Abandoned Altars

“Venit, vidit, vicit,” is how I think it would be in my lousy Latin.

“He came, he saw, he conquered.” That would be Pope Benedict all right. I have to say his performance during his US trip was masterful. Though lacking the charisma of his predecessor, he made up for it with a certain folksy charm by so openly enjoying the adulation he received anyway. And he didn’t slip up even once.

He actually talked about the clergy sex abuse crisis, even met with a few victims. And so the word will go out that yes, the nightmare is over at last. “Roma locuta est, causa finita est.”

Yes, Rome has indeed spoken, but is the case really closed? One strong indication it just might not be came from one Richard Sipe, who stood up and fingered Cardinal McCarrick.

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With Pope Benedict’s arrival in the US just days away, interest is growing in his role in the clergy sex abuse scandals. A British documentary revives the charges that he led the cover-up.

That is but the tip of the proverbial iceberg, I’m afraid. Recent historical research for a book I’m writing has convinced me that Joseph Ratzinger is largely responsible for the scandals erupting in the first place. And he is directly responsible for their ending. Details can be found here.

That’s right. The scandals are over, folks. You just have not realized it yet.

Why is this important? First of all, they are over because the cover-up is in place even worse than before.

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In the middle of April, Pope Benedict XVI will be coming to the United States for a visit. He will hold huge public masses, meet political and religious leaders, and even address the UN.

Doubtless the sheeple will be filled with joy. But what about the rest of us?

For those not blinded by the papal aura, this pope is not an attractive figure. Aside from looking as evil as the Emperor in Star Wars, Joseph Ratzinger, whose last job was chief enforcer for the Vatican, has turned the clock back to the Dark Ages.

Gone are any dreams of a truly ecumenical Church, the ordination of women, the inclusion of gays, the use of contraception, or alleviating poverty and class injustice through inspired social activism. He’s subtly insulted non-Roman Catholics of all denominations and sure hasn’t made friends with the Muslims or the Jews, either.

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The word “privilege” basically means a “private law”, that is, a law not enacted for the good of the general public, but for the benefit of some interested group.

Case in point: the clergy. Historically, the Church has claimed many privileges for its clergy. Here’s what the old Catholic Encyclopedia lists:

“The privileges in favour of the clergy are: personal inviolability, a special court, immunity from certain burdens and the right to a proper maintenance (privilegium canonis, fori, immunitatis, competentiœ). In addition, the clergy have precedence of the laity in religious assemblies and processions, a special place in the church, viz., the presbytery, and titles of honour.”

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Give Guilt Top Priority, Pope Asks Priests

Vatican, Feb. 20, 2007 (NadirNews.com) - At an Ash Wednesday meeting with confessors, Pope Benedict XVI remarked on how the “best racket in the business” is realized in the sacrament of Penance.

The Holy Father was speaking to the confessors of the Roman basilica at a Lenten pep rally. After the officials of the Apostolic Penitentiary, led by Cardinal James Stafford, put on a stunning and energetic song and dance number, the Pope gave his address. “This is our busiest season for welcoming sinners,” he acknowledged, “and a heavenly opportunity to terrify them into submission.” He told them that the priest, as confessor, is a “vital instrument of our control of the sheep.”

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