Bertone and Vatican hypocrisy on Berlusconi (who slept with 1 paid minor)...but John Paul II allowed thousands of priests to freely rape boys
See our latest post in our sister weblogs, Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler. Benedict XVI's endless pathological lies: John Paul II sainthood and "Child abuse won't happen again"...but he could not buy Fr. Maciel's victims http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2011/01/benedict-xvis-endless-pathological-lies.html, Stella Maris: John Paul II versus Our Lady of Guadalupe: The contrast between two Catholic Suns http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/ JP2PRPA John Paul II Pedophiles Rapists-Priests Army: The Nazis and the John Paul II Pedophiles Rapists-Priests Army were both an inherently evil all-male elite hierarchy born from the Devil's bowels http://jp2army.blogspot.com/
Cardinal Bertone came out speaking during a church event in Rome about an investigation on Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi who is suspected to have paid a 17-year-old prostitute and other women for sex at parties in his villa near Milan. (“Paid” means it was consensual like Tiger Wood’s paid young mistresses). Cardinal Bertone said: "The Church pushes and invites everyone, above all those who hold public responsibility in any administrative, political and judicial area, to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness," Now isn’t this an absolute hypocrisy on Cardinal Bertone’s and the Vatican’s part because who else had the highest administrative public responsibility if not the all powerful Pope at the Vatican John Paul II, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinals and Bishops like Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston) who held ” public responsibility in…administrative area” but they were not at all “committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness” because they enabled thousands of pedophile priests to continuously rape thousands of little boys and pubescent boys – who were not consensual at all with these priests - unlike this paid starlet of Berlusconi? And these rapes by priests occurred for over a quarter of a century under John Paul II’s Holy See watch and he is now to be the fastest saint to be canonized? So what kind of double standard of morality are Cardinal Bertone, Benedict XVI and the Vatican demonstrating here right before the whole world to see?
Berlusconi’s allegedly paid this 17-year old minor young woman, who looks like one of the mistresses of Tiger Woods as she flaunts her half-naked body before the Italian media. None of the little boys and pubescent boys whom thousands of pedophile priests raped was paid. That is the difference, the main difference between the starlet of Berlusconi’s and boys-victims of rapists-priests but Cardinal Bertone and Benedict XVI cannot seem to see that?
Likewise Benedict XVI also said in Rome (according to the BBC, Opus Dei owned media http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/12/opus-dei-owns-bbc-among-its-global.html Notice in this BBC article that on the photo caption of Benedict, it says that he did not mention Berlusconi, but the Opus Dei writer insist in his news article that Benedict XVI was referring to Berlusconi. The texts are highlighted for clarity and to show how Opus Dei are so subtle like the serpent in their agenda for Opus Dei WORLD DOMINATION to make the Pope absolute ruler in the world, first by canonization of John Paul II.
"Society and public institutions must rediscover their soul, their moral and spiritual roots," Pope Benedict said in front of an audience of police chiefs in the capital, Rome.
"The singular vocation that the city of Rome requires today of you, who are public officials, is to offer a good example of the positive and useful interaction between a healthy lay status and the Christian faith."
So why hasn’t Bertone and Benedict XVI and the Vatican likewise been "particularly worried" about the impact the sex abuse scandal of the Catholic Church have on Italy especially the impact that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston who continue to sit as Archpriest of the most prestigious “mother of all basilicas of Rome” the St. Mary Maggiore when he himself has admitted to his crimes (hence he resigned as Cardinal of Boston) of transferring from one parish to another for decades at least 80 pedophile priests who were raped hundreds of boys in so many churches in Boston?? And what kind of impact is a "saint" John Paul II will send to the world that one can be a saint and yet be the worst enabler of the Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions of pedophiles rapists-priests for over 26 years as John Paul II the Great??
See our related articles:
The Nazis and the John Paul II Pedophiles Rapists-Priests Army were both an inherently evil all-male elite hierarchy born from the Devil's bowels http://jp2army.blogspot.com/
John Paul II versus Our Lady of Guadalupe: The contrast between two Catholic Suns http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/
John Paul II's murder of the soul http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/05/john-paul-iis-it-was-murder-of-soul.html
The Devil’s bowels smell like roses in the Vatican http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/12/devils-bowels-smell-like-roses-in.html
Beloved companions John Paul II and Fr. Marcial Maciel together in their journeys to Guadalupe: Both were great founders and great deceivers alike http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2011/01/beloved-companions-john-paul-ii-and-fr.html
Cardinal Bertone, stop fooling us with the “Communist” trump card; the Belgian Police raid proves that you Vatican Princes are not ‘above the law’! http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardinal-bertone-stop-fooling-us-with.html
John Paul II's official spokesman Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls reveals the true reasons why there's the Pope and the Pedophile Scandal http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/04/john-paul-iis-sole-official-papal.html
Benedict XVI’s Consecration to Mary cannot protect children from pedophile priests http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/benedict-xvis-consecration-to-mary.html
From Fatima, Jacinta would throw the first stone at John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army to defend her little brothers and sisters http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/04/from-fatima-jacinta-would-throw-first.html
Benedict XVI & Bertone, liars of Fatima? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/cardinal-ratzinger-and-cardinal-bertone.html
Sins and crimes are not synonymous. Sinners and criminals are not one and the same http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/sins-and-crimes-are-not-synonymous.html
Sins and crimes are not synonymous. “Sins” is a Roman Catholic Church's word and theological concept while “crimes” is a secular word and society's reality. Sins are blamed on the Devil or Satan who tempted the Catholics’ first parents Adam and Eve to commit Original Sin while crimes are blamed on the criminals.
