Well, NKP_Vet, I'm not shocked at all. Truth is we have had some pretty big sinners in Protestant churches too..... but that was not my point.
I was commenting on the following.... "I can not fathom the thought of not agreeing with the Pope in matters of faith and morals." And I was attempting to make the point that when a Pope makes laws and sets up situations and participates in these terrible sins, how can you not agree that he is setting an example of bad morals and in at least one case even setting the example of worshiping a devil. His people will look at that and in many many cases think he is advocating these acts or saying they are all okay to do because he is doing them.
In my church we admonish our leaders when they sin and take away their leadership roles instead of making excuses for them such as, "the personal sins of a pope don’t effect his ability (or inability) to teach infallibly on faith and morals." as FourtySeven stated. I would say that a leader's personal sins can and definitely do many times affect his ability to teach faith and morals, especially if his sins show him to be a liar. Do you not think that years and years of some pretty horrible act of various Popes played a part in the need for the Reformation and many many people leaving the Roman Catholic church? I would say that was a huge "effect"!
Interestingly, when a Protestant or Evangelical leader fails, it’s a feeding frenzy for Catholics, where they gleefully point out that it is the major short coming of Protestantism.
Because when it’s a pope or priest, well *We’re all sinners*, *Nobody expects them to be perfect*, *Once a priest, always a priest*, etc.
They demand perfection from others that they don’t expect of themselves.
The hypocrisy is staggering.