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Pope Benedict Ratzinger must Resign

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Shell represents goddess aphrodite

Pope
Benedict XVI

Should Resign

From the Legal
Office of Peter
for The Good of
the True Church

For those who question this web site's opposition to men in positions of authority let it be said that with a well informed conscience one has not only the right but the duty to oppose those who are in opposition to God.
Those who act in obedience to those working in concert with satanic forces commit deadly sin. Those capable of understanding what a well informed conscience is have the moral obligation to make investigations based upon truth and justice.  [Acts 4:18-20; Heb. 1:9]
And he told them a parable, "Can a blind person guide a blind person?
Will not both fall into a pit?  [Lk 6:39]

Note: If it is established that any presentation is in whole or part
in error please advise and corrections will be made.

A Talking Toothless Tiger that Growls only when No Other Action is Acceptable

Talk is Cheap and as used by Ben XVI serves to be Satanically Deceptive

Even great words without corresponding action is meaningless.

His appointments of bishops have been and will,
for the most part, continue to serve Satan.

When will he publicly announce and order all bishops to proclaim that voting for someone who is pro sodomy, pro abortion (choice), or to vote for someone who is an adulterer is a grave crime against God warranting eternal damnation.
When will he see to it that those guilty of desecrating the Holy Eucharist, by allowing Jesus to be given to well known sinners, are publicly excommunicated. This could start with Cardinals Law and Mahony.

Public statements to avert attention from Masonic deceptions being subversively promoted:
Benedict XVI (Herr Joseph Ratzinger) is more interested in broadcasting nice sounding statements to the easily deceived than to directly oppose evil in the Church and in the world. He does not excommunicate clearly heretical cardinals, bishops, catholic politicians and other highly offensive catholic public figures while he has both the authority and opportunity to do so.
As a usurper of truth and justice he himself should be considered under automatic excommunication and therefore not protected by the 1917 Code of Canon Law - Can. 2343 §1, or the 1983 watered down Code of Canon Law - Can. 1370 §1.
Both codes protect moral popes who fill the office, but do not protect a person who is in essence a layman by virtue of being excommunicated. Knowledgeable persons like Ratzinger, and his predecessor Wojtyla, cannot claim ignorance of the teachings of God.
Joseph Ratzinger, claimant to title of pope, produces many fine and authentic words but hypocritically does not even attempt to enforce them even though the position he holds demands that he do so for the good of the Church and the salvation of souls.
Having repeatedly failed to remove errant cardinals such as Roger Michael Mahony of Los Angeles, Bernard Francis Law archpriest of St. Mary Major (former archbishop of pedophile infested Boston), and Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster, England, along with numerous other clearly sinful cardinals and bishops, he cannot rationally be seen as a moral (valid) pope. Thus, it should be understood that he has no protection under The Code of Canon Law.

San Diego, California – records of perverts have been destroyed for their protection.
Davenport, Iowa
Portland, Oregon
Spokane, Washington
Tucson, Arizona

How is it that bishops who have protected sex offenders have not been removed from ecclesiastical office? Why are these evil men being protected unless men filling higher officers are also involved with these crimes?

Popes without Faith in or Love for Jesus:

John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI. None of the foregoing have opposed unrighteousness as did Pope Peter, the first true Vicar of Jesus. When faced with the unrighteous he caused the death penalty.  [Acts 5:1ff]
Recent popes, in regard to those deserving the death penalty, have all but eradicated God's demand for capital punishment as a needed deterrent for souls on the path to eternal damnation. They have even failed to remove severely sinning bishops and cardinals.
Hebrews 10:26-29   If we sin deliberately after receiving knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains sacrifice for sins but a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire that is going to consume the adversaries. Anyone who rejects the law of Moses is put to death without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Do you not think that a much worse punishment is due the one who has contempt for the Son of God, considers unclean the covenant-blood by which he was consecrated, and insults the spirit of grace?
Ananias and his wife Sapphira did not fully honor their commitment. They were both put to death through the power of the Holy Ghost when Peter confronted them[Acts 5:1-11]. Ministerial priests (includes bishops, cardinals and patriarchs) make even more important commitments to God.
The above mentioned popes have done nothing against clerics unless there has been grave public outcry against them. One cardinal forced by public opinion to resign his post was rewarded with a higher ranking Vatican office. Evil men holding the office of pope are not true popes regardless of their legal title. Like Lucifer they are masters of deceit and have the help of many in various secret societies.

2 Tim. 4:3f   For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.

Protestants, Neo-catholics, and Muslims have something in common. Without focusing on the core of a problem they diverge and go their own ways. This cannot be nor is it the will of God. If one truly believes in God then such person will be open to a new understanding that is not in conflict with that which has already been morally established.
Over the centuries much poor and even erroneous theology has come into play. As with philosophy, when a false premise is accepted and a later philosopher builds on that false premise, then further error is encompassed. Any underlying error must be found and corrected before further development in either philosophy or theology can meaningfully take place.
The teachings of Sacred Scripture are sound and internally consistent when viewed as a whole. The original approved documents are accepted as being error free. While copies and translations may not retain total correctness, due to human error or intent to encase one's own ideas, they as a whole are consistent with truth when viewed within the entirety of Scripture. This internal consistency exists since it is impossible for one man or even a group of men to understand fully the entire content of Scripture. Additionally, this is true because of the power of God to see to it that it does remain internally correct.
Before false teachings and teachers can be removed, people of faith must unite under a systematic that points toward getting rid of problem makers and resolving problems that, at least in part, have developed over and existed for many centuries.

Benedict XVI is understood to be Automatically Excommunicated
Canons 1364 & 1367: An accomplice shares in the guilt of the offender.
Canon 1370 may apply only to popes (clerics) who morally hold office.

1. St. Catherine of Siena – "We've had enough of exhortations to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence."
2. Pope Felix III – "Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and indeed to neglect to confound evil men when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them."
3. Pope Leo I – "He that sees another in error and endeavors not to correct it, testifies himself to be in error."
4. Pope Pius V – "All the evils of the world are due to lukewarm Catholics."
5. Pope Pius X – "All the strength of Satan's reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics."
6. 1 Timothy 5:20 – "When they sin rebuke them in the presence of all, that the rest also may have fear."
7. Proverbs 17:15 – "He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, both are abominable before God."

Popes are personally responsible for what happens on a large scale in the world. Theirfailure to enforce discipline among subordinate bishops of all ranks is what permits, and even encourages moral degradation among those with Christian background.
The US Census Bureau in its 2005 American Community Survey indicated that marriage did not figure in nearly 55.8 million American family households, or 50.2 percent. True Christian values are no longer being taught by priests or ministers.
This increasing trend should be seen as reason to take action against Vatican officials from the pope downward. The Vatican has been highly infiltrated by sodomites, pedophiles, Freemasons (and affiliates such as the Jewish B'nai B'rith, Illuminati, etc.), and even full fledged satanists.
Until Catholics, particularly the citizens of Rome, recognize the evils taking place at their doorstep and take action against errant prelates (bishops of all ranks) the condition of the Church and of the world (pandemic civil governments out of control as they too are controlled by Freemasonry, etc.) will only get worse as already established by current widespread trends taking place.
Sin is rampant and getting increasingly prevalent because popes do not discipline. If for this reason and no other Benedict XVI should be removed from office by whatever means necessary.
It has been estimated that approximately 3/4ths of American bishops are not morally Catholic. I see no reason to believe that conditions are any different elsewhere in the Church.
All peoples suffer because of Vatican problems rather they be Catholic or non-Catholic Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews or those of other religious belief or even non-belief. Popes must be reviewed for moral position with God in relation to the actions they allow to take place with their immediate subordinates. Moral popes improve the condition of the Church and of the world, while legal only popes allow degradation of moral values.

1Jn. 4:1 Beloved do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (popes, cardinals and bishops should be most rigorously tested. In recent decades a higher percentage than ever have proven to be false leaders and false witnesses to Jesus Christ.

Popes from John XXIII to include Benedict XVI have failed the test. None of these popes have excommunicated Cardinals or bishops who have openly promoted heresy. These popes have failed to remove bishops from office who have protected pedophiles and sodomites. Cardinal Bernard Law who gave Holy Communion to automatically excommunicated Senator Ted Kennedy is guilty of the automatically excommunicable offense of desecration of the Most Holy Eucharist. To make the matter more egregious, when public opinion had turned strongly against Cardinal Law, he was transferred to the Vatican and promoted to a high office.

James 4:17 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, it is a sin.
1 Co. 6:9 Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes (KJV: nor effeminate) nor sodomites ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Ex 19:15 He warned them, "Be ready for the third day. Have no intercourse with any woman."
Lev 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; such a thing is an abomination.
Lev 18:23 You shall not have carnal relations with an animal, defiling yourself with it; nor shall a woman set herself in front of an animal to mate with it; such things are abhorrent.
Dt 22:5 "A woman shall not wear an article proper to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's dress; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, your God.
Lev 21:13 "The priest shall marry a virgin.
Nu 16:10 He has allowed you and your kinsmen, the descendants of Levi, to approach him, and yet you now seek the priesthood too.
Jam. 4:4 Adulterers! Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Due to his undoubted affiliation with Masonic and Satanic type organizations it is not expected that legal only Benedict XVI will resign. His predecessors were similarly affiliated. Pope John XXIII was a 33rd degree Freemason before he was elected pope. According to the existing Code of Canon Law (Can. 2335) John XXIII was already under automatic excommunication. As a non-moral pope he has no moral authority in the Catholic Church. No non-moral pope or bishop should be seen as having protection under the Code of Canon Law.

CROZIER (purportedly a shepherd's staff): The emaciated Jesus hanging pathetically from a curved cross (see image above left) is called the "Twisted Cross". This sinister symbol was created by Satanists in the Sixth Century as a caricature of the Traditional Crucifix. But, very soon, this Twisted, or Bent, Cross became one of the Satanist's symbols for the Mark of the Beast. This Satanic symbol was revived during Vatican II, albeit in great secret. It is understood that it was designed for John XXIII but first used by Paul VI who suddenly began using this Crucifix in public ceremonies, without any publicity or fanfare!! "Yet not only Paul VI, but his successors, the two John-Pauls and Benedict XVI, carried that object and held it up to be revered by crowds, who had not the slightest idea that it stood for anti-Christ."

Shell represents goddess aphrodite The shell (birth of Venus) seen in Benedict's stole emblem on the left and above left on the chasuble (outer vestment) is understood to represent the goddess Aphrodite ("Afros" is Greek for "foam of the sea") who emerged naked on half of her birth shell from the foam. She is the Greek goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility & Desire (Roman name: Venus). The Vatican's presentation regarding the vestment's shell does not ring true.

Artists depictions of the Goddess of Love and Beauty have varied immensely, although one of the most recognized interpretations is Sandro Botticelli's Birth of Venus, which interprets the goddess in such a way as to have her standing on a scalloped shell (upper right), floating upon the sea. This shell, which consequently wasn't associated with the goddess until the fourth century B.C., was a symbol of the female genitals by the Greeks who used the word Kteis, which means both seashell and female genitals (Baring & Cashford 356).

The use of this symbol would indicate that former Cardinal Ratzinger is primarily heterosexually active. However, many in secret societies are bisexual.

Benedict XVI is continuing in the pattern started by John XXIII who initiated Vatican Council II. Benedict, like John Paul II, makes lofty statements but does no more than he has to keep uprisings from taking place. When Benedict visits his native country (Germany) does he clearly and severely condemn the culture there that openly accepts child-pornography (Note: he did not) per the following:

Child Porn Now Mainstream in Germany – By Peter J. Smith
BERLIN, August 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Germany has accepted child-pornography in its mainstream culture, and even celebrates it as Deutsche-Welle, a German media source, reveals today in its culture and lifestyle section.
In a column entitled “Germany’s Teen Sex Doctor”, Deutsche-Welle unabashedly reports, “Generations of confused German teenagers have turned to Dr. Sommer for honesty -- and explicit photos.”
The column continues, “Sandra, 16, looks up coyly from the pages of Bravo, wearing a black choker and nothing else. Boyfriend Elias, 18, grins from the opposite page, also in his natural state.
“‘Tell me, why do you love each other?’ reads the headline. And the young couple tells why -- and exactly how.”
The news source goes on to report that “Each weekly issue of Bravo now features photos of two teenagers, generally between 16 and 20, in the nude, with interviews about their bodies and experiences.”
A news caption reads, “Nude pictures are intended to reassure nervous teens.”
“Bravo's Web site even features explicit petting and positions photo galleries that wouldn't last a day in other countries,” reveals Deutsch-Welle, quite aware that most civilized nations consider child-pornography a crime against children.

John XXIII (1958-1963) was a freemason before he was elected pope though it was only subsequent to his election that this information became available. Therefore according to the existing Canon Law he had been automatically excommunicated. While he legally held office, morally he did not. Anything he presented that was in contradiction to Scripture and authentic doctrinal teachings was and is not binding. This has other implications as well.

Paul VI (1963-1978) announced that "the smoke of Satan had entered the Church." As with the statements made by Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden, this was a cleaver deception, but not a lie. I believe that Paul VI clearly stated that he was a practicing full fledged Satanist. This is also associated with the remarks made by Father Malachi Martin is his book "Windswept House." Further, he initiated the use of the bent cross which is seen as a satanic symbol that dates back many centuries.
He re-opened the 2nd Vatican Council that had been initiated by John XIII that served to water down the faith and allow many diversions from the faith to take place including the Novus Ordo Mass, female altar servers, female readers, extraordinary (now in practice ordinary) ministers of the Eucharist, Communion in the hand, non-easily dissolving hosts, hosts made with chaff (Mt. 3:12), etc. Some of these practices have aided Satanic desecration of the Holy Eucharist in the context of Black Masses. Satanist worship Lucifer as their god.
While I approve of some of the changes that were made in the Mass, overall the changes were disastrous to the practice of the faith.
Pope Paul VI is also responsible for the extensive use of various means of birth control that are common today. He opened the door to this in a Satanically clever fashion in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (1968). Any person with common sense realizes that there is no moral difference between the practice of not having sex during a woman's fertile period and the use of condoms or any other form of birth control. The prime commandment of God given in the Garden of Eden was, "Be fertile and multiply." Freemasons and ilk seek population control. Sacred Scripture prescribes that sexual intercourse may not be had during a woman's menstrual period and for seven days thereafter. Only on the day of her purification, the eight day, may sexual intercourse be practiced – this is commonly during the woman's fertile period (this is God's prescription for birth regulation [see: 2 Sam. 11:4f ]).

John Paul I (1978 ) while only in office a short time also used the bent cross. It may be fortunate that he only lived for a short time.

John Paul II (1978-2005), probably Illuminati but clearly a satanist as illustrated by his practical acceptance of other religious beliefs being on a par with the Catholic faith, has endorsed all variables of religious belief in contradiction to the Catholic faith. This would include his kissing goddess earth, kissing the Koran, and the placing of a prayer in the wailing wall in Jerusalem. He has allowed prelates to openly opposed Catholic teachings. He continually sought popularity even if it meant that some in large crowds would get injured or trampled to death. He also used a pontifical chair that has on its back an upside down cross - a well established satanic symbol.

Pope Benedict XVI (2005 - ) is continuing in the pattern of seeking personal popularity after the fashion established by JPII. He is the forth pope to use the bent crozier. No more should be expected from him than from his recent predecessors. What truths he does present will be used to cover up deceptions and further degradation of the Church. It is seen as foolish to place any hope in him.
Will benedict be any different than JPII? Will he insist that bishops and their clergy openly and clearly oppose those that act against natural law? Will he remove or otherwise openly discipline bishops and cardinals who by omission support evil practices? John Paul II promoted the pedophile protector Bernard Cardinal Law to a high position in the Vatican. This alone should have been enough for Roman men of faith to run him out of the country and yet Benedict has put JPII on the fast track to sainthood —

John Paul on sainthood fast track
Saturday, May 14, 2005 Posted: 11:18 AM EDT (1518 GMT)
John Paul II died at the age of 84 on April 2.
ROME, Italy -- Pope Benedict XVI has said he is putting his predecessor John Paul II on the fast track to possible sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.
The pope said Friday he had dispensed with rules that normally impose a five-year waiting period before beatification -- the last step before sainthood -- can even start.
Benedict's decision means that John Paul, who died on April 2, could be beatified and thus declared a "blessed of the Church" within a few years if a miracle can be attributed to him. (The fabrication of miracles by secret societies, who control many people in important positions, is relatively easy.)

