The position of the Catholic Church, and John Paul II, isn't just against abortion. It's against birth control of any kind. It's against any sex outside of marriage, any sex that isn't designed for procreation. In fact, it's against masturbation.
If the Pope was sincere, and that's one thing I'll definitely give him is I do think he was, that means he's never had any kind of sex, even wanking off.
How many of you could do this? (Remember, no masturbation.) Especially those of you who are male? Can't we postulate that the ability to remain completely celibate is on the far fringes of human behavior? I certainly think so.
This, of course, isn't about Pope John Paul II, really. They're all celibate, at least in theory. No sex? Ever? Anyone that can do that is either superhuman, has an abnormally low sex drive, or is repressing something very deeply (and sometimes that repression cracks like an egg and you molest altar boys.)
And this is the problem.
A person who doesn't have a sex drive--or manages to turn it off--making up rules about sex is like a deaf person advising me on music. That person does not have something I do--hearing--and is not equipped to advise me on something where hearing is a necessity. (No dis intended to the hearing-impaired, but it's a handy comparison.)
Since the Pope either had no sex drive or superhuman willpower to repress it, his capability of understanding my sex drive--or most people's--would be like me trying to explain The Beatles to someone who was born deaf. Can't be done, as there's no frame of reference. Anyone who can remain celibate is incredibly different from me on a very basic level.
I'm not dissing or discounting the ability to ignore a sex drive, just as I'm not dissing the hearing-impaired. If you don't have one or can supress it, more power to you. However, I don't want to hear your opinions on sex. They're completely, utterly irrelevant. If you saw me--an over 300 pound guy who inhales food without a second thought--would you take my advice on dieting? I certainly fucking hope not! My idea of a diet is to have the small fries instead of the large fries with the two Big Macs, OK? I'm the last person you want to hear about diets.
And someone who does not have or is capable of ignoring a basic sex drive is someone I don't want to hear from when it comes to sex.
But they keep talking about it. God, the Pope could've done so much good if he'd never talked about sex--if he recognized that his ability to remain celibate pointed towards a sex drive outside the norm. That so many Catholics ignore that part of his teaching--and too many wingnuts coopted it while ignoring the important stuff.
Talk about opportunity missed.