The Catholic Church Leadership Has Truly Lost its Mind

The insanity of the Catholic Church hierarchy has now truly gone over the top. And this just as news has broken that the wildfire of sexual abuse cover ups has moved into yet another European country, this time France. At the rate the stories of abuse are spreading, it seems that the better question: is there any country where the Church did not enable predator priests and cover up their misdeeds? Now, during a Lenten service at St. Peter's basilica, the allegation has been made that to criticize the Catholic Church for its worldwide cover up of sexual abuse of children and youth is the same as in engaging in anti-semitism. Let's see, anti-semitism is hate based on who people are whereas criticism of the Church is based on actual misdeeds of individuals. In this case the current Pope, at least three of his immediate predecessors and bishops and cardinals all around the world. Not to leave out the predator priests, of course. Talk about an ass backwards defense. But, I guess at this point the Church hierarchy has nowhere to go but to peddle lies and misinformation. Here are highlights from the Washington Post on this truly sick and sleazy tactic:
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On the most solemn day in the Roman Catholic calendar, a senior Vatican priest ignited a fresh chapter Friday in the debate over the priest abuse scandal by comparing criticism of the Church and Pope Benedict XVI to the historic persecution and "collective violence" against Jews.
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In a Good Friday sermon in St. Peter's Basilica attended by the pope, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa said a Jewish friend had written to him, saying the recent accusations about the Church reminded him of the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism."
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The statement stung Jewish groups -- with one spokesman calling it "repulsive" -- and prompted calls for the priest to retract it and for the pope to address it. The statement also angered victims groups, which expressed outrage that the Church, some of whose priests preyed on generations of Catholic children, was portraying itself as a victim.
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"The pope is not the victim here, nor is the Church hierarchy," said David Clohessy, who is an advocate for victims and who experienced alleged abuses by a priest as a boy. "The victims are the boys and girls being sexually assaulted by priests, nuns, seminarians."
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Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of Simon Wiesenthal Center, in Los Angeles, called the comparison "bizarre." "It's Good Friday," he added. The priest "knows his remarks are going all over the world. And that's the message you want to give? Ridiculous. Not only should the priest retract it, but the pope should address it . . . to say nothing condones it."
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[O]thers in the Catholic community said they have been struck by the Church's response to recent abuse allegations. "If they hired someone to draw up the worst possible PR plan for the Church, they could not do any worse than these guys are doing right now," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. . . . I mean, to invoke the persecution of the Jews? They are making every mistake in the book."
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Benedict XVI and his henchmen truly are living in some fantasy world. It is fast becoming an embarrassment to say one was every a Catholic.