Congressman Ron Kind pro murdering baby during birth process Catholics should believe and the vast majority of Americans do believe that it is just plain barbaric to force the breech birth of a totally VIABLE child, puncture that fulling living child in the skull with scissors and then suck the brains out of that child when it is mere inches from being totally out of the birth canal.
And yet, the man pictured to the right -- Congressman Ron Kind -- didn't just vote IN FAVOR of partial birth abortion -- he voted for it TWICE !

Will Bishop Listecki declare that any Catholic who votes for Congressman Kind commits grave sin and will then be under automatic excommunication for being an accomplice in abortion, a crime that has the penalty of automatic excommunication. Contact Bishop Listecki and share your thoughts with him.

³ For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers ⁴ and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths

"For I am afraid lest when Christ comes to judge He may say: 'You wicked servants! Gladly did you accept the praises of My people, while holding your tongues about things that meant death to them."' PL46 874-80 St.Augustine-Bishop of Hippo

All bishops, whether those defending our Faith or those "preaching to applause", should heed the above words, uttered in response to customary applause the Saint received when preaching. Instead, some dismiss or ignore faithful Catholics protesting the embracing of the gay and lesbian lifestyle or chastise them for "pointing a finger" when, in fact, they are "extending a hand." Other bishops, now revealed to be immersed in that lifestyle themselves, have rendered the ships they steer rudderless, and shipwrecks abound. Sodom and Gomorrah are being re-built world-wide and, to our shame and sorrow, many Catholics are among the architects !

It is my belief that Pope Paul VI knew exactly what he was saying when he proclaimed that the "smoke of Satan has entered the sanctuary", despite how the deceptive statement was received by almost everyone. Paul VI's successors are a continuation of Satanic control of the Vatican.

Jesus promised that the Church would last until the end of time. It is up to people of faith to restore the Church to its rightful place as the true source of truth and justice leading to eternal life. Without priests of faith the salvific sacraments are not available for aiding in the gaining of entry into eternal life. Without popes and bishops of faith there will be few priests of faith. Too many young men, not expecting to encounter the many existing problems, have left seminaries due to the offensive practices of professors and the many despicable students in the process of becoming priests.

August 29, 2006 in memory of the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist
who by speaking the truth was first imprisoned and
then beheaded. (Last revised October 25, 2006)

Father David Trosch

Suggestions and corrections greatly appreciated.

NewsMax : October 15, 2006

In response to a Vatican directive, the Archbishop of San Francisco changed existing policy regarding homosexuals adopting children.

Or did he?

Earlier this year the prefect for the Catholic Church’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith instructed Catholic Charities of San Francisco to halt its practice of placing children for adoption in homosexual households.

In early August, San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said Catholic Charities would no longer be involved in the “direct placement” of adopted children. But it would now send three of its staff members to work for Family Builders by Adoption, a group that specializes, according to its Web site, in helping “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families” adopt children.

It was move that moral theologian William Smith called a “distinction without a difference,” according to the Catholic World Report (CWR).

San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano, a gay activist, found the partnership with Family Builders ironic, the CWR noted, stating: “A Vatican-mandated review that was supposed to terminate Catholic Charities’ involvement in homosexual adoptions has ended up increasing it.”

The San Francisco Chronicle called the partnership an “adroit end run” around the Vatican ban.

“This is dubious bordering on the devious,” complained Monsignor William Smith, professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York. “It sounds like they are simply changing venues so that they can keep doing what they were told not to do.”

In a 2003 statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican said the Church should resist any laws that give “same-sex unions” the “rights belonging to marriage” (such as the right to adoption).

George Neumayr, editor of the CWR, wrote in the October issue: “Archbishop Niederauer said that the new policy is ‘compatible’ with Catholic moral teaching. How? He hasn’t yet offered a full explanation.”

Neumayr also noted that as archbishop of Salt Lake City, Niederauer opposed a 2004 drive to place a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage on the Utah state ballot.

Guru · Guru

No bishops forced to resign despite Pope 'sharing outrage' over sex abuse

Published Date: 17 February 2010
By FRANCES D'EMILIO
in the VATICAN CITY
POPE Benedict XVI urged Irish clergy to be courageous in confronting the paedophile priest scandal that has rocked the church, but took no action on victims' demands that he force bishops to resign, the Vatican said yesterday.
The statement came as the Pope and 24 Irish bishops ended an extraordinary meeting on the crisis meant to restore the trust of Irish Catholics shaken by revelations of decades of clergy sex abuse and cover-up. Vatican spokesman Father Federico LombADVERTISEMENT

ardi said following the summit that the Pope "shares the outrage" over the abuse and noted he had "already expressed profound regret".

Asked if the issue of resignations came up, Fr Lombardi said: "It was not addressed."

He also defended the Pope's representative in Ireland for refusing to testify to lawmakers there about systematic cover-ups by church hierarchy.

A Vatican statement said the Pope called the sexual abuse of children "a heinous crime" and a "grave sin which offends God".

During the two-day summit – described by Cardinal Sean Brady, archbishop of Armagh and primate of all Ireland, as a first step on a journey toward "penitence, renewal and reconciliation" – anger flared in Ireland over the refusal by the papal envoy Archbishop Giuseppe Leanza to appear in the Irish parliament.

Archbishop Leanza, who participated in the summit, told Irish politicians last week that he would not answer questions from the foreign affairs committee.

"It is not the practice of the Holy See that apostolic nuncios appear before parliamentary commissions," he wrote in a letter dated 12 February.

The archbishop has faced heavy criticism in Ireland for ignoring letters from two state-ordered investigations into how the Church suppressed reports of child abuse by parish priests and in Catholic-run residences for poor children.

Fr Lombardi said Archbishop Leanza "has to respond to rules" about his diplomatic privilege. "If this is not part of his duty, you can't expect him (to testify]," the Vatican spokesman said.

Fine Gael MP Alan Shatter expressed dismay over Archbishop Leanza's refusal, saying: "It is acknowledged in Rome that members of the clergy in Ireland are guilty of abominable sexual abuse of children."

Fr Lombardi said Pope Benedict would send Irish faithful a letter about the crisis at some point during Lent. "While realising that the current painful situation will not be resolved quickly, he challenged the bishops to address the problems of the past with determination and resolve, and to face the present crisis with honesty and courage," said a Vatican statement read by Fr Lombardi.

Victims had already warned the talks would be a failure unless the Pope demanded resignations of bishops who had any role in concealing wrongdoing. They also demand the Pope accept in full the findings of the Irish investigations, which some Church officials in Ireland have criticised as unfair.

In their meeting with Benedict, "the bishops spoke frankly of their sense of pain and anger, betrayal, scandal and shame expressed to them on numerous occasions by those who had been abused", the Vatican statement said.

Fr Lombardi indicated there was no mention of any plans for the Pope to meet Irish victims.

The summit was "only a step in long process" in healing, he said.

Guru · Guru

Vatican segue Benedict XVI sex abuse scandals into the Devil, celibacy and role of women. Who’s biting the Vatican bait of deception?

The Vatican is a real master of words. They can make sin appear so sweet and holy just because they were committed by Holy Fathers priests. And of course, they can always call on their reliable old friend and partner in crime the Devil to be the scapegoat for all the Vatican sex scandals see Who’s responsible & to blame: The Devil or Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger? Satan as scapegoat for Vatican's chaotic sex scandals http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/03/whos-responsible-to-blame-devil-or.html

The Vatican is laying out the bait of deception with catchy words of “celibacy” and “role of women. They are laying out a trap to try to get ‘women on their side’ by seducing them with the words” role of women”. Let’s see if women will take the bait and start a debate on this matter and thus take the focus out of the crimes of Benedict XVI.

What else will the Pope do for women beside try to tickle their brain with the idea that they could be eligible for the priesthood?

Would women be that stupid as to self-serve their own fame and fortune within the Catholic Church? Or would they side with the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, who is weeping like Rachel for the tens of thousands of children abused by the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army . see John Paul II betrayed 'Totus Tuus Marie'http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/2007/06/john-paul-ii-betrayed-totus-tuus-marie.html

Let’s see what the Eucharist is really like that unreachable Catholic goal of women. See the images of a nine-month pregnancy of Mary versus the instant reincarnation of Christ’s flesh in the Eucharist -- Magisterium Benedict VERSUS Holy Mary: Priests' transubstantiation instant reincarnation of Christ VERSUS Mary’s 9 months pregnancy& child birth http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/

And the word “celibacy” is the biggest joke of them all. The Vatican is as smart as the Devil, cunning in words and deceptive in his promises. Celibacy gives priests all the freedom to commit pedophilia and sodomy without the laity and women checking on them.

Furore over celibacy claims
VATICAN CITY
News 24
2010-03-15
Vatican City - The Vatican has denied that its celibacy requirement for priests was the root cause of the clerical sex abuse scandal convulsing the church in Europe and again defended the pope's handling of the crisis.
Suggestions that the celibacy rule was in part responsible for the "deviant behaviour" of sexually abusive priests have swirled in recent days, with opinion pieces in German newspapers blaming it for fuelling abuse and even Italian commentators questioning the rule.
Much of the furore was spurred by comments from one of the pope's closest advisers, Vienna Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, who called this week for an honest examination of issues like celibacy and priestly education to root out the origins of sex abuse.

Vatican denies celibacy rule led to sex scandal
VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press
By Nicole Winfield (AP)
March 13, 2010
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Sunday denied that its celibacy requirement for priests was the root cause of the clerical sex abuse scandal convulsing the church in Europe and again defended the pope's handling of the crisis.
Suggestions that the celibacy rule was somehow responsible for the "deviant behavior" of sexually abusive priests have swirled in recent days, with opinion pieces in German newspapers blaming it for fueling abuse and even Italian commentators questioning the rule.
Much of the furor was spurred by comments from one of the pope's closest advisers, Vienna archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, who called this week for an honest examination of issues like celibacy and priestly education to root out the origins of sex abuse.

Priests Suggest Celibacy May Be a Problem
The New York Times
By Robert Mackey
March 13, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI met with Germany’s highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader Friday at the Vatican to discuss allegations that priests in the pope’s native country sexually abused children for decade, as my colleagues Rachel Donadio and Jack Healy report.
On Thursday two church leaders in Austria, where there have also been reports of abuse, suggested that the role of priestly celibacy may need to be discussed as Catholics seek to understand and end the abuse.
The Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schönborn, wrote in an article for a Catholic magazine that it was time for the Church to undertake an “unflinching examination” of what might be at the root of the problem of celibate clerics sexually abusing children.

Let's talk about sex: archbishop
ROME
The Age (Australia)
ROME
March 13, 2010
The Vatican faces growing calls to tackle the previously taboo subject of clerical celibacy as a way of preventing future sex abuse scandals involving priests.
The head of the Catholic Church in Austria said the possible reasons behind sex abuse crises in Austria, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands in recent weeks should be subjected to ''unflinching examination''.
A number of theologians and lay organisations have called for celibacy to be abolished on the grounds that it allows no outlet for priests' sexual urges, but it is rare for a senior figure within the church to call for a debate.
Archbishop calls for rethink on priest celibacy
AUSTRIA
Free Malaysia Today
Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:13 .VIENNA: The Roman Catholic Church must ask itself whether celibacy is still an appropriate way of life for priests, the Archbishop of Salzburg Alois Kothgasser said in a television interview.
"In the Church's current situation, the question must be asked whether celibacy is an appropriate way of life for priests and an appropriate way of life for believers," Kothgasser told ORF public television in an interview broadcast yesterday.
"Times have changed and society has changed. The Church must therefore ask itself in what way it can continue to cultivate this particular way of life, or what it must change," he added.

Pope Denies Vatican Seeks to End Priestly Celibacy in 50 Years
VATICAN CITY
Business Week
March 12, 2010, 7:22 AM EST

By Flavia Krause-Jackson
March 12 (Bloomberg) -- The Vatican denied it’s secretly planning to scrap the rule of priestly celibacy in 50 years.
Celibacy remains a “sacred” value for Catholic priests, Pope Benedict XVI said today during his Wednesday morning general audience. A Vatican spokesman confirmed his comments.
The Catholic Church is studying ways to loosen the centuries-old requirement that priests abstain from sex in an effort to rebuild its image in the wake of pedophile scandals, Rome-based la Repubblica reported today. Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, who once said “celibacy is not a dogma,” is in charge of the project as head the congregation of the clergy, according to the report.

Greater female presence may have stopped child abuse
VATICAN CITY
The Irish Times
OPINION
This is an edited version of the front page article, published yesterday by L’Osservatore Romano , the semi-official Vatican newspaper. It was signed by Lucetta Scaraffia
THOSE CHANGES in western societies which have opened up for women spaces that were formerly reserved for men – and these are changes which are influencing other cultures in the world – have brought about a revolution in the definition of sexual roles, prompting the question of how to increase the role of women for the Catholic Church too.
This is about an equality problem that has been very clear in the Christian tradition right from the beginning, leading to an authentic revolution with regard to concepts of sexual difference . . . Whereas in past centuries the church proved itself more open to women than lay society, today the situation is totally reversed. Today there are strong and urgent external and internal pressures calling for the question to be confronted in the world of Catholics.

Schonborn says study celibacy, abuse links
AUSTRIA
CathNews
Published Date: March 12, 2010
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn has said that priestly celibacy should be considered in studying the causes of the sex abuse scandal sweeping the Church although he later insisted that he was not questioning the tradition of clerical celibacy.

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, wrote in his archdiocese’s magazine this week that the Church must make an “unflinching examination” of the causes of the scandal, the Times Online reports.
He said that these included “the issue of priests’ training, as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution of the generation of 1968″.
Did celibacy, lack of women in authority lead to Catholic Church sex scandal

UNITED STATES
The Kansas City Star
By Matthew Schofield, Kansas City Star editorial board columnist
Did the Roman Catholic priestly celibacy rule fuel the child sexual abuse cases now haunting the church?
Would more women in higher authority have mitigated such abuse, or at least have broken the silence that seemed to protect the abusers?
These are the thoughts making the church rounds, at least in Europe, this week.

European prelates speak on abuse, priestly celibacy: a connection?
EUROPE
Catholic Culture
March 11, 2010

Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said that the broadening sex-abuse scandal indicates a need to re-think the training that priests receive. The Austrian prelate called for a thorough and "unflinching" discussion of the possible causes for sexual abuse by Catholic priests. No topics should be taboo during that discussion, the cardinal said; he called for a frank evaluation of how priests have handled the consequences of the sexual revolution that began in the 1960s, and analysis of how priests are trained for a life of celibacy.
Several English newspapers reported that Cardinal Schönborn had said that priestly celibacy is the root cause of the sex-abuse problem. He did not. Nor did he call for an end to clerical celibacy. As spokesman for the Vienna archdiocese, responding to these interpretations of the cardinal's statement, issued a clarification that Cardinal Schönbron "did not call into question celibacy in any way." His focus was on how young men are prepared to live with that discipline.

Vatican reacts to pedophilia, celibacy remarks
VATICAN CITY
Press TV (Iran)
As allegations of sexual abuse of child pupils by Catholic clerics pile up in Europe, the Vatican has moved to defend the practice of priestly celibacy.
"Priestly celibacy is a gift of the Holy Spirit which must be understood and experienced with a fullness of feeling and joy, in a total relationship with the Lord," Cardinal Claudio Hummes was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency.
Hummes, the head of the Congregation for the Clergy, added that "this unique and privileged relationship with God" was an essential requisite for becoming "an authentic witness of a singular spiritual paternity."

