Pope Benedict will demean other religions to prove Christianity’s ‘superiority’: Robert Fisk's World - The Independent »
Posted By gamahuche 9 months, 4 weeks ago in ReligionSo it's all the fault of the Pope's satraps. "Vatican advisers blamed for Pope's woes," I was informed by one headline. "A self-imposed cone (sic) of silence surrounds Benedict." And now poor old Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, the solitary German who found himself manning an anti-aircraft gun at the end of the Second World War ("briefly" and "unwillingly", I know) has had some "harsh words" for his advisers because - according to the Vatican - he "had no idea of Bishop Williamson's views before lifting an excommunication order against him last month".
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gamahuche
"I would rather be a square peg than fit in a pigeon hole" -
an essay which won me the "Lamb Essay Prize" at the Religious ...
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gamahuche9 months, 4 weeks ago
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FYA:
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Williamson, I should add, is the disgusting British-born prelate of the Society of Saint Pius X who has said that "not a single Jew died in a gas chamber" in the Second World War. This Cambridge-educated priest says he is prepared to "re-examine" the historical evidence of the Holocaust – but, needless to say, declines to visit Auschwitz. Unsurprisingly, the Vatican has rejected Williamson's mealy-mouthed apology to those who suffered "injustice" at Nazi hands.
Now a lot of folk will go along with the line that the Holy Father is so stupid – so utterly out of touch with Planet Earth and all its Catholic children, so "cut off from the real world" (here I quote a Vatican "insider") – that he has no idea how disastrously his actions are received. Hmmm. Well, I wonder.
For was this not the same Pope who actually visited Auschwitz and – to the understandable outrage of Jewish dignitaries who were present – blamed a Nazi "gang" for the Jewish Holocaust? Before this infallible pronouncement, an awful lot of people thought that the Nazi German nation was to blame for Auschwitz, but old Joseph apparently thought it was a mafia clique in Berlin that murdered six million European Jews. And – here we go again – was this not the same ex-Cardinal Ratzinger (anti-divorce, anti-gay and anti-aircraft, as I always remind myself) who delivered a lecture at Regensburg in 2006 in which he quoted from a Byzantine text which characterised the Prophet Mohamed as evil and inhuman?-
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Dionys9 months, 4 weeks ago
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No.
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As much as I dislike Ratzinger, he's been pretty clear about the Holocaust occurring, the large number of millions of Jews killed by the Nazis and the subsequent effects of their horrors. He blamed the Nazis, to be clear -- "gang" was just a mistranslation (you'll note Ratzinger doesn't speak English).
Hey may have quoted from a Byzantine text characterizing Mohammed as evil and unhuman. Lots of people make that assertion right here on propeller. Or at least say that his followers are that way.
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gamahuche9 months, 4 weeks ago
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This is nothing short of a catastrophe for the Catholic Church.
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For a German Pope to deny the holocaust AND to claim that he "had no idea of Bishop Williamson's views" before lifting an excommunication order against him last month not only beggars belief - he didn't KNOW why the Bishop had been excommunicated?? - or bother to find out?? - but will, unless his decision is revoked in short order, also destroy the credibility of the Catholic Church for decades.
So much for Papal Infallibility!-
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Dionys9 months, 4 weeks ago
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"he didn't KNOW why the Bishop had been excommunicated?"
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The Bishop was excommunicated for not following Post-Vatican II rules, liturgy and mass. It had nothing to do with his offensive views on the Holocaust.
"So much for Papal Infallibility!"
You should read up on Papal infallibility so you understand what it actually means. Because it doesn't mean what you think.
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gamahuche9 months, 4 weeks ago
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Also FTA:
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...was this not the same Pope who actually visited Auschwitz and – to the understandable outrage of Jewish dignitaries who were present – blamed a Nazi "gang" for the Jewish Holocaust? Before this infallible pronouncement, an awful lot of people thought that the Nazi German nation was to blame for Auschwitz, but old Joseph apparently thought it was a mafia clique in Berlin that murdered six million European Jews. And – here we go again – was this not the same ex-Cardinal Ratzinger (anti-divorce, anti-gay and anti-aircraft, as I always remind myself) who delivered a lecture at Regensburg in 2006 in which he quoted from a Byzantine text which characterised the Prophet Mohamed as evil and inhuman? -
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Radiofreeeuropa9 months, 4 weeks ago
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In the States, Catholicism is in deep trouble, their churches and schools have been closing at a remarkable rate. I don't know how they are fairing in the rest of the world, but the membership has been dwindling dramatically here (Except for areas with heavy concentrations of recent Mexican immigrants - hence their political interest in undocumented workers - hint it's more self interest than human rights that drives their activism). If they have any hope of being relevant, they must return to the more "mystical" roots of the teachings. As there's way too much competition from carnival barkers with mega-churches for the racist's and and goose stepper's ecumenical dollars. This Pope has some curious, if not dubious ideas that among other things, do nothing to help the tarnished image of the church.
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Beeboppin719 months, 4 weeks ago
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Radio,
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I'd be interested to know where you got the numbers supporting this claim. I'm not being snarky, I've heard something different. I can't remember where but I've heard that there are record numbers of people converting to Catholicism in the United States. -
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Dionys9 months, 4 weeks ago
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"hint it's more self interest than human rights that drives their activism"
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Yes. I'm sure that whole Social Justice / Liberation Theology movement INSIDE South America where wonderful leaders such as Archbishop Oscar Romero died fighting for the rights of the poor were solely to steal from those poor. It's much easier to fight and die for the poor and then fleece them than to give into the demands of the rich and live off their money.
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tehranchik9 months, 4 weeks ago
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This is what was said by the cardinal:
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6C9BuXe2RM-
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AnteUp9 months, 4 weeks ago
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I wonder what the dear Bishop thinks the Nazis did with Zyklon B?
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His very detailed explanation of how cyanide fumes in the clothing
of anyone who had been gassed would have been deadly to the
clean-up crew is ludicrous! Guess he's never heard of
all the NAKED people crammed together to take a SHOWER?
Immaculate personal grooming - fastidious dresser - obviously
well educated.......................who could guess the ugliness inside?
Thanks for the link, tehranchik
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prophyporcritesComment removed: Spammer, Hard Banned6 Replies
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Poulenc9 months, 4 weeks ago
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Oh, please! One can--and should--demean religions, or aspects thereof, that work to keep the faithful ignorant or otherwise imprisoned in primitive belief.
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Perhaps the reason that Catholicism (along with other world religions) has fallen on hard times is that there's simply too much information readily available today, even passively received via TV etc., to sustain belief in their dogmas.
It's hard to keep people barefoot and pregnant under the circumstances. Though deity-knows, retrograde religions (redundant?) keep trying. -
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berkeley9 months, 4 weeks ago
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there is much about ratzinger that merits criticism, both from his past, and the present.
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but in this article, fisk is all over the map; it feels like his blood-pressure was pretty elevated, and the result would have benefited from sitting in the drawer for a few weeks. -
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reallypsst9 months, 4 weeks ago
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Why is anyone giving this so much credence,the pope is nothing but a puppet,the vatican is nothing but a bunch of thugs living the high life.The catholic church is the biggest real estate business in the world and they run it with a iron fist,most of the catholic churches and schools pay rent to the vatican.You people give to much importance to these a-holes,they also use religion to rule and brainwash the masses!
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