Monday, September 13, 2010

Poop from the Pope

I wrote this piece on June 13, three months ago today. I posted it here, and it was picked up here. The problem is, I never posted it here here because on June 14 I began my 2½ hospital stay.

I seldom write about religion, but this transcends religion and enters the realm of the truly outrageous.

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Poop from the Pope


As the celebratory "Year of the Priest" draws to a close, the pope had this to say on Friday, June 11 [AP Newswire]:
“It was to be expected that this new radiance of the priesthood would not be pleasing to the ‘enemy’. He would have rather preferred to see it disappear, so that God would ultimately be driven out of the world.”

The term “the enemy” is a traditional Catholic way of referring to the Devil.
Translated from the traditional gobbledygook, the pope is saying the devil made the pedophile priests do it so people would turn against God, whom we all know is represented on earth by the One, Holy and Apostolic Roman Catholic Church.

If anyone knows about pedophiles in the church, it is Joseph Ratzinger (his real name, or Bennie for short). From 1981 until his coronation in 2005, he was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Congregation is a direct descendant of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition, formed in 1542. [From Wikipedia]

Yes, that Inquisition, still alive and well today, rooting out evil and heresy wherever it is found. To believe that Bennie didn't know about the thousands of pervo peds within his ranks for twenty-one years is a crock of pope poop. German hardliner that he is, it was his job as the Inquisitor to defrock these sickos—not play 52 card shuffle with them. But that, of course, would have tarnished the church's impeccable image and cost a lot of silver coin. About thirty of them.

Understandably, the thousands of victims of pedophile priests aren't very happy with Bennie's celebratory speech. Ruined lives, theft of innocence, and betrayal by a trusted adult cannot be dismissed and forgotten by such an idiotic statement by Commander-in-Chief Ratzinger.

Still, people flock to his church like bewildered and compliant sheep.

I'm not one of them.
 

20 comments:

Kim Ayres said...

As you know, I have no belief in god nor devil. The concepts of both are used extensively to harm and to give people an excuse to abscond from personal responisbility.

The thing that gets me though, is none of these churches actually follows the teachings of Christ. St Paul, yes. The Old Testament, yes. But Christ? Well, his actual voice and messages take a very poor 2nd place. If the words and actions of Christ himself were actually looked at and followed, none of the churches would ever have been founded or behaved in the way they do.

It's not God, nor Satan. It's people creating and using institutions in order to abuse power.

Yeshuasgirl80 said...

Hey Charile nice to have you back!

The pope was talking about the lack of priest. Do you realize there are churches in America were there is three churches that share one priest? Some Catholics only get to recieve communion once a month! Now that wouldn't be bad if one was Baptist and believed it was only in remeberance, but we believe that it is ACTUALLY the body and blood.

Now has for the pedophile priest. Yes, in a way the devil made them do it. But it was more of a choice on their part. Yes, the devil is a alive and well. However, free will works both way. One can choose not to do evil just like they can choose not to do good. So they devil may have tempted, but ulimately the church blames the person.

Finally, for the pope to cover it up it a bad thing. Even worse than commiting the sin itself. I was taught that priests and even popes are still just men. They will be judge like everyone else. Yes, there are times with the pope speaks infelibalbly. However, the current Pope hasn't done it. And to my knowledge there was only twice that Pope John Paul the II done it. You are totally right, our current pope pushed this stuff under the carpet and I fully believe that his little white beanie or his fancy white garments won't protect him from answering to Jesus. However, that doesn't mean that I throw away over 2,000 years of traditon. My priests, Father Michael, Fr. Matthew, and our pastor Fr. Ingemie are all good men. Not to mention Deacon Brian. Of course, there also the wonderful woman Rita who teaches the Adult Faith Formation! And alllows me to aide the kindergarten Faith Formation.

Well, I put my two cents in. You gotta remember everything ain't perfect.

Hugs with blessings,
Amanda

Barbara said...

nor am I!

Tiffin said...

As a born again pagan, the religion aspect doesn't touch me at all. But as a fellow human being, the knowledge that these abuses happened in virtually every single country where this religion is practised, perpetrated against its most vulnerable adherents by its priests, not only disgusts me but screams out that there is something fundamentally flawed in its structure. If you expect your priests to live as castrati, suppressing a fundamental part of their human nature, don't be surprised if things get a bit weird, Mr. Ratzinger.

As Pogo said, "I have seen the enemy, and he is us".

Syd said...

Nor am I. He does not seem as benevolent as John Paul.

Seasideclyde said...

I have to agree with you but it goes a lot further---
Anywhere where the is a structured gathering of youth willing to take instruction, there will be a gathering of adults ready to take advantage of them---churches, schools, scouting groups--very sad

Madame DeFarge said...

