Looks like we're gonna need a new Pope.

[tzikeh]

The Pope played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests, according to a shocking documentary to be screened by the BBC tonight.

In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety.

The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

Well... that's some Holy Shit, right there.

Comments

[halcyon-shift.livejournal.com]

No, see, it's okay! There's another article where they've reported that it was totally some other guy! He fessed up and everything! Rilly!

Pope needs to be stabbed in the faaa-aaace.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Pope needs to be stabbed in the faaa-aaace.

I shouldn't laugh so hard at this. And yet, I am.

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

The article is 4 years old.

Pope 'led cover-up of child abuse by priests'
Last updated at 23:22pm on 30.09.06

And it also says:
The investigation could not come at a worse time for Pope Benedict, who is desperately trying to mend the Church's relations with the Muslim world after a speech in which he quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor who said that Islam was spread by holy war and had brought only evil to the world.

Which I know was something he said about 3-4 years ago that was taken out of context as part of a larger speech about the fundamental differences in how God/divine will is understood in Christianity and in Islam.

----

But IMHO, we still need a new Pope.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Why does it say "News news from The Evening Standard London, Monday 22.03.10" if it's four years old?

[kadymae.livejournal.com]

That's a damn good question.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

Appears to be back in the news.

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

This pope is a dogmatic Nazi who is a disgrace to his position. He's made it abundantly clear, even before he assumed the position, that he is mainly interested in protecting the status quo as opposed to the people. Unfortunately the status quo includes centuries of coverups, and he's just the latest in a long line of church leaders to do so. Sadly I don't get a vote about retaining him, because if I did...

[rike-tikki-tavi.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately one can't vote the Pope out of office. Though here in Germany people are leaving the church in droves, which is as close as you can get, I guess.

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

Old news.

Here's the latest:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/20/pope-slams-irish-church-o_n_506942.html

[klia.livejournal.com]

There's documentation that the Catholic church has been covering up sexual and physical/emotional abuse for decades in Ireland, the US, Germany, and heaven only knows where else. They've needed to take responsibility for all the trauma and misery they've caused for a long, LONG time, and are they? No. Sorry, assholes, mealy-mouthed apologies a la Tiger Woods and Jesse James don't fucking cut it.

Oh, yeah, did you see the Pope's own brother abused kids? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/09/georg-ratzinger-popes-bro_n_491858.html

Is it me, or does this Pope look sinister, like something that crawled out of the hellmouth? *shudder*

As long as we're paraphrasing "The West Wing..."

[leviathan0999.livejournal.com]

Outraged? I'm barely surprised. This is a religious hierarchy that has routinely covered up the sexual abuse of children. They took hundreds of years to come up with "Thou Shalt Not Plook Small Boys" and about two months to threaten excommunication to a respectful lay group called the Voice of the Faithful who had the nerve to ask the Vatican to be responsible. But "Brutus is an honorable man." Child predators are hidden within the church, and shuffled from parish to parish to victimize again. Am I outraged? No, Steve. No Chris. No, Mark. That is the Papacy, the Prince of the Church.

With apologies to Aaron Sorkin.

Re: As long as we're paraphrasing "The West Wing..."

[sarahenany.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHAHA.
"Thou shalt not plook small boys."

AHAHAHAA...

I needed a laugh!!!

And how scary is it that I get the reference?

Re: As long as we're paraphrasing "The West Wing..."

[leviathan0999.livejournal.com]

Why shouldn't a West Wing fan get a reference to one of the greatest, most famous speeches in the series?

[jackiekjono.livejournal.com]

Well, the BBC must really have something because I seriously doubt they would risk the libel lawsuit that would follow if this was not as close to certain as naything could get.

Am I shocked? Not so much. Frankly, I had as much shock as I was capable of when I discovered that the crap that went on in my grade school was actually a national problem.

I give up.