- Attacks on the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict over a sexual abuse scandal are comparable to "collective violence" against Jews, the pontiff's personal preacher told a Vatican Good Friday service.
The sermon by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, a Franciscan whose title is "Preacher of the Pontifical Household", drew sharp criticism from both Jews and victims of sexual abuse by priests.....
Jewish Leaders Upset
"What a sad irony this would be on Good Friday, where so much of the Antisemitism was brought about by the church against Jews," said Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League. "Antisemitism was pogroms, inquisitions, expulsions that led to death ... What a grotesque comparison." Source: Google/AP
Let's see if I got this right.
According to the Pope's personal preacher Father Raniero Cantalamessa, in a Good Friday Sermon, the Pope is suffering like that of Jews enslaved and gassed in Nazi work camps or tortured during the inquisitions.
Now that makes a lot of sense. Or at least it might make sense if you are hopelessly blinded by faith.
But for the rest of us, let's take a look at the Church rationally.
The Catholic Church is a mess and that mess should be cleaned up. From protecting Pedophile Priests and then covering up those crimes in secrecy to the immoral and illegal activities of the Vatican Bank. The Church has a culture of corruption that needs to be exposed so that the Church can regain some semblance of moral uprightness.
The Church should know that corruption and abuse will have its consequences, and not just in the hereafter. What we see now is some of those consequences coming to fruition for dirty deeds of many decades and even centuries.
It is time now for the Pope to quit blaming the media and quit pretending to be persecuted. After all, the first step to reforming character is for a person to admit that they have done wrong, try to make restitution, and then initiate appropriate changes. The pope needs to follow this model for not only personal redemption but for the redemption of the Church.
Sure having character, acting ethically, and making real change is difficult. But the Church has to do it. They should draw upon their faith in Jesus and in God for the strength needed to move forward. In other words, they should simply practice what they preach.
This is what should happen.
But what will likely happen is the Church will propagate more of the same old lies, misinformation, and disinformation that they have relied on throughout the centuries. The Church invented the idea of Propaganda with their 'Congregation for Propagating the Faith' in 1662 so they have had a lot of experience in it.
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