Way to go Prof. Right behind you.

Pat said...

'so people would turn against God, whom we all know is represented on earth by the One, Holy and Apostolic Roman Catholic Church.'

No offence but he does not represent my God.

lisleman said...

I guess people expect the organization of the Church to be well run, not political, trusted, etc.
Like many I've become more skeptical as I age and collect knowledge of human nature.
They worry about image, money, power just like any other big organization. It's similar to corporations pushing a message that they "care" about you.
There are good priests and there are good corporate managers but just getting the title doesn't guarantee anything.

Nstewart1 said...

I will never cease to be amazed at the gullibility of people and the plethora of people that love to take advantage of them...

Eryl said...

I still don't know quite what to say about this subject, My emotional response tends to be: 'burn the fucker!' but, obviously, that won't deal with the problem long term. It strikes me that the catholic church creates the conditions in which the worst sort of men to thrive, unintentionally (I hope). But because the people who run it were indoctrinated from birth they are not in a position to make the changes needed, so they scurry around trying to hide their problems, terribly afraid that everything they believe in will crumble if they admit to them, and the devil will win. I'm sure they hide these problems even from themselves. Or if they see them they genuinely believe that god will sort them, but he 'moves in mysterious ways'! so they have to try and see his 'help' in all sorts of bizarre (to the rest of us) entities. It's up to the rest of us, who can see more clearly, to show them, using reason, how they might proceed.

My mother was a strict catholic but my father was an atheist. My siblings and me were brought up catholic with all that entails because: 'it's what your mother wants.' My father always held his tongue in religious matters but we must have absorbed something from him before he died (when I was 13) as out of four of us only one continues to swither and goes, occasionally, to church: my brother, and he hated my father. My sisters and me washed our hands of the church when still young teenagers because too many questions were answered with a slap and the words: 'how dare you be so disrespectful!'

Interestingly all my maternal cousins whose mothers and fathers were both catholic still practise some sort of christianity. They are all intelligent, well educated people, but they talk about god (God) as if 'his' existence is as clear and concrete as the Eiffel Tower. So I can't help thinking that if one is completely enveloped in a religion from birth, with no sight of any possible alternative, and one's experience of it is mostly good, then the main elements of that religion become second nature instinctive, unquestionable. Hence the flock. The Jesuits knew what they were talking about.

Patrick said...

There is no question that there were priests that did horrible things, and the Church itself handled things horribly, but I also disagree with your interpretation of the conclusion that "Devil made em do it." At this point, I don't think debating the church abuse is a worthy exercise on my end (it is a question of just how bad was it-- really really bad or really really really bad?)

Instead, I wanted to address the "compliant bewilder sheep" point. As one of those who "flock" to the church from time to time, I think that it is much more complicated than the commentators would believe. The difficulty with the Church is that it offers something truly ancient and beautiful, but at the same time inseparable from the ugliness of men. It doesn't matter that even if every church teaching was totally and completely true, it will always be darkened by those entrusted to bring the message. People give power to their clergy, with that power some take advantage and cheat, steal and abuse. The question is whether the sins of those evil men changes the grace that people find in our local parish with a good priest who has done nothing but heal...

It is late as I type this and I realize I am opening myself up for attack by taking the other position, but thought it should be tossed out there.

Oh, and charlie-- despite this minor disagreement, it is great to hear from you.

Patrick

Robert the Skeptic said...

I was 11 years old when I smelled the bullshit that is the Catholic church. It boggles my mind why anyone would still be attracted to the Medieval rituals and made-up pablum from that sanctimonious conspiracy of power-seekers.

Attila the Mom said...

I think it's hard to give up your faith, if you've been raised to it from the cradle.

Not an excuse (there is none), but speaking as a Preacher's Kid, it's just an idea.

Mapstew said...

I'm not a fan. Then again, he hasn't been to any of MY gigs! :¬)

I'm sure you already know my feelings for the Catholic church! :¬/

Faysoflife said...

And I'm not two of them!

savmarshmama said...

12 years of catholic school = a non-catholic. xoxoxoxox

Philip said...

I think its really significant that the tickets aren't selling for his british gigs. He's not even popular with catholics. Which is pretty poor since he's the daddy, or the papa or whatever. Coming over here, visiting our nice old buildings, swinging his nonsense about. With his scary eyes. Give me good old satan any day. At least he's honest about wanting to put something hot up your rear. Oh dear. Gone too far. Oh well.

Djan said...

Well put, Charlie. I just read sas' take on Ratzinger here and now this. I am ashamed when I think of this and am actually glad that I wasn't raised in any church and can make my own decisions.

Ponita said...

Hear, hear.

Neither am I. Never have been and never will be. It's all a crock anyway.