Pope defends child porn as not an absolute evil in Christmas Address

[EmeraldHope]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/popersquos-child-porn-normal-claim-sparks-outrage-among-victims-15035449.html

Victims of clerical sex abuse have reacted furiously to Pope Benedict's claim yesterday that paedophilia wasn't considered an “absolute evil” as recently as the 1970s.

In his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered “normal” by society.

“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.
“It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than' and a ‘worse than'. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”

The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached “an unimaginable dimension” which brought “humiliation” on the Church.
Asking how abuse exploded within the Church, the Pontiff called on senior clerics “to repair as much as possible the injustices that occurred” and to help victims heal through a better presentation of the Christian message.

“We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light,” he said, citing the growth of child pornography “that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society” he said.

But outraged Dublin victim Andrew Madden last night insisted that child abuse was not considered normal in the company he kept.
Mr Madden accused the Pope of not knowing that child pornography was the viewing of images of children being sexually abused, and should be named as such.

He said: “That is not normal. I don't know what company the Pope has been keeping for the past 50 years.”
Pope Benedict also said sex tourism in the Third World was “threatening an entire generation”.

Angry abuse victims in America last night said that while some Church officials have blamed the liberalism of the 1960s for the Church's sex abuse scandals and cover-up catastrophes, Pope Benedict had come up with a new theory of blaming the 1970s.

“Catholics should be embarrassed to hear their Pope talk again and again about abuse while doing little or nothing to stop it and to mischaracterise this heinous crisis,” said Barbara Blaine, the head of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
“It is fundamentally disturbing to watch a brilliant man so conveniently misdiagnose a horrific scandal,” she added.

“The Pope insists on talking about a vague ‘broader context' he can't control, while ignoring the clear ‘broader context' he can influence — the long-standing and unhealthy culture of a rigid, secretive, all-male Church hierarchy fixated on self-preservation at all costs. This is the ‘context’ that matters.”

The latest controversy comes as the German magazine Der Spiegel continues to investigate the Pope's role in allowing a known paedophile priest to work with children in the early 1980s.

 

[lwu02eb]

I made the same mistake as you the other day and suggested this for SOTT, but was told it's from 2010, and it is. It is, however, interesting that it's doing the round right now in my opinion.

 

[EmeraldHope]

I made the same mistake as you the other day and suggested this for SOTT, but was told it's from 2010, and it is. It is, however, interesting that it's doing the round right now in my opinion.

Oh my, it is. The date not even register. Dang that machine reading error. The website I found it on posted it as if it were recent. Sorry. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Vulcan59]

Here's the article as published on SOTT in 2010. :)

http://www.sott.net/article/220257-Vatican-Christmas-Shocker-Pope-says-child-rape-isnt-that-bad-was-normal-back-in-his-day

 

[Deleted member 8431]

Haden't seen the article thanks for the link.

That is truly sick and disgusting. But why am I not finding this surprizing?

It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than' and a ‘worse than'. Nothing is good or bad in itself.

I find that statement to be highly hypocrite if we look at how people have been/are driven by the notion of sin, evil, devil, hell, punishment, judgement day etc. by the clergy and all those highly religious parents that rise their kids in terror and violence in the name of God.

I've always found this particular Pope to be really creepy. He always reminded me of the Devil actually. His look always sends chills down my spine.

Peace.

 

[Lindenlea]

I've always found this particular Pope to be really creepy. He always reminded me of the Devil actually. His look always sends chills down my spine.

Me too, he makes my skin crawl.

 

[Eboard10]

I've always found this particular Pope to be really creepy. He always reminded me of the Devil actually. His look always sends chills down my spine.

Me too, he makes my skin crawl.

The cosmic mind sending us a clue?

 

[emmanuel]

I've always found this particular Pope to be really creepy. He always reminded me of the Devil actually. His look always sends chills down my spine.

Me too, he makes my skin crawl.

The cosmic mind sending us a clue?

Ha,ha, definitely! Be aware of the Lizzies. ;)