Catholic bishops maintain celibacy not linked to pedophilia
AUSTRIA
Catholic News Agency
Vienna, Austria, Mar 11, 2010 / 08:30 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After media outlets misinterpreted an article by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to say that he is questioning the Church's rule of priestly celibacy, several high ranking churchmen have spoken out in praise of celibacy as a gift. They also dismissed the idea that celibacy is connected to pedophilia.
Greeting participants and introducing the sessions for the international theological conference taking place at the Pontifical Lateran University of Rome on Thursday, Cardinal Claudio Hummes called the celibacy of priests "a gift of the Holy Spirit." Other cardinals have also weighed in on the role of celibacy in recent days.
"Priestly celibacy is a gift of the Holy Spirit that asks to be understood and lived with fullness of meaning and joy, in total rapport with the Lord," said Cardinal Hummes, the prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, according to ASCA news of Italy.

A Mafia-like “omertà” on sexual abuse in the Catholic hierarchy?
VATICAN CITY
Ethiopian Review
Tom Heneghan | March 11th, 2010

The Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano has published an interesting article saying the Catholic Church might have avoided some of the clerical sex abuse scandals it now has if more women were in decision-making positions. The Italian historian Lucetta Scaraffia says that women “would have been able to rip the veil of masculine secrecy that in the past often covered with silence the denunciation of these misdeeds.” The word she used for “secrecy” is omertà, the Italian term for “code of silence” well known to anyone who’s seen the Godfather movies or read about how the Mafia works.

Scaraffia writes that Pope John Paul said women should be given posts of equal importance as men and that Pope Benedict has written to bishops promoting collaboration between men and women in the Church. She then writes, in a rather academic style:

“The problem is that this important theoretical development has not been followed with equal clarity by a transformation in women’s participation in the life of the Church. Their participation, although significantly enlarged, has remained mostly outside the decision-making spheres and areas of cultural processing. One can understand, then, that the pressure of the excluded – who are often shut out for no justified reason — can be felt, even if quietly. It is not just a matter of social justice or equal opportunities. The Church risks failing to develop energies and contributions that are often of primary importance.

Love, honesty essential for facing sex abuse crisis, archbishop says
ROME
The Georgia Bulletin (United States)
ROME (CNS) -- Love, honesty and devotion to Christ are essential for facing the crisis in the church and in the priesthood caused by cases of clerical sexual abuse, an Australian archbishop said. Since the 1990s, when the scandal first broke, "everyone has learned that several points are crucial: care for the victims, following the law, dealing effectively and decisively with perpetrators, making sure we have proper procedures in place to safeguard children and backing up what we believe with our actions," said Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide.

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI is Papal Humpty Dumpty. Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna is preposterous!

Benedict XVI is the Papal Humpty Dumpty and all the Pope’s men and foot solders cannot put Benedict XVI together again. Benedict XVI’s Vatican staff and professional media spinners are now in full swing to try to save him from falling down from the Chair of St. Peter. But the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army which he covered-up as prefect of the CDF has come home to roost. Like an earthquake fault, it has now hit home and shaken his own native Germany, his own blood brother and most of all, himself, when he was an Archbishop in Germany. That’s three strikes and you’re out! Three Wolf! Wolf! Wolf! Like that little boy who kept lying, no one will believe him in the end.

The Vatican staff and those professional writers can hide the truth only to a certain degree and try to twist words and make Benedict XVI appear as the “Holy Father”.

In this Age of Google and the Internet, people are neither naïve nor that fanatically religious as to keep believing in those professional media spinners. People can see through words and lies. People no longer have to believe in religion to perform charities of Mother Teresa. There are the Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross and so many charitable foundations to join. Besides, even John Paul II the Venerable did not have the charity of Mother Teresahttp://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-paul-ii-did-not-have-charity-of.html

See Benedict XVI’s professional media spinners: Note the selected words they put in their titles, ‘dismayed’, ‘shocked’ for papal crocodile tears http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/03/benedict-xvis-professional-media.html

When all is said and done, it is really the suffering Christ who has had enough of the pedophile priests sins crying to Heaven. Christ cannot allow John Paul II to be called a “saint”. We thought it was our mission to prove that John Paul II must not be called a “saint” in American soil and by American lips. But God who can see Heaven and earth wanted a bigger scope than just America. We thought, only in America. But God want it all over the world. God does not want John Paul II to be called a “saint” in all Catholic countries where his John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army existed. The proofs? When Benedict declared him “Venerable, JP2 army erupted in Ireland. When the Vatican declared the miraculous cure of the German barber, jp2 army jolted in Germany. Keep going on, Benedict XVI, keep hastening the beatification of JPIII and the Vatican will erupt into rubbles like the Temple of Solomon see the John Paul II Millstone & Benedict XVI angers Jewish groups for declaring “Venerable” Pius XII who did nothing during Holocaust… like John Paul II did nothing for clergy abuse http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2009/12/benedict-xvi-angers-jewish-groups-for.html .

See John Paul II miraculously cures his German barber of hernia in Rome… as the John Paul II Pedophile Priest Army jolts Germanyhttp://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/03/john-paul-ii-miraculously-cures-his.html

FYI for your personal information, Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, who investigates crimes against the Eucharist, please read the following posts, actually read this entire weblog of Benedict XVI-Ratzinger, God’s Rottweiler.

Catholics can emulate Jews [who hunted down Nazi officers] by hunting down pedophile priests’ officers Benedict XVI & Bishops into the World Court http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/catholics-can-emulate-jews-who-hunted.html

Benedict XVI was the 5-Star General of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Germany and he is now on the runhttp://jp2army.blogspot.com/

What planet are you from, David Quinn: Time to commend Pope for response to abuse is baloney -- Benedict XVI condoned & covered-up priests pedophiles http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Benedict XVI to beatify John Paul II is “brought to nothing” by St. Paulhttp://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2009/11/benedict-xvi-to-beatify-john-paul-ii-is.html

Pope Benedict NEVER defended children abused by priests during his lifetime of 82 years – proofs are in the books written by him and about him http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/pope-benedict-never-defended-children.html

Tom Doyle versus John Paul IIhttp://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/08/tom-doyle-versus-john-paul-ii.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_01_archive.html

John Paul II the Great clashing cymbal of St. Paulhttp://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-paul-ii-great-clashing-cymbal-of.html

And we dare you investigate our Eucharist expose: Magisterium Benedict VERSUS Holy Mary: Priests' transubstantiation instant reincarnation of Christ VERSUS Mary’s 9 months pregnancy& child birth http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/

Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - Responsible Leader

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 priests - John Paul II, Benedict XVI & Opus Dei

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Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna

VATICAN CITY

Catholic News Agency
Vatican City, Mar 13, 2010 / 03:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).

The Avvenire newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference printed an interview on Saturday which sheds light on how cases of sexual abuse are dealt with in the Catholic Church. The role of then-Cardinal Ratzinger in the providing the guidelines for the Congregation's processing of 3,000 cases in the last nine years is also examined.

Avvenire interviewed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "promoter of justice," Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, who investigates crimes against the Eucharist, the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance and the sixth commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," all of which fall under the category of "delicta graviora" (serious transgressions).

In the interview, which is printed in its entirety in English on Vatican Radio's website, Msgr. Scicluna affirms the Church's historically firm stance against pedophilia, saying that "the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal." He concedes, however, that in practice "It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were ... too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon."

PROMOTER OF JUSTICE AT DOCTRINE OF FAITH ON PAEDOPHILIA
VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service

VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Given below is the text of an interview, published today by the Italian newspaper "Avvenire", with Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, concerning the investigative and judicial activities of that dicastery in cases of "delicta graviora", which include the crime of paedophilia committed by members of the clergy:

Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna is the "promoter of justice" of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is effectively the prosecutor of the tribunal of the former Holy Office, whose job it is to investigate what are known as "delicta graviora"; i.e., the crimes which the Catholic Church considers as being the most serious of all: crimes against the Eucharist and against the sanctity of the Sacrament of Penance, and crimes against the sixth Commandment ("thou shall not commit impure acts") committed by a cleric against a person under the age of eighteen. These crimes, in a "Motu Proprio" of 2001, "Sacramentum sanctitatis tutela", come under the competency of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In effect, it is the "promoter of justice" who deals with, among other things, the terrible question of priests accused of paedophilia, which are periodically highlighted in the mass media. Msgr. Scicluna, an affable and polite Maltese, has the reputation of scrupulously carrying out the tasks entrusted to him without deferring to anyone.

Question: Monsignor, you have the reputation of being "tough", yet the Catholic Church is systematically accused of being accommodating towards "paedophile priests".

Answer: It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were, in practice, too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon. And I say in practice because, in principle, the condemnation of this kind of crime has always been firm and unequivocal. Suffice it to recall, to limit ourselves just to last century, the famous Instruction "Crimen sollicitationis" of 1922.

NOTE ISSUED BY HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE DIRECTOR
VATICAN CITY
Vatican Information Service
VATICAN CITY, 13 MAR 2010 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. today issued a note entitled "A clear route through stormy waters".
"At the end of a week in which a large part of the attention of the European media has been focused on the question of sexual abuses committed by people in institutions of the Catholic Church, we would like to make three observations:
"Firstly, the line being taken by the German Episcopal Conference has shown itself to be the right way to face the problem in its various aspects. The declarations of the president of that conference, Archbishop Zollitsch, following his meeting with the Holy Father, recap the strategy laid down in the conference's recent assembly and reiterate its essential operational aspects: recognition of the truth and help for victims, reinforcement of preventative measures and constructive collaboration with the authorities (including the judicial authorities of State) for the common good of society. Archbishop Zollitsch also unequivocally reiterated the opinion of experts according to whom the question of celibacy should in no way be confused with that of paedophilia. The Holy Father has encouraged the line being followed by the German bishops which - even taking account of the specific context of their own county - may be considered as a useful and inspiring model for other episcopal conferences that find themselves facing similar problems.

As Abuse Scandal Nears Pope, Vatican Fires Back
VATICAN CITY
Newser
By Polly Davis Doig
(Newser) – A day after high-level Catholic officials admitted that "serious mistakes" were made in handling a sex abuse case in the German diocese where Pope Benedict XVI was then archbishop, the Vatican came out swinging in defense of the embattled pontiff. Benedict, as the Vatican's cardinal in charge of sex-abuse policy, "showed wisdom and firmness in handling these cases," a spokesman tells the AP.

Vatican officials defend pope on abuse
VATICAN CITY
The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on Saturday denounced what it called aggressive attempts to drag Pope Benedict XVI into the spreading scandals of pedophile priests in his German homeland, and contended he has long confronted abuse cases with courage.
In separate interviews, both the Holy See's spokesman and its prosecutor for sex abuse of minors by clergy sought to defend the pope.
After decades of similar scandals in the United States, Ireland and elsewhere, the sex abuse scandal moved closer to Benedict in recent days.

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI met with Germany’s Archbishop for 45 minutes to solve the 45+ years crimes of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Germany

The maths of those Princes of the Church just don’t add up. Benedict XVI met with Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Germany for 45 minutes at the Vatican. Infallible Benedict XVI thinks that a 45-minute “private audience” with him is enough to "solve" the aftermath of the tremors caused by the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Germany. Who is he fooling this time?

Benedict XVI is the successor of Peter. And the apostle Peter wrote: “Beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8)

The problem with Benedict XVI is that he acts ‘greater than St. Peter’ and that he is also “like God”. He has really eaten the apple of Adam and Eve and believes what the serpent Satan said that if they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be “like God”. So, with all the books of John Paul II and Benedict XVI’s writings combined, Benedict XVI possesses all Knowledge of Good and Evil. And Benedict XVI is “like God” to whom “a thousand years as one day” “.

Go figure. In Benedict XVI’s infallible timing, 45 minutes is enough for the “Holy See” to settle the 45 YEARS CRIMES by the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Germany seehttp://jp2army.blogspot.com/

Benedict XVI also acts “like God” when he waived the 5 years waiting period of deceased John Paul II which is required before his life can be studied and can qualify for sainthood. Benedict XVI declared John Paul II “Venerable” last December 2009, which was less than 4 years. 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

The Pope met with the Irish Bishops for 2 days, but only 45 minutes with the president of the German Bishops’ conference. Benedict XVI apologizes for Ireland 30 years late http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Catholics can emulate Jews [who hunted down Nazi officers] by hunting down pedophile priests’ officers Benedict XVI & Bishops into the World Court http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/catholics-can-emulate-jews-who-hunted.html

John Paul II miraculously cures his German barber of hernia in Rome… as the John Paul II Pedophile Priest Army jolts Germanyhttp://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/03/john-paul-ii-miraculously-cures-his.html

What do we Catholics got to lose if Benedict XVI was brought to World Court for his crimes as the Hitler-Pope of pedophile priests? http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-do-we-catholics-got-to-lose-if.html

German Church apologizes, vows action on abuse
March 12, 2010
By Daniel Flynn

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The head of Germany's Catholic Church apologized to victims of child abuse by priests on Friday and met Pope Benedict who encouraged him to press ahead with tough new measures.

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops' Conference, said his church would investigate numerous allegations of abuse in Catholic institutions, as well as counseling victims and taking measures to prevent abuse in the future.

But, amid calls within the Roman Catholic faith for a discussion of celibacy, Zollitsch strongly denied it was to blame, echoing comments made earlier in day by the pope himself.

"The German bishops are dismayed by what has happened and the acts of violence against children," Zollitsch said after a 45-minute private audience with the pope.
"A few weeks ago I asked forgiveness from the victims, something which I must repeat today in Rome."

Zollitsch said he had briefed Benedict about the situation in Germany, where more than 100 reports have emerged of abuse at Catholic institutions, including one linked to the prestigious Regensburg choir run by the pope's brother from 1964 to 1994.

"With great shock, keen interest and deep sadness, the Holy Father took note of what I had to say," Zollitsch told a news conference, adding they had not discussed Regensburg choir or Rev. Georg Ratzinger, who has admitted to slapping boys.
In a fresh development in Germany, the pope's former diocese in Bavaria said he was involved in a decision in 1980 to move a priest there who was suspected of child abuse.

The pontiff -- then Joseph Ratzinger -- jointly agreed to the priest undergoing therapy at a rectory in the diocese of Munich and Freising, where he was archbishop from 1977 to 1981.

However, rather than sending the priest for therapy as had been agreed, the diocese's then general vicar, Gerhard Gruber, assigned him to a Munich parish without restrictions. Gruber took full responsibility for the decision.

Zollitsch said he informed the pope of the German Church's plans for tackling the crisis, including the appointment of a special representative on abuse, and Benedict had encouraged the "decisive and courageous" adoption of the measures.

The archbishop said the German measures were separate from a rulebook being prepared by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which oversees Catholic doctrine.

With the German Church still collecting information about the total number of abuse cases, Zollitsch also said it was premature to talk about compensation for victims.

"SEXUAL VIOLENCE"

The German lay movement, We Are Church, criticized the meeting for not spelling out concrete measures to be taken.

"Instead of apologizing to the victims from far-off Rome, Archbishop Zollitsch should go soon to meet victims, listen to them and seek ways and rituals of reconciliation with them," it said in a statement.

"It's unfortunate that Pope Benedict did not offer any words of sympathy for the victims or seek reconciliation with them."

It said the Vatican should "recognize sexual violence as a worldwide structural problem of the Catholic Church that increasingly obscures the message of Jesus."

As allegations multiplied in Austria and the Netherlands, the Vatican expressed alarm about the gravity of the crisis this week. Child abuse scandals in Ireland and the United States wreaked havoc on the Church's reputation and finances, with the U.S. Church paying some $2 billion in settlements.

The latest scandal is especially delicate for German-born Benedict, Munich's bishop from 1977 to 1981. With public opinion in Germany boiling as more cases of abuse emerge, the vice president of the Bundestag lower house, Wolfgang Thierse, called for him to apologize on behalf of those responsible.

Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, a close ally of the pope, has called for the Church to discuss taboo issues such as celibacy, priestly training and changed social attitudes to sex.

But Benedict on Friday praised celibacy as "the sign of full devotion ... an expression of giving oneself to God and to others," making clear that there was no prospect of change.
(Additional reporting by Madeline Chambers and Paul Carrel in Berlin and Boris

Groendahl in Vienna, Tom Heneghan in Paris; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI is now a RATzinger lost in the Vatican sex scandal maze with nowhere to run

The chickens have come home to roost. Benedict XVI is now a RATzinger lost in the Vatican sex scandal maze. With nowhere else to run. Not especially for a nice meal of German sausage and saukrat in his native Germany. All roads lead to Rome the Eternal City and now all pedophile priests lead to Rome, especially to the Holy See Benedict XVI, to the real Cardinal RATzinger most responsible for the cover-up of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in the 20th centuryhttp://jp2army.blogspot.com/. And as he runs, another JP2 Pedophile Priests Army earthquake is felt in Germany, that he is personally linked to a pedophile priest when he was Archbishop RATzinger in Germany.

Everywhere Benedict XVI turns in those multimillion dollars art rooms at the Vatican are filled with the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army mementoes from USA, Ireland, now Germany, Netherlands, Austria, and Australia. The Titanic also had lots of art works, the finest from Europe; it was the Master of the Sea. Likewise, the John Paul II the Great Titanic Ship of the Vatican is the Master of the Sea of Catholics but it is quickly sinking hit by the priest pedophilia iceberg. And so, Benedict XVI and the Vatican are turning to their partner-in-crime, Satan, for urgent help to salvage the Pope and the Vatican. See Who’s responsible & to blame: The Devil or Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger? Satan as scapegoat for Vatican's chaotic sex scandals http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/03/whos-responsible-to-blame-devil-or.html

See the Magic of the Mass as Benedict XVI transform Christ's flesh in the host http://stella0maris.blogspot.com/

See What do we Catholics got to lose if Benedict XVI was brought to World Court for his crimes as the Hitler-Pope of pedophile priests?http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-do-we-catholics-got-to-lose-if.html

Could Pope Benedict lose his job over German sex scandals?
EUROPE
Irish Central
http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/could-pope-benedict-lose-his-job-over-german-sex-scandals-87519032.html
by Niall O'Dowd
Could this pope lose his job?

The Associated Press reports on Friday that 'Church Abuse Scandal Now Reaches Pope.'
The New York Times headline this Friday evening says that the church sex scandal on Germany is creeping ever closer to Benedict .

"Church Abuse Scandals in Germany Edges Closer to Pope" it says. Where have we heard this kind of language before? With Nixon and Watergate, Clinton and Lewinsky, and so on.

The German media is digging deep and digging fast to find out what role our current pontiff had in a scandal involving an abusive priest who was allowed back to his ministry and abused again in Germany in 1980.
The pope was archbishop of the diocese at the time.What is clear is that he ordered the priest into therapy and that a subordinate had taken responsibility for later admitting him to the ministry.

The German Catholic church has accepted that the archdiocese made "serious mistakes" in how they handled the issue.

Benedict hardly expected how he handled child abuse to be his possible legacy . In Ireland, the U.S. and now in Germany huge questions are being asked about how this horrific crime was dealt with. In all three cases the answer seems to be very badly.

Could this issue take down the pope, maybe force him to resign early?

That seems a very long shot right now, but the more the drumbeat continues, as happened in Ireland, the more it becomes inevitable that bishops resign.In Ireland's case four have already done so.

But this is the pope,who reigns until he passes from this earth . There is no mechanism to replace him --except,possibly, the power of pubic opinion and damage to the church if this scandal in Germany continues to mushroom as some are predicting it will.

Pope will struggle to survive abuse scandal

VATICAN CITY
Irish Independent
By John Cooney
Saturday March 13 2010

A depressing week for Pope Benedict dramatically escalated last night into an unprecedented papal crisis when he was directly implicated in a cover-up of a German paedophile priest when he was Cardinal Archbishop of Munich 30 years ago.
The latest revelations are so potentially damaging to the reputation of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger that speculation was mounting last night that they could severely, perhaps even irreparably, damage his moral authority as Pope Benedict XVI.

It was being speculated that the German Pope could conceivably have to recognise that his position as supreme pontiff could become untenable -- and do what was until now considered impossible, resign from the Petrine throne.

Dismay

Benedict got a first-hand readout of the scope of the scandal yesterday in his native land from the head of the German Bishop's Conference, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, who reported that the pontiff had expressed "great dismay and deep shock" over the scandal, but encouraged bishops to continue searching for the truth.

Less than a month after the Pope's summit meeting in Rome with the Irish bishops, at which he ordered them to step united in line behind the papal throne, the abuse issue is no longer "an Irish problem", as one senior Vatican cardinal crassly claimed. Clerical child abuse is now a German problem. It has become a Dutch problem. It is also an Austrian problem.

This Europe-wide dimension, on top of similar scandals and cover-ups in the United States, the Philippines and Mexico, to name but a few, makes it Rome's problem. To paraphrase former US president Harry Truman, the buck stops on the Pope's desk, as the spiritual leader of over one billion Catholics worldwide.

In the Pope's homeland of Germany the number of alleged victims nationwide has soared to 300 since the scandals first broke last month in a Jesuit-run boarding school in Berlin.

The Dutch church has climbed to 350 complaints just a week after the Salesians first admitted they were investigating claims that three pupils in a school were abused in the 1960s. In Austria, the Benedictine arch-abbot of St Peter's in Salzburg has resigned after admitting he abused a 12-year-old boy 40 years ago.

Worse still for Pope Benedict, the public spotlight has zoomed in on his older brother (86), Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, who denies that the issue of sexual abuse came to his notice when he was master of Germany's most illustrious group of choir boys in Regensburg from 1964 until 1994.

A former singer in the choir has alleged it was well known among the boarders that a headmaster of the school, now dead, would summon two or three of the boys from their dormitories to come up to his room, where abuse would take place.

"The issue of sexual abuse never came up but if I had known with what exaggerated brutality he (the former headmaster) had proceeded, then I would have said something," Mgr Georg said on Tuesday.

Questions

Questions are being asked about how the Pope dealt with abusive clergy when he was Cardinal Archbishop of Munich-Freising from 1977 to 1982, before he moved to Rome to head the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

Cardinal Ratzinger's central role in handling abuse cases as 'the Vatican Rotweiller' has come back to haunt him as Pope Benedict, principally his 2001 confidential directive to bishops "on more serious crimes". This gave the Doctrinal Congregation control over how the church handles cases of sexual abuse of minors by priests.

This week Vatican spin-doctors robustly presented this directive as an important advance in making sure priest perverts were brought to justice.

The Vatican spokesman, Fr Frederico Lombardi, stressed it dealt with how canon law treated cases, and insisted this was not a substitute for civil law, which deals with the offence separately.

However, the media has interpreted the directive as a ban on bishops reporting serious accusations to civil authorities. The rub is that a personal letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to bishops accompanying the 2001 document said complaints against paedophile priests were covered by "pontifical secret", to be handled by bishops in strict confidentiality. Thus, the charge of "cover-up" against the Pope.

The Irish bishops at their Wednesday news conference in Maynooth backed the Vatican interpretation and accused the media of misrepresentation of Benedict. The Bishop of Dromore, John McAreavey, said it was clear to the bishops at their Rome summit that the 2001 letter "in no way precluded church authorities from their civil obligations, especially in regard to reporting and cooperating fully with the civil authorities."

The Irish bishops may have made the wrong call. Only hours after the Pope's meeting with Cardinal Zollitsch, the world's attention switched to his involvement in the 'Fr H' cover-up. Benedict is now in the eye of the biggest sex abuse crisis to hit the Vatican. Whether he can survive is doubtful -- if the Catholic Church he rules is also to survive.

Guru · Guru

Beware! Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger and his allies can be violent

Benedict XVI’s allies have been sending us threats, hate emails, curses and ridicules because of our weblogs. They are trying to infiltrate Google⁄Blogger so that they can simply delete our weblogs. Benedict XVI is a despot who cannot allow our true criticisms about him. Our weblogs are the only ones who dare (consistently) point out Benedict XVI’s crimes and heinous sins which are contrary to his claims to be “the Conscience of our Age”.

Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger, God’s Rottweiler and his allies can be very violent which this list of persons (see below) they have interrogated and silenced have suffered. As Prefect of the Inquisition, or now sweetly called Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger and his allies silenced over 100 theologians and many others. “But it is deadly. Many theologians have died or suffered from heart attacks and stress because of the unleashing of hatred shouted by those who are sure, because Ratzinger has said it...” (See article below)

If only Cardinal Ratzinger spent more time reading pedophile priests’ files starting with Tom Doyle’s report in 1985, instead of reading and rereading books by the Jesuits and the books of this of theologians below, he might have tried to stop the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army.

But the fact is, Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger was a cold-blooded Cardinal of the Inquisition who never defended the sexually abused victims of the clergy as shown in all his books and writings See Seehttp://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/pope-benedict-never-defended-children.html

And now as a hypocritical Pope, he is borrowing our words as he declares that “priest pedophilia is a heinous crime”. It took him 5 years as pope to say those specific words because his back is now turned against the wall by the eruption in Ireland and Germany of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army.http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/02/john-paul-ii-pedophile-priests-army.html John Paul II died in 2005, it is now 2010, and only now does Benedict XVI dares pronounce the word “pedophile priests” because the whole world is forcing him to. See the John Paul II Millstone http://jp2m.blogspot.com/

Benedict XVI and his allies indeed can be violent, that is why we have to be prudent with our pen name for now. They do send us death threats and hate emails, but we know St. Michael the Archangel is protecting us and our weblogs. Our biggest mission is to build a memorial for the victims of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Boston, in LA, in Ireland, and all over the world.

Benedict XVI is in a hurry to beatify John Paul II, this coming October. But as Mathew Fox says it well:

“We cannot be naïve about the papacy. Just because a person is dressed in white does not make him a holy person. Or a just one. Just because the media salivates over a particular figure does not make that figure authentic or saintly. Celebrity is not the same as character. Many have been the knaves, the heretics, the butchers and moral midgets who have sat in “Peter’s throne” (not that Peter, a simple fisherman, ever had a throne. In fact the empire killed him rather efficiently.)”

And the power Cardinal Ratzinger-God’s Rottweiler wields in worse than the Nazis as this World War II priest experienced it:

“Father Bernard Haering, who was the first one attacked by Ratzinger, had also been interrogated by the Nazis during the second world war. He reported that his interrogations in Ratzinger’s office were far more scary. The attitude of Ratzinger has been that he alone (or the pope in his name) knows theology and all real theologians can find work elsewhere. It is truly scary, such a power trip.” Full article below. A must read.

Welcome: Pope Benedict XVI aka Cardinal Ratzinger: Can This Leopard Change His Spots?

http://www.matthewfox.org/sys-tmpl/htmlpage18/

One always wishes for a miracle. I do not rule out anyone having a conversion experience at any time. Unlike fundamentalists who talk of one conversion experience I believe we are all capable of being born again…and again…and again. And this applies to popes too. Might it happen with Cardinal Ratzinger turned Pope Benedict XVI? Can this leopard change his spots? One can pray for it.

But I would not bet on it. Because, as the saying goes, “ya dance with them that brung ya there.” And the forces that have coalesced around this pope for the past twenty-five years are not pretty. Nor are they at all dialogical.

We cannot be naïve about the papacy. Just because a person is dressed in white does not make him a holy person. Or a just one. Just because the media salivates over a particular figure does not make that figure authentic or saintly. Celebrity is not the same as character. Many have been the knaves, the heretics, the butchers and moral midgets who have sat in “Peter’s throne” (not that Peter, a simple fisherman, ever had a throne. In fact the empire killed him rather efficiently.)

What do we know about the character of this man who is now pope? I and millions of others saw the 20/20 tv program in which he took a swing at a journalist as he was getting into his limousine. What was that about?

It was about just one of the burgeoning scandals of the past papacy, a scandal in which Ratzinger was sitting in the middle of it all. It concerned the founder (still living in his eighties) of the “Legionnaires of Christ,” a far right wing religious order named Father Maciel of Mexico. This very well connected priest, it seems, was a genius at raising money. He started many seminaries and even schools and universities. But at least nine of his ex-seminarians started writing the Vatican over twenty years ago to report that this priest had sexually abused them when they were boys in his seminary.

Even though these victims wrote document after document to the Vatican, the Vatican did nothing. The case sat on Ratzinger’s desk for years and he commented that it would not be prudent to attack a priest who had done so much good for the church. Only in December, 2004, did he take notice.

One can read about the scurrilous goings on in the past papacy, spearheaded by Cardinal Ratzinger, in two books written by three Catholic journalists. They are not out to ‘get the church’ but to get it going again. But their books are truly chilling for the secrets they reveal. One is Vows of Silence: The Abuse of Power in the Papacy of John Paul II by Jason Berry and Gerald Renner. They tell the whole story of Father Maciel. The second book is Papal Sins by Garry Wills (also: Why I am a Catholic).

Pope John Paul II, who had a peculiar attraction to right wing religious groups, invited the priest Maciel onto the papal plane for his trips to America and praised him often. He also gave special treatment to Father Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, another right wing religious order, that was so chummy with Franco that Franco had three of them on his cabinet. Father Escriva was rushed into canonization by this pope even though he praised Hitler [sic!]). Ratzinger oversaw the appointment of numerous cardinals and bishops especially in Latin America who are from the Opus Dei and the order is very strong in media and in financial circles of Europe and America. (Indeed, America’s most notorious spy, the ex-FBI man Robert Hammens, who gave away more secrets than anyone in our history, was a member of Opus Dei.) The third extreme right wing group that the past papacy (and the current pope) so strongly supported is the Communion and Liberation group of Italy.

These are the people most wildly cheering the new pope since they know how close he was to John Paul II and how much of his behind the scenes work he did on the pope’s behalf. Including silencing over 100 theologians and dismissing most of us (yes, I’m one of them) from the priesthood or our religious orders in the name of “orthodoxy.” And destroying liberation theology and base community movements in Latin America—which is why right wing Pentecostal sects are flourishing now all over the continent.

The press is going out of its way to show us how ‘human’ this Inquisitor General is. We are told he drinks lemonade and is followed down the streets by cats. But I think we have to judge the spots on this leopard by his actions, not by his love of lemonade.

The most ignoble of his actions is his killing theology in the Roman Catholic Church and appointing churchmen (only men!) whose only qualification was an oath of loyalty. By killing theology, driving thinkers out, you have a church of Ideology and a hierarchy of sycophants. This is why the big current scandal in the American church happened: When you pick ideologues and Yes Men to run your organization, you can expect lack of imagination and moral stupidity to happen when there is a crisis. A kind of ecclesial in-breeding and intellectual incestuousness breeds stupidity.

And there is a crisis in the American Catholic Church. It concerns not so much the pedophile priests, as criminal as their behavior is, but the cover-up by the bishops and cardinals. (The chief poster boy among them, Cardinal Law, has been given a plum job overseeing a fourth century basilica in Rome.) When the scandal first broke about the pedophile priests being shuttled from parish to parish and diocese to diocese under Cardinal Law in the Boston archdiocese we were in session with a Doctor of Ministry program at Wisdom University (formerly called University of Creation Spirituality). One of our students, who was a CEO in business said this: “If this happens in business the CEO is gone in twenty-four hours.”

Well, it took Cardinal Law two and one half years to resign. And then he was promoted!

