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Vatican hit by gay sex scandal
Guardian ^ | March 4th 2010 | John Hooper in Romei

Posted on 03/05/2010 9:49:59 AM PST by Cardhu

Vatican chorister sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for papal gentleman-in-waiting.

The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.

Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.

The explosive claims about Balducci's private life have caused grave embarrassment to the Vatican, which has yet to publicly comment on the affair.

While Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright, its teaching is that homosexual acts "are intrinsically disordered". The Catechism of the Catholic church states unequivocally: "Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Balducci was arrested on 10 February, suspected of involvement in widespread corruption. A senior Italian government official, he is alleged to have to steered public works contracts towards favoured bidders. He has not been charged.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: b16; benedict; benedictxvi; catholic; homosexualagenda; itsjustsex; lavendermafia; pope; scandal; scandals; sex; sin; sodomite; vatican
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To: Cardhu

Catholicism has been a gay sex scandal for most of the past two millennia.


41 posted on 03/05/2010 10:27:51 AM PST by meadsjn (Sarah 2012, or sooner)
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To: ConservativeMind
141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

There you go. "Sin" consists in willingly engaging in an evil act, with the knowledge that it is evil. Homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered ... contrary to the natural law" ..." That covers the "evil act" part. The Catechism is written to a Catholic audience, and should be interpreted from a Catholic POV. An action may be evil, disordered, even sinful ... but a specific instance of that action isn't an actual sin, unless the person who does it knows it's wrong and does it anyway. Lack of knowledge, and lack of consent may be mitigating factors in actual guilt.

42 posted on 03/05/2010 10:28:45 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: Cardhu; ConservativeMind
Apparently the Pope and the Catholic church don’t see homosexual acts as sinful, so does this mean that God and Christ don’t have a problem with such acts?

From the Catechism:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The Definition of Sin according to the Catechism:

1849 Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law."

1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight." Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods," knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God." In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.

It comes down to the will. Man can do many things that are contrary to God's Will and Law... but to be sinful, the man must do it in knowing rebellion to or rejection of God. Therefore, an act--by itself--can be "disordered" and "against the natural law" but not necessarily sinful. The person committing the act makes it sinful by the participation of his will. Only God can judge the heart.

43 posted on 03/05/2010 10:29:13 AM PST by pgyanke (You have no "rights" that require an involuntary burden on another person. Period. - MrB)
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To: Campion

Well said.


44 posted on 03/05/2010 10:29:34 AM PST by karnage (worn arguments and old attitudes)
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To: Campion

Thank you. See also #42.


45 posted on 03/05/2010 10:29:43 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ConservativeMind
See post 40 WRT specifically to homosexual acts.

The definition of "gravely disordered" is a matter of common terminology used by moral theologians.

The Wikipedia article on the topic seems pretty complete and accurate to me.

46 posted on 03/05/2010 10:30:55 AM PST by Campion ("President Barack Obama" is an anagram for "An Arab-backed imposter")
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To: JudyinCanada
This puts the catholic church in the position of being somewhat desperate, and therefore less discriminating.

BS! There are bad apples in every calling... but the Church has a high concentration of very good men and women united in their devotion to Christ. What you posted is a baseless slander.

47 posted on 03/05/2010 10:31:46 AM PST by pgyanke (You have no "rights" that require an involuntary burden on another person. Period. - MrB)
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To: JudyinCanada
Allow priests to marry and the problem would be greatly alleviated.

Given that this story doesn't involve a priest, that would help in this case exactly how?

Perhaps Europeans should be allowed to marry. Oh...never mind.

Seriously, it is idiotic to think that homosexuals in the priesthood are sodomizing one another and others simply because they are forbidden to marry.

How do you explain public school teachers?

48 posted on 03/05/2010 10:34:46 AM PST by B Knotts (Calvin Coolidge Republican)
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To: meadsjn

“It was during this investigation into corruption that wiretaps revealed his alleged sexual activity. In one conversation, Ehiem tells Balducci: “I saw your call when I was in the Vatican, because I was doing rehearsals … in the choir … in St Peter’s.” He then suggests Balducci meet a man who he describes is “two metres tall … 97 kilos … aged 33, completely active.”

Balducci is also a senior adviser to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, the department that oversees the Roman Catholic church’s worldwide missionary activities.

Since 1995, he has been a member of one of the world’s most exclusive fraternities – the Gentlemen of His Holiness, or Papal Gentlemen, the ceremonial ushers of the papal household. In the words of a 1968 ordinance, they are expected to “distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord”.


49 posted on 03/05/2010 10:37:09 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: xzins

“My sense is that enemies target with infiltration and embarrassment those groups that oppose them. Their hope is to: (1) be elevated to important positions from which they can change the policies of the organization, or (2) injure the organization.”

This is exactly how the sodomites and other leftists operate. The Catholics set the stage for trouble, however, with Vatican II.

All of the church, and not just the RC, needs to make it clear that homosexual acts, bestial acts, etc. are sin, what evils these deviants really are responsible for, and find them in our organizations and cast them out and make sure none slip back in.


