Speaking out at 'this difficult hour,' a once-quiet Benedict XVI pens a lengthy letter on sexual abu

[brooklynite]

Source: Washington Post

ROME — Breaking years of silence on major church affairs, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has written a lengthy letter devoted to clerical sex abuse in which he attributes the crisis to a breakdown of church and societal moral teaching and says he felt compelled to assist “in this difficult hour.”

The 6,000-word letter, published Thursday by a Catholic outlet and the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra, laments the secularization of the West, decries the 1960s sexual revolution, and describes seminaries that became filled during that period with “homosexual cliques.”

The pope emeritus, in emphasizing the retreat of religious belief and firm church teaching, provides a markedly different explanation for the abuse crisis than that offered by Pope Francis.

“Why did pedophilia reach such proportions?” Benedict wrote, according to the Catholic News Agency, which published the full text in English. “Ultimately, the reason is the absence of God.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/speaking-out-at-this-difficult-hour-a-once-quiet-ex-pope-pens-a-lengthy-letter-on-sexual-abuse/2019/04/11/0ffa162e-5c1a-11e9-a00e-050dc7b82693_story.html?utm_term=.0044dfc6a517

[uriel1972]

1. Just go away Benny...

You are an embarrassment to the decent part of humanity...

[yardwork]

2. This makes me so angry. He's blaming gay people. We aren't pedophiles.

[uriel1972]

3. deflect, deflect and demonise...

It's business as usual at the RCC.

[hlthe2b]

4. That's one that always gave me the creeps. Pope Francis may not be doing all I want for him to do..

but damn if he's not beyond comparison to the former (and very creepy) Benedict.

[uriel1972]

5. Hate to break it to you...

but Francis isn't doing anything much different than Benedict, he's just more photogenic and gives better speeches.

[hlthe2b]

7. Hate to break it to you, but Benedict is trying to take Francis down. There is a REASON

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/10/pope-francis-benedict-conflict-catholic-church
Pope vs. Pope: How Francis and Benedict’s Simmering Conflict Could Split the Catholic Church

Before long he’s bitching about Pope Francis: “He’s soft on the homosexuals, the lesbians, and the transsexuals. And how dare he criticize the Curia? . . . Accusing us of spiritual Alzheimer’s . . . just because his papacy is unraveling.” Sotto Voce is angry about the tongue-lashing Pope Francis gave the curial cardinals four years ago for the “serious disease” of gossip. The Pope had said, “Brothers, let us be on our guard against the terrorism of gossip.”

Francis is hardly of the same ilk as Benedict, however disappointing he may be.

[uriel1972]

9. Well whatever the case may be...

As long as the RCC hierarchy is eating its own I don't mind.

[uriel1972]

20. Flogging a dead horse...

is sadonecrobestiality I know, but a quick test:


Which Pope while Cardinal said that same-sex marriage is "Of the devil"?

Which Pope whilst Pope said that non-binary gender people are worse than nuclear weapons?

If you said a) Pope Francis you would be correct.


How much RCC doctrine has he changed?

Don't give me the baby steps garbage... he's just as bad as the company he keeps.

[hlthe2b]

22. I'm not Catholic, but I can see what is happening and those 'progressives'assisting the far RW

elements of Benedict and his ilk are only aiding. Maybe that is the intent--to destroy the RCC. I take no position on the latter, but I will call out what I see. And your attacking me for merely posting an article counter to your POV is despicable.

[uriel1972]

23. Attacking you, no...

Attacking Francis, yes.
I suggest that a power-play between two factions within the hierarchy of the RCC does not need to have a good and a bad side. They can be equally despicable.

I am in no way interested in assisting either side to victory, I don't see much difference to be honest. Both want to continue the ongoing war against sexual and gender minorities and both want to deny reproductive health-care to women around the world RCC or not.

That's what I call despicable.

[eShirl]

6. f u ratzo

[Gore1FL]

8. "The absence of God."

That's been my view of religion for some time.

[camelfan]

15. Right!

He stumbled into some truth without even realizing it.

[Sherman A1]

34. Agreed

what is the saying about even a blind squirrel 🐿.........?

[Ponietz]

10. Transparently pathological

Last edited Thu Apr 11, 2019, 01:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has been a commonplace news story since, at least, the early 1990’s when the victims began to reach the age of majority. If I, a non-Catholic, knew about it then, then EVERY priest surely knew about it.

More than 50 years since the heinous victimization began, only now, he finds this one to be his “difficult hour”.

🤮

[SergeStorms]

33. But it's not the clergy's fault you see.

It those homosexuals, lesbians, transgender people that are at fault. The clergy would have never buggered a little boy without the existence of "those" people! Pure as the driven snow they are!

[Archae]

11. Pope Rat says he's no longer a Nazi...

Then shows he still is one.

Yes. A Nazi.

[LuvNewcastle]

12. How many molestations did he cover up?

How many molesting priests did he assist in moving around to other parishes where they could molest more kids?

[Baltimike]

13. Papa Ratz can go fuck off. nt

[Aristus]

14. Looking to bring back the pink triangle, Benny?

Go to Hell...

[exboyfil]

16. Priests never touched kids in the 50s

Right. Or the 1850s. The only difference now is that the victims have somewhat of a voice.

[thucythucy]

17. Just curious.

I'm not going to read this letter--I have far far better ways to waste my time--but I'd be curious to know His Former Infallibility takes any personal responsibility at all for allowing (and even enabling) the scandal and the abuse and the cover-ups to continue during his administration.

Offhand, I have to say I doubt it.

[irisblue]

18. Benny, Benny Boy, it is about power over other humans.

The power of men over women.
The power of men over kids.
And yes I do know women committed sexual abuse as well, that also is power over another.
The piwer of religious leaders over congregants.


And the higher ups who protect and hide the abusers and rapists and soul killers.

And Benny, 2000+ years and counting.

[dalton99a]

19. What a load of crap.

[JudyM]

21. Oh yes, millenia of abuse such as the Crusades, pogroms, etc, must've been the fault of them gays

as well.

[niyad]

24. FUCK YOU, ratzi--you were insstrumental in protecting the damned pedophile priests, you bastard

[The Liberal Lion]

25. What kind of BULLSHIT is this?

Benedict blaming the victim? Even if we choose to engage in this ultra-bullshit explanation for sexual abuses committed by the clergy we can easily swat this argument away to stating a known reason for the existence of religion in the first place, namely the clergy is suppose to be paragons and models of morality, not participants in so-called societal excesses. I'm an atheist, and I consider all deity based religions a load of shit but this is far and beyond the typical bullcrap religion propagates.

[shanny]

26. Benedict can fuck right off. eom

[Solly Mack]

27. Benny makes fart noises.

[Marrah_Goodman]

28. He can go fuck himself

[IronLionZion]

29. I didn't realize he was still alive

meh

[Yavin4]

30. Any other organization would've been shut down forever over such crimes.

Including other religious organizations.

[maxsolomon]

31. Quick, what does STEVE BANNON think?

NBC News to the rescue!

[FakeNoose]

32. Pope Benedict is no longer the Pope so he should STFU

He had his time and he walked away. What he thinks now is irrelevant. Besides that, his letter to the editor is clearly self-serving and it's an underhanded insult aimed at the current Pope.