King Calls Vatican Criticism Hypocritical

Associated Press ^ | DEVLIN BARRETT

[Eurotwit]

WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman who is Roman Catholic said Thursday the Vatican (news - web sites) has no right to criticize the United States for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners because of the Catholic Church's history of abusing children and covering up its actions.

"If there's anyone in the world who has no right to speak on sexual abuse, it's the Vatican," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "This is the height of hypocrisy."

In an interview published Wednesday in the Rome daily La Repubblica, Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo described the prisoner abuses as "a tragic episode in the relationship with Islam" and said the scandal would fuel hatred for the West and for Christianity.

"The torture? A more serious blow to the United States than Sept. 11. Except that the blow was not inflicted by terrorists but by Americans against themselves," Lajolo said.

"Whatever the United States has done to prisoners in Iraq (news - web sites) is nothing compared to what priests and nuns did to Catholic kids for decades while the Catholic hierarchy covered it up," King said. "Think of the thousands of kids in the U.S. and Ireland who were abused by priests and nuns — you wonder where the Vatican's moral compass is."

King said the U.S. military's investigation into the prison abuses show America has responded admirably to the problem. In contrast, the church has not done enough to fix its own problems or apologize for them, he said.

[Know your rights]

"Whatever the United States has done to prisoners in Iraq is nothing compared to what priests and nuns did to Catholic kids for decades while the Catholic hierarchy covered it up," King said. "Think of the thousands of kids in the U.S. and Ireland who were abused by priests and nuns — you wonder where the Vatican's moral compass is."

I missed the Vatican statement approving the child abuse and coverups. CINO moron.

[Bikers4Bush]

"This is the height of hypocrisy."

Damn straight it is.

[ZinGirl]

the scandal would fuel hatred for the West and for Christianity.

darn...and we were SO close to having those Religion of Peace people really, really like us. Yep...this blew it all to he$$. (/sarcasm)

[stevio]

Well the government isn't approving the "abuses" either.

[Kerberos]

"you wonder where the Vatican's moral compass is"

Not really, the Vatican is interested in what is good for the Vatican but at least now there is someone who is willing to call a spade a spade.

I can remember jokes about priests and their sexual proclivities with young boys when I was a kid, and that was thirty-five years ago! So don't try and sell me on the church new nothing about it. If the truth were really known this has probably been going on for centuries.

[FeliciaCat]

King is right. The Vatican needs to clean up its own messes before pointing fingers at the the U.S.

I dont see where King accused the Vatican of "condoning" anything.

[DallasMike]

vcI missed the Vatican statement approving the child abuse and coverups. CINO moron.

Look at the Vatican's actions, not its statements. King is right.

[nuffsenuff]

I'm Catholic.

And this King guy has hit the nail on the head. The Vatican is being hypocritical. It isn't the first time.

[keithtoo]

The Vatican is a self-interested bureacracy.

It pursues only what is in the interest of the Vatican, not of Christ, or kids, or poor people, or anyone else but the bureacracy that runs the Vatican, PERIOD!!!

It is time for Catholics to believe that, and stop making excuses for humans, acting out their human nature whilst wearing a clerical collar.

[ambrose]

Damn right... these PERVERTS think it is worse to leash up an Islamic terrorist than to repeatedly rape little boys and cover the crime up?!

Between this and their comments on the war being wrong, I am really fed up with this Vatican nonsense. I don't see why U.S. Catholics don't simply declare the cause lost and break off into a new Church.

[Redmen4ever]

Catholics have to deal with this one ... in the U.S. military, a Spec4 blew the whistle on prisoner abuse, following which the military put an end to the abuse, and initiated an investigation to bring about justice. In the Catholic church's scandal, who was it that stopped the abuse of children? Was it stopped by priests or bishops? Or, was it stopped by trial attorneys in the courts of law of our country? And, which really is worse, abuse of detainees suspected of heinous crimes such as murder for the misguided purpose of getting information to save lives? Or, abusing children, for no purpose beyond that of pedophiliac lust? The Catholic hierarchy should bear in mind Jesus' standard, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

[M007]

King must be an idiot. What an a$$.

[ambrose]

Remember what Jesus said about those who abuse children?

[January24th]

"I missed the Vatican statement approving the child abuse and coverups."

Tacit approval by silence, relocation, and sealed communications between parishes and bishops speaks louder than a Vatican political statement. However...

I was going to defend the V, but on second thought, I erased it. The hypocrisy stands in the fact that the Army cleaned its own house BEFORE they were forced to by scandal and lawsuits.

I don't have a problem with the V and it's human spokespersons speaking to a moral outrage. It's their job. But this smacks of so much political posturing that hypocrisy is the less serious charge against it.

[M007]

30% of the soldiers fighting in the war are CATHOLIC.

[ambrose]

ping.

[nuffsenuff]

For what?

The Vatican really doesn't have much to do with the day to day stuff at a local level. Quite frankly, it wouldn't be worth the hassle.

[Psycho_Bunny]

I don't know what the problem here is but the Catholic Church needs to wake the hell up to the fact that Islamist fanatics are happily murdering Christians around the globe, and being nice to the hungry bear isn't going to stop it.

[Willie Green]

And this King guy has hit the nail on the head.

King is the hypocrit.
He voted against Impeachment of the world's most notorious rapist.