Another vicious, inaccurate, and contradictory New York Times attack on Pope Benedict

Today’s New York Times, with another front-page attack on Pope Benedict XVI, erases any possible doubt that America’s most influential newspaper has declared an editorial jihad against this pontificate. Abandoning any sense of editorial balance, journalistic integrity, or even elementary logic, the Times looses a 4,000-word barrage against the Pope: an indictment that is not supported even by the content of this appalling story. Apparently the editors are relying on sheer volume of words, and repetition of ugly details, to substitute for logical argumentation.

The thrust of the argument presented by the Times is that prior to his election as Pontiff, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger did not take decisive action to punish priests who abused children. Despite its exhaustive length, the story does not present a single new case to support that argument. The authors claim, at several points in their presentation, that as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), Cardinal Ratzinger had the authority to take action. But then, again and again, they quote knowledgeable Church officials saying precisely the opposite.

The confusion over lines of authority at the Vatican was so acute, the Times reports, that in the year 2000 a group of bishops met in Rome to present their concerns. That meeting led eventually to the change in policy announced by Pope John Paul II the following year, giving the CDF sole authority over disciplinary action against priests involved in sexual abuse. By general consensus the 2001 policy represented an important step forward in the Vatican’s handling of the problem, and it was Cardinal Ratzinger who pressed for that policy change. How does that sequence of events justify criticism of the future Pope? It doesn’t. But the facts do not deter the Times.

The Times writers show their bias with their flippant observation that when he might have been fighting sexual abuse, during the 1980s and 1990s Cardinal Ratzinger was more prominent in his pursuit of doctrinal orthodoxy. But then, while until 2001 it was not clear which Vatican office was primarily responsible for sexual abuse, it was clear that the CDF was responsible for doctrinal orthodoxy. Cardinal Ratzinger’s primary focus was on his primary job.

After laying out the general argument against the Vatican’s inaction—and implying that Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible for that inaction, disregarding the ample evidence that other prelates stalled his efforts—the Times makes the simply astonishing argument that local diocesan bishops were more effective in their handling of sex-abuse problems. That argument is merely wrong; it is comically absurd.

During the 1980s and 1990s, as some bishops were complaining about the confusion at the Vatican, bishops in the US and Ireland, Germany and Austria, Canada and Italy were systematically covering up evidence of sexual abuse, and transferring predator-priests to new parish assignments to hide them from scrutiny. The revelations of the past decade have shown a gross dereliction of duty on the part of diocesan bishops. Indeed the ugly track record has shown that a number of diocesan bishops were themselves abusing children during those years.

So how does the Times have the temerity to suggest that the diocesan bishops needed to educate the Vatican on the proper handling of this issue? The lead witness for the Times story is Bishop Geoffrey Robinson: a former auxiliary of the Sydney, Australia archdiocese, who was hustled into premature retirement in 2004 at the age of 66 because his professed desire to change the teachings of the Catholic Church put him so clearly at odds with his fellow Australian bishops and with Catholic orthodoxy. This obscure Australian bishop, the main source of support for the absurd argument advanced by the Times, is the author of a book on Christianity that has been described as advancing “the most radical changes since Martin Luther started the 16th-century Reformation.” His work has drawn an extraordinary caution from the Australian episcopal conference, which warned that Robinson was at odds with Catholic teaching on “among other things, the nature of Tradition, the inspiration of the Holy Scripture, the infallibility of the Councils and the Pope, the authority of the Creeds, the nature of the ministerial priesthood and central elements of the Church’s moral teaching." Bishop Robinson is so extreme in his theological views that Cardinal Roger Mahony (who is not ordinarily known as a stickler for orthodoxy) barred him from speaking in the Los Angeles archdiocese in 2008. This, again, is the authority on which the Times hangs its argument against the Vatican.

Bishops had a variety of disciplinary tools at their disposal — including the power to remove accused priests from contact with children and to suspend them from ministry altogether — that they could use without the Vatican’s direct approval.

It is not clear, then, why the Vatican bears the bulk of the responsibility for the sex-abuse scandal. Still less clear is why the main focus of that responsibility should be Pope Benedict. On that score, too, the Times blatantly contradicts its own argument. Buried in the Times story—on the 3rd page in the print edition, in the 46th paragraph of the article—is a report on one Vatican official who stood out at that 2000 meeting in Rome, calling for more effective action on sexual abuse.

