Vatican preacher: Uproar at Church over abuse akin to persecution of the Jews

LookingFor · 02-04-2010 8:37pm #1

So...yeah. Wow.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/03/world/europe/03church.html

A senior Vatican priest speaking at a Good Friday service compared the uproar over sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church — which have included reports about Pope Benedict XVI’s oversight role in two cases — to the persecution of the Jews, sharply raising the volume in the Vatican’s counterattack.

The remarks, on the day Christians mark the crucifixion, underscored how much the Catholic Church has felt under attack from recent news reports and criticism over how it has handled charges of child molestation against priests in the past, and sought to focus attention on the church as the central victim.

In recent weeks, Vatican officials and many bishops have angrily denounced news reports that Benedict failed to act strongly enough against pedophile priests, once as archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1980 and once as a leader of a powerful Vatican congregation in the 1990s.

Benedict sat looking downward when the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, who holds the office of preacher of the papal household, delivered his remarks in the traditional prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica. Wearing the brown cassock of a Franciscan, Father Cantalamessa took note that Easter and Passover were falling during the same week this year, saying he was led to think of the Jews. “They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms,” he said.

The Vatican though is quick to try and distance itself from these comments:

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi stressed that Father Cantalamessa’s sermon represented his own private thoughts and was not “an official statement” from the Vatican.

He said it was incorrect to interpret the remarks as comparing recent criticism of the Catholic Church to anti-Semitism, but should instead be read as a sign of “solidarity” by Father Cantalamessa’s Jewish friend.

Father Lombardi said that he personally did not think that criticism of the church could be compared to anti-Semitism.

“I don’t think it’s an appropriate comparison,” he said. “That’s why the letter should be read as a letter of solidarity by a Jew.”

“It is not meant as an attack on the Jewish world, anything but,” Father Lombardi added. He said that Benedict had no role in the sermon.

Think this kind of stuff will only get worse as scandals inch closer to Ratzinger.

Hank_Jones · 02-04-2010 8:41pm

Well if they start killing people...I'll make sure they know I'm an atheist...

Making It Bad · 02-04-2010 8:42pm

Bunch of cúnts.

FearDark · 02-04-2010 8:43pm

Im sick of these stupid threads. I dont care for religion at all. You can shove it and all its bullcrap up yer hole as far as I care.

[not directly at the OP but all these threads]

PeterIanStaker · 02-04-2010 9:05pm

looks like the Ratz is on a sinking ship.

Linus67 · 02-04-2010 9:26pm

I find it funny that the senior Vatican priest announced this on Good Friday; the day when the Jews killed Jesus.

silverharp · 02-04-2010 9:46pm

Linus67 wrote: »

I find it funny that the senior Vatican priest announced this on Good Friday; the day when the Jews killed Jesus.

alledgedly! can you kill a fictional character?

Slugs · 02-04-2010 9:48pm

Well didn't Voldemort kill Harry? Oh, and funnily enough he rose from the dead too.... I think I see a trend here....

PeterIanStaker · 02-04-2010 9:49pm

Silverharp2 wrote: »

alledgedly! can you kill a fictional character?

Dumbledore?

bleg · 02-04-2010 9:49pm

Vatican is the real victim in this.

efb · 02-04-2010 9:49pm

The Romans killed Jesus no?

PeterIanStaker · 02-04-2010 9:50pm

Slugs wrote: »

Well didn't Voldemort kill Harry? Oh, and funnily enough he rose from the dead too.... I think I see a trend here....

Crap you got in there before me, fair play.

Stinicker · 02-04-2010 9:51pm

Linus67 wrote: »

I find it funny that the senior Vatican priest announced this on Good Friday; the day when the Jews killed Jesus.

But wasn't Jesus a Jew himself?

Slugs · 03-04-2010 12:32am

PeterIanStaker wrote: »

Crap you got in there before me, fair play.

Biggins · 03-04-2010 12:36am

efb wrote: »

The Romans killed Jesus no?

Pontius Pilate asked the crowd in front of him, "Who do you want saved... Jesus or Barabbas?" or words to that effect...
The jews chosed Barabbas, a supposed criminal to save. Thus condemning Jesus to death so the yarn goes.
See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barabbas

ballsymchugh · 03-04-2010 12:38am

so anyway, which do you prefer, potato wedges or chips?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 03-04-2010 12:42am

isn't it daddy or chips?

ballsymchugh · 03-04-2010 12:43am

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

isn't it daddy or chips?

as the ad goes, true, but this is AH and if you let your guard down to that kind of abuse then you're screwed.:pac:

Run_to_da_hills · 03-04-2010 2:28am

FearDark wrote: »

Im sick of these stupid threads. I dont care for religion at all. You can shove it and all its bullcrap up yer hole as far as I care.

[not directly at the OP but all these threads]

You don't have to read them. :rolleyes: