Ratzinger isn't pleased
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corncobman
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Last edited by corncobman on Sat Apr 23, 2005 2:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[url=http://www.violationentertainment.com/misc/ccm]-An eyeful a day is bloody fantastic!-[/url]
[url=http://www.violationentertainment.com/misc/ccm]-An eyeful a day is bloody fantastic!-[/url]
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eepberries
- Posts: 1975
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"Cardinal Ratzinger ran the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
This Vatican department, a descendant of the Holy Inquisition, protects Church orthodoxy.
The job earned him unflattering nicknames such as "The Pope's Enforcer" and "God's Rottweiler".
He has a reputation for stifling dissent, and one of his early campaigns was against "liberation theology" in Latin America.
Some priests became involved in fighting poverty through social action, but to Cardinal Ratzinger it smacked of Marxism.
As a key aide to John Paul II he had a fearsome reputation, but those who know him say he is gentle and somewhat shy."
A descendant of the Inquisition? Now, that is REALLY scary. This is one scary, throwback Pope. It just completes the misery for me, Bush is president, Arnold Schwarzenegger is Governor, and an Inquisition nazi is Pope. What next, are we going to resurrect Hitler and give him another shot at world domination?
This Vatican department, a descendant of the Holy Inquisition, protects Church orthodoxy.
The job earned him unflattering nicknames such as "The Pope's Enforcer" and "God's Rottweiler".
He has a reputation for stifling dissent, and one of his early campaigns was against "liberation theology" in Latin America.
Some priests became involved in fighting poverty through social action, but to Cardinal Ratzinger it smacked of Marxism.
As a key aide to John Paul II he had a fearsome reputation, but those who know him say he is gentle and somewhat shy."
A descendant of the Inquisition? Now, that is REALLY scary. This is one scary, throwback Pope. It just completes the misery for me, Bush is president, Arnold Schwarzenegger is Governor, and an Inquisition nazi is Pope. What next, are we going to resurrect Hitler and give him another shot at world domination?
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Massive Quasars
- Posts: 8696
- Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2000 8:00 am
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Massive Quasars
- Posts: 8696
- Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2000 8:00 am
Ratzinger's inaugural mass is taking place now.
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HM-PuFFNSTuFF
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Pope 'obstructed' sex abuse inquiry
Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret
Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent
Sunday April 24, 2005
The Observer
Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret.
The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001.
It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II's successor last week.
Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'.
The letter, 'concerning very grave sins', was sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that once presided over the Inquisition and was overseen by Ratzinger.
It spells out to bishops the church's position on a number of matters ranging from celebrating the eucharist with a non-Catholic to sexual abuse by a cleric 'with a minor below the age of 18 years'. Ratzinger's letter states that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.
The letter states that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.
It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.
'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.
The letter is referred to in documents relating to a lawsuit filed earlier this year against a church in Texas and Ratzinger on behalf of two alleged abuse victims. By sending the letter, lawyers acting for the alleged victims claim the cardinal conspired to obstruct justice.
Daniel Shea, the lawyer for the two alleged victims who discovered the letter, said: 'It speaks for itself. You have to ask: why do you not start the clock ticking until the kid turns 18? It's an obstruction of justice.'
Father John Beal, professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America, gave an oral deposition under oath on 8 April last year in which he admitted to Shea that the letter extended the church's jurisdiction and control over sexual assault crimes.
The Ratzinger letter was co-signed by Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone who gave an interview two years ago in which he hinted at the church's opposition to allowing outside agencies to investigate abuse claims.
'In my opinion, the demand that a bishop be obligated to contact the police in order to denounce a priest who has admitted the offence of paedophilia is unfounded,' Bertone said.
Shea criticised the order that abuse allegations should be investigated only in secret tribunals. 'They are imposing procedures and secrecy on these cases. If law enforcement agencies find out about the case, they can deal with it. But you can't investigate a case if you never find out about it. If you can manage to keep it secret for 18 years plus 10 the priest will get away with it,' Shea added.
A spokeswoman in the Vatican press office declined to comment when told about the contents of the letter. 'This is not a public document, so we would not talk about it,' she said.
Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret
Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent
Sunday April 24, 2005
The Observer
Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret.
The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001.
It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood. The letter was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was elected as John Paul II's successor last week.
Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'.
The letter, 'concerning very grave sins', was sent from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office that once presided over the Inquisition and was overseen by Ratzinger.
It spells out to bishops the church's position on a number of matters ranging from celebrating the eucharist with a non-Catholic to sexual abuse by a cleric 'with a minor below the age of 18 years'. Ratzinger's letter states that the church can claim jurisdiction in cases where abuse has been 'perpetrated with a minor by a cleric'.
The letter states that the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.
It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.
'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.
The letter is referred to in documents relating to a lawsuit filed earlier this year against a church in Texas and Ratzinger on behalf of two alleged abuse victims. By sending the letter, lawyers acting for the alleged victims claim the cardinal conspired to obstruct justice.
Daniel Shea, the lawyer for the two alleged victims who discovered the letter, said: 'It speaks for itself. You have to ask: why do you not start the clock ticking until the kid turns 18? It's an obstruction of justice.'
Father John Beal, professor of canon law at the Catholic University of America, gave an oral deposition under oath on 8 April last year in which he admitted to Shea that the letter extended the church's jurisdiction and control over sexual assault crimes.
The Ratzinger letter was co-signed by Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone who gave an interview two years ago in which he hinted at the church's opposition to allowing outside agencies to investigate abuse claims.
'In my opinion, the demand that a bishop be obligated to contact the police in order to denounce a priest who has admitted the offence of paedophilia is unfounded,' Bertone said.
Shea criticised the order that abuse allegations should be investigated only in secret tribunals. 'They are imposing procedures and secrecy on these cases. If law enforcement agencies find out about the case, they can deal with it. But you can't investigate a case if you never find out about it. If you can manage to keep it secret for 18 years plus 10 the priest will get away with it,' Shea added.
A spokeswoman in the Vatican press office declined to comment when told about the contents of the letter. 'This is not a public document, so we would not talk about it,' she said.
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Massive Quasars
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http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/25Apr2005_news25.php
However Bild also questioned why the 78-year-old Pope's election had failed to generate more joy in his own country and criticised the muted reaction of German President Horst Koehler, who said Germany could be ``a little bit proud''.
``My God, what is wrong with us Germans?'' Bild asked. ``In no other country is Pope Benedict XVI criticised as harshly as he is here: too old, too conservative.''
The centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung, based in the southern city of Munich where Cardinal Ratzinger was archbishop, concluded that Germany had ``become a secular country''.
It added: ``Pope Benedict was not elected as a German. He has lived in the Vatican for decades and is, one might almost say, coincidentally also a German.''
The German Catholic Church has clashed with the Vatican in recent years, most notably over the participation of priests in abortion advice clinics.