Image via WikipediaThe Pope Is Not Above the Law
The crimes within the Catholic Church demand justice.
http://www.slate.com/id/2249130/?from=rss
One by one, as I predicted, the pathetic excuses of Joseph Ratzinger's apologists evaporate before our eyes. It was said until recently that when the Rev. Peter Hullermann was found to be a vicious pederast in 1980, the man who is now pope had no personal involvement in his subsequent transfer to his own diocese or in his later unimpeded career as a rapist and a molester. But now we find that the psychiatrist to whom the church turned for "therapy" was adamant that Hullermann never be allowed to go near children ever again. We also find that Ratzinger was one of those to whom the memo about Hullermann's transfer was actually addressed. All attempts to place the blame on a loyal subordinate, Ratzinger's vicar general, the Rev. Gerhard Gruber, have predictably failed. According to a recent report, "the transfer of Father Hullermann from Essen would not have been a routine matter, experts said." Either that—damning enough in itself—or it perhaps would have been a routine matter, which is even worse. Certainly the pattern—of finding another parish with fresh children for the priest to assault—is the one that has become horribly "routine" ever since and became standard practice when Ratzinger became a cardinal and was placed in charge of the church's global response to clerical pederasty.
There Ain't No Justice ( which I first noted by Larry Niven )
Actually, I suspect - like Bush,Cheney,Rumsfeld and more - that he is. He's a titular head of state likely entitled to diplomatic immunity. Which isn't to say I approve of that or him - but recognize unpleasant truths. Or that I don't recognize it shouldn't cover activities unrelated to his assumption of office...but courts don't travel in time.
In this case his immunity should be held superior to theirs, who are not in office : but disabling right of prosecution does bear an unfortunate resemblance to conferring an ability to act with impunity. Perhaps the 'Divine Right of Kings' extends even to historic pretenders.
But castigation as an immoral farce and disgrace to his robes is too kind. Quite the advertisement for an historic truth : of blatant hypocrisy and betrayal.
But. Do I hold with buggering children on the same level as institutional genocide and assassination ? There's a question of which makes you lose your cookies faster !
There's a deeper problem too, though, isn't there ? Even a Pope is one man out of an institution supporting him. Just like any country - or corporation.
And for me to suggest that the Church of Rome alone uses blatant falsehood and fairytales gives me pause on many counts.It's just so self-righteous..like the GOP !
Though my father had his later regrets about bombing civilians in the RCAF and then entering an order regulated by bishops...the state Church of England in Canada...I can't confuse promotion of ideas stabilizing society around the Book of Ruth where loyalty and devotion are prized as incompatible with Passive Resistance and the Golden Rule...or individual conscience.
Have you faced the thorny problem where leaders cannot use the morality of the common people ? And if so, how should they be guided ?
The adoption of a Constitution and Oath of Office have demonstrated in the presidency of the United States - and it is only one example of many including most if not all of Congress and that only one country also - that promises without penalty for breaking them are only theatre. And immigrants thought they left oppression behind ?
Makes you appreciate Kevin Costner's 'Dances with Wolves' more doesn't it ? And if you know a number of 'natives', suddenly you realize there must have been an awful pile like the man he portrayed - else Metis would not be so common : a testament to mature preferences for social justice - and acceptance and approval of that preference - overcoming childhood upbringing in Empire. Which was only environmentally astute, perhaps.
Pity we can't specify only Muslim representatives go to AfPak and that they are not armed any better than those who are there. I guess that wouldn't facilitate 'the railroad.'
The edifice of 'modernization' and waste is falling under the weight of runaway demand and energy/resource depletion. In China a Chinese-American is being tortured for buying an unclassified cache of information on Chinese petroleum resources still underground. In Afghanistan suddenly there's a big noise about underground mineral deposits. And the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico can't be covered too closely lest it seem to reveal 'Peak Oil' for a scam....like the one about manmade activities dominating Climate Change. But they sure dominate proliferation of substances into our environment perverting and destroying life.
It's strange when places like Burkina Faso or even Cuba should be protected from loss of sustainable infrastructure by measures or conditions which render them technologically 'inferior' and more vulnerable to foreign meddling. Even there 'privatization' - Fascism - has an established track record of destroying farming which will show results in time.
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