Pope Mouthpiece Parses Word “Responsibility”

It’s fitting that today-- St. Patrick’s Day--Pope Benedict XVI focused his weekly audience on Ireland’s priest-abuse scandal. The Pope’s comments to Ireland came a day after the Vatican acknowledged Germany’s priest-abuse scandal. The Pope said he “hoped” a forthcoming letter--which in part deals with Ireland’s priest abuse problem--would help “repentance, healing and renewal”. Good luck with that Pope Ratz, since you are the one who moved around a buggering priest in Germany and allowed him to force hundreds of young boys to service him sexually for 30 years. The facts that are coming to light about priest abuse in Germany and the then-Archbishop Ratzinger’s culpability are bad enough. But now, Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s internal prosecutor, is dissembling about what the word “responsibility” means as far as Ratz is concerned. And even though Archbishop Ratzinger was THE GUY who approved of moving pedophile priest Peter Hullerman from Essen to Munich and knew Hullermann was active in the Roman Catholic Church in Germany for 30 years, yesterday the Vatican forced an auxiliary bishop to take the fall for now-Pope Benedict. That is so ugly. The New York Times reported this morning that Monsignor Scicluna said, “It depends what you mean by responsible. If he was involved in the decision, he would be. If he was not involved, it’s a responsibility that comes from his office, a ‘the buck stops here’ sort of thing.’ But I think that the person concerned has already taken responsibility for what he did; the answer to that question has already been given.” Oh for God’s sake! The Pope and his lawyers are total unrepentant weasels! I gagged when Andrew Young took the fall for John Edwards and said he was the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby. (At least Young finally told the truth.) But for the Pope to have his mouthpiece parse the word responsible and then for the Vatican to make an underling falsely confess...PULLEEZE!!!! I will now discharge my bounden duty to be The Reminder. Remember that all the problems the US and the world are facing today is because of crimes and misdemeanors of the Bush administration. And remember that the office of Pope has a woeful track recorder. In the past, Popes have committed murder, Popes have had all manner of sex in the Vatican, Popes have been engaged in money laundering for the Mafia, and a Pope was a Nazi-sympathizer. Look it up for yourselves. There is no more reason to expect ethical behavior from a Pope than to expect ethical behavior from Karl Rove.