That idiot, the pope

axer · 16-02-2010 05:51PM #1

The Pope also said that the weakening of faith has been a significant contributing factor leading to the sexual abuse of minors.

He called for an improved preparation both for candidates for the priesthood and religious life and of those already ordained and professed

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0216/abuse.html

The pope thinks that a weakening of the faith is one of the main reasons that lead to sexual abuse of minors and that preparation will help candidates not abuse children.

I cannot believe that this guy still hasn't an understanding of pedophilia.

Hagar · 16-02-2010 05:55PM

Don't they already spend something like 7 years in a seminary before the get their wings? If that doesn't prepare them I have no idea what else will.

Dades · 16-02-2010 06:10PM

I was all set to change the title of the thread to something less provocative... but that really is an outrageous thing to say under the circumstances.

If someone wants to defend him, by all means try.

panda100 · 16-02-2010 06:10PM

The pictures in the paper over the last few days has just reinforced for me what a patriarchal,heirachial institution the church really is.

All those old,white haired men laying down the guidelines on how I should live? How can these people claim to lay down moral guidance when they completly seclude half of the human race.

And the picture of the bishop kissing the popes hand..... I think anyone who believes they command enough influence to have people kissing their hand is a bit disturbing.

we'llallhavetea_old · 16-02-2010 06:13PM

he just keeps on shocking doesn't he?

what is wrong with that man? how the feck do you get him to shut up? who lets him say these things? are priests and bishops across the world cringing with the rest of us?

panda100 · 16-02-2010 06:16PM

Dades wrote: »

I was all set to change the title of the thread to something less provocative... but that really is an outrageous thing to say under the circumstances.

If someone wants to defend him, by all means try.

I would be very interested to hear what Christians, or anyone in general, thinks the pope meant by 'weakening of faith'?

Does he mean the collected lack of faith in the population in general, or the weakneaning of faith in the individual priests?

Is he suggesting that If people had prayed more for vocations and priests then the child abuse would have been averted?

seamus · 16-02-2010 06:23PM

I think it's fair to say that there is a direct correlation between the perceived "strength" of the faith and the number and severity of child sexual abuse cases; i.e. the stronger the faith is within a society, the greater the incidence of child sexual abuse amongst its clergy.

So, the pope is just plain wrong.

Galvasean · 16-02-2010 06:26PM

I read a piece in the Indo (yeah, i know i know) by that Quinn lackey saying how teh Pope should be commended for his courageousness in dealing with the abuse scandals.
Excuse my editorial laugh - hah! - Are we talking about the same Papa Razi who wrote to the bishops of Ireland telling them to hide the abuse and protect the church's public image at all costs? How short people's memories are.

robindch · 16-02-2010 06:27PM

seamus wrote: »

the pope is just plain wrong.

You are preaching to the choir on that

16-02-2010 06:29PM

Pope says paedophilia a 'heinous crime'

Permabear · 16-02-2010 06:41PM

This post has been deleted.

Zillah · 16-02-2010 06:47PM

It is clearly just a few bad eggs that are causing this. Individuals who lose their faith and no longer truly serve God and the Church are the ones who commit these acts. A more rigorous theological education during their early years in the seminary would surely prevent such abuse.

Zillah · 16-02-2010 06:48PM

Ahahaha honestly that's the best I can come up with. No really, feck the Pope. Nasty anachronistic tyrant.

iUseVi · 16-02-2010 06:50PM

Zillah wrote: »

It is clearly just a few bad eggs that are causing this. Individuals who lose their faith and no longer truly serve God and the Church are the ones who commit these acts. A more rigorous theological education during their early years in the seminary would surely prevent such abuse.

wobblyknees · 16-02-2010 06:57PM

....and the people who believe in him.

henryporter · 16-02-2010 07:07PM

It is truly remarkable that an organisation that preaches truth, humility and love for humankind is incapable of practicing those virtues. It's another very sad day for the victims of clerical abuse.

Hagar · 16-02-2010 07:10PM

If there is a God, is he stupid enough to swallow this hogwash or will He throw the (good) book at them when they die?

Zillah · 16-02-2010 07:54PM

henryporter wrote: »

It is truly remarkable that an organisation that preaches truth, humility and love for humankind is incapable of practicing those virtues.