Cardinal Ratzinger (with the complete approval of John Paul II) brought back the Inquisition. That is what he did over a twenty-three year period. One prominent and elegant theologian, Father Bernard Haering, who was the first one attacked by Ratzinger, had also been interrogated by the Nazis during the second world war. He reported that his interrogations in Ratzinger’s office were far more scary. The attitude of Ratzinger has been that he alone (or the pope in his name) knows theology and all real theologians can find work elsewhere. It is truly scary, such a power trip. He denies women any role of leadership even though the best scholarship today makes clear that women were leading from the get-go in the early Christian movement. Some of them worked closely with Paul.

Another theologian, Brazilian Father Leonardo Boff, a champion of liberation theology, wrote about the torture that the Sacred Congregation of the Faith (called “the Office of the Holy Inquisition” until 1965) puts a theologian through today. It is more psychological than physical as in the days of the rack, he points out. But it is deadly. Many theologians have died or suffered from heart attacks and stress because of the unleashing of hatred shouted by those who are sure, because Ratzinger has said it, that they are teaching “heresy.”

I went through this experience personally on a number of occasions when people would not just show up and protest at my talks or lectures with shouts and signs and pickets but also spit on me as I was leaving the speaking venue. This happened for example at the Cathedral in Seattle where Ratzinger’s ideologues gathered to attack Archbishop Hunthausen who, among other things, had refused to pay his taxes because of his moral opposition to the Vietnam War. I was invited to lecture on Hildegard of Bingen—they put her wonderful twelfth century opera on in the Cathedral—and I was spit on by members of CUFF—Catholics United for the Faith—as I exited the auditorium where I spoke. It was they who mailed a large dossier in to Ratzinger about my work. Though they are not theologians but religious hooligans, they were listened to by Ratzinger. Archbishop Hunthausen was mercilessly hounded by Ratzinger who took most of his powers away from him—a tactic he employed with many prophetic churchmen in Latin America as well, some of whom had their dioceses cut up or taken away from them and given over to right wing clergy. (An example is Cardinal Arns who stood up for years practically alone to the military dictatorship of Brazil.)

Being stuck in one’s ideology and refusing to come up for theological air has many painful consequences. For example, Ratzinger believes that God revealed to him that no one should use condoms—how many Africans (and others) are dying because of that private revelation? Or that no one should practice birth control? (How many species are dying and how many women are kept in poverty because of that private revelation?) Or that gays and lesbians are “evil” in their love lives?

The bishop who replaced the saintly Oscar Romero in El Salvador, who was murdered by the military while celebrating Mass, is a member of Opus Dei. Romero, who worked with the peasants and poor against the military regime and who died a martyr, has not been proposed for canonization by Ratzinger and company. But Escriva was canonized and in record time.

There is no doubt therefore about where the man we knew as Cardinal Ratzinger lies in terms of supporting justice movements. His is a preferential option for the rich and powerful, not for the poor as was the theology of base communities and liberation theologies. And that of the prophets of Israel including the historical Jesus.

Ratzinger’s allies can be very violent people.

If you read Ratzinger’s two documents attacking homosexuals, they are truly mean-spirited in tone as well as content. So too was his bullying of me (and no doubt the other 100 plus theologians) when he struck up correspondence with my order about my works. He is not nearly as knowledgeable as he thinks he is about, for example, the history of spirituality. In his correspondence about me he actually defends the tired teaching of the spiritual path named as the three paths of purgation, illumination and union. He rejects the four paths of the creation spiritual tradition that I name: the via positiva (joy), via negativa (silence and darkness), via creative (creativity) and the via transformativa (justice and compassion) as “dangerous and deviant.” My paths, as Jewish scholars have told me, are Jewish. The others are not.

The same is true of my work on “Original Blessing” vs. Original Sin. His rage at losing a pet concept like original sin did him in. Yet it is not Jewish and is not Biblical.

Karl Rove is another cheerleader for this pope. He should be since he owes his job to him after all. In the last presidential election Ratzinger actually got Bush elected and this is how it happened. On June 4, Bush went to the Vatican and complained that the Catholic Bishops were not supporting him enough for his stand against abortion and gay rights. One week later a document came from Ratzinger to the Catholic bishops of America telling them that they should tell the public that a Catholic politician (i.e. Kerry) who is not against abortion ought not to be allowed to take communion. A number of bishops went along. (After all, all the bishops appointed the past twenty-three years went through Ratzinger’s approval and a big number of American bishops in particular were trained in his Inquisitorial office). The result? In Ohio, Iowa and New Mexico the Catholic vote was 6% higher than ever before for a Republican candidate. Thus, Ratzinger got Bush elected. As a head of state, the pope had no right to interfere in an American election but that did not slow Bush down. No wonder he was the first in line at John Paul II’s funeral—he owed him his job (as he owed the Supreme Court his job four years prior).

To get a measure of Ratzinger and his spots we really ought to name the theologians he silenced and set upon and deprived of work and livelihood and above all of serving the greater church. Maybe each one of them can be seen as a spot on his leopard skin. People need theologians, people committed to thinking through the tradition in light of today’s needs—no matter what Inquisitors prefer. A partial list of the fallen follows.

Fr. Bernhard Haering, a German Redemptorist and moral theologian
Oscar Romero of El Salvador, called in three times to the Vatican to explain his stand against the military. The Vatican sent three visitors to coerce him to be silent.
Jacques Pohier, French Dominican
Edward Schillebeecks, Dutch Dominican
Professor Hans Kung
Father Ernesto Cardenal of Nicaragua
Sister Agnes Mary Mansour of the Sisters of Mercy in Michigan
Bishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle
Gustavo Gutierrez, Peruvian liberation theologian
Leonardo Boff, Brazilian liberation theologian
All the bishops of Peru summoned to Rome to repudiate liberation theology
Fr. Gyorgy Bulanyi, a Hungarian priest
Fr. Charles Curran of Catholic University of America
Bishop Mathew Clark of Rochester, New York
Fr. Alex Zanotelli of Columbia who published an article showing the relationship of arms sales and Italian relief agencies
Bishop Pedor Casaldaliga, defender of the Indians and the rain forest in Brazil
Bishop Helder Camara’s Institute in Recife, Brazil, was shut down
Fr. Eugen Drewermann of Germany, a psychoanalyst and priest author
Fr. Philipe Denis, Dominican of France, for criticizing the Opus Dei
Brazilian sister Ivone Gebara
Fr. Paul Collins of Australia
Indian Jesuit Anthony de Mello (who had already been dead eleven years when they condemned his work)
Sister Jeannine Gramick and Fr. Robert Nugent of the United States for ministering with gay and lesbian Catholics because they had not “condemned the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts.”

Might Ratzinger change? His first two homilies as pope suggests he wants to—he talks of “the service of reconciliation and harmony between peoples” and of wanting to “listen” and wanting to commit himself to “interfaith.” We will have to wait and see. Like everyone else, I hope he can change. The Dalai Lama warns, however, that the biggest obstacle to interfaith is a bad relationship with one’s own faith tradition. Benedict XVI has a lot of learning to do about his own tradition, I’m afraid. And a lot of answering to do.

Meanwhile, as we wait to see, I do not recommend holding one’s breath. His spots are very deep and long imbedded.

Copyright 2005

See the Magic of the Mass: Benedict XVI versus Blessed Mary=============

• The elephant in the room is the constant fear of litigation
By: david
• The elephant in the room is the fear and then the reality of litigation.
When it comes to money, institutions, church or otherwise, suddenly start taking notice. Change in all sorts of forms will come when the money is not in the pews any more. It would not hurt us to become a poor and
humble church!
By: david
• I personally believe that if the Church's 'penance' for this sin is handing over tonnes of money, then so be it. The Church does not need tonnes of money to maintain itself; it needs integrity, love, mercy, faith and humility. Without the latter, it is no church of Jesus Christ.

Protective, defensive behaviours when such terrible sins have been perpetrated are not only damaging, but fruitless. They will not 'protect' the church, they will further decay it.
If the Irish church is reduced to a more humble, simple and poor state then perhaps the Spirit of God may pour out a new grace of life upon it.
By: c.d.

http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/11/john-paul-ii-did-not-have-charity-of.html John Paul II did not have the charity of Mother Teresa

Guru · Guru

American litigation against Benedict XVI-Cardinal Ratzinger the head of a Global Web of Childhood Sexual Abuse

As the papal media spinners try to portray Benedict XVI as the “Holy Father” and infallible pope after the Irish Bishops’ meeting in Rome, we in the United States are not fooled by them. We thought that Irish people will simply ask 1 billion euro from Benedict XVI as compensation from the Church, but this is not even mentioned in any of the news covering the Irish Bishops meeting see You go, Ireland! Make Benedict XVI pay 1 billion euro for his crimes as ‘ General Ratzinger of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in Ireland’http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/02/you-go-ireland-make-benedict-xvi-pay-1.html

We thought that the Irish Bishop who carried that letter asking for 1 billion euro would speak out after the meeting, but he is mute about it. (He probably sold his soul to the Devil for less than 1 billion euro). We thought that the Irish people were smarter than us to make the Pope pay them compensation without going through the circus of judges and lawyers like we did to gain 2.2 billion dollars for victims since 2002.

If the Irish people won’t do it, then it is up to us Americans who must bring Benedict XVI and the Vatican to justice for all his crime as Head of the international ring of pedophile priests, the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2009/12/john-paul-ii-pedophile-priests-army.html

Marci Hamilton is the American lawyer in charge of the litigation against the Vatican or Holy See in the USA. Her latest article (see below), as response to the Irish Bishops meeting in Rome, gives the history and why there is an on-going litigation against the Holy See in the United States.

Excerpt

The Murphy Report also confirmed that Irish abusers were being shipped to the United States, where they abused American children. Some were sent back and some were permanently dumped here.

Meanwhile, at the same time that the Irish bishops were demanding accountability from the Holy See, discovery in a Wisconsin case -- as I discussed in my last column -- http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20100204.html -- showed that the Holy See and in particular, then-Cardinal Ratzinger (who, of course, is now the Pope) were the official handlers for abusing priests in the United States. The exchanges that litigation unearthed show that there is little question that bishops operated under orders from the highest levels of the Roman Catholic hierarchy on the issue of clergy who had been caught sexually abusing children.

Thus, we have come to know with a certainty that at a minimum, Ireland, the United States, and the Holy See have been linked. And only the Holy See has transnational powers within the group.

The complete article in Find Law.com

The Pieces of the Puzzle Are Falling into Place: Catholic Officials, a Global Web of Childhood Sexual Abuse, and the Judgment of History

By MARCI A. HAMILTON
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20100218.html

Thursday, February 18, 2010

In 2002, the Boston Globe broke the story of Cardinal Bernard Law's cover-up of widespread childhood sexual abuse by serial pedophiles in the Boston Archdiocese. In the wake of the coverage, United States Senator Rick Santorum, himself a Catholic, declared what many assumed to be true -- that the problem was peculiar to Boston. According to Santorum, the child sexual abuse had been caused by the lax morals of a very liberal city.

Santorum's particular theory was laughable, but his core assumption that the problem was geographically limited needs to be examined carefully – for although this claim of exceptionalism has proved completely false, it has continued to be repeated, in other contexts, all over the country and the world. And as long as the problem of Catholic clergy child sex abuse is seen as local, ending it will be elusive – because strings are being pulled from high up in the hierarchy.

Pretending Each City's – and Diocese's – Problems Were Specific to It Alone

Yet, in 2002 and after, the media still covered the Boston story as if it were distinctive to Boston. And, after the Boston scandal broke, the Bishops held an emergency meeting in Dallas and declared that the issue was behind them. Of course, today we know that was hardly the case.

After the Boston situation received publicity, victims of child sex abuse by Catholic priests started coming forward in many other American cities, with the pattern of abuse and cover-up repeating itself again and again. There is no room here to list them all, but they have included Bridgeport (Conn.), Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Portland, San Diego, and Spokane.

There were recycling bins for the abusers in New Mexico, Maryland, and Canada. A priest could abuse several children in just about any state, take a break in New Mexico (where more children could be abused), and then be sent back to either the original diocese for re-posting, or another city. A handful of honorable prosecutors made the issue a priority, documenting the problem through grand jury reports -- but only a handful. The assumption continued to be that this must be a localized problem in certain dioceses, not one that was endemic to the organization – that is, entrenched throughout the entire Catholic hierarchy and system.

The media in each city focused on the abuse in that city, and the bishops in each city said, after some abuse was finally brought to light, that it was all history now.

The Growing Realization that the Problem Was – and Is -- Greater and More General

Then the list of dioceses with sexual abuse allegations grew longer and longer -- to the point that no state was untouched. Priests started to complain that the "scandal" had started to taint all priests unfairly. Many lifelong – and especially, older -- Catholics rejected out of hand the notion that the problem was deep-seated, or that it might involve the entirety of the Church. For them, this was a short-term bump in the long history of the Catholic Church. Some, though, saw the pattern and formed the Voice of the Faithful -- a collection of devoted Catholics who see the child sex abuse scandal as having revealed an unfortunately built-in problem, not just an isolated set of criminal and tortious acts.

Editors began to treat the stories of abuse, though, as simply redundant, and often caved to the pressure from bishops not to engage in alleged "anti-Catholic bias" by covering one story after another about abuse by priests. The bishops hired public relations firms to spread the word that legislative reform in response to the knowledge of priest abuse was nothing but anti-Catholicism, and to repeat the false claim that all of the abuse had been publicly reported and was safely in the past.

However, lawsuits were filed in numerous jurisdictions, and discovery was demanded, with concomitant news coverage of the lengthening list of abuse allegations. The ambitious American bishops then began to vie among themselves as to who would be the most successful in turning back lawsuits and related legislative reform. Once again, there was an apparent pattern of behavior in response to the public revelations and the lawsuits. The very same arguments against the victims, their attorneys, and legislative reform in this area were floated in far-flung states -- from California, to Delaware, to Wisconsin, and more.

A Problem that Crossed Not Just State, But National Boundaries

Still, the media treated the cases as location-specific. Editors were driven by the need for a contemporary and local "news hook" and did not invest in investigative reporting to cover the (much) larger story. National coverage of the Holy See's 1962 document, Crimens Solicitationes, which threatens excommunication for bringing "scandal" to the Church by telling outsiders about the sexual abuse of children was – and remains -- sparse. Yet that document provides an embarrassingly obvious hint that the problem was – and is -- endemic and entrenched, and that the cover-up has been constructed from the top down. Was the media in denial over child sex abuse (which is common in our society) or over heinous behavior by the largest church in the United States -- or both? Who knows? Either way, the denial was deep-rooted and pernicious, and unless one has been watching closely, the larger story has escaped the attention of most Americans.

The stories then started to float across the Atlantic from Ireland that many priests there had sexually abused Irish children. Lots and lots of children. Irish prosecutors dug deep and produced two reports. One report detailed how the Irish Church had victimized numerous children in church-run residential schools.

Horrifying in itself, the report also served as a reminder of the many stories from Australia – stories that were never widely circulated in the United States -- of the omnipresent sexual and physical abuse of children in church-run residential schools there. The second report, which was 700 pages long and dubbed the "Murphy Report," and focused on the Dublin Archdiocese, painstakingly established that the hierarchy and the police had covered up persistent patterns of abuse. It also pointed to the Holy See as responsible in part for the perpetuation of abuse.

In the end, some Irish bishops were held accountable, with four even resigning after being shamed out of their offices. Then, the current Irish bishops demanded a meeting with the Pope, because they placed significant blame for the pattern of behavior on the Holy See. That meeting took place this week at the Holy See.

The Murphy Report also confirmed that Irish abusers were being shipped to the United States, where they abused American children. Some were sent back and some were permanently dumped here.

Meanwhile, at the same time that the Irish bishops were demanding accountability from the Holy See, discovery in a Wisconsin case -- as I discussed in my last column -- http://writ.news.findlaw.com/hamilton/20100204.html -- showed that the Holy See and in particular, then-Cardinal Ratzinger (who, of course, is now the Pope) were the official handlers for abusing priests in the United States. The exchanges that litigation unearthed show that there is little question that bishops operated under orders from the highest levels of the Roman Catholic hierarchy on the issue of clergy who had been caught sexually abusing children.

