The Pope said people were like ‘human bats’ and the takedown by this bat fan was heaven sent

John Plunkett. Updated April 23rd, 2020

Pope Francis compared people to ‘human bats’ in a tweet because we ‘find it easier to live in darkness because the light reveals to us what we do not want to see’.

And not everyone appreciated it. Well, when we say not everyone, we mean specifically a Twitter account called @GiveBatsABreak which took a bit of time to point out why his Holiness was entirely mistaken.

First, here’s the Pope’s tweet.

When we are in a state of sin, we are like "human bats" who can move about only at night. We find it easier to live in darkness because the light reveals to us what we do not want to see. But then our eyes grow accustomed to darkness and we no longer recognize the light.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) April 22, 2020

And here’s the rather glorious takedown that followed.

On the contrary Holy Father, the darkness brings to the bat precisely that which it DOES want to face, not what it doesn’t. Bats are not under the cover of night committing crimes for which it should be ashamed, but providing invaluable services to our ecosystems and communities.

— Give 🦇 A Break (@GiveBatsABreak) April 22, 2020

Bats pollinate a wide range of flowers and trees that give entire countries their goods for export; they eat literal tons of bugs per night and save farmers millions of $$ in pesticides, which also improves the quality of our food; they spread seed & help reforest after disaster.

— Give 🦇 A Break (@GiveBatsABreak) April 22, 2020

Really, bats are a better represented by Our Lord’s words in Matt. 6:1 when He teaches, “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them…” Bats practice their good works in the darkness and serve as an example to how diligent in service we ought to be.

— Give 🦇 A Break (@GiveBatsABreak) April 22, 2020

And all this in the face of constant disrespect, threat of injury and death, very little thanks or praise from humans.

We ought to “not grow weary in well-doing” as St Paul says and expect to be hated in spite of the good we do. THEN we will be like bats.

— Give 🦇 A Break (@GiveBatsABreak) April 22, 2020

Beautifully done, and we can only assume Pope Francis will be addressing this issue in his next sermon. At night, obviously.

https://twitter.com/geofflemon/status/1253128901670256640?s=20

Whoever is doing the PR for bats deserves a pay rise. pic.twitter.com/8UWI5whbgC

— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) April 23, 2020

you have to imagine the bats person waking up to their routine twitter search alert like "oh come on, really??" https://t.co/1hNgVlqwjr

— vana vlqc (@__vlqc) April 23, 2020

does this make the bat account the new pope

— Ben Lieberman (@ben_lieberman) April 23, 2020

I believe that is the orthodoxy, yes

— Geoff Lemon 🍋 (@geofflemon) April 23, 2020

There’s only one thing for it. To the Batican City!

H/T @geofflelemon