In Easter Mass, Vatican Defends Benedict

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: The Wall Street Journal

VATICAN CITY—A senior Vatican cardinal defended Pope Benedict during an Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square attended by the pope, dismissing criticism of the pontiff's handling of the sexual-abuse crisis as "gossip."

The remarks, delivered by Cardinal Angelo Sodano on the holiest day of the Christian calendar, were a rare departure from protocol and a measure of how the sexual-abuse crisis has affected the highest ranks of Roman Catholicism.

"The people of God are with you, and they won't let themselves be influenced by the gossip of the moment, by the attempts being made to strike the community of the faithful," said Cardinal Sodano in apparent reference to the crisis that has kept the Vatican on the defensive for a month. The cardinal was addressing Benedict XVI before hundreds of faithful who packed the cobblestones of St. Peter's Square on a rainy Sunday.

Cardinal Sodano is dean of the College of Cardinals and formerly served under Benedict XVI and the late Pope John Paul II as secretary of state, the Holy See's number two official.



Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303279004575163302866383436.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

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Pope Benedict XVI arrives to lead the Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square.

[Heidi]

1. Among the most vocal critics of the church's actions are its victims.

To call their testimony "gossip" is reprehensible, and to paint them and their allies as gossipmongers is hate speech.

[saigon68]

10. Gossip ? Nope these guys are criminals

PARTICIPATING IN A COVER UP




The idea that discussing the continuing anal rape of 7 year old boys by pedophiles is "Gossip"

Is the most outrageous put down I have heard in a while

[Heidi]

15. Like I said, it's hate speech.

Mornin', saigon68. :hi:

[saigon68]

16. Hi Heidi

Tragic isn't it.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Maybe if he

got rid of the funny dress and all that gold he carries he could walk by himself

[Iowa]

6. And did you notice the ruby slippers? Ridiculous. You couldn't make this shit up. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

7. The red shoes

are important to them, some significance, not sure what

[izquierdista]

9. Everything has significance

Even the single Kleenex that catches a drip from the Papal honker. But God leaves that mystery for us to figure out. Should we take off one shoe and follow he that hath only one shoe, or should we follow the gourd?

[No Elephants]

12. The shoes worn by Pope John Paul were quite ordinary brown shoes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_shoes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_slippers

A lot of vanity and folderol.

[Angry Dragon]

17. Thanks for the links

[No Elephants]

11. Prada custom-designed pumps, if you please.

[TommyO]

23. There's no place like Rome, there's no place like Rome, there's no place like Rome....

[Wapsie B]

3. Talk about protecting the status quo at all costs.

Just ignore the problem and chastise those who speak out. Is it any wonder organized religion has a bad name in the eyes of many?

[Christa]

4. K & R nt

[Tansy_Gold]

5. My apologies to those "of faith," but I cannot help remarking

on seeing that picture, that the man called Jesus would be appalled and outraged at the obscene display of wealth and power and privilege and arrogance.

"The Vatican" is a mockery of everything Jesus allegedly preached.

"Suffer the little children to come unto me," he said.

"The Vatican" seems to have turned that into "Come unto me little children and let me make you suffer."


"Blessed are the poor," said Jesus.

"I'd rather be rich," said "The Vatican."


I'm sure there are many Catholics who are good people (I know a few) and I'm sure there are many good people who are Catholics. But as far as I'm concerned, the Roman Catholic Church as an institution is corrupt to the core.




Tansy Gold

[No Elephants]

13. Faith is supposed to be in God, not in man. Only when the Pope claims to be imparting a revelation

from God is the Pope considered to be infallible; and that happens very, very rarely. Otherwise, the Pope is as capable of error and sin as anyone else.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility

Why Catholics choose to believe that an omnipotent God communicates with them only via a human mouthpiece is another issue.

[Angry Dragon]

19. So is the church

saying that popes were fallible until 1870??

[Angry Dragon]

18. I really like your last sentence

[ShockediSay]

8. The Papacy really has no credibility IMHO nt

[ima_sinnic]

14. so now Easter is about the pope? how special ...

"the faithful" (sheesh, are they brainwashed, or what?) show up for an Easter Mass, supposedly to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, and have to hear how the poor widdle pope, dripping with gold, in his Prada ruby slippers, sitting on a monumental vault of the world's treasures, is so unfairly maligned by victims of his organizations's pedophiles.

I'm an atheist, and watching the soap opera of religion has me constantly scratching my head. Why do people STILL buy this bullshit? and what parent in their right mind would subject an innocent child to such evilness?

[Old Troop]

20. Well that's an inspiring easter homily

Forget about God's abiding love and the miracle of the resurrection; apparently the pope enjoys a higher place in this guy's mind.
I think this may be the beginning of the decline of the hierarchy in the Catholic Church. At Easter Mass, I spoke with many very faithful parishioners who are disgusted and completely fed up with the leaders of the church. They retain their faith, but don't think the hierarchy has any play in it. The church may return to small independent groups.

[Tailormyst]

21. The Vatican attitude in regards to the abuse will be it's downfall

They refuse to show any humility or take responsibility. Instead they lash out recklessly at those who are so justifiably angered by their actions. They are not "holy men" they are simply greedy, power hungry men who feel they are above everyone else.

Shame on every Bishop, Cardinal and the Pope.

[Odin2005]

22. The Vatican has descended into the level of depravity of the Borgia and Medici popes.