Pope Benedict Disingenuously Plays the Victim

On his current visit to Spain - a nation where the Catholic Church's power and influence is plummeting because of the Church's own moral bankruptcy and corruption - the Nazi Pope is whining about "aggressive anti-church" ways. As if the Church, which sided with Franco dictatorship and the abuses went with it, is now somehow being targeted and victimized. It's bullshit, of course, like most of what comes out of Benedict XVI's mouth. The Church is reaping what it has sown for decades, if not centuries, as the population in Spain becomes increasing secular and more and more inclined to ignore the Church's antiquated dogma. The Church's machinations and attempts to interfere with the civil laws has also alienated many Spaniards, and rightfully so. Frankly, instead of making "state visits" Benedict XVI ought to be standing trial for his crimes in the aiding and abetting of priest who raped children and youths. Here are some highlight from Yahoo News:
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Pope Benedict XVI criticized an "aggressive" anti-church sentiment in Spain that he said was reminiscent of the country's bloody civil war era as he began a two-day visit Saturday to rekindle the faith.
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Benedict made clear his distaste for Spain's liberal bent as he arrived in the pilgrimage city of Santiago di Compostela, where the remains of St. James the Apostle are said to be buried.
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Benedict told reporters en route to Santiago that the anticlericalism seen now in Spain is like that of the 1930s, when the church suffered a wave of violence and persecution as the country lurched from an unstable democracy to civil war.
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The reference was striking, given the scale of violence back then, when poverty-stricken and disgruntled Spaniards burned churches and murdered priests and nuns whom they considered obstacles to much-needed change. The church claims 4,184 clergy were killed by the government, or Republican side, which accused the church of backing fascist Gen. Francisco Franco.
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Nowadays, the church finds itself fighting laws supported by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government that have allowed gay marriage, fast-track divorce and easier abortions. In Spain, a strong, aggressive lay mentality, an anticlericalism and secularization has been born as we experienced in the 1930's," Benedict told reporters.
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The pope said Spain was a particular focus of a new Vatican effort to fight secular trends worldwide since Spain had played such an important role in reviving Christianity in centuries past. He urged Europe as a whole to rediscover its Christian roots.
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[N]ot everyone was excited about the pope's visit. "We want to let him know that he is not well received here because of the church opinion regarding sexual minorities," protester Pilar Estevez said in Santiago.
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With such palpable opposition to the pope's visit, Zapatero is only seeing Benedict as he's leaving on Sunday night, letting Spain's royal family take care of protocol instead. Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia greeted Benedict at Santiago's airport Saturday and welcomed him to the country.