Thus, we have come to know with a certainty that at a minimum, Ireland, the United States, and the Holy See have been linked. And only the Holy See has transnational powers within the group.

Even while all of this information was developing, moreover, there was still a pervasive belief that certain clerical orders were beyond reproach on the issue, especially the widely-respected Jesuits. The lawsuits against the Jesuits for abuse in Alaska were not covered nationally in the media. Then, Germany erupted with stories of pervasive abuse in Jesuit-run schools. The sex-abuse victims are still coming forward, but one rector was recently quoted as saying that he expected that, in the end, they would identify over 100 victims of a single Jesuit perpetrator. And abuse is not limited to this one perpetrator; once again, it is pervasive. In other words, the situation in Germany is a mirror image of that depicted in the first Irish report and of the Australian experience with church-run residential schools. There is an undeniable pattern and web of connections, even for those who would do all that they can to deny child sex abuse and deny wrongdoing by the Roman Catholic Church. That pattern has led to suffering that is beyond human imagination.

Let's face it: there are only two options here: Either the repeated pattern of abuse and cover-up around the world constitutes a giant set of uncanny coincidences, or there is a single source of power directly responsible for the global pattern. The answer is obvious and that is why there are lawsuits currently pending against the Holy See in the United States. History will judge all of us if we do not bring this institution to account for the suffering of children. The Church officials' current behavior makes the selling of indulgences in the fifteenth century almost look quaint.
________________________________________
Marci Hamilton, a FindLaw columnist, is the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children (Cambridge 2008). A review of Justice Denied appeared on this site on June 25, 2008. Her previous book is God vs. the Gavel: Religion and the Rule of Law (Cambridge University Press 2005), now available in paperback. Her email is hamilton02@aol.com. In the interest of full disclosure, she represents clergy abuse victims and other victims of childhood sexual abuse on constitutional and federal statutory issues, including one who is currently in litigation against the Holy See..

Opus Dei website in Ireland portrays Benedict XVI as infallible pope with his image and tiara http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7029093.ece . You can tell it is an Opus dei website because they advertise articles about Opus Dei and the image of their St. Josemaria Escriva. This is the truth about Opus Dei ==========

Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - Responsible Leader

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 priests - John Paul II,
Benedict XVI & Opus Dei

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI has lots of time for GAYS but not for pedophile priests

If only Benedict XVI would spend the same amount by reading Abuse Tracker and Bishops Accountability - instead of being obsessed with GAY laws in England and other countries, maybe we would see a little bit of contrition on his part for leading the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army for over 26 years.

But really, Benedict XVI lives in the Vatican Palace out of touch with reality and now he is preparing his trip to meet with the Queen, another royalty of England, royalties with whom he rubs elbows everyday at the Vatican. Benedict XVI is determined to welcome the Anglicans in an effort to increase the amount of membership in the Catholic Church.

Benedict XVI is the biggest pope liar next to John Paul II. His papal crocodile tears for the countless victims, 12,000 in America, now Ireland, now Germany, is like the boy who cried Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!

Benedict XVI has a Mystical Marriage with his GAY Private Secretary Georg see their lovey dovey pictures here http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2007/06/benedict-xvis-handsome-private.html

See Pope convenes Irish bishops for talks in Rome the Eternal City of crocodile Popes and Bishops and the Venerable John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/01/pope-convenes-irish-bishops-for-talks.html

==========

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020202834.html

Pope's swipe at UK equality laws provokes foes

LONDON -- Pope Benedict XVI's condemnation this week of British equality legislation designed to protect gays and women in the workplace has deepened the battle lines between the Vatican and secularists, who demand that taxpayers not foot the security bill for his newly announced September visit.
The Roman Catholic Church's steadfast opposition to allowing gays to become priests or having rights such as adoption puts it at odds with changing attitudes in Britain, where acceptance of homosexuality has increased dramatically in recent decades. ...
The society said it would stage a film festival during Benedict's visit, featuring "The Magdalene Sisters," about Catholic nuns' harsh care of teenage mothers in Ireland, and "The Boys of St Vincent," about sexual abuse at a Catholic orphanage in Canada. Other protests are planned.
It's not the only conflict between Britons and the pontiff. Benedict recently surprised the Church of England by inviting traditionalist Anglicans who oppose women priests and bishops into the Roman Catholic fold, and riled Muslims four years ago by quoting a medieval description of the Prophet Muhammad's teachings as "evil and inhuman."
The 82-year-old Benedict, who was the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer before succeeding John Paul II in 2005, has put a firm, conservative stamp on his papacy. Reinvigorating the faith in an increasingly secular Europe has been a central mission of his papacy.
In an address to English bishops on Monday in which he confirmed his planned visit, Benedict said some British legislation had imposed "unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs." Benedict did not make a specific complaint about equality acts past or pending, but complained that the law had in some cases violated "the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed."
On the ground of natural law, the Roman Catholic catechism also condemns homosexual acts as "intrinsically dissolute."
Many critics in Britain saw the pope's comments as a criticism of labor legislation - both existing and proposed - and also interpreted it as denouncing the notion of hiring women, transsexuals and gays in the church.
The issue of gay rights brought the church into collision with British law, which holds that no organization can discriminate against homosexuals. That applies to adoption agencies, even Catholic ones, who were refusing to place children with gay couples.
In response, five formerly Catholic agencies cut their ties to the church so they could follow the law.
The Catholic church, along with the Church of England, also raised concerns about a current equality bill. Existing equality laws offer an exemption for church officials such as priests. The new measure initially attempted to change the definition of who was exempt, but the government backed down in the face of protests that the proposed change was ambiguous.
Benedict's remarks fanned debate about the conflict between secular and religious agendas.
"What the pope, together with other religious leaders such as the (Church of England) bishops sitting in our own Parliament are actually seeking, is for religious people to be allowed to discriminate against others in employment, services, education and many other areas, unfettered by the laws that everyone else in society must abide by and respect," said Naomi Phillips of the British Humanist Association.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown would not comment directly on the pope's remarks but said Tuesday that Benedict had "acknowledged the U.K.'s firm commitment to equality for all members of society."
But there was a protest from Stephen Hughes, a European Parliament member from Brown's governing Labour Party.
"As a Catholic, I am appalled by the attitude of the pope. Religious leaders should be trying to eradicate inequality, not perpetuate it," said Hughes, who urged the pope to ensure "that existing EU legislation is properly applied in the Vatican."
Increasing numbers of Britons disagree with the Catholic church's view on homosexuality. The latest Social Attitudes Survey found that 36 percent thought homosexual acts were usually or always wrong, compared to 62 percent who thought that way in 1983.
The pope's views on homosexuality and his opposition to women priests match those of many in the Church of England's 77 million-member Anglican Communion, which is on the verge of schism over gay clergy.
In October, the Vatican roiled the Church of England by making it easier for Anglicans upset over women priests and gay bishops to join the Catholic Church while retaining many of their Anglican traditions, including married priests. The Anglicans' spiritual leader, Archbishop Rowan Williams, wasn't consulted and was informed only at the last minute.
The Vatican denies that it is actively recruiting Anglicans and said its unprecedented invitation was merely a response to the many Anglican requests to join the Catholic Church.
On Tuesday, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, pleaded for the church's place in contemporary debates - a major aim of Benedict, who has praised the space religion receives in American society.
The pope "wants his reasoned voice - formed by the treasures of the Christian heritage which is deeply embedded in our culture - he wants that voice to be heard," Nichols said in a BBC interview.
"It's a reasoned voice and I think he has every right to express the concerns of many.

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI's victims number more than September 11

This Benedict XVI and the John Paul II Millstone www.jp2m.blogspot.com web/blogs were inspired by a vision of St. Michael the Archangel in July 2002 when the late John Paul II came to America for his last WYD World Youth Day.

It is now 2009 and after 7 years and the Catholic Church in the USA has paid more than 2 billion dollars to vicitms, Ireland is now erupting with its own share of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army www.jp2army.blogspot.com the "great" John Paul II left behind -- through the great cover-up by Benedict XVI www.pope-ratz.blogspot.com and the Opus Dei who controlled his 26 years papacy!

Our mission is to be in solidarity with the victims of the 26 years papacy of John Paul II -- by showing to America and the world why John Paul II must never be called a "saint" in American lips, in American soil and in every nation where his army, the JPIIPPA John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army www.jp2army.blogspot.com reigned in secrecy and cover-up under his Holy See......

Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - 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 - 5,478 priests - John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Opus Dei - the Vatican trinity

There are now new victims being unraveled in Ireland. There are hundreds of thousands of victims of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army in the poor countries of Latin America unaccounted for.

Excuses like "I was not aware", "the dog ate my homework", " I spoke out" are not going to cut it with Christ who has been reported by Gospel writers to have said: "Woe to whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea......" The John Paul II Millstone www.jp2m.blogspot.com

Guru · Guru

Benedict XVI & Opus Dei are the master minds of the cover-up of pedophile priests

Benedict XVI and the Opus Dei are the master minds of the cover-up of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army www.jp2army.blogspot.com and now they are at it again through the Opus Dei Supreme Court justice Scalia who will influence the other judges to keep the documents of the pedophile priests sealed.

The Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport must not be allowed to hide behind the First Amendment

September 1, 6:24 PMChurch & State ExaminerMiranda Hale

Accusations, revelations, lawsuits, legal battles, and settlements have, in recent years, finally brought to light some of the long-hidden instances of clergy sexual abuse in the American Catholic Church. Well-publicized cases have raised the public's awareness of just how widespread this abuse was and how utterly thorough and entrenched the institutional cover-up had been.

It quickly became apparent that this was not a situation that could be dismissed as a case of a few malignant individuals in a large, benign organization; on the contrary, the malignancy permeated the Church. The extent of the abuse and the pervasiveness of the institutionally enforced secrecy is staggering. Perhaps the most disturbing and telling revelation of all was that various Church officials had reassigned to other parishes priests who had allegedly committed sexual abuse against children (in most cases with very good evidence to back up those allegations), thereby willfully ignoring both the priests' alleged prior victims and knowingly placing even more children in potential danger.

The abuse was rampant and the cover-up was endemic. This scandal involved both the violation of children and an organizationally enforced blatant refusal to admit culpability or to properly atone for the crimes. This institutional denial of guilt demonstrates a particularly powerful type of contempt for victims. Because the Church has frequently shown that it perceives itself to be above the law, and because Church officials repeatedly display a galling sense of entitlement and an expectation of special treatment that most other institutional perpetrators of sexual abuse do not, it has become the institution that is currently most closely associated with child sexual abuse in the United States. Despite many Church officials' claims that this is an unfair association that has been created and disseminated by biased, anti-Catholic forces, the Church itself is to blame for this association and for its perpetuation.

Clearly, the Church's primary concern in these cases, and regarding the issue as a whole, is to protect its reputation, resources, power, and level of influence. Despite the Church's very well-publicized assertions to the contrary, they are not concerned with helping victims to heal, providing them with appropriate restitution, or protecting their rights. From an institutional perspective, the victims have been both a threat and a nuisance for the Church, primarily because the Church's power and reputation depended to a large extent on the victims' willingness or lack thereof to keep secret the abuse they suffered.

The actions that the Church is currently taking in order to protect itself have the same motivations and intentions that priest reassignment did. The Church is desperate to avoid dealing with the problem and will go to extremes to shelter itself and its reputation, in the process disregarding both victims and potential victims. The Church has been and is still willing to disregard and demean victims of alleged clergy abuse if and when these victims threaten the privilege and the power of the Church. The many instances of priest reassignment, each of which involved knowingly exposing children to alleged pedophiles, illustrates the Church's willingness to do almost anything in order to protect itself and its interests.

The Church has devoted much of its substantial power and resources to keeping its secrets concealed. In some cases, this has involved Church officials attempting to prevent the release of documents that would shed light on the true extent of both the abuse and the cover-ups. This blatant refusal to be open and transparent is not only unethical. In some cases, it is also in violation of the law.

Last week, in one such case, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was dealt a major setback in its ongoing attempts to prevent the unsealing of documents detailing clergy sexual abuse lawsuits.

On August 27th, United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg issued a ruling that denied the diocese's emergency request to keep the documents under seal until the Court decides whether or not to hear the case of Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp. et al.

The more than 12,600 judicial documents in question detail sexual abuse lawsuits filed against six Bridgeport diocese priests. The majority of these lawsuits were filed in the mid-1990s, regard abuse that allegedly occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, and were settled out of court in 2001 for undisclosed amounts and with the agreement that the content of the settlements and documents relating to it would remain permanently sealed.

The documents include three depositions given by Edward Egan, who was Bishop of Bridgeport from 1988 to 2000, when the majority of the lawsuits against the priests in his diocese were filed. Egan recently retired as the Archbishop of New York. These documents would likely provide specific information regarding how Egan dealt with the allegations and may reveal the extent of his culpability in the matter. Such disclosures could greatly damage the reputation of both Egan and of the diocese as a whole.

In 2002, after it was discovered that the documents had not been destroyed, four newspapers filed a lawsuit in an attempt to have them unsealed. A 2009 decision by the Supreme Court of Connecticut upheld a 2006 Waterbury Superior Court's ruling that the newspapers must be allowed access to the documents. The state Court also rejected diocesan officials' assertions that the documents had constitutional privileges, specifically relating to the diocese's claim that unsealing the documents would violate the diocese's rights under the First Amendment's religious clauses. The diocese is now appealing to the United States Supreme Court to consider the case (Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp. et al.) and to overturn the state Court's decision.

Their request for appeal is based upon two legal issues. The first regards the state Court's definition of “judicial documents” and the second arises from the diocese's argument that the decision to unseal the documents violates their First Amendment rights, as they claim that they offered these documents with the understanding that they would never be unsealed. However, the state Court ruled that the diocese waived the right to keep the documents perpetually sealed and protected under the First Amendment when they did not, at the time of the ruling, protest on First Amendment grounds.

The diocese argues that the Supreme Court should hear the case because the First Amendment prohibits civil authorities from involving themselves in internal Church decisions regarding priest assignments. Attorneys for the diocese have also argued that because state and federal courts have differed on their definitions of "judicial documents," the Supreme Court should use this case as an opportunity to set a clear legal definition.

In the clergy abuse lawsuits, the diocese was blamed for reassigning six priests who had a history of alleged sexual abuse. The diocese has argued that it cannot be sued for this practice because such choices are private church decisions. It also asserts that any document dealing with such decisions is protected by the the religious clauses of the First Amendment, saying in a recent writ that:

Because courts lack a legitimate role under the First Amendment to examine a church’s employment decisions regarding its ministers, the courts similarly lack constitutional authority to require a church to produce and publicly disclose confidential internal documents or testimony that would be germane only to second-guessing those decisions.

But decisions that may have led to the sexual abuse of children need to and deserve to be second-guessed. If the documents contain nothing implicating either the diocese or specific individuals in the knowing perpetuation of alleged sexual abuse, then the diocese wouldn't be fighting so vociferously and persistently to prevent their release.

Just as a secular counselor or therapist is legally required to report to law enforcement when a patient makes threats of violence against their self or others, the diocese should be compelled to act in a similar manner and should be prohibited from invoking religious privilege in order to keep hidden their protection of alleged pedophiles.

Legal precedent doesn't bode well for the diocese: in 2003, Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney denied the Archdiocese of Boston's request to dismiss claims from hundreds of alleged clergy sexual abuse victims. As in the Bridgeport case, the archdiocese argued that its religious freedom would be violated if civil courts intervened in its decisions regarding priest assignments.

The Bridgeport diocese believes that because they are a religious institution, the government shouldn't have any say in which priests they choose, how they choose them, and what decisions they make regarding the placement of the priests. However, individual rights, especially the rights of children who have allegedly been sexually abused, must always take precedence over religious rights. The diocese, both in the past and today, is misusing and abusing the First Amendment in order to harbor known alleged child abusers and to protect those who willfully chose to put children in harm's way. The diocese knowingly reassigned and failed to remove priests who were accused of sexual misconduct and now assert that the decisions and practices of their Church, even when those decisions and practices cause, perpetuate, or defend child sexual abuse, are above the law.

