Vatican Dares to Compare Church Critics to Anti-Semites!

A Vatican priest, speaking before a "Packed House" (I use the term advisedly. It is all "Showbiz" after all.)  at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome with Pope Benedict XVI in attendance;  compared the world’s outrage at the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to Anti-Semitism and the persecution of the Jews throughout history. 

The remarks immediately prompted angry criticism from both Jewish leaders and victims advocate groups.  A Vatican spokesperson later tried to distance both the Church and the Pope himself from the unfortunate remarks.   But I honestly think the damage had already been done.  I know that I personally was overwhelmed by the audacity and hypocrisy of them trying to employ this tactic.

It seems like the church's massive public relations and marketing team can't seem to get a handle on how best to coordinate its response to all of the recent negative press and criticism.  Perhaps they're just feeling overwhelmed with something called "Catholic Guilt". 

The Priest, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, explained that Easter and Passover fell during the same week this year, and said "he was led to think of the Jews". 

Isn't it interesting how The Church is only willing to make the Easter/Passover connection when it's convenient for them to do so.  The rest of the time, they just ignore the fact that the Last Supper was actually a Passover Seder.  Where the eating of unleavened bread (matzoh crackers) is a Jewish tradition.

I remember when I was in college having read an anthropological survey that showed a significant majority of eighth grade catechism students were unaware that both Jesus and all of his disciples were Jews.  As were all of the early Christians for that matter.  In fact, back then, you had to be a Jew (A descendent of Abraham, one of the Bible's chosen people).  In order to become a Christian. 

This obvious gap in religious teachings was certainly no accident, but rather by design.  The church has deliberately chosen to distance itself from its Jewish origins.  Lest it might find itself in conflict with its frequently engaged in anti-Semitic agenda.

For the Vatican to now attempt to align itself with the plight of the Jews as a way of gaining sympathy in this time of crisis is truly appalling.

The Church is obviously only interested in protecting its reputation, wealth, property and power. Their defensive tactics however, often do more harm than good.  Instead of acknowledging their mistakes, the Vatican wants to blame the media for reporting the truth.  The church has in fact been its own worst enemy.  They need to seriously reevaluate their priorities, policies and procedures.

When there is actually no theological reason for their priests to be celibate they force their clergy into an unnatural lifestyle for the sole purpose of preserving wealth and property.  While celibacy may have always been encouraged by church officials.  It didn't become law until the mid-1200's when the church decided to put a stop to wives and children inheriting the wealthy estates of bishops and priests.

While the church's history of subjugating women, persecuting gays, and most recently promoting the spread of AIDS by banning the use of condoms is indeed reprehensible.  It all pales in comparison to these recent revelations of sex abuse and the deliberate cover-up engaged in by the Pope himself  (see previous post).

  
Perhaps It's Time for the Pontiff to Acknowledge His Fallibility and Just Resign.

Agnostic Thinking...

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