50 posted on 03/05/2010 10:41:38 AM PST by achilles2000 (Shouting "fire" in a burning building is doing everyone a favor...whether they like it or not)
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To: Cardhu
There have been buggerers in the Vatican for centuries, with housecleaning often brutally occurring, but then bearing "fruit" following a pullback. Its even worse amongst certain religious orders, who have effectively come under the control of the Lavender Mafia.

Of course, many Catholics are in denial about this, although there are probably just as many who are disgusted, and want the "sisters" out of the Church.

51 posted on 03/05/2010 10:41:42 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: JPG
There is a ‘Bishop’ involved in this, too

I did not see that just an innocent reference to a Cardinal.

In January this year, the Carabinieri recorded an exchange in which Balducci and Ehiem discuss a seminarian, or student for the priesthood. Balducci is said to have asked: "Listen, have you spoken with the seminarian by any chance?" Ehiem says he is "probably at mass or something". On 11 January, Ehiem calls again to recommend "a colleague, a friend" of the seminarian because the latter is unavailable. He says the colleague is "better, taller, a bit taller than you". Later, Ehiem asks: "Can I send [him] around straight away?"

He asks where Balducci is. The adviser says: "Up at the seminary … where the cardinal lives." Ehiem replies: "He could get there within half an hour … the time it takes to catch a taxi and get there."

52 posted on 03/05/2010 10:42:57 AM PST by Cardhu
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To: ConservativeMind
What is it about the Catholic church and gays being everywhere?

Boy from very religious families who didn't show a proclivity for women were/are often steered toward a priestly vocation. Many of these guys go in thinking that embracing the priesthood will cure them of their "urges." Once in the priesthood, the encounter others such as themselves, and the obvious happens.

53 posted on 03/05/2010 10:43:16 AM PST by Clemenza (Remember our Korean War Veterans)
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To: xzins
My sense is that enemies target with infiltration and embarrassment those groups that oppose them. Their hope is to: (1) be elevated to important positions from which they can change the policies of the organization, or (2) injure the organization.

Thanks, xzins. I think you are exactly right.

Of course, the Guardian is also entirely on the side of militant homosexuals and others who want to embarrass the Church, so they will make the most of something like this, as well.

Ironically, conservatives who seize on something like this to kick the church (Catholic or otherwise) are doing exactly what the secular left wants them to do.

54 posted on 03/05/2010 10:47:55 AM PST by Campion ("President Barack Obama" is an anagram for "An Arab-backed imposter")
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To: Cardhu

Many of the replies to this thread read no different than if this article was posted on DU.


55 posted on 03/05/2010 10:48:43 AM PST by word_warrior_bob (You can now see my amazing doggie and new puppy on my homepage!! Come say hello to Jake & Sonny)
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To: Clemenza
There have been buggerers in the Vatican for centuries

There have been sinners of every description in the Vatican for centuries.

In fact, I've heard that one of the worst sinners of all -- a guy Dante put at the bottom of hell, as the Devil's eternal chew-toy -- was sitting right there at the Last Supper, a few seats away from Jesus.

56 posted on 03/05/2010 10:49:55 AM PST by Campion ("President Barack Obama" is an anagram for "An Arab-backed imposter")
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To: Campion; ArrogantBustard; pgyanke
”When an individual freely and willfully does a “disordered act”, that's sin.”

“An action may be evil, disordered, even sinful ... but a specific instance of that action isn't an actual sin, unless the person who does it knows it's wrong and does it anyway. Lack of knowledge, and lack of consent may be mitigating factors in actual guilt.”

It comes down to the will. Man can do many things that are contrary to God's Will and Law... but to be sinful, the man must do it in knowing rebellion to or rejection of God. Therefore, an act—by itself—can be “disordered” and “against the natural law” but not necessarily sinful. The person committing the act makes it sinful by the participation of his will. Only God can judge the heart.

Okay, I can buy that. Each of you are saying basically the same thing on this. Cool.

57 posted on 03/05/2010 10:53:57 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Hypocrisy: "Animal rightists" who eat meat & pen up pets while accusing hog farmers of cruelty.)
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To: Cardhu
Gee, a British paper makes "shocking" allegations about the Catholic Church. Will wonders never cease?

The true irony is, if such allegations were made against a bishop of the Anglican Church, they would not be shocking. And anyone who claimed they were would be branded as a bigot.
58 posted on 03/05/2010 10:56:18 AM PST by Antoninus (It's a degenerate society where dogs have more legal rights than unborn babies.)
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To: ConservativeMind
What do you Catholics have to say about this? Protestants would say the Bible is all that need condemn it. Apparently the Pope and the Catholic church don’t see homosexual acts as sinful, so does this mean that God and Christ don’t have a problem with such acts?

NB: One should never take their assumptions about what the Catholic Church does or doesn't teach from a UK newspaper.

The Catholic Church has always taught and will always teach that homosexual acts are sinful.
59 posted on 03/05/2010 10:58:28 AM PST by Antoninus (It's a degenerate society where dogs have more legal rights than unborn babies.)
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To: word_warrior_bob

Do you think that all conservatives are smitten with religion?

Get out and about more - there is a big world out there.


60 posted on 03/05/2010 11:03:14 AM PST by Cardhu
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