Pope Benny is outraged
Offline http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091211/wl_nm/us_pope_abuse_irish
Pope Benedict shares the "outrage, betrayal and shame" felt by the Irish people over a government report that said Church leaders covered up widespread sexual abuse of children for 30 years, the Vatican said on Friday.
In a statement issued after the pope held a meeting with Irish Church leaders, the Vatican also said he would write a pastoral letter to the Irish people about sexual abuse in Ireland and the Vatican's response to the crisis.
It will be the first time a pope has written a document exclusively devoted to sexual abuse of children by clergy.
I suppose so. If you don't count the one he wrote on the subject when he still cardinal :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/apr/24/children.childprotection
The letter, 'concerning very grave sins', was sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that once presided over the Inquisition and was overseen by Ratzinger.
It spells out to bishops the church's position on a number of matters ranging from celebrating the eucharist with a non-Catholic to sexual abuse by a cleric 'with a minor below the age of 18 years'. Ratzinger's letter states that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.
The letter states that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.
It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.
'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.
Sounds to me like they were only following orders.
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Yea, just like they were "outraged" and embarrassed that for hundreds of years their same church imprissioned a guy for telling the truth about the earth.
The Pope is just like your neighbor who has a kid who eggs your car. You tell them what their kid did, and they deny it tooth and nail untill you show them the video.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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Other than the many 'How To' guides written on molesting kids and getting away with it.
The deviant scumbag catholic church is a close third to $cientology but not far behind my No. 1 most disliked fantasy cult, islam.
How can not believing in something that is backed up with no empirical evidence be less scientific than believing in something that not only has no empirical evidence but actually goes against the laws of the universe and in many cases actually contradicts itself? - Ricky Gervais
Pope BennyDickHead IS an outrage.
Favorite oxymorons: Gospel Truth, Rational Supernaturalist, Business Ethics, Christian Morality
"Theology is now little more than a branch of human ignorance. Indeed, it is ignorance with wings." - Sam Harris
The path to Truth lies via careful study of reality, not the dreams of our fallible minds - me
From the sublime to the ridiculous: Science -> Philosophy -> Theology
There is historical precedent for arresting a head of state in modern times and I'm not talking about Saddam Hussein. Think instead of Manuel Noriega, head of state for Colombia when he was arrested and convicted for drug crimes using RICO laws. The enabling law on the books is The Cavalry Act dating to the Wild West. We only need to allow him to visit and as he steps off the staircase onto the tarmac, have the FBI "bodyguards" arrest him on the spot like any common sex offender. He is simply the boss of a pedophile syndicate. In fact, if Joe Ratzinger aka Pope Benedict 16 steps into any country with extradition treaty with the USA he can be arrested. Have fun, lawyers!