Today on the Dish, Andrew voiced measured praise for the president’s new policy on hospital visitation. A reader dissented. Sullivan also elucidated his view on the Tea Party movement. The day after the first debate, Nick Clegg surged into the spotlighted and Massie put Cameron in third place. NPR updated us on priest sexuality. Musings … Continue reading The Weekly Wrap
Today on the Dish, Jason Berry continued to expose the evil of Marcial Maciel just as we caught wind of another case out of San Antonio. A reader dissented over Andrew's approach to the scandal, Julian Sanchez jumped in the debate, and a female blogger explained why now is the best time to be Catholic. … Continue reading The Daily Wrap
While Ross feels sympathy for Benedict XVI – by comparing him to the worse legacy of John Paul II! – it seems to me a shame that he cannot mention or cite the crimes at the heart of the scandal. “Abusive priests” is as accurate a term as “enhanced interrogation”. The priest in the laicization … Continue reading The Real Victim
"All sorts of people have all sorts of motives, but the fact is that the press—the journalistic establishment in the U.S. and Europe—has been the best friend of the Catholic Church on this issue. Let me repeat that: The press has been the best friend of the Catholic Church on the scandals because it exposed … Continue reading Quote For The Day II
Today on the Dish, Andrew widened his scrutiny of the pontiff to new cases of abuse, as well as highlighted a spike in claims among Austrians. Benedict's personal preacher somehow compared the media inquiry to anti-Semitism. A reader dug up countless other cases from centuries past, another disagreed with Andrew about the nature of the … Continue reading The Weekly Wrap
Today on the Dish we kept up our coverage of the Vatican crisis. The big news was the Legionaries of Christ condemning its founder, Marcial Maciel, for his long history of abuse. Theocons such as George Weigel continued to defend the Church and cast blame on the media – a strategy not unlike Palin's. Meanwhile, … Continue reading The Daily Wrap
Theocon George Weigel – surprise! - insists that Benedict's letter demonstrates his "utter seriousness" in confronting abuse:
The Pope is quite aware of two facts of the global crisis: that it is far worse in other parts of society than it is in the Catholic Church today, and that the Catholic Church must nonetheless hold itself to a higher standard than others. Indeed, as one of the bright spots in this dark picture, Benedict’s letter notes that the Church’s efforts to come to grips with these problems within the household of faith — which have been more far-reaching than in any other institution or sector of society — have led others to look to the Catholic Church for guidance on how to address what is, in fact, a global plague.
The Vatican is claiming that Cardinal Ratzinger, as he then was, had no clue about any of this:
This is huge – and very encouraging news. Pope Benedict XVI has decided to launch an investigation of the Legionaries of Christ, the cult once presided over by the sexual abuser, Marcial Maciel. This is a very big deal because it suggests that Benedict understands that the large amount of cash the Legion has brought … Continue reading The Pope And The Cult
There is, it seems to me, a connecting thread between all the various depressing bits of Catholic news this past week, beginning with the clueless, insular outreach to reactionary SSPX anti-Semites and culminating in the latest revelations about the serial child rapist protected by John Paul II, Father Maciel. That thread is not sex or … Continue reading A Question Of Power