Until the Court decides whether or not to consider their case, the diocese wants the documents in question kept sealed and thus filed the emergency request in an attempt to maintain the stay on their release. Justice Ginsburg denied their request, ruling that only 15 documents of the more than 12,600 in the 23 separate files (one for each lawsuit filed against six separate priests) can be kept from the public record. Of those 15 documents, at least two are depositions.

After Ginsburg's decision, the diocese said that it was disappointed but that it would continue with its fight to prevent the release of the documents, saying in a statement that it:

[I]ntends to proceed with its announced determination to ask the full U.S. Supreme Court to review the important constitutional issues that this case presents.

Notice here that the statement is focused on “constitutional issues.” The diocese and its attorneys in this case have repeatedly maintained that their primary concern is with protecting and defending First Amendment rights. By falsely insisting that this is the case, they are attempting to reframe the issue and to shift attention away from their actual motives.

Jonathan Albano, an attorney representing three of the newspapers that have asked to have the documents unsealed (The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post), argues that Ginsburg's refusal to maintain the seal obligates the diocese to release the documents and that the case involves previously resolved state law, saying that:

It's somewhat disappointing that the diocese continues to approach the litigation in a way that delays the public's right to see these documents. There's been seven years of litigation.

He acknowledges the diocese's right to ask the full Court to review Ginsburg's decision, saying:

At the end of the day, the diocese will be able to say they were heard before every court that was available to them.

Indeed. The diocese will eventually have exhausted every possible legal option. They are running out of chances.

All of these frantic maneuvers by the diocese demonstrate an immense fear of the documents becoming public. Despite a number of defeats in various courts, the diocese still refuses to abide by any of these rulings. Of course they have the right to keep appealing as long as it is legal to do so. However, their dogged insistence on pursuing the case until they get the answer they want indicates that they feel entitled to receive special treatment from the judicial system.

The diocese was so unhappy with Ginsburg's decision that on August 28th, attorneys for the diocese specifically asked United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative Catholic and the father of a priest, to look at their case and to reconsider their request to have the stay continued.

The amount of arrogance on display here is shocking and disturbing.

The diocese seems to think that because they didn't like Ginsburg's decision, they now have the right to not only have the decision reviewed, but to also choose the Justice who will review it. They've obviously chosen Scalia under the assumption that he, as a conservative Catholic, will rule in their favor, once again indicating that the diocese will not stop until they get the answer that they want.

Since when does anyone, be it an individual or an organization, have the right to decide which Justice considers their case?

The source of this arrogance and of the massive sense of entitlement on display here is no mystery. The Church is accustomed to having things their way and is used to making their own rules, and they resent when the legal system “intrudes” into their selfish, secretive world. Church officials have shown a willingness to protect each other at any cost and clearly expect the outside world to bend to their beliefs, expectations, and practices, citing “religious privilege” whenever they are asked to justify their expectations or behavior.

In addition to demonstrating a staggering sense of entitlement, this move also displays the diocese's desperation. They know that they have almost exhausted their legal options and see Scalia as a last-ditch hope.

This arrogance, dishonesty, and desperation was made manifest last weekend in a letter from the diocese's Bishop William E. Lori that was distributed to all 87 parishes in the diocese. In the letter, Lori explained the diocese's reasons for opposing Ginsburg's ruling and for deciding to continue with their legal fight. And, in a discussion of the diocese's current actions and the recent decisions in this case, Lori had the gall to say that:

[I]t is important to note that the Diocese has not pursued this matter in an effort to cover up the issue of sexual abuse.

That's not only blatantly dishonest. It's also a slap in the face to the victims who not only had to allegedly endure horrible sexual abuse, but have also had to watch the diocese spend many years waging expensive legal battles in an attempt to protect itself from having to take responsibility for its actions and inaction. The diocese is clearly engaged in an effort to prevent the release of information that would harm the reputations of itself and of many of its officials. The victims know this, and the bishop's dishonest denial of the diocese's true motives both insults their intelligence and opens their wounds anew.

The Church's rampant dishonesty regarding this issue is nothing new. They've repeatedly promised to be open and honest regarding their past and present mistakes, but have broken this promise time and time again.

In 2002's Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, American Catholic bishops pledged openness and transparency, promising that dioceses would be:

[O]pen and transparent in communicating with the public about sexual abuse of minors by clergy within the confines of respect for the privacy and the reputation of the individuals involved.

Yet openness and honesty do not exist in the Bridgeport diocese, and Church officials and their lawyers are working diligently to make sure that remains the case.

The Supreme Court most likely will not make a decision regarding whether or not to take up their case until this fall.

New Jersey attorney Stephen Rubino, who has previously represented sexual abuse victims, does not believe that the Court will decide to hear the case, arguing that:

There's no First Amendment protection to keep secret records of criminal activity.

That sums it up perfectly. The diocese can insist all they like that this case is about “religious privilege” and constitutional protections. It's not. It's about protecting themselves and their reputations, covering up past crimes, and a refusal to take responsibility or to properly atone for their misdeeds.

The diocese is solely concerned with its own self-interest and is cowardly hiding behind its mistaken interpretation of the religious clauses of the First Amendment.

They cannot be allowed to hide any longer. A bright light must be shone on them, on their criminal activities, and on the true extent of the cover-ups. They must not be allowed to continue avoiding the consequences of their actions and inaction.

In order to send a clear message to the diocese and to the Church as a whole, the Supreme Court must refuse to hear this case.

Let these documents be inspected by anyone who wishes to do so. If the diocese has nothing to hide, then they shouldn't be afraid to make the information a part of the public record.

The Church must act on their promises to be open and transparent and must not be allowed to abuse the First Amendment in this way. Their pervasive institutional corruption cannot continue. It is essential that victims' rights take precedence over the Church's religious rights. Justice must be served.

Let's shine that bright light on the darkest, dankest, and most disturbing aspects of the Church. For too long, they've been allowed to hide behind the First Amendment and to choose which aspects of their institution they want on display, and which aspects they want kept secret. When it comes to the sexual abuse of children, the most disturbing of acts, the Church must not be allowed to make that choice.

It is never acceptable for an individual or an organization to protect or defend allegedly abusive individuals. This includes religious institutions. An institution must not be allowed to invoke “religious privilege” in order to protect itself from scrutiny in these matters and it is reprehensible that the Bridgeport Diocese is currently doing just that.

The Church's secrets must be brought to light so that the Church and its officials can be held fully responsible for their misdeeds. The Church's dishonesty and secrecy must not be allowed to proceed unchecked. The First Amendment does not protect their criminal acts.

Let's train the bright light of the public eye on the darkest secrets of the Church. It's long past due.

Sources:

1. "Diocese takes abuse case to parishes" 08/28/09
2. "Bridgeport Diocese Appeals To U.S. Supreme Court In Clergy Sex Abuse Cases" 08/28/09
3. "Conn. diocese asks Supreme Court to intervene in release of records" 07/18/09
4. "Justice Ginsburg refuses to halt release of Conn. diocese documents" 08/26/09
5. "Conn. diocese to ask U.S. high court to block records release" 07/29/09
6. "Conn. diocese wants Scalia to look at case" 08/28/09
7. "A Letter to the Catholic Faithfulof the Diocese of Bridgeport from Bishop William E. Lori" 08/29/09
8. "Diocese appears to break pledge, Fights order to disclose sexual abuse records" 08/29/09

More About: establishment clause · the supreme court · the catholic church · clergy sex abuse · free exercise clause · the first amendment
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Comments
Hope Rice says:
According to the Scriptures, the people are the church. Where are the people and why are they not protesting in the streets, demanding that their leaders release the court records they have been hiding that pertain to sexual abuse lawsuits? The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport denied the reports of this evil as long as it could. Now it wishes that it would just go away.This is another example of "protecting" the problem instead of protecting the children, all for the sake of false pride and image. It appears they are more concerned about this becoming public knowledge than the fact that it happened in the first place. Would they teach that a lie becomes a truth only when people find out about it? How cowardly.
Let the sunshine in. Sunshine is a powerful disinfectant.
September 3, 12:27 PM
T42 says:
Why are some afraid to say who they are, or who they work for when meeting for a group session? are they trying to hide something? or throw out a line to fish for something? no matter how one properly eats , nor being in such calmness & control of conversation is an act of luring!, and that's cultic antics.... how ever do you sleep @ night pancake girl?.
Did you find what you were seeking?. oh, that's right, of course...I couldn't hear your knock of a pounding of hammer through all of that silence!

Oh, Step-Dad had a knack for spotting robotic clones, good thing "Rafael Angelo" passed that knack on to me.
Thanks Ralph!
:)
How is everything up there anyway these days?
September 3, 10:14 AM
T42 says:
Get the Point?
September 3, 9:18 AM
T42 says:
There was such a diversity in the people that would come over to our house who were on welfare. From Jew to Gentile, from Atheist to Agnostic, from Mobsters to Millionaires, from Politicians to Priests, FBI's to Police Officers, Artists, Musicians, Beauticians, Madams,..... oh the list is endless..but you get the idea.
What were they all coming over to welfare recipients house for safety?.
September 3, 9:17 AM
Ralph Angelo Carsello says:
Is there an honor among thieves? believe it or not, my syndicate couldn't stand pedophiles, even in prison among the most considered evil of convicts. They just wouldn't last long in prison, there still is a pecking order, I guess.
"I question if my life could have been different if I took up a different but similar career to lived up to my name Ralph Angelo?". Both careers live like caged animals.
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****************************Contemplate************************************
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September 3, 8:47 AM
Kevin says:
For the countless boys who had their innocence and lives destroyed, you can take what Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 12:2-3 to your hearts. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be made known. Accordinly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the mountaintops."
September 3, 5:03 AM
Ralph Carcello says:
I still don't know why a murdered Pope ( JPI) doesn't turn more heads, ring more bells, blow more whistles about what kind of Institution the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church is running?.
I know I can't be the only one who thinks about this, that would be vain.
How can the sheep in trust to turning one's soul, or their childrens souls over to this sinful man made
institution in a blink of an eye?.
What is the difference in made men of the Mafia, & the Roman Curia?
They both swear to oaths to this new family with some kind of "holy" article of faith, they both have Dons to answer to, they both seek their funds illegally, but the Mafia gets caught like
I did, & spent 36 yrs. for circumstantial evidence.
September 3, 4:40 AM
Albino Luciani says:
www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker for DAILY verified & vetted reporting on the USCCB (Unremoved Sexual Criminal Cabal Bishops) & Roman "La Cosa Nostra" Pedo Curia.

THE SOLUTION? "STOP DONATING LAITY" as St. Peter Damien correctly asserted & was, in part, canonized for.

"The only condition for the triumph of evil is for good men (or women) to do nothing" as Edmund Burke reminds each of us.

There is no middle ground here laity, you are either financially contributing to a proven and pervasive CLEAR & PRESENT DANGER racketeering curia caused pedo cult, or you are not.

HOW WILL YOU ANSWER YOUR MAKER?!

Fiat Lux & Veritas!

Albino Luciani,
MURDERED POPE
September 2, 11:31 PM
Ace of Hearts says:
how much does it cost the RCC when they are Contempt of the courts orders to produce their files?
September 2, 9:43 PM
Ace of Hearts says:
There is a Fungus Among U.S. the Catholic Fungi hides behind the spores of Biological dispersal, and ask for aka donations to fund their mushroom population! :)
ShameM
September 2, 9:40 PM
Glorybe1929 says:
Sister Maureen,
You write so well and are so informed. You could be a paid columnist for any news organization in this country. I wish you and Fr. Tom Doyle would leave this sicko church and "really " make a statement!
September 2, 7:45 PM
Glorybe1929 says:
This column is magnificent! Please pass it on to as many news org's as possible. The people in the pews must find out about their chuch, whether they want to or not.. They need to make a Christian decision as to what Christ would do and do it.
September 2, 7:41 PM
maggie says:
Justice Scalia's son was seduced by ,"The poster child organization of Catholic corruption", The Legion of Christ,
according to the expose' film, "Vows of Silence". He just
might not be as well desposed to their cause as one might think.
September 2, 7:00 PM
gabe says:
Thank you so very much for having the nerve to print this. It is about time that the Catholic church is not able to get away with hiding its crimes and actually being held responsible for them. I am appalled by the bishop's repeated attempts to conceal sexually predatory priests and the cardinals and bishops who covered up for them. I hope they remember that they will have to meet their Maker just like the rest of us, and although God is merciful, God is a just God.
September 2, 4:20 PM
annaleon says:
Why doesn't this church of God want to reveal pertinent files that pertain to the welfare of those whom they are intrusted to while under their care for direction in Faith?. If they have nothing to hide and want to show the world that they are mis understood, or misrepresented than what's the harm in turning over the files? Is this church trying to vie over the U.S. Laws when it comes to crimes commited under one nation & one God?. Why are they trying to hang a Rainbow over their head or around their neck to claim that they are heaven sent? and cannot be touch by any law other than their own in which they still do not abide by. As long as this church gets free reign to run, victims will constantly be in crisis! Whom does the victim go to for protection?
b
September 2, 1:31 PM
Kurt Gladsky says:
Thank goodness for Sister Maureen. In Maryland we need to enact the same legislation that Delaware has enacted to protect children and hold those who prey on them to account. If nothing changes,nothing changes. Kurt Gladsky Towson Maryland.
September 2, 12:43 PM
Little John says:
1 Peter 2.13-14(RSV): "Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right"
September 2, 11:30 AM
SISTER MAUREEN PAUL TURLISH says:
I am grateful to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg for her ruling that denies the diocese's request that the documents remain sealed until the high court decides whether to take up the case in the fall.

Secrecy and the abuse of power have brought the institutional Roman Catholic Church to this point and only truth, justice, and the ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY the the U.S. bishops promised in 2002 will begin to turn it around.

There should be no accomodation in law that gives more protection to sexual predators and any accompanying enablers, individuals, religious denominations or public entities then to the very real victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Churches should and must follow the laws everyone in society has to.

This is a step in the right direction and the Bridgepost Diocese should abide by it ASAP.

Making these documents available for study should give some sense, context and an understanding of what led to leadership's failure to do the morally right thing.
September 2, 8:57 AM
SISTER MAUREEN PAUL TURLISH says:

A further step would be to remove all criminal and civil statutes of limitation regarding the sexual abuse of children in all states as has been done in Delaware.

Moreover, laws in all states that exempt any group, from mainline religious denominations or institutions down to the seemingly most benign local cult, from the laws that the rest of society are required to observe should be struck down. In this particular case the Supreme Courth has already ordered the release of those files. Church leaders should comply.

In all likelihood that material will shed light on the history of this horrific abuse of power and authority by bishops that resulted in untold thousands of children being sexually abused who would not have been had the bishops dealt with these predators when they became aware of their criminal and mortally sinful behavior.

Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Victims' Advocate
New Castle, Delaware
maureenpaulturlish@yahoo.com
September 2, 8:53 AM
Norma Villarreal says:
The diocese will not stop until it gets the answer it wants...by deciding which Justice considers their case. Here is an opportunity for the Catholic Church to be transparent, open and honest, but once again they are covering up past crimes and avoiding the consequences of their actions and inactions.

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Irish bishop resigns, apologizes to abuse victims

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Play Video Video:Pope Apologizes for Sex Abuse Scandal ABC News

FILE - This is an undated file photo of Irish Bishop John Magee. The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Irish Bishop Jo

AP – FILE - This is an undated file photo of Irish Bishop John Magee. The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI …

By SHAWN POGATCHNIK and VERENA SCHMITT-ROSCHMANN, Associated Press Writers – Wed Mar 24, 1:57 pm ET

DUBLIN – Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop Wednesday for his failure to report child-molesting priests to police — and faced a renewed reminder of the German abuse case most closely linked to his own time in charge of Munich.

