As the Pope gives his blessing to tattoos, count me in
Have you ever wondered what the Pope’s take on tattoos is? No? Well never mind, he’s told us anyway! Speaking to an audience of young people, Pope Francis announced that priests should not be afraid of tattoos. “Tattoos often signify membership in a community,” he said. “You, young man, that you’re tattooed like that, what are you looking for? In this tattoo, which community membership are you expressing?
“It’s important not to be scared. With young people one should never be scared! Never! Because always, even behind the things that are not so good, there is something that will bring us to some truth.” He added that a tattoo could be a way for senior members of the Catholic faith to “connect with the culture of the young”.
Ironically, people who think tattoos are connected with the culture of the young tend to be very old. Millennials think tattoos, like booze and drugs, are naff. It is well known that the majority of people who get “inked” are having some sort of later-life crisis. Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking of getting something tattooed on to my wrist. Send suggestions to the email above.