John Paul II the Great clashing cymbal of St. Paul http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-paul-ii-great-clashing-cymbal-of.html
John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army expands into Ireland &John Paul is elevated as "Venerable"... only in the Catholic Church are criminals glorified http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-paul-ii-pedophile-priests-army.html
Benedict XVI’s phony sorrow, superficial shame & crocodile tears in Malta; how long will he continue his Papal lies and Papal parody? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/benedict-xvis-phony-sorrow-superficial.html
Penance is not justice; penitence is inequality to the lifetime suffering of victims of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/penance-is-not-justice-penitence-is.html
Compare these Catholic sinners and secular criminals
Sinners & criminals - Victims - Responsible Leaders
Pearl Harbor - 3,000 victims - 170 planes - Admiral Yamamoto
WTC & 9/11 attacks - 5,000 victims - 19 Muslims - Osama bin Laden
USA Priest Pedophilia - 12,000 victims - 6,000 pedophile priests - John Paul II & Benedict XVI & Opus Dei, the new Vatican Trinity
Theology and John Paul II are heartless and together they made the immoral Fr. Marcial Maciel thrive http://jp2m.blogspot.com/
Spiritual healing, the Eucharist and the Rosary bring NEITHER JUSTICE NOR SAFETY FOR CHILDREN, the preys of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/05/spiritual-healing-eucharist-and-rosary.html
The French Revolution at the Vatican might start in England with the arrest of Benedict XVI led by the British Dawkins and Hitchens http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/french-revolution-at-vatican-might.html
Opus Dei female symbol for John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/04/opus-dei-female-symbol-for-john-paul-ii.html
John L. Allen Jr of NCR is the Pied Piper of Benedict XVI toots “Will Ratzinger's past trump Benedict's present?” http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/03/john-allen-pied-piper-of-benedict-xvi_25.html
Benedict XVI is the mythomaniac of the 21st century!!! http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/11/benedict-xvi-is-mythomaniac-of-21st.html
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The Vatican: ‘Concern’ on Italy Scandal
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/world/europe/21briefs-Vatican.html
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: January 20, 2011
The Vatican is watching the sex scandal engulfing the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, “with concern,” its secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said Thursday, the news agency ANSA reported. The cardinal’s remarks are a sign of Mr. Berlusconi’s growing political weakness a week after prosecutors began investigating whether he compensated “a significant number” of women, including a minor, for sex. The prime minister denies all wrongdoing. According to ANSA, Cardinal Bertone said the Roman Catholic Church urged greater “morality” and “legality” in public life, especially from those holding public office. His remarks were seen as lending support to centrist politicians who seek to oust Mr. Berlusconi. In a television interview on Wednesday, the minor, Karima el-Mahroug, denied that she had sex with Mr. Berlusconi or asked for money in exchange for her silence, as wiretapped phone conversations published in the Italian news media this week suggested.
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Vatican to Berlusconi: Politicians must be moral
News Daily
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre70j605-us-italy-berlusconi-vatican/
By Philip PullellaPosted 2011/01/20 at 1:53 pm EST
ROME, Jan. 20, 2011 (Reuters) — The Vatican on Thursday finally weighed in on the latest sex scandal shaking the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying Italian politicians must show "robust morality."
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at Chigi palace in Rome January 20, 2011. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state and second only to Pope Benedict in the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, said the Vatican was "particularly worried" about the impact the scandal was having on Italy.
Bertone, speaking on the sidelines of a church event, was asked about an investigation of Berlusconi by magistrates who suspect he paid a 17-year-old prostitute and other women for sex at parties in his villa near Milan.
"The Church pushes and invites everyone, above all those who hold public responsibility in any administrative, political and judicial area, to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness," he said.
While editorials in Italian Catholic publications have expressed concern over what has emerged from the investigation so far, Bertone's remarks were significant because the Vatican still holds enormous political influence in Italy.
Berlusconi, a 74-year-old billionaire media mogul, has been under increasing pressure to resign since magistrates in Milan accused him of paying for sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer who goes by the stage name "Ruby Heartstealer."
He denies all accusations against him, saying the investigation is the latest attempt by what he calls leftist magistrates to destroy his political career.
While the Vatican has clearly been irked by Berlusconi's various sex scandals over the past two years, it has until now held its fire because many in the church hierarchy feel more comfortable with a conservative government at Italy's helm.
Bertone's comments indicated that the latest scandal was too much.
WILLING STARLETS
Italian newspapers have been full of reports of parties at Berlusconi's villa attended by young starlets who want to break into show business.
Ruby says she received 7,000 euros ($9,390) from Berlusconi after attending one of his parties, but had not slept with him.
Italian media have published leaks of transcripts of wiretaps in which Ruby, a Moroccan, says she asked Berlusconi for 5 million euros in exchange for her silence. She denies this.
Though Berlusconi has seen off a series of sex scandals, his public image has taken a beating with the Ruby investigation and the publication of phone transcripts describing kinky parties at his house with showgirls in, among other things, nurse uniforms.
Bertone said the Vatican was worried about the effects that reports of such behavior was having on families, young people and future generations.
He said Italians wanted to see "exemplary behavior" from their politicians, who he said should be concerned, above all, "with the problems that weigh on Italian society."
Earlier this week, the Vatican newspaper took the unusual step of publishing a statement by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in which he said he was very worried about the effect the crisis was having on Italy's stability.
On Wednesday Berlusconi, in his latest broadside against magistrates, said he would propose new laws to prevent them from pursuing elected officials.
Magistrates have summoned Berlusconi for questioning on the case but he has refused, saying they were biased and did not have the right to preside over the case.
The latest scandal comes at a particularly difficult time for Berlusconi, who narrowly scraped through a confidence vote last month and lost automatic immunity from prosecution after a top court ruling last week.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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Pope weighs in as Silvio Berlusconi sex scandal deepens
The Guardian
Officials must 'rediscover moral roots', says pontiff, as Italian PM digs in amid growing evidence of sexual misconduct
John Hooper in Rome
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 19.09 GMT
Macri said that on 24 April last year the then 17-year-old Mahroug, known as Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby the Heartstealer), was dancing topless and a bit drunk round a pole in a specially equipped room at Berlusconi's home outside Milan. In a remark which may have been aimed at Italy's beleaguered prime minister, Pope Benedict XVI told an audience of police officers that public officials must "rediscover their spiritual and moral roots".
An opposition politician close to the Vatican, Pier Ferdinando Casini of the Christian Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC), cast doubt on that interpretation, saying: "A true Catholic listens to the pope and never uses him for his own ends."
But the pope's remarks echoed comments on Thursday by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who urged public figures to be "committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness.
Berlusconi reportedly told his weekly cabinet meeting the cardinal's comments were too vague and generic to have been intended for him...
Berlusconi's mansion is in another judicial catchment area, as is the house of a police official to whom the call from the prime minister's office was diverted last May. According to Macri's account, she and Ruby both received €5,000 (£4,250) from Berlusconi for attending his party.
She said that after sharing a swimming pool with an allegedly nude prime minister and five or six other girls, she watched as he headed for a room used for massages.
"After a bit, he said: 'Next one. Next one.' And every five minutes we opened the door and had sexual relations. One at a time."
Another woman who has attended the 74-year-old prime minister's parties, Marysthell Garcia Polanco, cast doubt on Macri's account, however. "He's not Superman," she said.
The Vatican's stance could be crucial to Berlusconi's chances of survival. He has done the Roman Catholic church a number of favours, providing it with tax breaks and closely following the Vatican's teachings on ethical issues such as euthanasia and in-vitro fertilisation...
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Pope makes moral appeal to Italian public officials
BBC news, UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12255063
21 January 2011 Last updated at 13:02 ET
Pope Benedict XVI has said public officials must offer a strong moral example, his first apparent comment on the sex scandal engulfing Italy's PM.
Though Silvio Berlusconi's name was not explicitly mentioned, the Pope's words echo those of a senior Vatican official who said the issue was troubling.
Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have said he will not attend questioning on charges that he paid for sex with a minor.
He has denied the allegations, which he insists are politically motivated.
"Society and public institutions must rediscover their soul, their moral and spiritual roots," Pope Benedict said in front of an audience of police chiefs in the capital, Rome.
"The singular vocation that the city of Rome requires today of you, who are public officials, is to offer a good example of the positive and useful interaction between a healthy lay status and the Christian faith."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said earlier that those in authority should show a more "robust morality".
Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano has also been outspoken on the matter, saying more "sobriety and responsibility" is needed from public figures in times of austerity.
'Indecent example'
Milan prosecutors have placed the prime minister and three associates under investigation, alleging he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl nicknamed Ruby. They also allege that he had sex with several prostitutes during parties at his Milan estate.
Frequenting prostitutes is not a crime in Italy but having sex with one under the age of 18 is an imprisonable offence.
According to unsourced comments published in Italy's left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Berlusconi dismissed the Pope's comments as being too generic to refer specifically to him.
But the BBC's David Willey, in Rome, says there was no mistaking the Pope's intention.
He says the fact that the pontiff added his voice to the criticism is very significant as the Roman Catholic Church remains very powerful in the country.
The Pope did not mention Mr Berlusconi
Mr Berlusconi, despite the numerous scandals that have surrounded him, has tried to position his conservative coalition as supportive of the Church's stance on family, life and social issues.
In a highly critical editorial on its website, the influential Famiglia Cristiana publication said that Mr Berlusconi had divided Italian Catholics as never before, arguing that his actions represented "an indecent representation of how to live".
Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have been quoted by Italian media as saying the Milanese prosecutors do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the matter.
Much of the investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year-old Moroccan belly-dancer who attended Mr Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, prosecutors say, was paid to have sex with him.
Both Mr Berlusconi and Ms Mahroug have denied having sexual relations, and she has described a sum of 7,000 euros (£5,900) that he gave her as a gift.
Ms Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby, has denied being paid to have sex with the prime minister
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Should the Church Ever Punish
?UNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
Pope John Paul did not want criminal abuser priests reported to the police.
He will be canonized and 99.99% of the laity will applaud.
No one wants anyone to be accountable – for fear they THEY might be held accountable.
John Allen interviewed Cardinal George, who tip-toed around the delicate issue of whether bishops should ever be held accountable for their failures – basically, George thought, no.
George did admit that bishops had failed to punish abusive priests, and that they should use their authority of governance to act against such people.
Many of laity heartily disagree: Here are some of the reactions (and remember, George is speaking of the failure of bishops to punish priests who molested children):
I am concerned that Cardinal George is talking about governing - Jesus promised servants and persons who lead by example - the use of the term govern indicates that the bishops have forgotten that they are servants first - I also am not sure about the reluctance to punish - servants don’t punish - shepherds don’t punish they guide and they teach - rulers punish - Cardinal George nor any bishop is a ruler.
John Paul and the Church of Public Relations
UNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
Sardath said in the comments:
This is a man who survived the Nazi genocide against the Poles, out-maneuvered the Soviets, and utterly crushed liberation theology; and yet we are to believe that he had no idea what he was doing when he signed false bank documents, had no idea that bishops and priests in Latin American were giving aid and comfort to state terrorism, and had no idea what Law, Groer, and Maciel had been up to all those years?
The “santo subito” people can’t have it both ways. If JP2 really was the intellectual and spiritual titan that he pretended to be, then he must have had the capacity to know and understand what his own people were up to. If he knew and did nothing, he was an accomplice in their crimes; if he could have known but chose not to, then he was criminally negligent, which is almost as bad. Either way, they have no business putting him up for sainthood, because he doesn’t even remotely qualify.
There’s also a big problem with some of the theological positions that Ratzinger staked out on these issues while he was head of the CDF, including the claim that while the pope may not be infallible in his disciplinary decisions, those decisions are nevertheless “not without divine assistance” and therefore “call for the adherence of the faithful.” So if JP2 was not without divine assistance in the way he ran his shop, why has everything come to ruin? What sort of saint is it who holds the position of “Vicar of Christ on earth” but somehow consistently fails to avail himself of the divine assistance which, we are assured, was always available to him if he only asked for it?
And now Ratzinger is pope himself, and so is also presumably not without divine assistance in the decisions he makes–and yet he is not only rushing headlong toward a disastrous premature canonization of his predecessor, but has continued to surround himself with the same people who, we are now being told, wrecked the papacy of JP2 with their lies and corruption. We have been told that it was Ratzinger who tried and tried to clean up the corruption around JP2, but was checkmated at every turn by the evil Sodano. So what is his excuse now? He of all people must know what Sodano and the others were up to, and he of all people has the power to send them packing. Why has he not done so?
John Paul’s refusal to act was inexplicable. Benedict’s is explicable but discouraging.
I am of course an outside observer, but even Cardinal Schönborn, who pleaded with John Paul to make a statement about Groër and to stem the resignations for the Austrian Church, was baffled by John Paul’s refusal even to say anything.
I repeat. Cardinal Schönborn read my book Sacrilege, and he said that in the case which he was familiar, that of his predecessor Cardinal Groër, things were worse than I knew. Groër had made strongly homoerotic gestures to almost every student he had come into contact with over the years; Groër stopped short of penetration, but that was the only thing he didn’t do.
If Only the Führer Knew! Part IIUNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
January 21st, 2011
Les Femmes website linked to my criticism of the beatification of John Paul.
This reply I think is typical of the Catholic reaction:
It is an out-and-out lie to claim that Pope John Paul II failed to carry out the duties of his state in life. Could he have done a better job? Yes, but then again, one could say that about anyone in any situation — no matter how well anybody may do something, they could always do better. Podles’ article is devoted to His Holiness’ handling of the sex abuse situation in the Church. How does he, or you for that matter, know that he did nothing and ignored the problem? He may very well have taken action behind closed doors; I mean, the Vatican doesn’t call press conferences to broadcast such things. Even so, during his years in Communist Poland, the Communists often slandered priests by falsely accusing them of sexual impropriety. So if His Holiness was slow to believe such charges about any given priest, can you really blame him? As for allegedly raising most of the bad bishops in question to the episcopacy, do Podles or you know for certain that he was aware that some of those whom he was appointing weren’t going to be good bishops? Even if he was aware, did it ever cross your mind that maybe he chose the ones he chose because there was literally NOBODY better at the time? But then again, remember that Our Lord chose Judas to be one of His disciples. He also chose Peter, who denied Him three times, and the other disciples, who, except for John, were nowhere to be found during His Passion. One might as well accuse Our Lord of doing a terrible job of choosing disciples.
