Benedict is guilty! guilty! guilty!

Catholic and Enjoying It ^ | April 5, 2010 | Mark Shea

[NYer]

...of laicizing two priests after lengthy canonical trials right in the middle of pushing to streamline a complex Vatican bureaucracy so as to facilitate more speedy outcomes. Per Fr. Z:

•Again, the abuse took place decades ago.
•He was suspended.
•There was a canonical trial.It was referred to Rome, the CDF, because it concerned a case of the confessional.
•It was determined that he should be dismissed from the clerical state.
•The priest appealed.
•The appeal process was drawn out for several years because the laws and canonical process of these clerical cases was being overhauled.
•Card. Ratzinger was the one who led the charge for the changes to streamline the process.
•When the new procedures went into effect, the Holy See moved swiftly to dismiss him from the clerical state.
•Once again this is a case of lawyers for victims who gave the documents (obviously incomplete) to the Associated Press.

Clearly, he should resign or be arrested and tried in Britain.

The frustrating thing for me about the press's recent vendetta against Benedict is that their insistence on battening on anything and everything as grounds for demanding his resignation and, if all goes well, his murder is that in defending Benedict against all the over-the-top hostility, it makes it very difficult to find the "middle ground" of common sense in the reforms that really do need to happen (including, if you ask me, a number of episcopal resignations). These MSM people seem to have no actual interest in the good of the Church or even in the good of victims who are not usefully Catholic. The only real focus appears to be self-congratulatory moralism and a thirst for Benedict's blood. So this week we are instructed that Benedict, who labored to fix a broken bureaucracy is guilty, guilty, guilty of... not being able to work miracles as he tried to laicize a couple of bad priests. Never mind that the priests were *not* reshuffled, nor that Benedict had no jurisdiction over them, nor that he never tried to hide their crimes, nor that he labored to laicize them in a crappy system he was trying to fix.

The net result of the press' vendetta against Benedict is going to be twofold. First, it will poison against him and the Church the great mass of know-nothings who get all their info from TV and water cooler talk. He will go down in history as that Pope Who was a Nazi Pervert or Something Like That among the sort of people who get all their information about the Church from E! and the Da Vinci Code. Meanwhile, it will harden Catholics who care about the Church from believing anything the MSM says--even when, like blind pigs, they find an actual truffle of news about a real pervert or real episcopal malfeasance.

Opposite evils, so far from balancing, aggravate each other. - C.S. Lewis

[Salvation]

Where have you been? I've been posting these links that SUPPORT Pope Benedict XVI for several weeks. Get with it, please!

Archbishop Vlazny cancels newspaper subscription after anti-catholic rant
Benedict is guilty! guilty! guilty! (NOT!)
Bishops Worldwide Affirm Support for Pope -- Decry Campaign to Discredit the Church
The Catholic Church's Catastrophe ("The press and the pope deserve credit for confronting scandal")
Archbishop [Vlazny] Calls Boycott: ‘Cancel subscriptions to Oregonian…’
Today, On Good Friday, Here's Why I Remain Catholic
HOLY WEEK'S SORE LOSER (secular media loses)

To Confuse the Wood with the Trees ...[Pravda defends Pope Benedict]
The Pope and The Abuse Scandal: a Guide For Perplexed Catholics
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

[Salvation]

An investigation was held.

Actions were taken.

Haven’t you read any of the facts, or do you mean to actually BASH the Catholic Church?

[lastchance]

Are you trying to claim that is a Church document? Such lies demand a full condemnation. As does the liar who spreads them. I would tremble to post such base falsehoods. That you do not does not surprise me at all.

[mware]

Pic's after Easter Sunday Mass.

[Cardhu]

I did not claim that at all as you can see by the heading - just showing you that the modus operandi has not changed one iota since 2005.

But here is one you can get your teeth into where the Minnesota authorities are trying to get a priest extradited.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2487190/posts.

[lastchance]

And I hope they succeed. But do remember that all allegations are not credible. It may very well be that the evidence offered were a matter of he said she said and did not warrant canonical action against the priest. However that does not mean he should not be extradited.

But in light of not having solid evidence of guilt the Church can only make sure that the priest is not given contact with potential victims.

I would venture that should a criminal trial find the priest guilty the matter would be revisted by the CDF and the priest laicized.

[lastchance]

The above is in reference to the Minn case.

[lastchance]

But it is not fact, it is somebody’s opinion. YEt it is presented as it is indisputable fact. Do you appreciate the difference?

[longtermmemmory]

This was the DBM east day hit.

This will resurface during Christmas.

[Cardhu]

Church can only make sure that the priest is not given contact with potential victims

Remember he is alleged to have committed a sexual assaulted on 16 year old girl and nothing was done - he then he went on to assault another girl.

[Melian]

It’s great to be back after Lent. I limited myself to 30 minutes a day!

[NYer]

It’s great to be back after Lent. I limited myself to 30 minutes a day!

Who could ever have imagined that one day we would abstain from the internet :-0

Actually, throughout Lent, I try to limit my postings to positive and inspirational postings. Even with the supposed scandal, I bit my tongue and set the bar high for the benefit of us all. If nothing else, we came to recognize how blessed we are with Pope Benedict XVI. Satan hates the Catholic Church; especially during Lent.

Welcome back!

[NYer]

Is this your parish?

[pnh102]

Haven’t you read any of the facts, or do you mean to actually BASH the Catholic Church?

Considering the fact that the Catholic Church has expelled a number of priests who were in fact abusing children it is impossible to conclude that the Church is doing nothing.

Trust in the LORD, but question everyone else. If these people are going to insinuate that more abuse than actually happened occurred then I am going to insinuate that this document is yet another attach on the Church.

[mountainfolk]

I am so glad I caught this thread about Pope Benedict. I have not been able to keep up with much for awhile and appreciate the information as to the charges against him and the facts of the matter. I was checking local news for the weather and the news person was reporting there were new charges of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. Nothing else. The interesting part of that was this station seldom has anything except local stuff and certainly not details of national interest. I knew there was a piling on in progress by the media and now I am informed. I continue to pray for Pope Benedict.

[Biggirl]

To me, this is another attempt to take the Church down, but it will FAIL as always.

[lastchance]

Updated stories do say the Vatican said he should be defrocked but such a decision under canon law is up to the Bishop. I don’t know why the Bishop did not take further action. Especially in light of charges being filed.

However since NYT is notorious for half facts I well reserve judgment until the full facts come out.

[MarkBsnr]

Let me go get my cowbell before the bishopaccountability blogcrew shows up.

Ah, but my friend, is not not well known that: