The latest "we're the victims" statement from the Catholic Church is astonishing.
The AP reports: "Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher is likening accusations against the pope and the church in the sex abuse scandal to 'collective violence' suffered by the Jews.
The Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa said in a Good Friday sermon, with the pope listening to him in St. Peter's Basilica, that a Jewish friend has said the accusations remind him of the 'more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.'
The remarks came in a prayer service at the Vatican a few hours before Benedict XVI was scheduled to take part in a Colosseum Way of the Cross procession commemorating Christ's suffering before his crucifixtion."
The Pope and the Catholic Church = war criminals, and the war is against women and children.
Posted by: veg | Apr 2, 2010 5:39:55 PM
Heavily ironic considering Catholicism's historical anti-semitic alliance with fascism.
Posted by: Wes | Apr 2, 2010 5:40:41 PM
the catholic church as a victim, the catholic church is the victimizer and has been for centuries. this insults jews and the church's victims.
Posted by: lk | Apr 2, 2010 5:46:55 PM
This is great. I hope it's going down for good this time. Once catholicism is done, christianity as a real political and social force is over. And then...it's just islam to contend ourselves with.
Posted by: TANK | Apr 2, 2010 5:48:11 PM
Ah yes, the "more shameful aspects of anti-semitism." As opposed to the perfectly understandable, theologically justified aspects, like hating Jews because they killed our Lord.
I'd like to see this go all the way, with sermonizing priests reminding us that after all it was Jesus who suffered the little children to come unto him--or was it cum all over the little children?
Posted by: coolbearinmd | Apr 2, 2010 5:49:09 PM
Lets leave poor Jesus out of this latest repugnant episode. His message has been distorted by an institution who now seems to be reaching an all time low. Blame the gay priest! Blame the kids! I'm surprise the Pope has not appeared on Fox news to blame Obama!
Posted by: jaragon | Apr 2, 2010 5:53:24 PM
The Nazi pope compares himself with a persecuted Jew?
Is there some term for hideous, ridonkulous irony combined with serious cojones?
Posted by: Gridlock | Apr 2, 2010 5:55:02 PM
I'm no fan of the pope -- but the photograph used to accompany this posting seems extremely unfair and salacious.
Posted by: DC | Apr 2, 2010 5:59:11 PM
I see . . . so an organization which itself was responsible for one of history's most egregious examples of collective violence against Jews (the Inquisition) is comparing the outrage being expressed at it for decades of child abuse and cover-ups to the actual violence done to Jews throughout time due to anti-semitism. How is it possible that anyone could continue to take seriously any claims to moral authority the church might ever have had??
Posted by: MiloTock | Apr 2, 2010 6:02:58 PM
AMEN GRIDLOCK!
Posted by: New Jersey Girl | Apr 2, 2010 6:11:54 PM
It is the Catholic Church's virulent antisemitism that culminated in the murder of 6,000,000 jews by Hitler's catholic fascist regime. His birthday was celebrated by the Catholic church every year until the very end, the Pope at the time, the alleged Vicar of Christ on earth, was staunchly pro-Nazi and to this date this evil despicable morally bankrupt cult has not excommunicated a single Nazi. Not only. Wait, one. Goebels, for marrying a protestant... those child fuckers have their priorities.
Posted by: GOD | Apr 2, 2010 6:28:21 PM
i would say that's bald face lie on rev. cantalamessa's part. no self-respecting jew would EVER make a comparison like that, EVER.
all i can say is "FUCK YOU VATICAN!"
Posted by: alguien | Apr 2, 2010 6:29:25 PM
http://fablog.ehrensteinland.com/2010/04/02/fait-diver-oy/
Posted by: David Ehrenstein | Apr 2, 2010 6:54:58 PM
ratzi the nazis is being persecuted like the
jews in germany. maybe he now knows how they felt when he and his brown shirted associates did it. this an old defense tactic attack everyone and create a smoke screen.hopefully people forget the central issue. and i think the picture is very appropriate. remember the offense are against children.
Posted by: walter | Apr 2, 2010 7:04:33 PM
DE is so gross. I hate pushy old, entitled queens.
Posted by: TANK | Apr 2, 2010 7:05:33 PM
Quite frankly, the moment I heard this today, I lost what few shards of respect I still had for this pope and the Catholic church in general. It was precious little already.
That idiot Bill Donohue from the Catholic League pretty well vaporized what little I still had left before that.