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

aidan24326 · 16-02-2010 08:04PM

Galvasean wrote: »

I read a piece in the Indo (yeah, i know i know) by that Quinn lackey saying how the Pope should be commended for his courageousness in dealing with the abuse scandals.

That's pathetic. Courageous my arse.

And I don't think Quinn's memory is short at all, he is surely deliberately lying there. Either that or he's in cuckoo land.

The Mad Hatter · 16-02-2010 08:15PM

Zillah wrote: »

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it."

That was Hitler, wasn't it?

iUseVi · 16-02-2010 08:20PM

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

That was Hitler, wasn't it?

Yup.

axer · 16-02-2010 08:30PM

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

That was Hitler, wasn't it?

Joseph Goebbels

Joseph Goebbels wrote:

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."

There was a lot of anger on the radio this morning with the sight the bishop kissing the pope's ring.

I really don't understand how the pope can live with himself as the head of one of the weathiest organisations out there and preach about charity and about the poor. He is such a hypocrite.

rccaulfield · 16-02-2010 08:31PM

Is there a disturbing undertone to his comments? What is the pope saying will happen if he himself has a weakening of faith?.........
Is he also implying that atheists are all pedophiles?

garyowen · 16-02-2010 08:34PM

abuse survivor Andrew Madden has just given Six One News a scathing condemnation of the bishops' meeting with the Rat. I couldn't believe it when he said there were only voluntary "guidelines" - not statutory law -existing with regards to the clergy "cooperating" with the civil justice system in cases of abuse. Surely, anyone in this state who has knowledge of any crime and wilfully witholds giving information to the police about it is guilty of obstructing justice, at least, and if a planned cover-up is proven, that person, whatever his/her social status, should also be charged with perverting the course of justice.

the Sunday Tribune had a full-page news feature by Ali Bracken about a Boston based group which has listed 70 Irish pedophile priests with more names to be added. Bracken detailed how many of the perverts were given aid, comfort and assisted in continuing their filthy criminal activity by Irish bishops in the US.

The Rat's 2001 letter to ALL Catholic bishops telling them to keep clerical sex abuse cases secret from the civil authorities has been cited in a number of court cases brought by abuse survivors against the Church hierarchy. The Rat has so far avoided being successfully prosecuted by claiming diplomatic immunity as a head of state.
i.e: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_sex_abuse_cases#cite_note-118

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/church_docs.htm
The co-signatory of that letter, Archbishop Bertone, was reported to have said in 2003:

"The demand that a bishop be obligated to contact the police in order to denounce a priest
WHO HAS ADMITTED THE OFFENCE OF PEDOPHILIA [my emphasis] is unfounded".

the same Archbishop Bertone who co-signed the 2001 letter with the then Cardinal Ratzinger and who was said to have made that disgraceful statement is now Cardinal Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State. His obfuscating and dissembling remarks to the Irish bishops would seem to confirm Andrew Madden's view yesterday that the Vatican will persist in its denial of ultimate responsibility for the horrors that have been committed:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0215/breaking13.htm

iUseVi · 16-02-2010 08:41PM

axer wrote: »

Joseph Goebbels

I stand corrected.

Zillah · 16-02-2010 08:41PM

rccaulfield wrote: »

Is there a disturbing undertone to his comments? What is the pope saying will happen if he himself has a weakening of faith?.........

I some how doubt that. It's like when a Christian says that as an atheist you should be out there murdering strippers and eating babies. Is your faith the only thing preventing you from eating babies? At that point they usually get uncomfortable and either leave or get angry.

Is he also implying that atheists are all pedophiles?

He is certainly implying that morality and faith are inherently entwined, and that we non-believers are therefore more susceptible to wickedness.

MrPudding · 16-02-2010 08:45PM

Hagar wrote: »

If there is a God, is he stupid enough to swallow this hogwash or will He throw the (good) book at them when they die?

The continued existence of the catholic church is a strong indicator to me that god does not exist. How could an all powerful, all knowing, good and just god possibly sit by and allowed this group of monsters to profess to be his representative on this earth and tell a large portion of its population how they should live their lives?

MrP

Myksyk · 16-02-2010 08:55PM

axer wrote: »

... with the sight of the bishop kissing the pope's ring..