In closing, I want to say to you, Mary Ann, but also Kindred Spirit, that if the Church does indeed beatify and/or canonize John Paul II (I say “if” because anything could happen between now and May 1), I hope you will humbly submit to the Church’s judgment (and believe me, the Church makes sure to do its homework when it comes to the causes of saints), especially if he gets canonized, as canonizations are infallible.
You see there must be a good reason for what John Paul did or failed to do, because, because, why BECAUSE! Otherwise we could not place childlike trust in the popes and might have to think like adults, judging character and actions by normal human moral standards.
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The outpatient clinic
Friday, January 21, 2011
After what appeared to be a relatively quiet spell, Catholic news has been like a blizzard. Fresh off the heels of the announcement of the beatification of John Paul II sparking requests for vials of his blood comes the discovery of a letter to the Irish Bishops during John Paul II's reign.
The 1997 letter is a response to a letter from the Irish Bishop's discussion of mandatory reporting of sexualabuse to civil authorities.
The letter, signed by the late Archbishop Luciano Storero, Pope John Paul II's envoy to Ireland, it instructs bishops that their new policy of making the reporting of suspected crimes mandatory "gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and canonical nature"
The letter also says reporting such abuse would be embarrassing. I bet.
Yet the Vatican and groups like the Catholic League are saying this was merely a suggestion that they meticulously follow the Code of Cannon Law. This didn't mean they couldn't report the abuse. It just meant they shouldn't. Isn't that better?
Bill Donohue, spokesperson for the Catholic League, defended the letter by saying:
"Last month, several media outlets ran a story on how a rabbinical court in Brooklyn ordered its 10,000 members not to report crimes to the police. Not among those reporting on it was the New York Times...
So who wants mandatory reporting for everyone? The Catholic bishops want it—it's the liberal media and liberal activist groups who don't."
What? Maybe it is because I haven't had a cup of coffee yet but I have no idea what The New York Times has to do with the behavior of the Catholic Church.
As for the Jews, well the Catholic League also thinks they need to re-examine the role of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. Right. I wonder if he was the one who suggested Sarah Palin use the term "Blood Libel."
Did you know his salary is close to $400K?
So according to the well paid Mr. Donohue the Catholic Bishops want mandatory reporting. That's curious.
Let's look at a letter written in 1984 by Silvio Angelo Pio Cardinal Oddi, who was from 1979 to 1986 Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy - that is, the Curia, which is, together with the Pope, the governing body of the Catholic Church. The Pope still being near saint John Paul II.
The letter addressed to Bishop Moreno of Tuscon says there isn't "any need for engaging in the so called "due process" procedures," and "The files of a Bishop concerning his priests are altogether private; their forced acquisition by civil authority would be an intolerable attack upon the free exercise of religion in the United States."
I've got to hand it to Donohue, he may be right. The Bishops may want mandatory reporting. It is the vatican who doesn't. Along with the New York Times.
But what about the Cardinals?
Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian released on his Web page the names of 117 priests, deacons and lay members that he claims abused 750 children over half a century. He released the names in order to prompt the Boston Archdiocese to release the names for sake of public safety. Of the 117 names, 19 were new. Never before reported.
Of the 19 new names 12 are now deceased. Spokesperson Kelly Lynch for the Boston Archdiocese said “Since all of the new names are deceased men, clearly no child was put at risk because these names were not in the public domain.”
And?
On December 21st Pope Benedict said in reference to the abuse scandal, "We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred."
Okay, instead of asking yourselves why not ask me? I would suggest releasing all of the names, including the ones who are deceased so a person who may have been abused by that dead priest may start to get the help they need to cope with the abuse and try to lead a normal life.
Or are you afraid they might just lawyer up to help repair the injustice and handing over files is just too intolerable?
Full disclosure can repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred. So would a Congressional Hearing into what appears to be an organized cover up. Or a federal prosecutor with some balls.
http://outpatientclinic.blogspot.com/search?zx=59242d6a6bc9b2a8
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Maybe the Pope finally gets it. In his traditional end of the year address, held on December 21st - The Winter Solstice - Benedict said revelations of abuse in 2010 reached "an unimaginable dimension" that required the church to accept the "humiliation" as a call for renewal.
It is about time. He continued.
"In the 1970s, pedophilia was theorized as something fully in conformity with man and even with children," the pope said. "It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a 'better than' and a 'worse than.' Nothing is good or bad in itself."
What?
In the realm of Catholic Theology, in the 1970's the church believed that pedophilia was normal?
Why am I not surprised?
Maybe because they have believed that behavior was normal for quite some time. Sister Mary MacKillop, from Australia who was excommunicated from the church in 1871 after making charges against a pedophile priest. I guess protecting the pedophiles has been the policy of the church for a very long time.
And why not? According to the theology of the church, as the Pope said, it is normal behavior.
Unless the Pope misspoke and meant to say the 1870s it was considered normal and not the 1970s.
Not that 100 years makes a huge difference to the church. It took them over 350 years to officially pardon Galileo.
But I digress. Still I'm baffled at how the church could come to this conclusion.
In Mark 9:42 Jesus says:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea"
Translation: Don't screw around with kids. Literally.
Which makes me wonder, who the heck is in charge of PR at the Holy See. Seriously.
Why would you encourage the Pope to say it was "normal" publicly?
Just recently released from the PR department, the Pope said it was okay for male prostitutes to use condoms to prevent the spread of aids.
And why not?
I'm imagining that if the church believed - as late as the 1970s - that it was okay for a man to have sex with a child, that it isn't too much of a leap to believe it is okay for two consenting adults to have sex without the risk of spreading disease.
Unless, of course, they are the same sex, then it is evil.
Unlike pedophilia in the 1970s. And earlier.
The Catholic Church, the gift that keeps.
Merry Christmas Folks. Thanks for reading.
I will leave you with a Holiday Celebration from the Vatican.
