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"WHY POPE BENEDICT WILL BE FORCED TO RESIGN"
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Original Message
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Why Pope Benedict Will be Forced to Resign
May 8th, 2010 12:02 PM
[link to www.thepeoplesvoice.org]
Sancho E. Jones
Just Because the Vatican Doesn't Hold the Clergy Responsible, Doesn't Mean the Membership Won't
After centuries of torture, genocide and even siding with Nazi Germany, why would the abuse scandal result in the Catholic Church forcing Pope Benedict XVI to step down? Why weren't other more heinous acts punished?
This time, there is going to be hell to pay.
It isn't that the Vatican finds priests raping children to be particularly troublesome, or violating the sanctity of the confessional to be worthy of punishment, even breaking the law isn't of much concern. It will be something more fundamental that will bring down the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
God.
You will notice that the Pope will be talking more and more about how “the Church” should do penance, or how “we” need to apologize. What Benedict is trying to do is to foist the blame from himself, and/or the Vatican on to the membership at large. Most members find the comparison of the Pope to holocaust victims and Jesus on the cross to be particularly offensive.
THE ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL
It is important to draw some distinctions here. There is Catholicism which is a religion; the Catholic Church which is a group of members of that faith which includes the laity, priests, nuns and all the leadership; and then there is the Vatican. Members often despise the Vatican, think the Pope is a buffoon and still love the Church, and consider themselves a good Catholic.
Catholics in a general geographic location make up a parish with usually one church, and groups of parishes are organized into a diocese, under the leadership of the Bishop or Archbishop. Above that are Cardinals who elect the Pope. It's a bit more complicated than that, but this gives non-Catholics a general feel for the organization.
Located in Rome, the Vatican is considered to be a separate country, a ruling body of about 200 men, headed by the Pope, believed to be God's representative on Earth. Literally.
The US Catholic Church often wields it's own power over the American membership, a group of Catholics who do not necessarily follow the edicts of the Pope to the letter, but consider themselves to be part of the same Church. For instance, in the US, divorced Catholics may attend mass and accept communion as their conscience dictates, even though this is prohibited. The states are usually more liberal the Europe, Americans do not find themselves the subject of Church discipline. Excommunication is rare. [link to www.vatican.va]
[link to www.bishop-accountability.org]
[link to www.newadvent.org]
[link to www.newadvent.org]
[link to www.bishop-accountability.org]
[link to www.bishop-accountability.org]
[link to www.boston.com]
[link to www.boston.com]
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