The pastoral letter written by Ratzinger to the people of Ireland
THE Pope’s letter of apology to Irish Catholics over clerical abuse of children in that country has now been presented.
But according to Irish writer and film maker, Mary Raftery, the people of Ireland really couldn’t give a toss now about what Ratzinger has to say.
Speaking yesterday on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, she said:
I really think we have a situation in which people care little because they are aware that the Pope himself is implicated in the context of what has happened in Germany, and where the Cardinal [Brady] is seen to have acted quite disgracefully … the trust has vanished, it has gone.
You can hear a clip of her addressing the issue here or the whole programme, centred on Catholic clerical celibacy, for a limited period here.
As to the letter itself, the Guardian reports that victims are “disappointed” and say it fails to directly address the long history of concealment by Irish bishops of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by priests, nuns and Catholic orders.
The campaigning group One in Four condemned the Pope for failing to acknowledge that the church hierarchy had attempted to suppress the scandal. The group’s director, Maeve Lewis, said:
Victims were hoping for an acknowledgement of the scurrilous ways in which they have been treated as they attempted to bring their experiences of abuse to the attention of the church authorities.
Pope Benedict has passed up a glorious opportunity to address the core issue in the clerical sexual abuse scandal: the deliberate policy of the Catholic church at the highest levels to protect sex offenders, thereby endangering children.
Instead, the letter seeks to blame “secular forces” for the abuse. Wrote Ratzinger:
In almost every family in Ireland, there has been someone – a son or a daughter, an aunt or an uncle – who has given his or her life to the Church. Irish families rightly esteem and cherish their loved ones who have dedicated their lives to Christ, sharing the gift of faith with others, and putting that faith into action in loving service of God and neighbour.
In recent decades, however, the Church in your country has had to confront new and serious challenges to the faith arising from the rapid transformation and secularization of Irish society. Fast-paced social change has occurred, often adversely affecting people’s traditional adherence to Catholic teaching and values. All too often, the sacramental and devotional practices that sustain faith and enable it to grow, such as frequent confession, daily prayer and annual retreats, were neglected. Significant too was the tendency during this period, also on the part of priests and religious, to adopt ways of thinking and assessing secular realities without sufficient reference to the Gospel.
The gall of this creature is beyond all belief.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 20th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
“Catholics for a Democratically Elected Pope” could do themselves a lot of good, possibly even delaying the extinction of the Vatican crime syndicate by as much as a half-century, by proclaiming Ratzinazi “not guilty by reason of insanity.” Just a thought.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
The Catholic Church is probably the main reason for increased secularism in Ireland, but the Vatican will never see it that way.
Their grip on the Irish is too tight for most people to give up their delusions.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Yet the Catholics -what’s left of them and not counting the victims – seem very happy with the Rat’s message and Brady got almost a standing ovation from his congregation. That prompted me to think of half of a joke – What does it take to make a Catholic vomit? I haven’t found a punch line yet.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Musical Interlude:
If you are a priest
They’ll call you a beast
When you’re sued by the boys you have screwed.
You may yell and protest
But they’ll claim you molest-
ed each one as your wild oats you strewed.
The lawyers are waiting, they’re sharpening their claws
The jury holds your future in their hot little paws
And you’ll feel like shark bait in the sequel to “Jaws”
when you’re sued by the boys you have screwed.
March 20th, 2010 at 11:58 pm
“All too often, the sacramental and devotional practices that sustain faith and enable it to grow, such as frequent confession, daily prayer and annual retreats, were neglected.”
Well first he’s talking here about the laity but the crimes in question were committed by the clergy not by the laity.
These practices are mandated for the clergy and it is part of a bishop’s “pastoral” duties to set the lead. Daily spiritual exercises are required of clergy. This can’t be blamed on creeping secularism. In any event these crimes have been committed over the decades, indeed over the centuries as a study of history will clearly demonstrate. I well remember in my distant catholic early youth (before reason prevailed) that there were several of these “incidents” that were hushed up. That was only sixty years ago but it disproves ratzinger’s inference that these crimes only belong to “recent decades”.
In any case don’t priests know any longer what is sin? dog knows they’re good at telling everybody else that they are sinners, especially those of us who believe a woman’s body is her own and not a church-owned incubator. As well as crimes these rapes and assaults were SINS according to their own twisted religion. Don’t tell me the clergy didn’t know that when they committed their crimes.
This is such an arrogant, perverted business that disgusts me. I can only echo those scottish presbyterians who write upon the walls the eternal message “Fuck the pope”.