Bishop John Magee — who served as secretary to Benedict's three papal predecessors before returning to Ireland in 1987 — apologized to victims of any pedophile priests who were kept in parish posts during his 23 years overseeing the southwest Irish diocese of Cloyne.

"To those whom I have failed in any way, or through any omission of mine have made suffer, I beg forgiveness and pardon," the 73-year-old Magee said in his resignation statement. Irish government investigatorsare continuing to explore Cloyne abuse cover-ups and expect to report findings later this year.

The Vatican is on the defensive over ever-unfolding accusations that church leaders have protected child abusers for decades in many countries.

Benedict last week issued an unprecedented letter to Ireland addressing the 16 years of church cover-up scandals here. But he has yet to say anything about his handling of the Rev. Peter Hullermann, the case known to have developed on the pope's watch when, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he oversaw the Munich Archdiocese from 1977 to 1982.

Munich Archdiocese spokesman Bernhard Kellner said Wednesday a new person has come forward claiming to have been abused in 1998 by Hullermann. Kellner gave no other details.

Hullermann had been accused of abusing boys in Essen, western Germany, in the 1970s when Ratzinger approved his 1980 transfer to Munich to receive psychological treatment for pedophilia. Until recent years the church in many countries referred child abusers in the priesthood to private clinics — and not the police — when accused of crimes.

Hullermann was convicted in 1986 of abusing a youth, but church officials insist the new abuse happened after Ratzinger was already promoted to higher duties in the Vatican. Hullerman recently was removed again from parish duties after he was discovered still to be in regular contact with children.

In a related development, the German government announced Wednesday it is forming a 40-strong panel of experts to investigate the extent of child abuse in Catholic and other institutions for children. The commission will be asked to recommend reforms to Germany's current statutes of limitations so that abuse victims can pursue priests and other church officials for civil damages and criminal liability.

Irish society is still debating the merits of Saturday's message from Benedict apologizing for decades of unchecked child abuse by priests, nuns and other clerics. The letter criticized Irish bishops, promised a Vatican inspection of unspecified dioceses and religious orders in Ireland — but accepted no Vatican responsibility for promoting a culture of cover-up.

Benedict also has yet to accept resignation offers from three other Irish bishops who were linked to cover-ups of child-abuse cases in the Dublin Archdiocese, the subject of a government-ordered investigation that published its findings four months ago.

Magee had been expected to resign ever since an Irish church-commissioned investigation into the mishandling of child-abuse reports in Cloyne ruled two years ago that Magee and his senior diocesan aides failed to tell police quickly about two 1990s cases.

The church and government suppressed publication of that report until December 2008. Magee immediately faced calls to quit from victims' rights activists and some parishioners. They accused him of ignoring an Irish church policy enacted in 1996 requiring all abuse cases to be reported to police.

Magee remained Cloyne bishop in name but transferred day-to-day responsibilities to his superior, ArchbishopDermot Clifford, in March 2009.

Cardinal Sean Brady, leader of Ireland's 4 million Catholics, offered prayers and praise for Magee.

"However, foremost in my thoughts in these days are those who have suffered abuse by clergy and those who feel angry and let down by the often-inadequate response of leaders in the church," Brady said.

Brady, a Vatican-trained canon lawyer, faces his own cover-up accusations. He has admitted collecting evidence in 1975 from two altar-boy victims of a notorious pedophile priest — but had both boys sign confidentiality agreements and never passed his information to police. That priest, Brendan Smyth, wasn't imprisoned until 1994 after molesting scores of children in Ireland and the United States. Brady confessed his sense of shame in his St. Patrick's Day sermon.

The church's Cloyne report found that Magee and his diocesan deputies fielded complaints from parishioners about two priests from 1995 onward — but told the police nothing until 2003 and little thereafter. The report said Cloyne church authorities appeared solely concerned with helping the two priests, not protecting children of the diocese.

One priest, who was accused of molesting a younger priest when he was a teenager, was encouraged by Magee to resign. But the investigation found that the bishop shielded the abuser's identity from police — and considered such concealment "the normal practice" for the church.

The other priest, a career guidance counselor in a convent school, was accused by several teenage girls and grown women of molesting or raping them since 1995. One complaint came from a woman who had a consensual sexual relationship with the priest for a year — then saw him develop an intimate relationship with her 14-year-old son.

The church has declined to identify the two priests publicly by name. Neither has faced any criminal charges.

Magee, who was born in the Northern Ireland border town of Newry, served as a private secretary to three successive popes — Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II — from 1969 to 1982. He then served as John Paul II's master of ceremonies until 1987.

___

Schmitt-Roschmann reported from Berlin. Associated Press Writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

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VATICAN CITY, March 24 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop John Magee of Cloyne, Ireland, a year after Magee stepped down.

The pope's action this week followed a pastoral letter Saturday apologizing to Roman Catholics in Ireland for the church's failure to protect children from sexual molestation, The Daily Telegraph reported. Three other Irish bishops have recently offered their resignations, which the pope has not yet accepted.

The sexual abuse scandal began in the United States. It spread to Ireland last year when two government reports detailed abuse of children in orphanages and other church-run institutions and sexual molestation by parish priests.

The New York Times reported Wednesday a number of Vatican officials -- including Benedict before he became pope -- declined during the 1990s to defrock a U.S. priest who had molested as many as 200 deaf boys. The officials had received repeated warnings from U.S. bishops about the matter.

The newspaper said its report was based on newly unearthed church files connected to a lawsuit involving the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy. The documents include correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger but the file does not include a response from Ratzinger.

Pope accepts Irish bishop's resignation

Published: March. 24, 2010 at 9:57 PM

There have been allegations Benedict as bishop of Munich allowed a priest accused of sexual misconduct to be transferred.

Magee, 73, served as a private secretary to Pope John Paul II and his predecessors, Paul VI and John Paul I. The Vatican released only a brief statement saying his resignation was being accepted.

"I wish him all God's blessings in his retirement," said Archbishop Dermot Clifford, now serving as apostolic administrator in Cloyne. "I ask for the continued prayers and support of the lay faithful, priests and religious of the Diocese of Cloyne for all those who have suffered abuse."

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Sinead O'Connor Wants Pope To Resign Due To 'Contemptible Silence' Over Child Abuse

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Outspoken Irish singer Sinead O'Connor has called for Pope Benedict XVI to step down, amid reports church leaders covered up the widespread sexual abuse of children for three decades.

Just last month, allegations the Vatican had "obsessively" hidden child abuse from 1975 to 2004 were released.

The findings appeared in The Murphy Commission Report - the result of public inquiries conducted in Ireland into a sexual abuse scandal in the Dublin archdiocese.

The Vatican issued a statement on Friday, insisting the Pope felt "outrage, betrayal and shame" over the scandal and would write to the Irish people about sexual abuse.

But O'Connor believes the pontiff has remained silent about the issue for too long.

In a letter published in British newspaper the Independent, she writes, "I demand the Pope stand down for his contemptible silence on the matter and his acts of non-co-operation with the enquiry. Popes have had no problem voicing their opinions when we wanted contraception or divorce. No problem criticising The Da Vinci Code. No problem criticising Naomi Campbell for wearing a bejeweled cross. Yet when it comes to the evils done by paedophiles dressed as priests they are silent. It is grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented. They stand for nothing now but evil."

O'Connor caused uproar in 1992 by ripping up a picture of Benedict's predecessor Pope John Paul on live television.

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Irish bishop John Magee resigns over sex abuse scandal

The Catholic Church sex abuse scandal claimed its most high profile casualty as an Irish bishop who served as a private secretary to three popes resigned.

By Nick Squires in Rome
Published: 5:19PM GMT 24 Mar 2010

Irish bishop John Magee resigns over sex abuse scandal

Irish bishop John Magee Photo: AFP / GETTY

Bishop John Magee, 73, stepped down in the wake of revelations that the Church in Ireland covered up decades of abuse against children by priests.

He begged forgiveness after the Pope accepted his resignation following an independent report which found children had been put at risk of harm in his County Cork diocese.

His departure was seen as a major blow to the Vatican because Bishop Magee was intimately connected with the Vatican for decades.

He served as the private secretary to three successive popes – Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II – and was among the first people to discover the body of John Paul I when he died in bed in 1978 after just 33 days as pontiff.

Magee, who was also appointed the Vatican's master of ceremonies, was sent by John Paul II to Northern Ireland in 1981 in an attempt to convince IRA members, including Bobby Sands, to end their hunger strikes.

Bishop Magee stepped down from his post a year ago after a Church report criticised him for not reporting to the police two paedophile priests in his diocese of Cloyne in southern Ireland in the 1990s.

The report found that Magee was made aware of complaints against the two priests in 1995 but told the police nothing until 2003.

One priest, a career guidance counsellor in a convent school, was accused by several teenage girls and grown women of molesting or raping them. Neither priest has been identified by the Church, nor have they faced any criminal charges.

Bishop Magee offered his "sincere apologies" for his actions and asked forgiveness from victims of abuse.

"As I depart, I want to offer once again my sincere apologies to any person who has been abused by any priest of the Diocese of Cloyne during my time as bishop or at any time," he said.

"To those whom I have failed in any way, or through any omission of mine have made suffer, I beg forgiveness and pardon."

Four other Irish bishops who were linked to the concealment of child abuse cases have also offered to resign, but so far the Pope has accepted only one resignation – that of the bishop of Limerick, Donald Brendan Murray.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, has faced repeated calls for his resignation after it emerged that he had been involved in a case in 1975 in which two altar boys were sworn to secrecy over their claims that they had been abused by a notorious paedophile priest.

Last Saturday the Pope issued an apology to the victims of decades of sex abuse by Catholic priests in Ireland, expressing his "shame and remorse" for decades of "sinful and criminal acts", but victims' groups said he did not go far enough in admitting the Vatican's culpability.

They also criticised him for failing to mention similar sex abuse scandals which have emerged since January in his native Germany, as well as Austria, Brazil, and the Netherlands.

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Hundreds of Irish Catholic priests 'to be implicated in child abuse report'

Hundreds of Catholic priests are expected to be implicated in alleged child abuse in Ireland in a major report released today.

By Sarah Knapton
Published: 7:07AM BST 20 May 2009

The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse has spent nine years looking into allegations from thousands of former pupils of state schools and orphanages, some which date back more than 60 years.

It is due on Wednesday while a second report looking into how sex abuse complaints were handled by the Catholic Church will be published by the commission in the summer.

It is thought that some 500 priests have been implicated in the abuse allegations.

Many thousands of children suffered at the hands of religious orders such as the Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy at industrial schools and orphanages. Most of the children were born outside wedlock or came from large impoverished families that could not afford to feed them.

The commission was founded in 2000 following a documentary for Irish television which claimed there was widespread sexual, physical and emotional abuse within Catholic institutions.

Mary Raffety, who produced the programme said the abuse suffered was "way off the scale" and "designed to break children".

At Easter, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said the report would "shock us all".

"It is likely that thousands of children or young people across Ireland were abused by priests in the period under investigation and the horror of that abuse was not recognised for what it is," he said during his Holy Thursday homily.

In 2003 the Irish government offered compensation to victims of institutionalised child abuse in a move expected to cost £725 million.

The comptroller and auditor general said the estimated bill was based on just 10,000 of the 150,000 victims coming forward.

If all survivors claimed, the Republic could face a bill about £10.8 billion.

In the second report, due for publication in July, the Catholic Church is likely to face heavy criticism for trying to cover up abuse when it emerged.

In some instances the church simply moved abusive priests from parish to parish to avoid scandal.

"The way the Church handled the scandals, as we now know, was not exemplary to put it mildly," said Father Vincent Twomey, Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology at the National University of Ireland.

New guidelines are now in place for the protection of children. In 2006 the the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church was founded.

As late as 2008, a report disclosed that child protection practices in the Co Cork diocese were inadequate and dangerous, thereby potentially exposing vulnerable young people to further harm.

In January this year every Catholic bishop, missionary society and religious congregation in Ireland was asked to sign a written commitment to implement agreed child protection guidelines. But many of the victims still believe the church has too much power and influence to ever be fully regulated.

In 2006 it was discovered Fr Maurice Dillane, 73, had fathered a child with his 31-year-old girlfriend.

Bishop Pat Buckley said an extremely conservative estimate was that one in 10 of the 5,000 Catholic priests in Ireland enjoyed regular sex with women and some even referred to their clerical collar as the "bird catcher".

When the statistics were widened to take in practising homosexuals, Bishop Buckley said up to 40 per cent of the Catholic clergy in Ireland were sexually active.

The scandals have caused a rapid decline in priests joining the Irish Catholic Church. Just three priests joined the diocese of Dublin last year.

A spokesman for the Commission said: "The Investigation Committee and Confidential Committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse have prepared their reports and presented them to the Commission.

"The work of the Commission has taken longer than expected.

"The Commissioners are very conscious of the importance and urgency of the report and they appreciate the patience shown by participants and by the public and their understanding of the difficulty and complexity of the Commission's undertaking."

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Paraguay President asks for forgiveness over paternity claim scandal

Fernando Lugo, the President of Paraguay and a former Roman Catholic bishop, has asked for forgiveness over a scandal in which he is facing paternity claims.

Published: 12:51AM BST 21 Apr 2009

Paraguay's ex-priest president hit with second paternity claim

Fernando Lugo, the president of Paraguay, has been hit with a second paternity claim just a week after the former Roman Catholic bishop acknowledged fathering an illegitimate child while still subject to his vows of chastity. Photo: AP

Mr Lugo, 57, did not confirm nor deny fathering the 6-year-old boy, but read a brief statement promising to "act always in line with the truth" before appealing for privacy and referring all questions about paternity claims to his lawyer.

Two of Mr Lugo's cabinet ministers started judicial proceedings against their boss on the second woman's behalf, and vowed to order DNA tests if Mr Lugo does not recognise paternity.

When Mr Lugo admitted last week that he fathered a 2-year-old boy with a different former parishioner, saying he would "assume all responsibilities" for the boy, analysts predicted that his forthright response would disarm the potential scandal, despite the feeling of at least one bishop that it was a "slap in the face" of the Catholic Church.

But a second paternity claim will inevitably give his opponents more ammunition.

Benigna Leguizamon, an impoverished soap-seller, said she decided to go public with her affair with the former bishop after Mr Lugo acknowledged his relationship with Viviana Carrillo, the 2-year-old's mother, last week.

"I decided to make this claim through the media before going to the courts after seeing that last week Viviana Carrillo got President Lugo to recognise their child," she said.

Both women said they were just teenagers when they first met Mr Lugo. And Miss Leguizamon said he privately acknowledged fathering her son at the time of his birth.

In a series of interviews with Paraguayan media, Miss Leguizamon said she arrived in Lugo's San Pedro diocese in 2000 at age 17 with an infant daughter and worked in the bishopric, where she began a relationship with Mr Lugo.

Her son was born in September 2002, but she said Mr Lugo gave her little money to support him and so she began a relationship with another man and now has four children. That man suffered a stroke and can no longer work, she said, so she supports the family by selling home made soaps and detergents door-to-door. Mr Lugo's son, she said, helps her by collecting used bottles to contain the liquid.

Many Paraguayans said the paternity scandal has been a black eye for both the government and the Catholic Church, to which 90 per cent of Paraguayans say they belong.

Mr Lugo resigned as bishop of San Pedro in January 2005. In December 2006, he announced that he was renouncing the status of bishop itself to run for president.

The Vatican insisted during the campaign for the April 2008 election that Lugo would always be a bishop under church law, and it was not until late July, just days before Lugo's inauguration, that Pope Benedict XVI gave him unprecedented permission to resign.

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Paraguay's ex-priest president hit with second paternity claim

Fernando Lugo, the president of Paraguay, has been hit with a second paternity claim just a week after the former Roman Catholic bishop acknowledged fathering an illegitimate child while still subject to his vows of chastity.