knickers in a twist, count me in. But then, I just love some non-destructive civil disobedience, especially when carried out with flair.
ReplyDeleteOh My! A carved idol made of wood, and bare breasts in public. The Vatican does Fabulous fabulously! They use "the Swiss Guard" to protect the Pope, grown men in their best "joker" pajamas waltzing around all day long, sashaying to and fro while the big guys drink vermouth.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised the "Someone's kidnapped baby Jeebus!!!!!! Off with their heads!" event came late this year. No harm, no foul, they got Baby Jesus back, a couple dozen women went topless,, and some old queens blew fuses. Real people are being killed, don't get me wrong, but all this fuss is bullshit.
All the fuss? Seems like all the fuss is by the attention starved FEMEN ladies, since they caused all the fuss on Vatican property with Vatican property.
Delete'Look at me and my boobs!' Daddy issues anyone?
Regardless, to further that the Vatican didn't make much a fuss about it, they ordered her to be released after she caused 'the fuss' on their property. Seems like they have more class than FEMEN on this one.
Eastern Europeans, whether male or female, tend to leave me confused! I've traveled in that area and they are so different than I am that I just can't put a finger on where they are coming from. This American just finds that a confusing part of the world, period.
ReplyDeleteBare boobies?!
ReplyDeleteWhen they dress like this?
Teh gay? Where!!!
http://www.bilerico.com/2013/12/vatican_fashion_leader_removed_from_influential_po.php
The best laugh I've had in a long time. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat man looks eerily like Ted Cruz : /
ReplyDelete