An exception to the prevailing attitude, several participants recalled, was Cardinal Ratzinger. He attended the sessions only intermittently and seldom spoke up. But in his only extended remarks, he made clear that he saw things differently from others in the Curia.

That testimony is seconded by a more reliable prelate, Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide:

“The speech he gave was an analysis of the situation, the horrible nature of the crime, and that it had to be responded to promptly,” recalled Archbishop Wilson of Australia, who was at the meeting in 2000. “I felt, this guy gets it, he’s understanding the situation we’re facing. At long last, we’ll be able to move forward.”

The Times story, despite its flagrant bias and distortion, actually contains the evidence to dismiss the complaint. Unfortunately, the damage has already done before the truth comes out: that even a decade ago the future Pope Benedict was the solution, not part of the problem.

“I didn't make the definitions, I simply used the agreed-upon meaning of the words (as per official lexicons).”

So you say, but there are lexicons and there are lexicons

“Free Will” is a philosophical term of art for a particular sort of capacity of rational agents to choose a course of action from among various alternatives. “ (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

“You forgot to add—freely. Free, as in without restriction, influence, interference, retstaints, or burdens, etc. Name one situation in real life that meets this definition. It doesn't exist. Our choices are always forced by something and therefore never truly free.”

I forgot nothing. You're arguing degrees of freely making decisions not the ability as such. Since the term “without” is a relative term it will always allow for degrees of “freely” while you're asking me to cite an absolute.
A non-starter.

“Our choices are always forced by something and therefore never truly free.”

An opinion that an absolute situation exists, “always”,
“never”? Influence is not force and truly free is a matter of degree, a relative term.

“What motivated God to create the world? Lack of satisfaction? God lacking anything is a contradiction in terms or just plain anthropomorphism. That which is perfect lacks nothing”

Again defining the terms to support a particular opinion.
Lack can be defined as absence of something without reference to necessity. At some point in time Adam did not exist, humans were absent and God chose to create them. He wasn't imperfect without them or more perfect with them.

“That which is perfect lacks nothing.”

Your philosophical statement not supported by what “lack” means.

“He should have thought of that before he made Adam. That shows lack of omniscience.”

How ever did God function without your advice, I wonder.

“In every day language, that means not forced or influenced.”

Maybe you should become more familiar with “every day” language since we all tend to speak in relative terms about what is free, what is influence, etc. in decision making.

“But since everything ends us being according to God's will, his will determines our decisions or else he would be playing dice.”

A confusion of outcome and process. He can accomplish His will despite anyones decision as Pharaoh learned.

“In that case there is no God's plan, and God is forced to second-guess man. Christians believe there was exactly 0% chance that Judas would exercise his free will and decide not to betray Jesus.”

Really? Where do you find that? Scripture? Catechisms? Apocrypha? Gnostic writings? A poll? Where?

“Paul doesn't think he had much of a choice either, having been set aside in his mother's womb and struck form his horse on the way to Damascus. God didn't ask him to choose even if the last thing Paul wanted to do was join the people he persecuted.”

All Jewish males were set aside from their mothers womb as was Paul, particularly if Paul were a firstborn son.
And Paul had made a choice, ignorantly thinking he was doing God's will. When given instructions he chose to follow them unlike Pharaoh. But no, Paul didn't have a choice of what nation he was born into or falling from a horse or the loss of eyesight or going bald either.
When it was explained to Paul that those he persecuted actually WERE God's people Paul chose to embrace them.

Forced to change his mind? Yep, but nevertheless he did the changing.

“If God decides the consequences of our choices, then the consequences God preordained by necessity force our choices, even if we are not aware of it, hence the “free will” is only something humans experience on their level as an illusion.”

If that were true it seems manifestly unjust to impose any punishment upon anyone for their actions. If they have no free will, they are simply responding to what forces them to decide a certain way and hence bear no responsibility.

Then all actions are morally neutral and we have no reason to condemn Judas since.

“He did what God made sure he would do.” ,

The logical consequence of your assertions is nonsense.

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