Pope Benedict XVI was born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger. He has led a very long and very tainted career within the Catholic church. Without further delay, here is why Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope, is directly responsible for the continuing rape and torture of children.
To fully understand just how corrupt the current Pope is, you must first have an idea of what he was up to before taking up his post as the tall, pointy-hat wearing catholic celebrity he is now. Ratzinger was a prominent Cardinal within the Catholic Church for many years. So important in fact that he was the head of an order titled "Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith". This congregation was put in place in order to keep checks and balances within the Catholic Church itself, with the hope that it would help to prevent Priests from committing crimes. The problem was that 1) if an organization is allowed to keep itself in line then it's likely to turn the other way when problems arise, and 2) the Catholics are so obsessed with self-preservation that they will literally do anything to keep their reputation from being tarnished and their power from dwindling. Even if it means tampering with evidence, obstructing investigations, and undoubtedly the worst one, allowing the systematic rape of children.
In 1979, an 11-year-old boy in Germany was taken to the mountains for a vacation trip accompanied by his priest. Once inside the mountain retreat this boy was shut in his bedroom, forced to drink alcohol, stripped down to the nude by his priest, and then forced to give the priest oral sex. After allegations from the 11-year-old boy were brought forth and the Catholic Church was forced to deal with this issue, the current Archbishop, Joseph Ratzinger, decided to send the offending cleric to Munich for 'therapy'. The Archbishop gave assurances that this man would never again be allowed to look after children, but would indeed be allowed to continue his pastoral duties. So, the man was not only excused from being sentenced to prison time, but he was given the privilege of a paid vacation to another church where he would later return to his 'pastoral' (see: rapist) duties. You might say that this was just one bad apple and that one case should not smear the entire Church's reputation, well that would maybe be the case if this were an isolated incident. Or, if the higher-ups were not responsible for protecting the offending priests, while ignoring the families being ruined in the process.
In May of that same year Ratzinger sent a confidential letter to every Bishop and warned them about a very heavy, unfortunate crime that he deemed "unforgivable". But that crime wasn't the rape and torture of the children in the Catholic Church's care, it was in fact the reporting of the crime! The man was actually saying that you could be excommunicated if you reported crimes to outside authorities. Ratzinger's letter worked very effectively because to this very day no one has ever been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for raping and torturing children -- despite an uncountable number of instances where it has been confirmed to have taken place.
Other offences that will get you ousted from the Catholic Church? Having an abortion. Getting a divorce. Being LGBTQ. Owning and embracing the views of any book written that denounces the catholic church (The God Delusion, God is Not Great, The Satanic Verses). Written promotion of the taxation of the Catholic Church. All of these will get you kicked out. This teaches us that the molestation of children is excusable, and is often rewarded with a free relocation, but that divorce is inexcusable. Religion preaches morality, right?
Another man, named Father Murphy, comes into contact with Ratzinger's career several years later. Father Murphy was a priest at a school for the deaf and dumb in Wisconsin. Father Murphy was also a child molester and his crimes include the molestation of over 200 children at the school he worked in. Yes, over 200 confirmed cases of sexual abuse on deaf and mute children. These boys eventually grew up into men and despite being unable to talk, they voiced quite clearly the abuses that had been done to them by the priest that was supposed to be guiding them through their daily activities. They used sign language and written affidavits to tell of the rape and torture they were put through by Father Murphy, but their stories went unnoticed. Well, unnoticed isn't entirely the right word, ignored is much more fitting. The letters went directly to Joseph Ratzinger because the local Bishops did not know how to handle such a massive scandal and he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the organization that was supposed to be preventing and punishing such crimes.
Ratzinger was unmoved by the rapes taking place. He told the Bishops that the most important thing to take into consideration was how the Church's reputation would be affected if this came to light. This was of course after years of ignoring the letters he was receiving about this issue, Ratzinger finally decided to act. Not in the best interest of protecting the children still attending this school, not in the best interest of the men whose lives were completely ruined because of this man being allowed to continue his campaign of rape and molestation, but in the best interest of the Church. Which, in case you were wondering, the best interest of the Church meant the relocation of the monster known as Father Murphy to the Vatican City where he could live out the rest of his days as an honored, long-standing servant of the Catholic Church.
Joseph Ratzinger claimed he did not have enough time to address the issue sooner because of the over-whelming amount of memo's that go through his office each day. It takes an incredibly sick mind to claim that there are more important things than the rape of children. He was likely busy doing other important things, like condemning gay people or polishing the gold embroidery on his clothing. Joseph Ratzinger received roughly 700-1100 memo's a year, so, two or three things a day he must read and attend to, not an unreasonable workload. Could we really believe that he could have possibly not known that these travesty's were taking place? One of the few comments he has made on the systematic raping of children states that "it is a very serious issue in which we must deal with by applying the most loving of pastoral care to these children". Unfortunately, he failed to realize that "loving pastoral care" was the issue in the first place.
