For the record, I left the Roman Catholic Church in early 2002 as the sexual abuse scandal in Boston was beginning to explode. As the father of three children I was repulsed by the callousness of the Church hierarchy that knowingly exposed children and youth to sexual abuse while covering up for predatory priests and intimidating victims into silence. Since that time, the Church has come up with any number of lame and disingenuous excuses for the criminal malfeasance of bishops and cardinals who had complicity in the cover ups and shuffled predatory priests from one unsuspecting parish to the next. But now, the Church has truly outdone itself. It seems the abuse scandal wasn't due to psycho-sexually dysfunctional priests and/or the morally bankrupt high Church clerics and a Vatican policy that demanded cover up and secrecy. Nope, That wasn't the root of the problem. No, sir. It was the Devil's fault. Or at least so says the chief exorcist for the Roman Catholic Church. I'm sorry, but what rational, logical person not in need of strong anti-psychotic medications is going to believe this latest bullshit? Here are highlights from the Times of London on this latest lunacy:*
Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that "the Devil is at work inside the Vatican", according to the Holy See's chief exorcist.
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Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican's chief exorcist for 25 years and says he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession, said that the consequences of satanic infiltration included power struggles at the Vatican as well as "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon".
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He added: "When one speaks of 'the smoke of Satan' [a phrase coined by Pope Paul VI in 1972] in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and paedophilia."
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Father Amorth told La Repubblica that the devil was "pure spirit, invisible. But he manifests himself with blasphemies and afflictions in the person he possesses. He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, transform himself or appear to be agreeable. At times he makes fun of me."
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Personally, I suspect that if the Devil is present at the Vatican it is embodied by Pope Benedict XVI and his anything but saintly predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who the far right Kool-Aid drinkers in the Church are Hell bent to canonize. Frankly, I feel so much cleaner since I have left the insanity and moral root of the Catholic Church. But to each his/her own.
Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that "the Devil is at work inside the Vatican", according to the Holy See's chief exorcist.
*
Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican's chief exorcist for 25 years and says he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession, said that the consequences of satanic infiltration included power struggles at the Vatican as well as "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon".
*
He added: "When one speaks of 'the smoke of Satan' [a phrase coined by Pope Paul VI in 1972] in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and paedophilia."
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Father Amorth told La Repubblica that the devil was "pure spirit, invisible. But he manifests himself with blasphemies and afflictions in the person he possesses. He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, transform himself or appear to be agreeable. At times he makes fun of me."
*
Personally, I suspect that if the Devil is present at the Vatican it is embodied by Pope Benedict XVI and his anything but saintly predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who the far right Kool-Aid drinkers in the Church are Hell bent to canonize. Frankly, I feel so much cleaner since I have left the insanity and moral root of the Catholic Church. But to each his/her own.
2 comments:
"At times he makes fun of me."
Ya know...I'm thinking that has nothing to do with the devil. I'm thinking it's more just sane people out there laughing their asses off because they can't believe that people still think that there's an invisible bugaboo in the aether plotting their spiritual down fall.
Michael, I can't disagree with a single thing you've written here. I'm a recovering Catholic from a long way back, too.
But, honestly, most religions are known for blaming the devil for all sins committed. According to them, the devil is always at work, trying to steer us away from the straight and narrow.
Does this mean that human beings shouldn't be held responsible for what they do? Not at all. God gave us all free will, and we all decide what to do with that free will. But whenever evil doings are involved, the church would always say the devil was involved in helping us to decide what to do with our free will.
I'm not sure the Catholic church is trying to take the blame off the priests who molested young children. I'm not one to defend the church, but I think the higher-ups are just using the same old excuse they've always used for the evil human beings do--the devil made me do it.
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