The Great Catholic Cover-Up

Slate ^ | March 15 2010 | Christopher Hitchens

[Cardhu]

The pope's entire career has the stench of evil about it.

On March 10, the chief exorcist of the Vatican, the Rev. Gabriele Amorth (who has held this demanding post for 25 years), was quoted as saying that "the Devil is at work inside the Vatican," and that "when one speaks of 'the smoke of Satan' in the holy rooms, it is all true—including these latest stories of violence and pedophilia." This can perhaps be taken as confirmation that something horrible has indeed been going on in the holy precincts, though most inquiries show it to have a perfectly good material explanation.

Concerning the most recent revelations about the steady complicity of the Vatican in the ongoing—indeed endless—scandal of child rape, a few days later a spokesman for the Holy See

[DarkSavant]

My point is, though Hitchens is painting the truth to fit his anti-catholic agenda, is he completely lying?

Yes

[Arthur McGowan]

Ratzinger didn’t keep an abuser at his post, and he didn’t engage in any cover-up. All he did—20 years after the abuse was reported—was cancel a canonical trial—i.e., a full, formal investigation (these things take about a year and cost a fortune), leading to laicization. The reason for canceling it was that the priest was near death.

This whole thing is a trumped-up media smear.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Could you imagine a sitting Pope being arrested.

About as likely as arresting any other absolute ruler of a sovereign state.

[Arthur McGowan]

And the canonical trial wasn’t even about the abuse. It was about a violation of the sacrament of Penance. (Solicitation to commit a sin against the sixth commandment.)

[Lorica]

Well...now THERE'S an unbiased and accurate article from an alcoholic atheist with special antipathy towards all things Catholic. Not to mention it's from a lefty site. Thanks for posting!

LOL - well said.

[Lorica]

Have any of you figured out yet that these attacks on the Pope are being orchestrated by the homosexuals and their enablers in the media?

What's amazing is how many conservative Christians are willing to join their ranks.

[demshateGod]

Good point.

[cardinal4]

I don’t believe it, either. I believe little of what I here from the media about the Church..

[Antoninus]

What's amazing is how many conservative Christians are willing to join their ranks.

Any stick to beat a horse. I find it repulsive, myself.

When a protestant minister is accused, I am angry. When he is shown to be guilty, I am sad. In neither case, am I exultant.

There is definitely an air of the satanic about some of the evangelicals on here who immediately side with the secularists and libertines in attacking the Catholic Church. When they do that, it makes me even more certain that I am on the side of Christ when I oppose them.

[Running On Empty]

“In neither case am I exultant”

This is way things ought to be.

It calls to mind Jesus saying that Nathaniel was a true Israelite, because he was “a man without guile”.

[Lorica]

When a protestant minister is accused, I am angry. When he is shown to be guilty, I am sad. In neither case, am I exultant.

Exultant. That's exactly the right word. There are non-Catholics here who seem to literally salivate over every bit of bad news.

Some also claim to be the only ones willing to post articles to shine a light on it, which is a lie. There are several Catholics who do the majority of the article posting for the rest of us who do the reading and they are never shy to post anything on the subject.

The big difference is that we Catholics know they post out of a desire to see the Church cleansed and healed, and not from a desire to rub their hands together and cackle and gloat. Those particular non-Catholics who know who they are certainly do just that.

There is definitely an air of the satanic about some of the evangelicals on here who immediately side with the secularists and libertines in attacking the Catholic Church. When they do that, it makes me even more certain that I am on the side of Christ when I oppose them.

That bears repeating.

[trisham]

Have any of you figured out yet that these attacks on the Pope are being orchestrated by the homosexuals and their enablers in the media?

************************

The above also bears repeating. Until people understand what is really going on here.

[grand wazoo]

I don’t believe this pope or any other. I don’t believe anyone who claims to be the vicar of Christ.

Typical hillbilly bigotry and ignorance.

[demshateGod]

It might be of the typical of the average bigot or hillbilly or ignorant person but I’m none of those things.