Pope Benedict XVI Suggests Pedophilia Was Acceptable in 1970s
In his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI claimed that pedophilia wasn't considered an absolute evil as recently as the 1970s and that child pornography is increasingly considered "normal" by society.
"In the 1970s, pedophilia was theorized as something fully in conformity with man and even with children," the Pope said.
"It was maintained - even within the realm of Catholic theology - that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a 'better than' and a 'worse than'. Nothing is good or bad in itself."
The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached "an unimaginable dimension" which brought "humiliation" on the Church.
The Pope called on senior clerics "to repair as much as possible the injustices that occurred" and to help victims heal through a better presentation of the Christian message.
"We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light," he said, citing the growth of child pornography "that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society" he said.
Pope Benedict also said sex tourism in the Third World was "threatening an entire generation".
"Catholics should be embarrassed to hear their Pope talk again and again about abuse while doing little or nothing to stop it and to mischaracterize this heinous crisis," said Barbara Blaine, the head of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
"It is fundamentally disturbing to watch a brilliant man so conveniently misdiagnose a horrific scandal."
"The Pope insists on talking about a vague 'broader context' he can't control, while ignoring the clear 'broader context' he can influence - the long-standing and unhealthy culture of a rigid, secretive, all-male Church hierarchy fixated on self-preservation at all costs. This is the 'context' that matters."
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@mucker
You still using that silly line? Maybe YOU don't believe in atheists because you can't wrap your head around the concept, but according to your mythology, God, the Creator of all things would have to believe in atheists since He created them and since He is omniscient.
Morning rasny
No, no, no! You have it all wrong! God did not create atheists, Eve did when she and Adam partook of the fruit of knowledge and god cast them out from paradise. Since that day we have been wandering the planet doing all sorts of foul deeds.
So I suspect you were created by Satin to confound the ignorant into believing your vile and wicked ways :-) What I do not understand however, is that even though I firmly and devoutly believe in God I will be cast into the eternal fires of hell solely on the basis I refuse to be “baptized” by any church or religion.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson ~ A mis-quote? Well worth checking out :-)
Old Ogre believes I was created by satin, probably should go on Project Runway.
In the Christian religions, God creates everything and is omnipotent. He would have to believe in what He Himself created.
Morning raysny; Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
I had to look up “project runway” Your n ass! But if you tell me what time you will be on the show I might be willing to watch it if only for a good laugh :-)
Hey, if you’re an “atheist” why do you only pick on the Christians? There are a lot of other fkd up religions out there! Why don’t you do a disrespectful cartoon of Allah and post it where the towel heads can find it?
Wasn’t satin a “fallen angel” cast out for challenging God himself? (Not sure on this one would have to go look it up) but if so you’d fit right in there….. Anyhow, we should try to quit bashing each other over the head for a bit. One thing I don’t get, and I am going to get severely beaten over the head for this but;
Supposedly this man has been a lifelong “man of god” and the Christian faith yet at the age of 14 he became a Nazi? Forced or otherwise I have some concerns about this; doesn’t that go against the very teachings of the religion itself? This is one of many questions I have that I would like answers to from Christians or otherwise.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson ~ A mis-quote? Well worth checking out :-)
As long as we're picking nits...
Hey Old Ogre, your tag line is a lie:
http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/those-who-hammer-their-guns-plowsquotation
http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/firearms
Thomas Jefferson never said what you are attributing to him. It is just second amendment propaganda. There are plenty of good founding fathers/historical quotations supporting gun rights - go find a real one.
Hey CRW…. Long as you ARE a nit….
I suppose you were with Jefferson every second of every day of his entire life, thus you are unequivocally the grand master and residing genius of all things Jefferson related?
Besides I am less concerned with who said it as long as it gets said and repeated and other people take an interest and thus do a little research and learn a little more of our great country. Which by your posting of the links you did take an interest?
Or was it more for the fact that you’re a troll with nothing better to do than find people that you disagree with and then follow them around and harass them with your- self acclaimed brilliance?
You never even added one little drop of insight to the topic at hand just merely nitpicked at my tagline. I am starting to think you are just a.w.o.t.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~ Thomas Jefferson ~ A mis-quote? Well worth checking out :-)
Did you bother checking out the links he provided? Where did you find your quote? Remember: "Not all Internet quotes are accurate" – President Abraham Lincoln
"That was truly funny.....!!!!" ~Benjamin Franklin
I had posted in this discussion earlier, and I have received an alert for every other post since then, including yours. You are not worth my time to follow since your responses really aren't very interesting - predictable, shallow, and loose with the facts. However, I do look at the email as it comes in to see if there is something worth responding to. That's the point of this forum, or have you forgotten already?
I would think that people would strive for historical truth and accuracy. Jefferson was a gun enthusiast and shot frequently for pleasure, which you could find for yourself on the monticello web site. However, he was an intellectual actively opposed to any form of tyranny, including bullies with guns. He wouldn't agree with your quotation even in spirit. I am no Jefferson expert, but I have read enough to know that he would have said something like "we need guns to ensure that those who choose to pound their swords into plowshares may do so without fear of tyranny from a well armed enemy."
There are plenty of other historical figures who agree with your point of view. Attributing false bumper sticker slogans to people like Jefferson dishonors their contributions to this country.
No, satin is a glossy material usually used in women's clothing, I believe you were searching for "Satan". I found it especially funny because last year I was dealing with someone who wrote all over bedroom walls in magic marker and one of the things he wrote was to beware of the "power of satin".
If I pick on Christians more, it's only because its mostly Christians trying to ram their religion down my throat. You should see how I am with Witnesses that show up on my doorstep.
The idea of justifying child abuse and systematically covering it up while hiding behind religion is so wrong on every level that it needs to be talked about.
Hope you had a nice Christmas and thanks for holiday wish.