"In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children"The 1970s were a dark and perverse time. Some Catholics fell victim to a sin that was considered less extreme by society's former standards.
"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."The evil of the 1970s reached even into our theology, which we have since corrected.
The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached “an unimaginable dimension” which brought “humiliation” on the Church. ... “We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light,” he said, citing the growth of child pornography “that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society” he said.Yeah, we messed up, but society is what changed. The only reason you see our response to the abuse as unacceptable is a shift that occurred in your secular morality.
He's trying to place the blame on "1970s moral relativism" for infecting his precious Church instead of admitting that the problem was within the Church itself, which has been actively covering this up and perpetuating the problem for years. Fuck that. At least NAMBLA's honest.
priests who twist the sacrament into its antithesis, and under the mantle of the sacred profoundly wound human persons in their childhood, damaging them for a whole lifetimeand in quoting from the vision of St. Hildegard:
And Christ’s wounds remain open because of the sins of priests. They tear my robe, since they are violators of the Law, the Gospel and their own priesthood; they darken my cloak by neglecting, in every way, the precepts which they are meant to uphold; my shoes too are blackened, since priests do not keep to the straight paths of justice, which are hard and rugged, or set good examples to those beneath them.And he blames society as a group or organization with the "1970s moral relativism" stuff, but he does not blame the church as an organization; in fact the church is portrayed as the victim.
D.C. Catholic Charities Ends Benefits For All Spouses After Gay Marriage Legalized.These 'leaders' are actively involved in seeking legislation to impose their 'morals' on a pluralistic, secular society. I say: "Fuck 'em. Tax 'em to Hell."
Same-sex Marriage Law Forces D.C. Catholic Charities to Close Adoption Program.
Religious Charity to End Adoption Program in Boston over Gay Rights.
"Very much more serious is the role of Joseph Ratzinger, before the church decided to make him supreme leader, in obstructing justice on a global scale. After his promotion to cardinal, he was put in charge of the so-called 'Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith' (formerly known as the Inquisition). In 2001, Pope John Paul II placed this department in charge of the investigation of child rape and torture by Catholic priests. In May of that year, Ratzinger issued a confidential letter to every bishop. In it, he reminded them of the extreme gravity of a certain crime. But that crime was the reporting of the rape and torture. The accusations, intoned Ratzinger, were only treatable within the church's own exclusive jurisdiction. Any sharing of the evidence with legal authorities or the press was utterly forbidden. Charges were to be investigated 'in the most secretive way ... restrained by a perpetual silence ... and everyone ... is to observe the strictest secret which is commonly regarded as a secret of the Holy Office ... under the penalty of excommunication.' Nobody has yet been excommunicated for the rape and torture of children, but exposing the offense could get you into serious trouble. And this is the church that warns us against moral relativism! (See, for more on this appalling document, two reports in the London Observer of April 24, 2005, by Jamie Doward.)posted by ericb at 11:56 AM on December 24, 2010 [5 favorites]
Not content with shielding its own priests from the law, Ratzinger's office even wrote its own private statute of limitations. The church's jurisdiction, claimed Ratzinger, 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and then lasts for 10 more years. Daniel Shea, the attorney for two victims who sued Ratzinger and a church in Texas, correctly describes that latter stipulation as an obstruction of justice. 'You can't investigate a case if you never find out about it. If you can manage to keep it secret for 18 years plus 10, the priest will get away with it.'"
"Catholics are strutting around boasting about their role in repealing Maine's gay marriage law. At least they're taking responsibility for it. Catholics are the new Mormons—which sucks for me because I was raised Catholic. Can I unbaptize myself? Can I do it in a hot tub? How many guys will it take?"Maine's Catholic Church Donations To Anti-Gay Campaign Top $550,000.
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posted by Big_B at 8:18 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]