Fast forward to Joseph Ratzinger when he became the infallible monster known by the rest of the world as 'The Pope' (but known to me as the man with the fantastic hat). Ratzinger took a trip to Uganda, the most AIDs dense area in the entire world, to promote the Catholic Church's propaganda on how to run a God-fearing life that will get you into Heaven. This included lecturing thousands of suffering Ugandans about how to prevent the spread of AIDs. He told them that abstinence was the best solution, and that next to abstinence is being faithful to one partner. He said that the humanization of sex was important in dealing with the spread of the virus. But how did he recommend implementing the humanization of sex? By telling the Ugandans and all of Africa that condoms were absolutely sinful, of course... He claimed that using them was to be considered a desecration of the Catholic Church's doctrine and that God would certainly punish them by sending them straight to hell. He went on to say that because using condoms will upset God, he may punish them by giving them AIDs. So using condoms actually increased their chances of contracting the AIDs virus according to the Catholic Church. Implying that you will oust a member of your church for taking scientifically proven preventative measures against the AIDs virus must be one of the most morally corrupt things the Catholic Church has ever done -- and that's a tough list to come out on top of.
Joseph Ratzinger needs to answer for his crimes. We must always take full responsibility for the actions we take, and in the case of Joseph Ratzinger's appeasement of sexual predators, the actions we choose not to take. We can not simply 'pray away' the wrong doings we have done. Why is the law not doing anything to make Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope, answer for his crimes? Well, because he is a de facto head of state, which means that he is technically excused from having to answer to local authorities -- assuming you could even find a prosecutor with big enough brass to take on such a case. The political and public backlash, if a respected law firm took this case public, would be substantial.
Just to see the Pope sitting in a court room having to admit to his actions would mean so much to the thousands of people who lead shattered lives due to the abuses they suffered under the clerics that were supposed to be protecting them. The rape and maltreatment of children is not a crime that can ever be over-looked, it is the single most heinous crime known to humanity and must be punished with the utmost of severity. The gravity of such a crime can not be explained, it is just a sick feeling we get inside when we try and discuss it. It seems more evident everyday that morality comes from human beings, not religion. Is the Pope, the man who is said to be the Vicar of Christ here on earth, not a perfect example of this being true? He must certainly understand the religious texts of Christianity better than any of us -- yet his protecting of child rapists and pedophiles says that they have not guided him in a positive manner.
Arrest the Pope, boycott the organization; stand up for the individuals and their families whose stories have yet to be acknowledged.
To fully understand just how corrupt the current Pope is, you must first have an idea of what he was up to before taking up his post as the tall, pointy-hat wearing catholic celebrity he is now. Ratzinger was a prominent Cardinal within the Catholic Church for many years. So important in fact that he was the head of an order titled "Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith". This congregation was put in place in order to keep checks and balances within the Catholic Church itself, with the hope that it would help to prevent Priests from committing crimes. The problem was that 1) if an organization is allowed to keep itself in line then it's likely to turn the other way when problems arise, and 2) the Catholics are so obsessed with self-preservation that they will literally do anything to keep their reputation from being tarnished and their power from dwindling. Even if it means tampering with evidence, obstructing investigations, and undoubtedly the worst one, allowing the systematic rape of children.
In 1979, an 11-year-old boy in Germany was taken to the mountains for a vacation trip accompanied by his priest. Once inside the mountain retreat this boy was shut in his bedroom, forced to drink alcohol, stripped down to the nude by his priest, and then forced to give the priest oral sex. After allegations from the 11-year-old boy were brought forth and the Catholic Church was forced to deal with this issue, the current Archbishop, Joseph Ratzinger, decided to send the offending cleric to Munich for 'therapy'. The Archbishop gave assurances that this man would never again be allowed to look after children, but would indeed be allowed to continue his pastoral duties. So, the man was not only excused from being sentenced to prison time, but he was given the privilege of a paid vacation to another church where he would later return to his 'pastoral' (see: rapist) duties. You might say that this was just one bad apple and that one case should not smear the entire Church's reputation, well that would maybe be the case if this were an isolated incident. Or, if the higher-ups were not responsible for protecting the offending priests, while ignoring the families being ruined in the process.
In May of that same year Ratzinger sent a confidential letter to every Bishop and warned them about a very heavy, unfortunate crime that he deemed "unforgivable". But that crime wasn't the rape and torture of the children in the Catholic Church's care, it was in fact the reporting of the crime! The man was actually saying that you could be excommunicated if you reported crimes to outside authorities. Ratzinger's letter worked very effectively because to this very day no one has ever been excommunicated from the Catholic Church for raping and torturing children -- despite an uncountable number of instances where it has been confirmed to have taken place.
Other offences that will get you ousted from the Catholic Church? Having an abortion. Getting a divorce. Being LGBTQ. Owning and embracing the views of any book written that denounces the catholic church (The God Delusion, God is Not Great, The Satanic Verses). Written promotion of the taxation of the Catholic Church. All of these will get you kicked out. This teaches us that the molestation of children is excusable, and is often rewarded with a free relocation, but that divorce is inexcusable. Religion preaches morality, right?
