Smoke and mirrors
So this is a ‘very historic day for Ireland’, is it?
Well fuck me.
This is a day that will be taught about in history lessons to future generations? This is a day that we will fondly reminisce over in future years?
To those of you abroad who are missing out on this momentous occasion, I feel sorry for you, for we in Ireland are the chosen ones. You must be devastated.
You see, we have been sent a letter by an 82 year old member of the Hitler Youth! Wow! We are truly honoured.
Old Joe Ratzinger himself has written to apologise for the mayhem and chaos that his followers have caused in the past. Apparently though it isn’t all their fault. No. We are to blame.
The cause of all the child abuse, rape, and general carnage was caused by our secularisation. I can understand where he is coming from here. If we had stuck with the good old days and if we still treated the clergy with the deference and adoration that they deserved, then none of this would have come to light. We would still be stepping off the pavement into the gutter to let a priest pass and we would never have dreamt of questioning their little hobbies that involved our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. It never would have occurred to us to demand the resignation of the bishops and cardinals who ran one of the most efficient and organised paedophile rings that the world has ever seen.
I really feel honoured that he has written. As an outsider to his flock, I do feel a little left out, as the letter is not being read to me personally. That honour is strictly reserved for those few who, despite everything, still believe in Catholic Church Incorporated.
I am delighted to hear that Joe is sending over his minions to visit us all and to apologise in person.
I have it on good authority that they will be bringing with them many thousands of mirrors, because staring at our reflections seems to be the only way out of this mess.
Yes.
It truly is a very historic day for Ireland.
The letter is pretty straightforward in attempting to confine the problem with references to the Irish Church. I think everybody is well aware of the abuses in the US, Australia, Canada, and now in four other European countries as well as recent scandals in Brazil.
The letter goes onto to refer to civil authorities only in the same breath as Canon Law. There is no word there of obligation to report crimes to secular authorities.
I note for the first time in some of the media reports that it is said that Ratzinger contacted all Bishops and reviewed or called for their files when he was head of the Congregation for the Declaration of the Faith.
Which means his ‘shock’ and ‘dismay’ in statements around the meeting with Irish Bishops last month was a pile of rubbish as he was well aware of the storm.
A letter from Old Racoon Face. Very nice.
Cap’n Con – I was delighted to see he is going to open up the Vatican’s coffers to pay full restitution though? That is a really positive step.
Oh, hang on – I just dreamed that bit.
TT – Wouldn’t it be enough to make you move to Ireland, just to be amongst the chosen few?
I’m not allowed.
Oh and sorry to see you didn’t make the short list.
TT – It’s all right – I’ll allow you. I withdrew to allow lesser talent have a chance. 😉
“Die Fahne hoch! Die Reihen fest geschlossen!
SA marschiert mit ruhig, festem Schritt.
Kam’raden, die Rotfront und Reaktion erschossen,
Marschier’n im Geist in unser’n Reihen mit” …
I listened to Cardinal Sean Brady postulate & bullshit on the BBC News this morning that ” .. the problem is not so much one of the Church .. but of a particular model of the Church” ..
So, now its all bloody “Lilliput Lane’s” fault is it ???
Seriously, has he thought that secularization might be a result of an ineffective, corrupt and devious Church. I find Clause 4 offensive in every way, if you write a pastoral letter/apology, you don’t qualify it by blaming those outside the vice like grip of an antiquated religion. Disgusting.
“…there was a well-intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to canonically irregular situations…”
For fuck’s sake. Point 4, what a duizy.
That’s an interesting way of saying “we kept secret the fact that priests were fucking our parishioners’ children”.
I wasn’t too far away when I wrote my fictitious one yesterday.
.-= not twitter´s last brainfart .. May cause sudden deafness =-.
Ratzinger just does not get it, does he?
Cap’n Haddock – I had to look up Lilliput Lane, but got a good laugh!! Nice one. 🙂
Baino – I think he is really just bemoaning the good old days when Rome ruled. How the fact that people stopped going to confession caused priests to bugger kids is a little beyond me.
Not Twitter – I read that and you’re right – not too far off. I doubt anyone could have seen Clause 4 though. That is so far off the wall that it is completely unpredictable.
