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New York Daily News Urges ‘Fairness for the Pope’
Catholic News Agency ^ | 3/31/10

Posted on 04/01/2010 5:43:36 AM PDT by marshmallow

New York City, N.Y., Mar 31, 2010 / 02:33 pm (CNA).- Reacting to the slew of articles from media outlets attempting to incriminate Pope Benedict in past clerical sex abuse cases, the New York Daily News published an editorial today calling for a fair analysis of the facts about the Pope’s involvement with such cases.

Using extremely direct diction, the Daily News’ editorial states that “with certainty,” the belief that Pope Benedict enabled a pedophile priest to inflict great harm is “false.”

The editorial then refers to a recent column by the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd, stating that she “took the accusations against the Pope, whose given name is Joseph Ratzinger, to their most extreme.”

Dowd’s commentary called the events surrounding the case of Milwaukee’s Fr. Lawrence Murphy “sickening news” and claimed that the then-Cardinal Ratzinger “ignored repeated warnings and looked away.”

“Again, and with certainty,” the Daily News writes, “This is false.”

The Daily News does concede that “there is much to criticize in the Catholic Church's abysmal failure for decades to take action against priests who engaged in sexual abuse. That history tends to lend credence to reports that the hierarchy has either turned a blind eye or engaged in coverups.” However, the editorial is quick to assert that, “While the Murphy case does exemplify the church at its worst, the grievous sins in this matter cannot be laid to Pope Benedict.”

As the Daily News’ editorial details the circumstances regarding Fr. Murphy’s habits of offending, it notes that his first crimes occurred in the 1950’s and continued until the church forced him into “temporary sick leave.”

“Those crimes, dating back half a century, took place decades before Ratzinger rose to high church positions in Europe. He could not have ignored repeated warnings, nor could he have looked away. He not on the scene at all,” the editorial asserts.

After analyzing the subsequent events in the Murphy case, the Daily News poses the question, “What exactly did then-Cardinal Ratzinger do wrong?”

“His office approved the trial and waived the statue of limitations. Those are not the makings of a coverup. At the same time, it's fair game to debate whether his office should have considered for a moment a plea deal, even on the verge of Murphy's death. But that's a far cry from vilifying Benedict as a man who took no action in the face of Murphy's evil or many years later tried to paper it over,” the editorial concludes.


TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Moral Issues
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 04/01/2010 5:43:36 AM PDT by marshmallow
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To: marshmallow

Finally!!! The Pope was right not to address this openly. He had done the right thing and did not need to justify any of this to the vulture media or editorialists...


2 posted on 04/01/2010 5:46:55 AM PDT by hstacey
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To: hstacey

It wouldn’t have mattered what the Pope said anyway. They knew what they were saying was not true. Truth is not the point of this.


3 posted on 04/01/2010 6:17:02 AM PDT by livius
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To: marshmallow; All

Just another attack on an institution that wouldn’t support BamsterCare. Add to that the salaciousness of any attack that has sex and the Holy Father in the same sentence is just too much for them to resist. Expect for ratcheted up attacks to keep Catholics on their heels as Nov approaches.


4 posted on 04/01/2010 6:50:33 AM PDT by LurkLongley (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam-For the Greater Glory of God)
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To: marshmallow
More threads defending the Pope now, than those attacking! The Pope is winning!

Pope Has Immunity In Abuse Trials: Vatican
The Dictatorship of Relativism Strikes Back—and Goes Nuclear
New York Daily News Urges ‘Fairness for the Pope’

Brooklyn Bishop: Catholic Church Won't be NYT's 'Personal Punching Bag'
holding the New York Times accountable
Cardinal Levada to NY Times: Reconsider 'Attack Mode' Against Pope Benedict
Clearing Benedict's Good Name: The New York Times Must Retract Its False Reporting
Game Over: Benedict – 1. MSM – 0.

Milwaukee WI Archbishop defends Pope Benedict
[Milwaukee] Archbishop Listecki Apologizes For Priest's Sex Abuse
Defending the Pope against Hot Air
Catholic Caucus: Accusations that Pope Complicit in Abuse Cover-Up Fall Flat
Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy

Former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland Admits He's Gay
Long Applause for New York Prelate Who Defends Pope
NYT UNFAIRLY CITES POPE'S ROLE [Catholic Caucus]
Scoundrel Time(s)
The Pope and the Murphy case: what the New York Times story didn't tell you

5 posted on 04/01/2010 9:36:13 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: livius

That is so true so no reason to explain...


6 posted on 04/01/2010 11:56:10 AM PDT by hstacey
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To: marshmallow

Sadly, no one cares about the truth. That’s why this thread will die from lack of interest.


7 posted on 04/01/2010 6:49:22 PM PDT by MayfairFly
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To: MayfairFly
Bump for the truth.

New York Times serves its master, the Father of Lies.

8 posted on 04/01/2010 6:51:37 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: marshmallow

The scandal, my friends, is the conspiracy of the attacks on the pontiff. What perfect timing! Just ask one Dr Engelbert here!


9 posted on 04/01/2010 6:52:01 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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