God's washcloth, and breakin' all the rules

Like a fly to shit, I am drawn to the Vatican News Service. I guess I just like to keep my eyes on what the Cathloholics are doing these days. Turns out, hordes of witless Christian turned out recently to "venerate" the shroud of Turin.

You can read about it here:
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1002157.htm

However, I'll save you the trouble of doing that, and point out some highlights:

One of the chief wizards of the church, Cardinal Severino Poletto of Turin, took a break from doing whatever these wizards normally do (such as hiding sex offenders), to blabber, "I had the clear perception that the Lord was speaking to the hearts of the pilgrims who came before the shroud seeking answers." I don't even know what the fuck that means, Cardinal. However, if it helps, I had the clear perception that the church in Turin was probably making a good deal of money showing people a beat up, dirty piece of linen.

The Cardinal also said, that the shroud "gives us the chance to offer faith in a time of confusion and spiritual fog, reconciling in the word of God." OK, that is a bit more clear. The shroud is a security blanket for Christians. I get that. When I had a child's intellect, I also needed a security blanket. Then I turned five years old and quit believing that my "blankie" had superpowers.

Even the Pope needed to "venerate" the shroud, and referred to it as an "extraordinary icon" that had been "written with blood: the blood of a man flagellated, crowned with thorns, crucified and wounded on his right side." This is in agreement with the wounds that the Gospels say Jesus received at the hands of the Romans, and it must be true, because there is no way to fake that, and Jesus was probably the only person crucified by the Romans. Right?

Now, I am no Bible scholar, but one of the Ten Commandments is as follows:

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. [edit impotent ranting about being a jealous god]"

Again, I am no scholar, but it sounds like the Shroud, and the veneration of the shroud is in violation of this commandment.

Bad Catholics! BAD!