All Comments (8)

I think this pope is a racist. he is very narrow minded and have no respect for human beings or any other religion. she should be ashamed of himeself.

>>John, often those who arrogantly call themselves "inclusive" and "tolerant" are among the most hate-filled and bigoted people I have ever met.

Pope Benedict XVI stands for the truth of the Catholic faith on principle. Perhaps, they are principles you disagree with, but how is it you are in a place to be judgemental toward the pope.

Have you taken the time to examine your own narrow-mindedness and intolerance? The Catholic Church encourages reasoned and principled dialogues with those it disagrees with, but too often militant secularists approach Catholicism with the same sort of narrow-mindedness and dogmatism they accuse the Church of having.

Do you believe having core principles is narrow-minded? Would you say your implicit belief in relativism isn't narrow-minded and per chance, would you believe in your own infallibility? Again ,is it wrong to hold to your core values?

Anti-Catholic prejudices are every bit as narrow-minded as those in the other direction.

I think this pope is a racist. he is very narrow minded and have no respect for human beings or any other religion. she should be ashamed of himeself.

I think this pope is a racist. he is very narrow minded and have no respect for human beings or any other religion. she should be ashamed of himeself.

Our Philadelphia Archdiocesan legal counsel surely doesn’t discriminate—whether the victims are young children brutalized by pedophilia or the elderly church attendees, they are dispatched in the same cold, dispassionate, and un-Christlike manner. This archdiocesan legal tradition exists solely to protect our archdiocesan leaders, lay and religious, from any accountability and liability. What would Jesus do?

(1) In the National Catholic Reporter 1999, the current Philadelphia archdiocesan counsel states:
“No matter how vigilant a pastor or principal is, he or she may still face a lawsuit, said Timothy Coyne, who represents the Philadelphia archdiocese and various religious orders. “The little old lady who says her beads daily in church will sue you if she slips and falls in church,” he warned. Coyne told priests to regard lawyers as their friends and to “call your lawyer even before you call the chancery or your insurer.” One wonders if Mr. Coyne ever sits next to elderly women when he attends Mass.
(2)C. Clark Hodgson, long-time counsel to the Philadelphia Archdiocese was quoted in a local newspaper:
“Church officials were not obligated by state law to report sex-abuse cases to civil authorities unless the actual child victim notified the church personally. If the child’s parent filed the complaint with the archdiocese, however, church officials did not have to notify police.
Mr. Hodgson was subsequently awarded the St. Thomas More Award 2006 from the St. Thomas More Society of Philadelphia (Catholic lawyers). Remarkably, St. Thomas More was martyred for his faith because he was a champion for following the “spirit of the law”, not the “letter of the law.” What is the likelihood that a young, innocent and vulnerable school age child who was subject to the humiliation, degradation and physical sexual abuse by a clergy member would have the strength to come forward when this same victim would feel so ashamed, broken, horrified and bewildered? Our archdiocesan attorneys were sure to exploit the legal loophole re reporting such pedophilia to authorities. This conduct was KNOWINGLY, DELIBERATELY and CONSCIOUSLY performed by Church attorneys at the expense of the child’s physical, emotional, psychological and moral well-being and survival. What else can be said?
(3) William Sasso, Chairman, Stradley and Ronon, according to the firm’s website:
“Attesting to Stradley Ronon’s strength in this area, we have long served as general counsel to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.”
“An attorney for the archdiocese, William R. Sasso accused the report of exhibiting religious bias because it did not investigate allegations of child sex abuse in other denominations.
“As a lawyer, as an individual who has seen similar reports, I find it to be biased and anti-Catholic,” Sasso said.
Interestingly, on the firm’s website, there is a picture of Mr. Sasso and Bono at a dinner where Bono was honored for his humanitarian efforts and compassion to those children at risk in Africa. And what did Mr. Sasso do when archdiocesan children were not only victimized and/or abused over the years but others put in danger when the abusing priests were moved from one location to another?
(4) Mark Chopko, former counsel to US Bishops, and now head of the non-profit group at Sasso’s law firm. I particularly liked reading a summary of one of his legal arguments where he claimed that diocesan management was not liable for clergy sexual abuse behavior because the priest’s religious functioning was protected behavior by our constitution.

