29 October 2006

Pope flip-flops on clergy sex abuse?

An article yesterday by the Associated Press tells us that "Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday that the church must urgently rebuild confidence and trust damaged by clerical sex abuse scandals, which have created deep wounds."

The Pope is quoted as saying that "it is important to establish the truth of what happened in the past, to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent it from occurring again, to ensure that the principles of justice are fully respected and, above all, to bring healing to the victims and to all those affected by these egregious crimes."

Principles of justice???!!!! Since when?

Has he forgotten how, in 2002, when we still knew him as Cardinal Ratzinger, he discounted the issue, referring to the media coverage of clergy sex abuse as a plot to discredit the Church?

And has he forgotten how, just last year, he asked George W. Bush to grant him immunity for prosecution for covering up these kinds of crimes?

And, by the way, Bush complied. So Bush clearly doesn't care about the welfare of the young victims any more than the Pope does.

Everyone, especially Catholics, should see the new documentary film Deliver Us From Evil. It tells the true story of a priest who molested and/or raped countless children (including a nine-month-old baby) over the course of three decades. The Church, instead of taking the priest out of public service (and away from kids) and getting him some treatment, chooses instead to move him around from diocese to diocese. And, in each place, Father O'Grady treats himself to a fresh new crop of victims.

At the film's climax, two of O'Grady's victims, now grown, travel to the Vatican to hand-deliver a letter of protest to the Pope. The Pope refuses to see them.

Everyone, especially Catholics should be very, very angry.

And how would Jesus feel about this kind of behavior by those who supposedly represent Him on earth?

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