A Papal Cry of Pain

Eh, Farnaxz. I th the Catholc hierarchy is long overdue for apologixing, the Prtestants ought to get on their *knees and beg* for forgiveness what was dont to my dear one. Swear to the Gods, if it was anywhere near that easy....

I mean, look, what's in a name, right? Still, I feel it is ethnically incumbent upon me, despite my not being a member of this particular ethnic group, to mention that in Yiddish, the word "schmaltz" means chicken fat. Metaphorically, it's used to refer to behavior that's nauseatingly sentimental.

So, Schmaltiz, here's the thing. You want mercy and compassion for the murderer of Sharon Tate and her unborn child, and you want us to be moved by Bennie's crie de coeur. The latter is schmaltzy, the former perverse. Jes' helpin' you make distinctions here.

Your creed concerns itself with mercy and compassion for the sinners, justice be damned. That's how you wind up with Ratzingers, Williamsons, Holocausts, excommunicated nine-year-old rape victims, rapist stepfather church members in good standing. You show no mercy to the victims because you offer them no justice.

Did I forget pedophile priests? Just for the moment.

Schmaltz, may I recommend you peruse the threads on this blog when it focused on Holocaust deniers?

Those bloggers are your co-religionists, "God's children."

Read, Schmaltz, and weep.

I guess, one further thought: maybe for Benedict, here, this *should* hurt.

Trying to exercise some compassion for *that dude,* you gotta figure he's worked himself into a notion that more authority is gonna 'save the world.'

Kind of a heavy place to be, I'm sure. Doesn't mean certain things *work.*

Well, I think there are some different aspects to this whole fiasco: I can certainly understand the notion that the Church might want to reestablish some say over what this little renegade sect has been up to, but in the context of this Pope taking a turn for the overtly-right wing, taking pains to alienate progressives, this move of *embracing* people who say these things doesn't look good.

Simple fact is, he always does seem to come out with things that allow plenty of wriggle room for the intolerant and abusive to claim Church authority's behind them, while alienating progressives, and in fact, de facto endorsing candidates from a certain party here in America who refuse to allow Church dogma to control the lives of a pluralistic society.

Then continuing to express mute surprise when the 'flock' isn't 'unified.' (Sound familiar?)

I'd suggest that it's one thing to be a doctrinal hardliner in certain parts of Church politics, if you need that sort of thing: 'spiritual leadership' is quite another.

For that, you've got to pay attention to the world outside, the effects of your actions, ...too often the Church's reaction to 'You're hurting people' has been, "No we're not, we're Righteous. This must be good for you."

(continued)

The *control* becomes more important than the humanity it supposedly sets out to help. Going to Africa and lying about condoms ...that's hurting a lot of people just to use them to 'prove' some theory 'If everyone just obeyed, unquestioningly, it'd be great.'

Maybe he's on some kind of learning curve.

Maybe in the rarefied world of Vatican City, he really thinks the answer to the abuse 'scandal' is to have someone select a bunch of penitent victims practically begging *him* for forgiveness, for all the media to see. ...while, frankly, redoubling the doctrinal homophobia that was always a major cause and enabler of the abuse, not to mention an ongoing sense of trauma for the victims.

Victims who are more straight always feared exposure of the crimes *because* the common attitude of that making them gay, or in the case of the girls, 'unchaste' ...Church homophobia ...and its nonsensical attitude toward 'homosexuals and homosexual acts' *doubly* traumatizes people. Straight people included. It puts *everyone* in fear of the stigma falling on *them.*

Not teaching that pedophiles go after the *vulnerable,* ...it's not about sexuality. Pederasts, well, there's an element of arrested development, and the Church refuses to admit there *can* be a model for healthy adult sexuality for queer folks, instead saying, 'Let's say it has to be a lifelong battle against 'sin' starting in pubescence, in a celibate context' and wonder why there's so much messed-up about the clergy.'

Likewise, the elements of anti-Semitism and other forms of xenophobia are a form of emotional, spiritual abuse. Even for the 'favored class' it's still making them live in a fearful world of demonized, dehumanized people.

That's the one thing you can see about those who are most hateful or prone to be hateful. They're *terrified.*

They don't have to be.

EMONTY:

Williamson should be put on public display and the Poope should cast the first proverbial stone.

Coloradodog:

Yes you missed something. The Pope did NOT reinstate a "Bishop". The person in question has never, and quite probably, will never function as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope removed an excommuication that was automatically imposed as a result of an Illicit ordination. Williamson not only cannot function as a bishop, he cannot function as a priest in the Church because of his refusal to accept Vatican II, among other things. From what I have seen of Williamson's statements since, he is basically refusing to do or say anything that would result in him ever ministering in the Catholic Church.

Huh? Did I miss something here or is this a slight of hand from the Vatican's PR department.? The Pope reinstated a Bishop who denied the holocaust and the Bishop never renounced his beliefs as the Pope told him. The Pope is only apologizing for the consternation in the Church over this. He never apologized that he reinstated a bishop who still denies the Holocaust.

As for this Pope's pain, we've seen it before over pedophile priests, but he continues to look the other way as Cardinals Mahoney and Rivera hide a pedophile priest from the US Justice Department in the Mexican State of Puebla.
If the Pope wants to know real pain, he should ask the little boys who were the victims of rape.