In light the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s duplicity, treachery and chicanery that has been clearly documented and substantiated, I personally would like the answer to the following question:
How are Archdiocesan attorneys like William Sasso, C. Clark Hodgson and Mark Chopko actually able to sleep at night knowing that former-priest predators are living throughout our communities and pose a “clear and present danger” to the youngest, most innocent and vulnerable in our communities?

Without doubt, the Catholic Church is wallowing in the muck of sinful priests but Islam shares an equal wallowing in their own muck. As a reminder, the flaws/muck of Islam:

1. Belief in "pretty/ugly wingie thingies".

2. Belief that an hallucinating, illiterate Arab did actually talk to the "pretty Gabriel" in the hot "Gabe" cave and therein received the warmongering and anti-female words and resultant laws now listed in the koran.

3. That Sunnis are superior to Shiites in all aspects of life. And Shiites think the same way about Sunnis.

4. That Islam is perfect and the koran inherently condones no sin even though the 24/7, 800 year-old blood feud between Sunnis and Shiites gives significant credence that greed, hate, suicides, assassinations, maiming, and murder are condoned by the koran. Male Islamics to include imams and clerics having multiple wives also gives significant credence to the sins of rape, adultery, lust and polygamy. The condoned treatment of these wives gives credence that the koran allows the sins of hatred, anger and greed.

And it could all be solved by simply deflawing the koran!!!!!!

Mr. R. Gustav Niebuhr,

Thank you for your essay.

It is often forgotten that Popes are also heads of states and not just spiritual/religious leaders. The Vatican has a very long history of shaping (on intefering in) domestic and international politics in Europe, Latin America that affects the wider world, but to a lesser direct extent now. Pope Benedict 16, consequently, is also interested in socio-religious politics in the interest of his faith and flocks, as do other Popes before.

It is encouraging for many disturbed or angered by the pedophilia scandals that Pope Benedict 16 is not only acknowledging it, but seem to be taking steps to rectify the problem. Pope Benedict 16's stance against immigration as stated in his US visit is interesting as it is Hispanics who comprise the largest groups of immigrants to the US and they are, as Catholics, are revitalising the Catholic churches and keeeping up numbers of adherents.

The current Pope, as do his predecessor, obviously knows that Muslims share similar values as the Church on family and the dangers of excessive materialism, never mind Muslims do practice family planning (in using contraceptions) and have more flexibility on abortion and science, including stem-cell research.

Pope John Paul II was pragmatic enough to recognise this to enable the Vatican to forge an alliance with Muslim states in agreeing on specific language and areas during the UN global conferences on population and development in Cairo, and on advancement of women in Beijing. Not for the better in retrospect for some Muslims.

The obvious and simple key is to build up on similar concerns rather than arguing on diffrences, from theology to nature of God and the only way to "truth" and "salvation". But, of course, as a head of state apart from being religious/spiritual head, the Pope will also have to be a global political player on war and peace, on human rights, on the environment etc. driven by his state "ideology" and church "theology". Either way, it may cause differences for those who do not share the "ideology" and/or "theology" promoted by the Pope/Vatican.

Having read a bit more on the internal problems of the Church, concerns of lay Catholics, and even some members of the clergy, one begins to see that non-Catholics do need to step back and let the Church, Catholics, the Vatican, and the Pope to reconcile to and address the realities of limits of "centralisation" and centralised authority vs "decentralisation" everywhere - from governments to businesses, for any organisation to be more responsive to its "clients" and to move forward better.

It would seem that the Church, under Pope Benedict 16, is already setting the templates for its "domestic", "international" and "inter-faith" agenda, or policies if you like. What he said seem encouraging. But it is too soon to say how far it will be enough in the estimation of his flocks around the world, and those of other faiths. It remains to be seen how his "narrative" match or reject the "narratives" of others on politics, economics, social and religious issues.

Find common ground and concerns for joint actions regardless of race, gender and religion. That is not too much to ask of ourself, for us and for God.

Thank you and regards

"J"

Worth repeating for the new guest's perusal:

The Crises (pl) in the contemporary Catholic Church:

The inappropriate conduct of many priests, the emotional stress on the victims and the resultant billion dollars in lawsuits.

The lack of talent in the priesthood.

The lack of Vatican response to the historic Jesus movement.

The Church's continuing cling to original sin and the resulting subsets of crazy ideas like limbo.

The denial of priesthood to women.

The restriction of priesthood to single men (unless you are former Episcopalian priests),

And the continued chain of Vatican "leadership" by old European white men.