Ian – He still seem to think that he [as God Almighty] only has to say a prayer and everything will be OK. He also is still in denial that the Vatican are as involved as any sector of the Irish lot. Ratzinger himself has been implicated in an almost identical cover-up as far back as thirty years ago, yet it all comes as a “surprise” and “shock”? They have removed themselves so far from normal society that they honestly haven’t a clue now how to react. Pathetic.
What about a new political party formed from the obvious majority who want nothing more to do with a corrupt and corrupting catholic church and the criminal politicians that kiss its ass, running initially with a single plank. Total separation of church and state. Let those that want to practice their religion do it in the confines of their own homes and/or in self funded churches. Eliminate the tax exempt status of all religions and use the resulting bonanza to rejuvenate the health system, the school system and the judiciary. Put criminals in jail and keep them there for the full term, hire police who are not afraid to do their job because they know that no-one has their back, cut immigration to a sustainable level and make sure that those that are admitted don’t go straight onto the welfare roll. If there are no jobs for Irish citizens, what’s the point of allowing tens of thousands of new immigrants to come in? Jesus I could go on for an hour but what’s the point? As bloggers by the score and commenters by the hundreds have amply made clear, Ireland just isn’t ready to do the heavy lifting to put an end to this dismal cycle.
Paulo – I would have no problem with any of that. In some areas I would go further – requisition the Church’s properties to help fund the restitution bill, and chuck the Papal Nuncio out [if the fucker can’t even do his job properly then why have him?]. As you say, there are so many things that need radical reform that it would take hours to go through them all, and more ink than my laptop can spare!
None of them get it.
Even today you could ask any Bishop this question –
If you were to learn of a priest or religious abusing children, would you immediately notify the civil authorities?
I would be surprised if any Bishop would respond “yes” and actually mean it.
They all consider “Canon Law” to be superior to the laws of the state.
They live with the nonsensical view that the internal law of the church takes precedence and that they have no responsibility to obey the secular laws of any state.
There is still corruption from top to bottom in the Catholic Church.
Martin Luther was correct in his time and not much has changed for the better since.
And so, many families and victims continue to suffer in Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, the United States, and elsewhere.
We certainly can’t expect a solution from the same men who have caused this problem – and I’m referring to the Catholic Bishops and the Pope himself. Time for a clean sweep.
In their mistaken belief that Canon Law supercedes Criminal or Civil law, the Church’s hierarchy are no different from bent UK Politicians, in their belief that those accused of corruption & expense fiddling should be judged by the “Rules of Parliament” and not the Courts ..
“How the fact that people stopped going to confession caused priests to bugger kids is a little beyond me.”
It must have got terribly lonely stuck in that little box, behind the curtain/grille, with nothing to do for hours on end every Saturday ..
Admittedly, we’re discussing Catholicism here .. but there’s corruption of one sort or another in every Religion .. that’s how they operate & flourish .. Whether it be the extortion of monies, upon pain of eternal damnation, the extremes of child abuse or the Medieval practices of Sharia Law ..
They prey (no pun intended) on the weakness & fears of their followers .. which is why they so vociferously hate those of us who can see through them ..
You’re being very hard on the old guy.
Did you not see his concrete proposals to fix the problem?
Here they are:
* Set aside Lent this year as a time to pray for an outpouring of God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit’s gifts of holiness and strength upon the Church.
* Devote Friday penances, for a period of one year, between now and Easter 2011, to this intention.
* Offer up fasting, prayer, reading of Scripture and works of mercy in order to obtain the grace of healing and renewal for the Church in Ireland.
* Discover anew the sacrament of Reconciliation.
* Give particular attention to Eucharistic adoration.
See? And you thoght he was doing nothing practical to solve the problem of clerical sexual abuse.
.-= Bock the Robber´s last brainfart .. 027 =-.
Jesus had the right idea, but they are not paying attention.
“…it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”
Don’t see anything there about Lent, penance, or confession.
Perhaps they think they know better.
Do not confuse the teachings of Jesus with the teachings of the Catholic Church. They have very little , if anything, in common. In fact, in most instances they are diametrically opposed. Jesus preached humility, love and lack of quest for wealth. Does that sound like the Vatican? Hah!
They don’t get the point, and they never will. Getting the point would undermine their entire business and would mean the end of their power and wealth.
The idea of prayer, penance and Eucharistic adoration is, I am sure, a fantastic consolation to the abused?
Heshields3641 has a better idea. Roll in the millstones.