See GAY Benedict XVI's eyes swell to see these half naked male acrobats
Proof of Benedict XVI is GAY http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2008/08/proof-of-benedict-xvi-is-gay.html
Benedict XVI and Georg his GAY Private Secretary are GAYS.!. http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2007/06/benedict-xvis-handsome-private.html
Cardinal Bertone came out speaking during a church event in Rome about an investigation on Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi who is suspected to have paid a 17-year-old prostitute and other women for sex at parties in his villa near Milan. (“Paid” means it was consensual like Tiger Wood’s paid young mistresses). Cardinal Bertone said: "The Church pushes and invites everyone, above all those who hold public responsibility in any administrative, political and judicial area, to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness," Now isn’t this an absolute hypocrisy on Cardinal Bertone’s and the Vatican’s part because who else had the highest administrative public responsibility if not the all powerful Pope at the Vatican John Paul II, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger now Pope Benedict XVI (Cardinals and Bishops like Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston) who held ” public responsibility in…administrative area” but they were not at all “committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness” because they enabled thousands of pedophile priests to continuously rape thousands of little boys and pubescent boys – who were not consensual at all with these priests - unlike this paid starlet of Berlusconi? And these rapes by priests occurred for over a quarter of a century under John Paul II’s Holy See watch and he is now to be the fastest saint to be canonized? So what kind of double standard of morality are Cardinal Bertone, Benedict XVI and the Vatican demonstrating here right before the whole world to see?
Berlusconi’s allegedly paid this 17-year old minor young woman, who looks like one of the mistresses of Tiger Woods as she flaunts her half-naked body before the Italian media. None of the little boys and pubescent boys whom thousands of pedophile priests raped was paid. That is the difference, the main difference between the starlet of Berlusconi’s and boys-victims of rapists-priests but Cardinal Bertone and Benedict XVI cannot seem to see that?
Likewise Benedict XVI also said in Rome (according to the BBC, Opus Dei owned media http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/12/opus-dei-owns-bbc-among-its-global.html Notice in this BBC article that on the photo caption of Benedict, it says that he did not mention Berlusconi, but the Opus Dei writer insist in his news article that Benedict XVI was referring to Berlusconi. The texts are highlighted for clarity and to show how Opus Dei are so subtle like the serpent in their agenda for Opus Dei WORLD DOMINATION to make the Pope absolute ruler in the world, first by canonization of John Paul II.
"Society and public institutions must rediscover their soul, their moral and spiritual roots," Pope Benedict said in front of an audience of police chiefs in the capital, Rome.
"The singular vocation that the city of Rome requires today of you, who are public officials, is to offer a good example of the positive and useful interaction between a healthy lay status and the Christian faith."
So why hasn’t Bertone and Benedict XVI and the Vatican likewise been "particularly worried" about the impact the sex abuse scandal of the Catholic Church have on Italy especially the impact that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston who continue to sit as Archpriest of the most prestigious “mother of all basilicas of Rome” the St. Mary Maggiore when he himself has admitted to his crimes (hence he resigned as Cardinal of Boston) of transferring from one parish to another for decades at least 80 pedophile priests who were raped hundreds of boys in so many churches in Boston?? And what kind of impact is a "saint" John Paul II will send to the world that one can be a saint and yet be the worst enabler of the Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions of pedophiles rapists-priests for over 26 years as John Paul II the Great??
See our related articles:
The Nazis and the John Paul II Pedophiles Rapists-Priests Army were both an inherently evil all-male elite hierarchy born from the Devil's bowels http://jp2army.blogspot.com/
John Paul II versus Our Lady of Guadalupe: The contrast between two Catholic Suns http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/
John Paul II's murder of the soul http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/05/john-paul-iis-it-was-murder-of-soul.html
The Devil’s bowels smell like roses in the Vatican http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/12/devils-bowels-smell-like-roses-in.html
Beloved companions John Paul II and Fr. Marcial Maciel together in their journeys to Guadalupe: Both were great founders and great deceivers alike http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2011/01/beloved-companions-john-paul-ii-and-fr.html
Cardinal Bertone, stop fooling us with the “Communist” trump card; the Belgian Police raid proves that you Vatican Princes are not ‘above the law’! http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardinal-bertone-stop-fooling-us-with.html
John Paul II's official spokesman Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls reveals the true reasons why there's the Pope and the Pedophile Scandal http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/04/john-paul-iis-sole-official-papal.html
Benedict XVI’s Consecration to Mary cannot protect children from pedophile priests http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/benedict-xvis-consecration-to-mary.html
From Fatima, Jacinta would throw the first stone at John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army to defend her little brothers and sisters http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/04/from-fatima-jacinta-would-throw-first.html
Benedict XVI & Bertone, liars of Fatima? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/cardinal-ratzinger-and-cardinal-bertone.html
Sins and crimes are not synonymous. Sinners and criminals are not one and the same http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/05/sins-and-crimes-are-not-synonymous.html
Sins and crimes are not synonymous. “Sins” is a Roman Catholic Church's word and theological concept while “crimes” is a secular word and society's reality. Sins are blamed on the Devil or Satan who tempted the Catholics’ first parents Adam and Eve to commit Original Sin while crimes are blamed on the criminals.
John Paul II the Great clashing cymbal of St. Paul http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-paul-ii-great-clashing-cymbal-of.html
John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army expands into Ireland &John Paul is elevated as "Venerable"... only in the Catholic Church are criminals glorified http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-paul-ii-pedophile-priests-army.html
Benedict XVI’s phony sorrow, superficial shame & crocodile tears in Malta; how long will he continue his Papal lies and Papal parody? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/benedict-xvis-phony-sorrow-superficial.html
Penance is not justice; penitence is inequality to the lifetime suffering of victims of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/penance-is-not-justice-penitence-is.html
Compare these Catholic sinners and secular criminals
Sinners & criminals - Victims - Responsible Leaders
Pearl Harbor - 3,000 victims - 170 planes - Admiral Yamamoto
WTC & 9/11 attacks - 5,000 victims - 19 Muslims - Osama bin Laden
USA Priest Pedophilia - 12,000 victims - 6,000 pedophile priests - John Paul II & Benedict XVI & Opus Dei, the new Vatican Trinity
Theology and John Paul II are heartless and together they made the immoral Fr. Marcial Maciel thrive http://jp2m.blogspot.com/
Spiritual healing, the Eucharist and the Rosary bring NEITHER JUSTICE NOR SAFETY FOR CHILDREN, the preys of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/05/spiritual-healing-eucharist-and-rosary.html
The French Revolution at the Vatican might start in England with the arrest of Benedict XVI led by the British Dawkins and Hitchens http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/french-revolution-at-vatican-might.html
Opus Dei female symbol for John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/04/opus-dei-female-symbol-for-john-paul-ii.html
John L. Allen Jr of NCR is the Pied Piper of Benedict XVI toots “Will Ratzinger's past trump Benedict's present?” http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/03/john-allen-pied-piper-of-benedict-xvi_25.html
Benedict XVI is the mythomaniac of the 21st century!!! http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/11/benedict-xvi-is-mythomaniac-of-21st.html
==============
The Vatican: ‘Concern’ on Italy Scandal
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/world/europe/21briefs-Vatican.html
By RACHEL DONADIO
Published: January 20, 2011
The Vatican is watching the sex scandal engulfing the Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, “with concern,” its secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said Thursday, the news agency ANSA reported. The cardinal’s remarks are a sign of Mr. Berlusconi’s growing political weakness a week after prosecutors began investigating whether he compensated “a significant number” of women, including a minor, for sex. The prime minister denies all wrongdoing. According to ANSA, Cardinal Bertone said the Roman Catholic Church urged greater “morality” and “legality” in public life, especially from those holding public office. His remarks were seen as lending support to centrist politicians who seek to oust Mr. Berlusconi. In a television interview on Wednesday, the minor, Karima el-Mahroug, denied that she had sex with Mr. Berlusconi or asked for money in exchange for her silence, as wiretapped phone conversations published in the Italian news media this week suggested.