Another man, named Father Murphy, comes into contact with Ratzinger's career several years later. Father Murphy was a priest at a school for the deaf and dumb in Wisconsin. Father Murphy was also a child molester and his crimes include the molestation of over 200 children at the school he worked in. Yes, over 200 confirmed cases of sexual abuse on deaf and mute children. These boys eventually grew up into men and despite being unable to talk, they voiced quite clearly the abuses that had been done to them by the priest that was supposed to be guiding them through their daily activities. They used sign language and written affidavits to tell of the rape and torture they were put through by Father Murphy, but their stories went unnoticed. Well, unnoticed isn't entirely the right word, ignored is much more fitting. The letters went directly to Joseph Ratzinger because the local Bishops did not know how to handle such a massive scandal and he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, the organization that was supposed to be preventing and punishing such crimes.
Ratzinger was unmoved by the rapes taking place. He told the Bishops that the most important thing to take into consideration was how the Church's reputation would be affected if this came to light. This was of course after years of ignoring the letters he was receiving about this issue, Ratzinger finally decided to act. Not in the best interest of protecting the children still attending this school, not in the best interest of the men whose lives were completely ruined because of this man being allowed to continue his campaign of rape and molestation, but in the best interest of the Church. Which, in case you were wondering, the best interest of the Church meant the relocation of the monster known as Father Murphy to the Vatican City where he could live out the rest of his days as an honored, long-standing servant of the Catholic Church.
Joseph Ratzinger claimed he did not have enough time to address the issue sooner because of the over-whelming amount of memo's that go through his office each day. It takes an incredibly sick mind to claim that there are more important things than the rape of children. He was likely busy doing other important things, like condemning gay people or polishing the gold embroidery on his clothing. Joseph Ratzinger received roughly 700-1100 memo's a year, so, two or three things a day he must read and attend to, not an unreasonable workload. Could we really believe that he could have possibly not known that these travesty's were taking place? One of the few comments he has made on the systematic raping of children states that "it is a very serious issue in which we must deal with by applying the most loving of pastoral care to these children". Unfortunately, he failed to realize that "loving pastoral care" was the issue in the first place.
Fast forward to Joseph Ratzinger when he became the infallible monster known by the rest of the world as 'The Pope' (but known to me as the man with the fantastic hat). Ratzinger took a trip to Uganda, the most AIDs dense area in the entire world, to promote the Catholic Church's propaganda on how to run a God-fearing life that will get you into Heaven. This included lecturing thousands of suffering Ugandans about how to prevent the spread of AIDs. He told them that abstinence was the best solution, and that next to abstinence is being faithful to one partner. He said that the humanization of sex was important in dealing with the spread of the virus. But how did he recommend implementing the humanization of sex? By telling the Ugandans and all of Africa that condoms were absolutely sinful, of course... He claimed that using them was to be considered a desecration of the Catholic Church's doctrine and that God would certainly punish them by sending them straight to hell. He went on to say that because using condoms will upset God, he may punish them by giving them AIDs. So using condoms actually increased their chances of contracting the AIDs virus according to the Catholic Church. Implying that you will oust a member of your church for taking scientifically proven preventative measures against the AIDs virus must be one of the most morally corrupt things the Catholic Church has ever done -- and that's a tough list to come out on top of.
Joseph Ratzinger needs to answer for his crimes. We must always take full responsibility for the actions we take, and in the case of Joseph Ratzinger's appeasement of sexual predators, the actions we choose not to take. We can not simply 'pray away' the wrong doings we have done. Why is the law not doing anything to make Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope, answer for his crimes? Well, because he is a de facto head of state, which means that he is technically excused from having to answer to local authorities -- assuming you could even find a prosecutor with big enough brass to take on such a case. The political and public backlash, if a respected law firm took this case public, would be substantial.
Just to see the Pope sitting in a court room having to admit to his actions would mean so much to the thousands of people who lead shattered lives due to the abuses they suffered under the clerics that were supposed to be protecting them. The rape and maltreatment of children is not a crime that can ever be over-looked, it is the single most heinous crime known to humanity and must be punished with the utmost of severity. The gravity of such a crime can not be explained, it is just a sick feeling we get inside when we try and discuss it. It seems more evident everyday that morality comes from human beings, not religion. Is the Pope, the man who is said to be the Vicar of Christ here on earth, not a perfect example of this being true? He must certainly understand the religious texts of Christianity better than any of us -- yet his protecting of child rapists and pedophiles says that they have not guided him in a positive manner.
Arrest the Pope, boycott the organization; stand up for the individuals and their families whose stories have yet to be acknowledged.
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You are totally right, to underline your opinion you could watch videos on YouTube of what Stephen Fry has to say about the entire catholic church.
ReplyDeleteWith a very large spikey dildo on the hour every hour for every child who suffered rape while he was in charge!!
ReplyDelete