Oldest Known Paintings of Catholic Saints Include Naked Boys!

This one is too funny to let pass.

ROME – Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church ... the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul. Vatican officials unveiled the paintings Tuesday, discovered along with the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew in an underground burial chamber ... The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique that allows restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the brilliant dark colors of the paintings underneath. ... [The] gem is on the ceiling, where the four apostles [Paul, Peter, John and Andrew] are painted inside gold-rimmed circles against a red-ochre backdrop.

The ceiling is also decorated with geometric designs, and the cornices feature images of naked youths.

Gosh, it seems like modern Roman Catholic pedophile priests are just following a long and honorable tradition, started by St. Paul himself!

Ok, I know that ideas about nudity and the human body were much more natural back in Roman times, and the human body wasn't vilified yet. St. Augustine hadn't introduced the idea of original sin and the inherent nastiness of sex. So if boys were around on a hot summer day, it was probably no big deal that they happened to not have their clothes on.

It sure seems ironic that the oldest known pictures of Catholic saints include naked boys! But maybe they were just naked boys.

But more importantly, doesn't the Vatican have something better to do? Shouldn't they be addressing the problem of pedophile priests, and trying to find a way to help the tens of thousands (or is it hundreds of thousands) of people whose lives were damaged or destroyed by these perverts? Shouldn't they be contemplating their idiotic and inexplicable requirement that priests take a vow of celibacy? (Never mind that 98% fail to keep the vow.) Aren't they even sorry about any of this?

I know the Pope has apologized, many times. But actions speak louder than words. The Roman Catholic Church is doing nothing of note to rid itself of the plague of pedophiles that infest its ranks, yet it finds time to announce a new archaeological finding that's sure to distract the news for a day or two from the real issues.