Pope's preacher: Accusations akin to anti-Semitism

[Usbek_de_Perse]

Let’s put this in the clearest terms:

Jews during the Holocaust = victims
Nazis during the Holocaust = perpetrators

Children in the sexual abuse scandal = victims
Priests, and those who protect them = perpetrators

You can’t cross over into being victims unless you have been victimized, brutally by those who should be caring for you.

I don’t think Benedict is guilty of anything beyond complacency, if that. But this preacher is quite an odd duck. He needs a course in logic, and public relations. The Vatican is making things worse and worse for itself. Obviously, in the realm of PR, the Holy Spirit is having a hard time blowing through the heavy Vatican doors.

The Vatican can’t be serious when they make this comparison…well actually, I’m afraid they are. Thank Heaven there is a distinct difference between the beauty that is Catholicism and the political administration of the Catholic Church.

 

[Adeodatus]

The Vatican can’t be serious when they make this comparison…well actually, I’m afraid they are.

I’m afraid that you either misread the piece or are not representing it accurately. The Vatican is not making this comparison. A Jewish guy who is friends with the priest in question made the comparison.

Or you could ignore the facts and bash the Catholic Church. That’s probably the safer course.

 

[Lex]

Here in the UK many people are making capital of the anti-semitic parallels and it seems that here and in the US, Jews are not best pleased.

bit.ly/a03Rrj

Don’t think it will be fatal but it isn’t helpful or healthy.

I think Benedict has an enormous task before him

 

[Zoe_Brain]

Fr. Cantalamessa is guilty of bad media savvy, nothing else.

Nailed it.

A lot of the Vatican’s problems can be accurately described this way. Cloth-eared. Out of touch. Lacking common sense. Insensitive. That may be a problem in its own right, but as sins go, it’s a very small one.

The real problem is the cover-up. Then the crimes themselves. Then, a long way down on the list, the appalling insensitivity. I think we have enough to do right now with the first two, and I genuinely believe the second one is at least in hand. The first one continues though.

 

[s4angel]

Lets see… The original tree (jewish) we are but grafts on that tree (Christians) my heart bleeds for what I have heard today how my brothers and sisters hurt the one people we had to thank for our salvation. It was through the tree of David that we had the the block which the founders stumbled on, should we then hate the founders or love them for giving us the foundation even if they ignored it? Should I not always love them? I will not be responsible for someone elses insult to those who are no longer alive to be insulted! But niether will I allow those whome I love to be insulted for slights that I never made myself. I will not attack the root of the tree from which I sprouted nor will I allow someone to insult any branch from the tree which god himself planted and to which he made me hier to no matter if my brothers don’t agree with me, even unto death. I am a christian and I do not care what others say, I obide by the spirit and nothing else. I believed what the lord said when he said "upon this rock, I will build my church. I believe that God is in controle, I believe that Christ would not lead me astray, I also believe that God himself that created me and knows every breath I take and has counted the hairs on my head ( ever tried to do that? I did ) I believe in that promise, It is time you did too.

 

[Lex]

Rowan William’s has described the RC Church as having lost ‘all credibility’ regarding the Irish abuse cover-up situation. Big news here in the UK in the year in which Benedict is due to visit.

bit.ly/92lwl6

The church must be open, honest and show some integrity, regardless of how painful it might be. If it doesn’t I fear that a potentially fatal blow will be struck for Catholicism and Christianity as a whole.

I don’t think there will more than one opportunity to act properly and the arrogance of old, which assumed the Vatican and those within to be above question or reproach, needs to swiftly be pout to one side.

Pax

 

[sidbrown]

I don’t think that this horrific scandal in the Church has anything to do with anti-semitism.

 

[Digitonomy]

The part of the sermon referring to Jewish people only occurs in the final two and a half paragraphs:

“By a rare coincidence, this year our Easter falls on the same week of the Jewish Passover which is the ancestor and matrix within which it was formed. This pushes us to direct a thought to our Jewish brothers. They know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms. I received in this week the letter of a Jewish friend and, with his permission, I share here a part of it.”

…You can see how the Associated Press, in my opinion, has twisted around and has even made up and exaggerates things the Preacher never said.

From the part you highlighted in red, it seems pretty clear the homilist is making the claim that Catholics are the victims of collective violence similar to anti-Semitism. He then reads from the letter to support his point.

Dwyer:

Is the News Media now going to censor Catholic homilies?

The media isn’t interested in censorship - they are delighted to have a great story in the continuing train wreck of Vatican PR.

 

[Peccavi]

Reading through the posts in this forum it is sad to reflect that the Devil is too often present in the detail and that the thrust of Christ’s teaching is lost in the heavy cloth of ritual and dogmatic dances…If God’s spirit moves within the Church so too do the Devil’s disciples…that is why millions of us are lapsed

 

[Lex]

And sadly, in this train wreck, it seems that the signals, operations team and driver are all within the Catholic Church.

How entertaining for those who wish Christians ill to see the job done by those against whom they contend.

What a foot-shooting exercise this is unfolding to be

 

[dixieagle]

And sadly, in this train wreck, it seems that the signals, operations team and driver are all within the Catholic Church.

How entertaining for those who wish Christians ill to see the job done by those against whom they contend.

What a foot-shooting exercise this is unfolding to be

So very sad, but quite true.

Instead of continuing these appallingly inept and damaging responses to perceived media attacks, it is high time to simply STOP TALKING and start serious soul-searching. This has been a prime example of just how tone-deaf some of the higher-ups have been during this whole sorry ordeal.