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Vatican to Berlusconi: Politicians must be moral
News Daily
http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre70j605-us-italy-berlusconi-vatican/
By Philip PullellaPosted 2011/01/20 at 1:53 pm EST
ROME, Jan. 20, 2011 (Reuters) — The Vatican on Thursday finally weighed in on the latest sex scandal shaking the government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, saying Italian politicians must show "robust morality."
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at Chigi palace in Rome January 20, 2011. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state and second only to Pope Benedict in the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, said the Vatican was "particularly worried" about the impact the scandal was having on Italy.
Bertone, speaking on the sidelines of a church event, was asked about an investigation of Berlusconi by magistrates who suspect he paid a 17-year-old prostitute and other women for sex at parties in his villa near Milan.
"The Church pushes and invites everyone, above all those who hold public responsibility in any administrative, political and judicial area, to be committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness," he said.
While editorials in Italian Catholic publications have expressed concern over what has emerged from the investigation so far, Bertone's remarks were significant because the Vatican still holds enormous political influence in Italy.
Berlusconi, a 74-year-old billionaire media mogul, has been under increasing pressure to resign since magistrates in Milan accused him of paying for sex with a 17-year-old nightclub dancer who goes by the stage name "Ruby Heartstealer."
He denies all accusations against him, saying the investigation is the latest attempt by what he calls leftist magistrates to destroy his political career.
While the Vatican has clearly been irked by Berlusconi's various sex scandals over the past two years, it has until now held its fire because many in the church hierarchy feel more comfortable with a conservative government at Italy's helm.
Bertone's comments indicated that the latest scandal was too much.
WILLING STARLETS
Italian newspapers have been full of reports of parties at Berlusconi's villa attended by young starlets who want to break into show business.
Ruby says she received 7,000 euros ($9,390) from Berlusconi after attending one of his parties, but had not slept with him.
Italian media have published leaks of transcripts of wiretaps in which Ruby, a Moroccan, says she asked Berlusconi for 5 million euros in exchange for her silence. She denies this.
Though Berlusconi has seen off a series of sex scandals, his public image has taken a beating with the Ruby investigation and the publication of phone transcripts describing kinky parties at his house with showgirls in, among other things, nurse uniforms.
Bertone said the Vatican was worried about the effects that reports of such behavior was having on families, young people and future generations.
He said Italians wanted to see "exemplary behavior" from their politicians, who he said should be concerned, above all, "with the problems that weigh on Italian society."
Earlier this week, the Vatican newspaper took the unusual step of publishing a statement by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano in which he said he was very worried about the effect the crisis was having on Italy's stability.
On Wednesday Berlusconi, in his latest broadside against magistrates, said he would propose new laws to prevent them from pursuing elected officials.
Magistrates have summoned Berlusconi for questioning on the case but he has refused, saying they were biased and did not have the right to preside over the case.
The latest scandal comes at a particularly difficult time for Berlusconi, who narrowly scraped through a confidence vote last month and lost automatic immunity from prosecution after a top court ruling last week.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
=============
Pope weighs in as Silvio Berlusconi sex scandal deepens
The Guardian
Officials must 'rediscover moral roots', says pontiff, as Italian PM digs in amid growing evidence of sexual misconduct
John Hooper in Rome
guardian.co.uk, Friday 21 January 2011 19.09 GMT
Macri said that on 24 April last year the then 17-year-old Mahroug, known as Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby the Heartstealer), was dancing topless and a bit drunk round a pole in a specially equipped room at Berlusconi's home outside Milan. In a remark which may have been aimed at Italy's beleaguered prime minister, Pope Benedict XVI told an audience of police officers that public officials must "rediscover their spiritual and moral roots".
An opposition politician close to the Vatican, Pier Ferdinando Casini of the Christian Democratic Union of the Centre (UDC), cast doubt on that interpretation, saying: "A true Catholic listens to the pope and never uses him for his own ends."
But the pope's remarks echoed comments on Thursday by his secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who urged public figures to be "committed to a more robust morality, a sense of justice and lawfulness.
Berlusconi reportedly told his weekly cabinet meeting the cardinal's comments were too vague and generic to have been intended for him...
Berlusconi's mansion is in another judicial catchment area, as is the house of a police official to whom the call from the prime minister's office was diverted last May. According to Macri's account, she and Ruby both received €5,000 (£4,250) from Berlusconi for attending his party.
She said that after sharing a swimming pool with an allegedly nude prime minister and five or six other girls, she watched as he headed for a room used for massages.
"After a bit, he said: 'Next one. Next one.' And every five minutes we opened the door and had sexual relations. One at a time."
Another woman who has attended the 74-year-old prime minister's parties, Marysthell Garcia Polanco, cast doubt on Macri's account, however. "He's not Superman," she said.
The Vatican's stance could be crucial to Berlusconi's chances of survival. He has done the Roman Catholic church a number of favours, providing it with tax breaks and closely following the Vatican's teachings on ethical issues such as euthanasia and in-vitro fertilisation...
=============
Pope makes moral appeal to Italian public officials
BBC news, UK
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12255063
21 January 2011 Last updated at 13:02 ET
Pope Benedict XVI has said public officials must offer a strong moral example, his first apparent comment on the sex scandal engulfing Italy's PM.