March 21st, 2010 at 1:06 am
Damn, the whole thing is not much better. He goes on and on about how churches, schools, and libraries were founded by Irish missionaries to the benefit of all, and yet the only benefit he specifically mentions is the increase of religious students and the church taking over the vocational schools.
Predictably, he calls for a “renewal of faith,” whatever the hell that means anymore, and urges people to find healing through jesus’ sacrifice, blah blah blah. Basically, he feels that the problems with the church can only be rectified through higher church attendance, when we smarter people realize that higher church attendance leads to higher rates of kiddie-fiddling.
And he quotes a bunch of saints, including Augustine. If ever there were just two words to describe the utter depth of loathing I have for the church, they would be Saint Augustine. That bastard should have been tortured to death for his crimes, or at the very least killed and had his body dumped in an unmarked grave, yet the twisted minds of the church declare him a holy man.
Well, whatever. People leaving in droves, I hope this time at least some of the dioceses have to declare full bankruptcy.
March 21st, 2010 at 1:45 am
I have to side with 1031, the idea that child molesting priests are some phenomenon unique to our decade or even our century is absolutely absurd. Priests have been sucking pre-pubescent penis since the dawn of the church, and it is only the degradation of their power that in recent decades had diminished their ability to conceal it. Three hundred years ago, anyone bold enough to accuse the church of sodomy and conspiracy would have been branded a heretic and put to death. It’s a new ball game.
And that’s really what Ratzo was saying, if everyone came back to the church, their power would be restored, and all these scandals would disappear from view. Then, we could all bask in our blissful ignorance. Everyone, that is, except the kids with sore sphincters.
NeoWolfe
March 21st, 2010 at 9:04 am
Don’t know if you heard someone called Bishop McKeown this morning. If you didn’t you missed a treat. While comments from people on the streets were condemnatory and a couple of other experts thought nothing short of mass sackings would suffice McKeown had a wonderfully comic turn. When Sean Brady, still clinging to the top spot was mentioned as someone who out to be out, McKeown wittered about “the wounded leader” (Sean Brady, that is), so much more to learn by leadership from someone who has made mistakes and “is not perfect” – no fear of Sean being perfect. Another point is that, apart from world wide problems, there are another 17 Counties in Ireland still to be investigated.
This show will run and run. McKeown, who does seem a prize twat, said he was “looking forward to the challenge of putting the Church right.” Good on you, mate, you your work cut out.
March 21st, 2010 at 9:16 am
As it is, secularism of the last 50 years or so is to blame, according to Josef R. in Rome. Of course, there was never any kind of abuse before that, or was there? According to his holiness’ logic, if priest started to succumb to paedophilia since to 60′s, all in spite of their righteousness and piety, it must even by worse among the general public. Anyone with statistics on this?
March 21st, 2010 at 9:44 am
It might be quite an interesting study to get statistics of the number of people accused of paedophilia who worked in various industries and compare the number of occurances and unique individuals with numbers of the clergy. The Church is an industry after all, they just sell an invisible product.
I would bet money there would be quite a heavy disproportionate number from the church.
March 21st, 2010 at 11:30 am
What I want to know is, how many priests have gone to jail for their acts?
March 21st, 2010 at 1:10 pm
“What I want to know is, how many priests have gone to jail for their acts?” Not enough!
It is a pity the victims of abuse can’t get together some sort of class law-suit against the catholic church and their leaders. The pope and his lieutenants should be tried for crimes against humanity.
In law a Company owner or Director is liable for the actions of the business and employees; the catholic church is a business and should be treated accordingly.
Shouldn’t ratnazi’s letter have said “Dear….. Sorry my paedo priest buggered you, all forgiven now so give us some more cash”
March 21st, 2010 at 5:30 pm
What sort of mind/minds would require members of an organization, which tells a segment of it’s membership….priests…to forgo himself of practicing the most “basic” of human functions….that of procreation via sex ?
The result is what we now have in Ireland and for that matter Europe and better part of the planet…..a group of dirty old men caring out their “most basic urges” upon little boys and girls.
The clergy’s only fault lies in the willingness of priests to follow catholic dogma related to celibacy….and not the laws of nature and common sense.
Of course this also applies to religion as a whole in that all faiths refuse to adhere to the natural laws of reason….and prefer superstition……it makes it easier to control the sheep.
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:44 am
Is the catholic church so entrenched in Irish culture and society that its employees are above the law and cannot be prosecuted for pedophile crime ?
Is the cardinal and the bishops not also aiding and abetting crime by not reporting these things ?…Is this how cannon law is applied ?
The catholic church is a boil on the face of humanity.