They've just proven to me beyond a shadow of doubt that every allegation made against this church is in fact true. What disgusting self serving bastards would dare dismiss the genuine terror their actions had unleashed upon thousands upon thousands of innocent children, and then can't even be man enough to apologize? This is thoroughly disgusting to watch.
Never again will I donate a single penny to any Catholic charity. Not one.
Posted by: Craig | Apr 2, 2010 7:15:02 PM
I agree with Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa
"somewhat" an irrational witch-hunt is not the right response.
As a reviled ex-Catholic, I'm NO fan and I would love to see the church's priggish underhanded, dishonest and hypocritical practices ended.
But accusers need to be wary of using the same vile tactics the church has used lest they become the same evil we're trying to be rid of.
Posted by: jexer | Apr 2, 2010 7:22:55 PM
This is just beyond sicking. If they keep going at this rate, in fifty years the Catholic Church will be no more.
Posted by: missanthrope | Apr 2, 2010 7:44:54 PM
OK, I'm a Christian, but the church and religious zealots think that they are above reproach...In other words: it's everyone's fault except theirs and quit picking on us.
Posted by: CB | Apr 2, 2010 7:53:03 PM
JEXER:
You said "The same vile tactics"?
We're talking about CHILDREN here and their systematic sexual brutalization, molestation, rape, and abuse!
We're talking about a massively wealthy international cartel run entirely by MEN in the most SEXIST manner possible, excluding women based on pernicious LIES and falsehoods of reason supposedly put into the bible and advanced by "church fathers"!
We're talking about VIRULENT homophobes who blame child predators and their enablers on homosexuals when homosexuality has NOTHING whatsoever to do with child sex crimes!
Come on!
These men--these sick, old, mostly white European men (along with their viciously conservative African and Latin American counterparts)--who control the Catholic Church and its wealth say that *they* are the victims!
It's sick!
I think those of us who were abused by these SICKOS need to get a lot more vile and sue these fiends in international courts and keep railing for great discovery of their dark processes and criminal acts!
God! The Pope needs to be tried and CONVICTED for aiding and abetting crimes in open court across the globe, and most of the Cardinals and some of the Bishops too!
Then we go after their shocking wealth and distribute it amongst victims and survivors.
Also, ALL orthodox religions, including Judaism, Islam, Catholicism, and many Protestant Sects, Mormonism, Scientology, Christian Science--all of these IRRATIONAL and frequently HATEFUL and controlling orthodox belief systems and organizations are FRAUDS perpetrated against reason.
Posted by: veg | Apr 2, 2010 8:02:25 PM
Religion is utter bullshit and catholicism is particularly retarded and it would be hilarious with the smoke and the silly incantations and the robes and dresses and pointy hats and red prada shoes...if it didn't involve the little inconvenient child-fucking across the globe for decades and subsequent cover up and blame the victims part...
I mean what sane human being would want to be a member of this idiotic cult??? Oh and yes I AM anti-catholic. Accusing me of being bigoted against catholicism would be like accusing an oncologist of being bigoted against cancer.
Posted by: GOD | Apr 2, 2010 8:14:02 PM
This is what happens when any institution declares itself as infallible and incapable of doing wrong by their own beliefs. No accountability, no apology, and certainly no reform.
The Vatican has a long and twisted history with their involvement in war crimes, persecution, and killing all in the name of a deity they worship. Sounds awfully familiar to me.
If people want to continue to be Catholic then more power to them, but for all that they consider holy please make your leaders accountable and adherent to their faith.
Posted by: Michael | Apr 2, 2010 8:26:38 PM
Which protestant sect isn't a fraud perpetrated against reason, veg? Or wouldn't you care to defend those jesus magic sects against rationality?
Posted by: TANK | Apr 2, 2010 8:32:41 PM
@Gridlock Yes, it's called chutzpah!
Posted by: Tim | Apr 2, 2010 9:16:56 PM
For nearly 2000 years, the Church has been about the Church and the Church only. Popes have fathered bastard children, murdered (or have had murdered) those who oppose them and lied to the believers about it. Their anti-gay, anti-birth control stance has always been about producing more people they can control and take money from, and has for too long not been about the words and teachings of Yeshua. Now that the crap has hit the proverbial fan, they are saying and doing anything they can to make themselves out to be victims in an effort to garner sympathy form the few people they can still fool. Just Church business, as usual. Organized religion is a scam, and the sooner people wake up to that fact, the better off we will all be.
Posted by: Brian | Apr 2, 2010 9:42:07 PM