Though Silvio Berlusconi's name was not explicitly mentioned, the Pope's words echo those of a senior Vatican official who said the issue was troubling.
Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have said he will not attend questioning on charges that he paid for sex with a minor.
He has denied the allegations, which he insists are politically motivated.
"Society and public institutions must rediscover their soul, their moral and spiritual roots," Pope Benedict said in front of an audience of police chiefs in the capital, Rome.
"The singular vocation that the city of Rome requires today of you, who are public officials, is to offer a good example of the positive and useful interaction between a healthy lay status and the Christian faith."
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said earlier that those in authority should show a more "robust morality".
Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano has also been outspoken on the matter, saying more "sobriety and responsibility" is needed from public figures in times of austerity.
'Indecent example'
Milan prosecutors have placed the prime minister and three associates under investigation, alleging he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl nicknamed Ruby. They also allege that he had sex with several prostitutes during parties at his Milan estate.
Frequenting prostitutes is not a crime in Italy but having sex with one under the age of 18 is an imprisonable offence.
According to unsourced comments published in Italy's left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Berlusconi dismissed the Pope's comments as being too generic to refer specifically to him.
But the BBC's David Willey, in Rome, says there was no mistaking the Pope's intention.
He says the fact that the pontiff added his voice to the criticism is very significant as the Roman Catholic Church remains very powerful in the country.
The Pope did not mention Mr Berlusconi
Mr Berlusconi, despite the numerous scandals that have surrounded him, has tried to position his conservative coalition as supportive of the Church's stance on family, life and social issues.
In a highly critical editorial on its website, the influential Famiglia Cristiana publication said that Mr Berlusconi had divided Italian Catholics as never before, arguing that his actions represented "an indecent representation of how to live".
Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have been quoted by Italian media as saying the Milanese prosecutors do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the matter.
Much of the investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year-old Moroccan belly-dancer who attended Mr Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, prosecutors say, was paid to have sex with him.
Both Mr Berlusconi and Ms Mahroug have denied having sexual relations, and she has described a sum of 7,000 euros (£5,900) that he gave her as a gift.
Ms Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby, has denied being paid to have sex with the prime minister
=============
Should the Church Ever Punish
?UNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
Pope John Paul did not want criminal abuser priests reported to the police.
He will be canonized and 99.99% of the laity will applaud.
No one wants anyone to be accountable – for fear they THEY might be held accountable.
John Allen interviewed Cardinal George, who tip-toed around the delicate issue of whether bishops should ever be held accountable for their failures – basically, George thought, no.
George did admit that bishops had failed to punish abusive priests, and that they should use their authority of governance to act against such people.
Many of laity heartily disagree: Here are some of the reactions (and remember, George is speaking of the failure of bishops to punish priests who molested children):
I am concerned that Cardinal George is talking about governing - Jesus promised servants and persons who lead by example - the use of the term govern indicates that the bishops have forgotten that they are servants first - I also am not sure about the reluctance to punish - servants don’t punish - shepherds don’t punish they guide and they teach - rulers punish - Cardinal George nor any bishop is a ruler.
John Paul and the Church of Public Relations
UNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
Sardath said in the comments:
This is a man who survived the Nazi genocide against the Poles, out-maneuvered the Soviets, and utterly crushed liberation theology; and yet we are to believe that he had no idea what he was doing when he signed false bank documents, had no idea that bishops and priests in Latin American were giving aid and comfort to state terrorism, and had no idea what Law, Groer, and Maciel had been up to all those years?
The “santo subito” people can’t have it both ways. If JP2 really was the intellectual and spiritual titan that he pretended to be, then he must have had the capacity to know and understand what his own people were up to. If he knew and did nothing, he was an accomplice in their crimes; if he could have known but chose not to, then he was criminally negligent, which is almost as bad. Either way, they have no business putting him up for sainthood, because he doesn’t even remotely qualify.
There’s also a big problem with some of the theological positions that Ratzinger staked out on these issues while he was head of the CDF, including the claim that while the pope may not be infallible in his disciplinary decisions, those decisions are nevertheless “not without divine assistance” and therefore “call for the adherence of the faithful.” So if JP2 was not without divine assistance in the way he ran his shop, why has everything come to ruin? What sort of saint is it who holds the position of “Vicar of Christ on earth” but somehow consistently fails to avail himself of the divine assistance which, we are assured, was always available to him if he only asked for it?
And now Ratzinger is pope himself, and so is also presumably not without divine assistance in the decisions he makes–and yet he is not only rushing headlong toward a disastrous premature canonization of his predecessor, but has continued to surround himself with the same people who, we are now being told, wrecked the papacy of JP2 with their lies and corruption. We have been told that it was Ratzinger who tried and tried to clean up the corruption around JP2, but was checkmated at every turn by the evil Sodano. So what is his excuse now? He of all people must know what Sodano and the others were up to, and he of all people has the power to send them packing. Why has he not done so?
John Paul’s refusal to act was inexplicable. Benedict’s is explicable but discouraging.
I am of course an outside observer, but even Cardinal Schönborn, who pleaded with John Paul to make a statement about Groër and to stem the resignations for the Austrian Church, was baffled by John Paul’s refusal even to say anything.
I repeat. Cardinal Schönborn read my book Sacrilege, and he said that in the case which he was familiar, that of his predecessor Cardinal Groër, things were worse than I knew. Groër had made strongly homoerotic gestures to almost every student he had come into contact with over the years; Groër stopped short of penetration, but that was the only thing he didn’t do.
If Only the Führer Knew! Part IIUNITED STATES
Leon J. Podles: Dialogue
January 21st, 2011
Les Femmes website linked to my criticism of the beatification of John Paul.
This reply I think is typical of the Catholic reaction:
It is an out-and-out lie to claim that Pope John Paul II failed to carry out the duties of his state in life. Could he have done a better job? Yes, but then again, one could say that about anyone in any situation — no matter how well anybody may do something, they could always do better. Podles’ article is devoted to His Holiness’ handling of the sex abuse situation in the Church. How does he, or you for that matter, know that he did nothing and ignored the problem? He may very well have taken action behind closed doors; I mean, the Vatican doesn’t call press conferences to broadcast such things. Even so, during his years in Communist Poland, the Communists often slandered priests by falsely accusing them of sexual impropriety. So if His Holiness was slow to believe such charges about any given priest, can you really blame him? As for allegedly raising most of the bad bishops in question to the episcopacy, do Podles or you know for certain that he was aware that some of those whom he was appointing weren’t going to be good bishops? Even if he was aware, did it ever cross your mind that maybe he chose the ones he chose because there was literally NOBODY better at the time? But then again, remember that Our Lord chose Judas to be one of His disciples. He also chose Peter, who denied Him three times, and the other disciples, who, except for John, were nowhere to be found during His Passion. One might as well accuse Our Lord of doing a terrible job of choosing disciples.