:eek:

:P

Ambersky · 16-02-2010 09:05PM

This meeting in Rome has been done before of course, courtesy of South Park season 6 episode 608 called Red Hot Catholic Love

Italian Cardinal: Your Holiness, this is Father Maxi from America. He has brought this all to our attention.
Father Maxi: [kneels before the pope] Your Holiness. [kisses the ring and the pope moans a bit in pain. The cardinal helps the pope up to his chair, then turns amd approaches the pulpit.]
Italian Cardinal: Adoramus te, Christe.
Other Cardinals: Et dominus...
Italian Cardinal: Cardinals, bishops, and priests, an American priest by the name of-a Maxi has brought to our attention the most troubling of news. All over his-a country there are reports of children being molested by men of the Chuch. If things continue this way, we'll never be able to have sex with young boys again! [the prelates react immediately, protesting the report]
Father Maxi: That's right-wait. What?
French Cardinal: In France as well we are finding it harder and harder to... make love to our boys.
Moroccan Cardinal: In Morocco they have arrested five of my priests. It's only a matter of time before they get the rest of us.
Italian Cardinal: Father Maxi, what do you suggest we do to not get caught.
Father Maxi: Not get caught? NO!! I, I think what we should do is not have sex with boys! [the prelates protest again]
Italian Cardinal: It is not written anywhere in the Holy Document of Vatican Law that sex with-a boys is wrong..
Father Maxi: Well, maybe we need to change the Holy Document of Vatican Law. [the prelates protest even louder]

The pope did actually clarify this today and told everyone that sex with children is a sin. Funny that in real life he felt the need to clarify that.

[St. Peter's Square, day. Father Maxi is trying to get his point across]
Priest Maxi: Look, people! I'm just trying to say that if we don't change the Holy Document of Vatican Law, then we might lose everyone to atheism!
French Cardinal: What exactly do you suggest we change, Father Maxi.
Priest Maxi: Well, for one, no sex with boys. [the prelates protest even louder]
Another Cardinal: The Holy Document of Vatican Law states that a priest, bishop, or cardinal cannot get married, so where are we to get our sex?
Priest Maxi: Uh well then, perhaps we could change the Holy Document of Vatican Law to say that... it's okay for a priest or bishop or cardinal to have sex... with women. [the prelates protest even louder]
French Cardinal: Women?

The clergy mill around in the ruins of the Vatican.]
Italian Cardinal: Gone! It's all gone!
British Cardinal: Well, thanks a lot, Father Maxi. You've killed our religion
...No I didn't! All that's dead are your stupid laws and rules! [the scene is being telecast] You've forgotten what being a Catholic is all about. [raises a Bible] This... book. You see, these are just stories. [the Marshes are gathered on the sofa to watch this. Grandpa is asleep in his wheelchair] Stories that are meant to help people in the right direction. Love your neighbor. Be a good person. [the Williams are watching] That's it! And when you start turning the stories into literal translations of hierarchies and power, well... Well, you end up with this. [shows off the ruins, and then the Queen Spider, then the Gelgameks] People are losing faith because they don't see how what you've turned the religion into applies to them! They've lost touch with any idea of any kind of religion, and when they have no mythology to try and live their lives by, well, they just start spewing a bunch of crap out of their mouths! [The Tweeks are watching. Richard seems to have crapped out of his mouth]
Richard: [pause, then looks up] ...What was that last bit?
Priest Maxi: Look, I, I'm proud to be a Catholic. But I'm a Catholic in the real world. In today's world! It's time for you all to do that, too. It is time... for change.
[Stan's house, after the telecast]
Randy: [after a moment of reflection] He's right, Sharon. We don't have to believe every word of the Bible. They're just stories to help us to live by. We shouldn't toss away the lessons of the Bible just because some assholes in Italy screwed it up.

Ickle Magoo · 16-02-2010 09:17PM

Nothing the pope does surprises me, disappoints yes, but no surprise. If anything I am surprised that there isn't more abuse and corruption at ground level given the lackadaisical and protectionist attitudes from the Vatican...seems like the perfect place for paedophiles to fit in, plenty of access to children by overly trusting parishioners, no-one wondering why you're not married, protection from Rome if discovered and the guarantee of full pension even if convicted. Nice one. :rolleyes:

PeterIanStaker · 16-02-2010 09:23PM

Dont know if I'd be suprised or dissapointed by all this, I fully expected that creepy old ex - Nazi to come out with this kind of hogwash. And the worst thing is that he has his adherents over here (not to mention the rest of the world) who still cling to this anachronistic if not downright daft notion of infallibility.

That idiot, the pope

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