Satan is sitting back and laughing.

 

[miguel]

Considering the horrors that the Jewish people have been through in their existence, this is no where near anti-semitism.

The slander came before the ovens.

 

[kepha1]

"Any reasonable person will understand that the mass media have for way too long been controlled by masons and almost every major news article is slanted to produce a masonic perspective of that news while hiding the hand that, behind the scenes, is responsible for much of it. "
Henry Makow Ph.D.

 

[sidbrown]

"Any reasonable person will understand that the mass media have for way too long been controlled by masons and almost every major news article is slanted to produce a masonic perspective of that news while hiding the hand that, behind the scenes, is responsible for much of it. "
Henry Makow Ph.D.

So what is the logical implication here? There is still a big problem here, regardless of whether you like what is being reported or not.

 

[WesPilgrim]

by sidbrown:
So what is the logical implication here? There is still a big problem here, regardless of whether you like what is being reported or not.

OK, fair question. I believe that God is pruning his first and best Church by the full airing of this sordid past. USA got most of its done back in 02 -04. Now is Europe’s turn. Fine, God be praised, it must be faced, and I believe today with the strong desire to heal these wounds, and put better safeguards in place, and a better understanding of the nature of these crimes and so forth the Church will meet this challenge. In some cases some justice is being done and restitution made, and that is a good thing (these crimes are like murder in that they cannot be undone).
That said, make no mistake, the current reporting of these old cases is aimed to bring down the Vatican and especially B16. Journalistic standards be darned. Yes, I am judging their motives, and may Christ have mercy on my soul, but that is the way I see it.
This Pope, in particular, is an offense to the secular mind and mood. They want him to permit birth control, allow the ordination of women, soft pedal abortion talk, soft pedal homosexual policy, in short give away the store. The sad thing is that the dinosaur media doesn’t give a tinker’s darn about the victims IMV. They have their target in their sights.
What frustrates me the most is the number of nominal Catholics that don’t intuitively know what seems so clear to many of us. And, I’m not even Catholic!!!

blessings, Wes

 

[DSJJ]

Amen to everything you said Wes. You sound Catholic already in everything you write. What gives?

 

[gus]

Source for this information?

me
I saw the homily last night on Ewtn
was astounded that he was quoting from a letter.
That was nowhere in the news reports
I guess His Jewish friend new wahat he was talking about

 

[sidbrown]

They want him to permit birth control, allow the ordination of women, soft pedal abortion talk, soft pedal homosexual policy,

Specifically, who is the “they” that you are talking about. What are their names and are they Catholic or some other religion?

 

[WesPilgrim]

Specifically, who is the “they” that you are talking about. What are their names and are they Catholic or some other religion?

“They” are the media elites. Some are nominal Catholics, but they are by and large secular folks, some liberal protestants, and non-practicing Jewish folk. They have a secular mindset and whatever religion they’ve retained is primarily cultural. The opinion makers. The New York Times, Dinosaur Networks (“big 3”), as well as CNN, MSNBC, etc.
To illustrate my point let’s step away from the heinous issue of pedophilia and other sexual sins among clergy— I understand how these are necessarily hot button issues. Those that drive the tenor and tone of the story are also those media that expressed shock and outrage that B16 didn’t distribute condoms on his trip to Africa last year (slight hyperbole— but I’m sure your remember the stories).
My point is they are agenda driven, not fact driven.
There are key persons involved in the original Fr. L.Murphy of Milwaukee case who have yet to be contacted by anyone outside Catholic media. Why? Because the template is set and “they” (there I go again) don’t want to be slowed down by troublesome details that don’t fit the template of “Vatican Corrupt to the Core”.
My replies have run long, but I’m answering your questions in good faith, as I presume they are asked in the same.
One last thought, if you will, the Vatican is not going to engage in American political savvy spin approaches to damage control. Unfortunately, that is the approach we are conditioned to expect. The Vatican is Treebeard not Bill Clinton (no offense to either character).

Blessed Easter,
Wes

 

[sidbrown]

“They” are the media elites. Some are nominal Catholics, but they are by and large secular folks, some liberal protestants, and non-practicing Jewish folk. They have a secular mindset and whatever religion they’ve retained is primarily cultural. The opinion makers. The New York Times, Dinosaur Networks (“big 3”), as well as CNN, MSNBC, etc.
To illustrate my point let’s step away from the heinous issue of pedophilia and other sexual sins among clergy— I understand how these are necessarily hot button issues. Those that drive the tenor and tone of the story are also those media that expressed shock and outrage that B16 didn’t distribute condoms on his trip to Africa last year (slight hyperbole— but I’m sure your remember the stories).
My point is they are agenda driven, not fact driven.
There are key persons involved in the original Fr. L.Murphy of Milwaukee case who have yet to be contacted by anyone outside Catholic media. Why? Because the template is set and “they” (there I go again) don’t want to be slowed down by troublesome details that don’t fit the template of “Vatican Corrupt to the Core”.
My replies have run long, but I’m answering your questions in good faith, as I presume they are asked in the same.
One last thought, if you will, the Vatican is not going to engage in American political savvy spin approaches to damage control. Unfortunately, that is the approach we are conditioned to expect. The Vatican is Treebeard not Bill Clinton (no offense to either character).

Blessed Easter,
Wes

What person has anything to gain from this.
Are you killing the messenger because the message is bad?