Things are not looking too good for Benedict XVI.  These are just a few of the articles that are multiplying like crazy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/25/AR2010032502363.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-03-31-church-abuse-florida_N.htm?POE=click-refer

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0331/breaking52.html  Opus Dei leaps to pope's defence
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/the-pedophiles-paradise/Content?oid=1065017

http://www.smh.com.au/national/bishop-says-vast-tally-of-sɛҳuąƖ-abuse-yet-to-emerge-20100331-rexb.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/us/27wisconsin.html?emc=eta1

http://austrianindependent.com/news/General_News/2010-03-30/1860/Hundreds_of_cases_of_clerical_abuse_reported

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/credibility-gap-pope-needs-answer-questions

http://www.news24.com/Content/World/News/1073/ecfab5d399284999a0b082fd65a380e0/30-03-2010-07-05/Italian_church_to_stop_cover-up

http://blogs.alternet.org/cityofangelsonalternet/2010/03/25/fr-dave-went-from-bed-to-bed-preying-on-students-say-santa-barbara-charges-like-thousands-overseen-by-pope-as-cardinal-part-2/

http://blogs.alternet.org/cityofangelsonalternet/2010/03/23/crimes-of-2-pedophile-priests-in-santa-barbara-in-new-lawsuit-like-thousands-reviewed-by-pope-when-he-was-cardinal/

I noticed that myself -- the media is out to get Benedict XVI, it seems.

2 good posts -- I like the excerpt from Smoking Mirrors. I normally don't read that blog, because it's quite repetitive. But the selection you posted is quite apropos.

I mused in another thread about what this means for Catholics everywhere.

After all, most people are woefully ignorant, and don't make distinctions between Catholic and traditionalist -- or Catholic and sedevacantist, for that matter.

Matthew

Actually I don't know if JPII or Ratzinger personally transferred or protected a child-molesting bishop.  The chain of command is rather that the bishops protect the child-molesting priests, and these bishops are in turn protected by the "Pope."  One of them being "Archbishop" William Levada, who kept priests in circulation despite accusations of molestation, leading to the bankruptcy of the Portland archdiocese, but who was promoted to no less than the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome!  

This was one of Ratzinger's first actions as "Pope."  However they can tarnish him for what he did in Germany, it's nothing in comparison.  These people must know their time is almost up because they really aren't very subtle.

Here is a thoroughly nauseating article about St. John's Seminary where Levada taught in the 70's.  Not that this proves anything about Levada specifically, but if you can overlook the lurid details, what is most revealing is that almost everyone agrees that there was no emphasis from the teaching staff on celibacy.  

http://www.snapnetwork.org/news/calif/la_trail_of_abuse_seminary.htm

Tod Brown, Roger Mahony and Levada are all connected with St. John's, not to mention Levada's replacement in San Francisco, George Niederauer, who doesn't think those with gαy leanings should be kept out of seminaries, after all this...  

I don't like to talk about the ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ plague because there is so much danger of slander, and it's better to concentrate on the heresies and errors.  But so far I am unable to be completely silent about it.  It's just too obscene and really shows the completely depraved nature of the men we're dealing with.  It's no wonder they uglify all the churches.  It says in "The Plot Against the Church" by Maurice Pinay that the Judaizers have always been iconoclasts; they can't stand pictures of Mary and the saints and Jesus.  And the gαys are natural-born Judaizers, because immorality very often leads to ecuмenism and heresy.  The reason is not hard to discern -- sinners have always emphasized God's mercy rather than His justice, to let themselves off the hook.  

These gαys are more interested in satisfying their physical desires than in religion, but religion provides an easy environment for them.  They have cushy jobs, nice lives, and access to lots of sex.  So they go along with the program.  The one snag is having to look at the Judge hanging on a Cross reminding them of what awaits them in hell if they don't change.  This easily explains why there are all these creepy, distorted, mangled crucifixes and buildings and statuary.  These people actually feel more comfortable in that environment, and you can see why.  It's another way to tune out their consciences.  The result is that they have turned their environment into something that resembles hell already.

This, folks, is one of the reasons why I keep Raoul around. He writes some good posts.

 :wink:

You're just baiting the people who have him on ignore, right?  

Only kidding! I like many of Raoul's posts.

Quote from: Raoul76

The reason is not hard to discern -- sinners have always emphasized God's mercy rather than His justice, to let themselves off the hook.  

That's a gem!  :boxer:

what do you expect, he gets all his catholic theology from a book, not from the Mass and sacrements.....sitting alone, at home, with a book.......no real graces there...

Quote from: PartyIsOver221

Quote from: Raoul76

The reason is not hard to discern -- sinners have always emphasized God's mercy rather than His justice, to let themselves off the hook.  

That's a gem!  :boxer:

The Church teaches us to consider both in their proper time. Overemphasis of either Divine justice or mercy is destructive.

 :applause:

Belloc said:

Quote

what do you expect, he gets all his catholic theology from a book, not from the Mass and sacrements.....sitting alone, at home, with a book.......no real graces there...

I may go back to Mass.  I'm almost there.  No one can say that I'm not putting in an effort to see every issue from every side.  I've prayed over "implicit faith" and have accepted it is a theological controversy and not yet a heresy, and that was hard, because I see this issue the way Augustine or Aquinas do.  

The main problem is still NFP.  But I am starting to see that I can't judge it as heresy.  It has more of the note of scandal, and one that is perhaps lessened since it was taught by a man that is accepted as the last Pope by sedes.  It's also possible that I'm entirely wrong, but the idea that God gave people some kind of sɛҳuąƖ concession right before Vatican II strikes me as extremely unlikely.  There is just too much confusion over NFP for me to believe it is a legitimate teaching of the Church.  All of these newer, more liberal doctrines of recent times bear the nature of a punishment, rather than a gift.  

But do I have the power to change this teaching?  No.  Do I have to avoid the Mass of a potentially scandalous priest while I wait for God to clear this up?  Probably not.  And since I have never suspected that someone would be damned for going to a priest who teaches even artificial birth control, as long as they ignore his lousy advice, why do I not cut myself the same slack?  Obviously I want everything in the Church to be perfect but it's not.  I should focus on the good news that the Church still exists, even if its vital signs are at low ebb... Extremely low ebb...

At least, I will probably use this moment of doubt to fulfill my Easter duty and confess.  I have a year's worth of sins that have piled up.  The chances are likely that I will get kicked out of CMRI if I go back, anyway, because I will probably be giving anti-NFP sermons in the parking lot.  At least that will end my constant torment of "To go to Mass or not to go to Mass?"

Glad to hear the efforts you are making.....remember, we do not check reason and critical thinking at the Church door, but also, have to give up a little bit of the thinking we have to study and work as much either......a freind of mine is on the short bus into never-never land, has stopped goign to Mass, because he is having to study everthing and surprise., there are contradictions because he lacks a simple faith, has to have book/head knowledge of everything, a very Prot trait some cannot easily give up to find the balance.....