John Paul II, Protector of Sexual Predators, to Be Beatified

In yet another shocking example of just how morally bankrupt the Roman Catholic Church has become, the Vatican has announced that Pope John Paul II is to be beatified on May 1, 2011. It's more than a little troubling to me that a man who knowingly and consciously - and the same holds for the current Pope - protected and enabled those who sexually abused children and youths should be venerated much less beatified. What's next, a serial rapist or violent murderer being beatified? It's disgusting and yet another reason why I left the Catholic Church so as to not feel dirty and morally defective by association. The move may seem reasonable within the bubble of the Vatican where objective reality seems to hold no sway. But among intelligent, rational individuals how does one justify remaining a part of such a tainted institution? Like it or not, a portion of every dollar given to the general collections in every parish ends up in Rome and supporting such morally reprehensible actions. Here are highlights from the New York Times:
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope on Friday approved a miracle attributed to Pope John Paul II's intercession and set May 1 as the date for his beatification, an event that will be a major morale boost for a church reeling from a wave of violence against Christians and fallout from the clerical sexual abuse scandal.
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Pope Benedict XVI declared in a decree that a French nun's recovery from Parkinson's disease was miraculous, the last step needed for the beloved pontiff's beatification.
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The May 1 ceremony, to be celebrated by Benedict himself, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Rome to honor one of the most popular popes of all time. A second miracle is needed for John Paul to be made a saint.
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Last year, there were some questions about whether Marie-Simon-Pierre's original diagnosis was correct. But in a statement Friday, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints said Vatican-appointed doctors had "scrupulously" studied the case and determined that her cure had no scientific explanation.
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John Paul was adored by Catholics, but he did not escape scrutiny, since many of the thousands of sexual abuse cases that emerged last year concerned crimes or cover-ups that occurred under his watch. Vatican officials have said there was nothing in John Paul's record that called into question his path to beatification.
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The true miracle would be for the Church hierarchy to purge itself of those responsible for aiding and abetting Child molesters and child rapists. But since that would mean Benedict XVI's abdication, it's a safe bet that it will never happen, thus proving the seemingly irreversible moral decline of the Church where power, money and control are the true gods.