In closing, I want to say to you, Mary Ann, but also Kindred Spirit, that if the Church does indeed beatify and/or canonize John Paul II (I say “if” because anything could happen between now and May 1), I hope you will humbly submit to the Church’s judgment (and believe me, the Church makes sure to do its homework when it comes to the causes of saints), especially if he gets canonized, as canonizations are infallible.
You see there must be a good reason for what John Paul did or failed to do, because, because, why BECAUSE! Otherwise we could not place childlike trust in the popes and might have to think like adults, judging character and actions by normal human moral standards.
===========
The outpatient clinic
Friday, January 21, 2011
After what appeared to be a relatively quiet spell, Catholic news has been like a blizzard. Fresh off the heels of the announcement of the beatification of John Paul II sparking requests for vials of his blood comes the discovery of a letter to the Irish Bishops during John Paul II's reign.
The 1997 letter is a response to a letter from the Irish Bishop's discussion of mandatory reporting of sexualabuse to civil authorities.
The letter, signed by the late Archbishop Luciano Storero, Pope John Paul II's envoy to Ireland, it instructs bishops that their new policy of making the reporting of suspected crimes mandatory "gives rise to serious reservations of both a moral and canonical nature"
The letter also says reporting such abuse would be embarrassing. I bet.
Yet the Vatican and groups like the Catholic League are saying this was merely a suggestion that they meticulously follow the Code of Cannon Law. This didn't mean they couldn't report the abuse. It just meant they shouldn't. Isn't that better?
Bill Donohue, spokesperson for the Catholic League, defended the letter by saying:
"Last month, several media outlets ran a story on how a rabbinical court in Brooklyn ordered its 10,000 members not to report crimes to the police. Not among those reporting on it was the New York Times...
So who wants mandatory reporting for everyone? The Catholic bishops want it—it's the liberal media and liberal activist groups who don't."
What? Maybe it is because I haven't had a cup of coffee yet but I have no idea what The New York Times has to do with the behavior of the Catholic Church.
As for the Jews, well the Catholic League also thinks they need to re-examine the role of Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust. Right. I wonder if he was the one who suggested Sarah Palin use the term "Blood Libel."
Did you know his salary is close to $400K?
So according to the well paid Mr. Donohue the Catholic Bishops want mandatory reporting. That's curious.
Let's look at a letter written in 1984 by Silvio Angelo Pio Cardinal Oddi, who was from 1979 to 1986 Prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy - that is, the Curia, which is, together with the Pope, the governing body of the Catholic Church. The Pope still being near saint John Paul II.
The letter addressed to Bishop Moreno of Tuscon says there isn't "any need for engaging in the so called "due process" procedures," and "The files of a Bishop concerning his priests are altogether private; their forced acquisition by civil authority would be an intolerable attack upon the free exercise of religion in the United States."
I've got to hand it to Donohue, he may be right. The Bishops may want mandatory reporting. It is the vatican who doesn't. Along with the New York Times.
But what about the Cardinals?
Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian released on his Web page the names of 117 priests, deacons and lay members that he claims abused 750 children over half a century. He released the names in order to prompt the Boston Archdiocese to release the names for sake of public safety. Of the 117 names, 19 were new. Never before reported.
Of the 19 new names 12 are now deceased. Spokesperson Kelly Lynch for the Boston Archdiocese said “Since all of the new names are deceased men, clearly no child was put at risk because these names were not in the public domain.”
And?
On December 21st Pope Benedict said in reference to the abuse scandal, "We must ask ourselves what we can do to repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred."
Okay, instead of asking yourselves why not ask me? I would suggest releasing all of the names, including the ones who are deceased so a person who may have been abused by that dead priest may start to get the help they need to cope with the abuse and try to lead a normal life.
Or are you afraid they might just lawyer up to help repair the injustice and handing over files is just too intolerable?
Full disclosure can repair as much as possible the injustice that has occurred. So would a Congressional Hearing into what appears to be an organized cover up. Or a federal prosecutor with some balls.
http://outpatientclinic.blogspot.com/search?zx=59242d6a6bc9b2a8
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Maybe the Pope finally gets it. In his traditional end of the year address, held on December 21st - The Winter Solstice - Benedict said revelations of abuse in 2010 reached "an unimaginable dimension" that required the church to accept the "humiliation" as a call for renewal.
It is about time. He continued.
"In the 1970s, pedophilia was theorized as something fully in conformity with man and even with children," the pope said. "It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a 'better than' and a 'worse than.' Nothing is good or bad in itself."
What?
In the realm of Catholic Theology, in the 1970's the church believed that pedophilia was normal?
Why am I not surprised?
Maybe because they have believed that behavior was normal for quite some time. Sister Mary MacKillop, from Australia who was excommunicated from the church in 1871 after making charges against a pedophile priest. I guess protecting the pedophiles has been the policy of the church for a very long time.
And why not? According to the theology of the church, as the Pope said, it is normal behavior.
Unless the Pope misspoke and meant to say the 1870s it was considered normal and not the 1970s.
Not that 100 years makes a huge difference to the church. It took them over 350 years to officially pardon Galileo.
But I digress. Still I'm baffled at how the church could come to this conclusion.
In Mark 9:42 Jesus says:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea"
Translation: Don't screw around with kids. Literally.
Which makes me wonder, who the heck is in charge of PR at the Holy See. Seriously.
Why would you encourage the Pope to say it was "normal" publicly?
Just recently released from the PR department, the Pope said it was okay for male prostitutes to use condoms to prevent the spread of aids.
And why not?
I'm imagining that if the church believed - as late as the 1970s - that it was okay for a man to have sex with a child, that it isn't too much of a leap to believe it is okay for two consenting adults to have sex without the risk of spreading disease.
Unless, of course, they are the same sex, then it is evil.
Unlike pedophilia in the 1970s. And earlier.
The Catholic Church, the gift that keeps.
Merry Christmas Folks. Thanks for reading.
I will leave you with a Holiday Celebration from the Vatican.
See GAY Benedict XVI's eyes swell to see these half naked male acrobats
Proof of Benedict XVI is GAY http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2008/08/proof-of-benedict-xvi-is-gay.html
Benedict XVI and Georg his GAY Private Secretary are GAYS.!. http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2007/06/benedict-xvis-handsome-private.html
posted by Paris Arrow | Friday, January 21, 2011
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