WRIGGLING like worms on the hook, spokesmen for the Roman Catholic Church have, in recent months, variously blamed the Vatican’s global abuse scandal on the Devil, pornography, secularism, liberalism, immodesty, children themselves, and – of course – same-sex marriage. It seems only E-numbered food additives and the Icelandic volcano have escaped the finger-pointing.
But today Ratzinger, on a visit to Portugal, blamed the church’s own sins for the clerical abuse scandal, and he called for profound purification to end what he called the “greatest persecution” the church has endured.
His strong comments, reported here, placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on the sins of paedophile priests, repudiating the Vatican’s initial response to the scandal in which it blamed the media as well as pro-choice and pro-gay marriage advocates for mounting what it called a campaign against the church and the Pope.
Speaking en route to Portugal, Benedict said the Catholic Church had always suffered from problems of its own making but that:
Today we see it in a truly terrifying way. The greatest persecution of the church doesn’t come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the church. The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness but also justice.
His comments marked Ratzinger’s most thorough admission of the church’s own guilt in creating the scandal. Previously he has blamed abusers themselves and, in the case of Ireland, the bishops who failed to stop them.
Despite the Vatican’s initial, defensive response to hundreds of clerical abuse reports in Europe, Benedict has promised that the church would take action to protect children and make abusive priests face justice. He has already started cleaning house, accepting the resignations of a few bishops who either admitted they molested youngsters or covered up for priests who did.
But critics say he still hasn’t done nearly enough to repair the damage or protect children from a culture of secrecy that allowed priests to rape and molest children for decades unchecked. Some have noted that while Ratzinger has accepted some bishops’ resignations, no bishop has been actively punished or defrocked, even those who admitted to molesting children.
Said David Clohessy, Director of the main US victims’ group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests:
Many are tiring of hearing about his ‘strong comments’. They want to see strong action.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
May 11th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
The only thing Ratzinazi could do that would have any credibility is resigning and having his successor democratically elected by all priests, or if that is not practicable, then all bishops, many of whom were surely promoted for reasons other than their strict adherence to the theofascists’ party line.
May 11th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
I think you do Ratzinger too much credit. There is – as usual – nothing in what he says that cannot be interpreted in many ways. His whole statement involved criticism of the lack of morality in others, financiers for example. My irony meter just exploded
May 11th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Even this has been forced out of him by extreme pressures. But what action, real action, will he take. He could begin by booting out that C.in C. Ireland. Sean Carey? – Cardinal in Charge and still hanging on like a limpet.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
@ WH If, as you suggest, ratty were to ever do the decent thing and resign, why not let god decide who the next pope should be (after all, he more than anyone should know who’s best suited for the job). Then the rest of us could all sit back and watch the Vatican crumble into dust as the centuries roll by with no answer forthcoming.
May 11th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
@Broga,
Yes,if His Oilyness had made this statement when the scandal first became apparent it would have been more convincing,at this late date it doesn’t quite have the ring of sincerity to me.
May 11th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
Hmmm…if indeed he is now placing the blame “squarely on the sins of paedophile priests”, then he continues to miss the point. I am not angry because their are paedophile priests – as the apologists keep pointing out there are paedophiles in all walks of life. It is how they are dealt with that matters and that is the fundamental failing of the catholic church.
I like the idea of letting god choose the next pope – except that the church would say he already does, by guiding the hands of the electing cardinals. I don’t use this term often, but LOL!
May 12th, 2010 at 4:20 am
Oh that sweet dream on the horizon. I have to side with Marcus against harwood, the only just thing to do is that the pope resign, the RCC is liquidated, and it’s assets returned the people they stole them from.
But, harwood’s suggestion is certainly more practical in the short term. The RCC is imploding, and the change from excuses to admission is a key signal that the hierarchy is in “extreme damage control mode”,
it’s no longer Satan and the fags who have crippled the church, it’s their own stupidity.
Some sadistic part of me, which I whip back with a cat of nine tails of logic and morals, really wants to take Ratzi and burn him at the stake like his religion did with doubters and freethinkers for centuries. Revenge served cold, but then I’d be as despicable as he is. Come’s a time to become civilized. (Neo takes a deep breath).
NeoWolfe
May 12th, 2010 at 5:14 am
“The Bastard” has an interesting take on this:
http://www.the-bastard.com/ind.....;page=2273
May 12th, 2010 at 8:40 am
The Vatican must face justice I believe the Vatican has met the definition of a criminal organization not devoted to prostitution or drugs or other crime’s but to the sexual enslavement of children.
May 12th, 2010 at 9:03 am
To little too late, I’m with Bill, The Ratbag still hasn’t acknowledge or apologised for the actions of the church when it went out of it’s way to protect the ‘sinners’.
May 12th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
It seems to be the start of a segue from step 2 (blame) to step 3 (bargaining). No substantive action will be taken to reform anything until step 4 (acceptance) is over. Don’t expect anything soon – these bastards have had 2000 years to perfect their ducking and dodging.
However it’s refreshing to hear the fuehrer say something true for a change!
May 12th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I was reading The Times this morning and came across a piece about Ratzinger’s problems by one Ruth Gledhill. Ruthie takes the view that when Papa visits the UK then “insiders” – who they, Ruthie? – say that the big issue on the visit will not be child abuse but the “Relations between the C. of. E. and the Vatican.” You wish, Ruthie? The rest of her pap is so tendentious, selective and benign as to shame what purports to be a serious newspaper.
May 12th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
So Ratty is now belatedly acknowledging that “the church” is to blame but no mention of his own role, once again giving the appearance of being blameless himself.
May 12th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
@FedupwithR It is, if I may explain, all a question of priorities. He is now focussed on discussions between the C. of E. and the Vatican according to comments in The Times today. And I suspect that he would much prefer to be kicking Rowan Williams arse, in a slightly more kindly way than in the past, than be faced with thye victims of his priests. You could throw in the planet as the daft old bat doesn’t seem to appreciate the effects of his policies on exploding populations, Aids ………. oh, what the hell, you have heard it all before. I am as fed up with him as you are.
May 14th, 2010 at 1:43 am
Terry said:
“The Vatican must face justice I believe the Vatican has met the definition of a criminal organization not devoted to prostitution or drugs or other crime’s but to the sexual enslavement of children.”
I suppose any prosecutor would focus on the crimes in the files on his desk at the moment, but the paraphrased quote, “criminal organization not devoted to…other crimes” is naive. The vatican smuggling of nazi war criminals made them complicit in modern day genocide. It enjoyed the same cap of secrecy as their rampant pedopilia of today. And if you don’t realize that the infinite credit, and the unimaginable wealth of priceless antiquities of the Vatican is not enough to buy a few votes in congress, or to sway an election, explain George W. Bush. The fungus under my toenail has a higher IQ than that amoeba.
NeoWolfe