Pope Benedict resigns...this is NOT a joke...Pope Benedict resigns

Tue, 2013-02-12 13:08

kropotkin1951

I love your picture Boom Boom. Here is an article that sets out the career of Cardinal Rottweiler as I remember it.

Quote:

Much for which to atone

The child abuse scandals, of course, get all the headlines. But what kind of "balance" will history provide for Benedict/Ratzinger's record on the issues that matter to him most?

There can be no denying that, over the years, his scorched-earth assault on modernity and the world of ideas has left an endless trail of shattered lives and bitterness in its wake.

Let's not forget that Ratzinger did most of his damage while serving Pope John Paul II as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, from 1981 until 2005, the year he succeeded John Paul. What will history say about his antediluvian teachings about human sexuality, bioethics, and Original Sin, which have denied millions of women the right to make their own decisions about the bodies they inhabit?

What will history say about the countless gay and lesbian teenagers who continue to commit suicide because Ratzinger/Benedict has ruled that they suffer from an "objective moral [and] intrinsic disorder"?

Or the liberation theologians of Latin America, who in the 1980s and '90s lost their careers and livelihoods -- in some cases, their lives -- because Ratzinger decided that their "communist" ideas were a threat to Church authority and the Vatican's control of its flock?

Or the millions of people of other world religions, whom Ratzinger antagonized with his triumphalist declarations of Roman Catholic supremacy -- in one infamous case prompting charges of a holy war against Muslims that led to violent protests and the death of a Somalian nun?

In the spirit of fairness and balance, I am inclined to give Benedict a pass on the Vatican Bank scandal. (Well, except for the shoddy treatment of his butler, and the crocodile tears of his subsequent pardoning of the man.) But even in this case, any dispensation for the pontiff's attempts to fix a problem that has plagued the Vatican for decades must be tempered by our knowledge that a higher transparency rating tends to be good for public relations, as well as business. And Benedict, for all his bungling of the child abuse file, has always placed a high priority on good PR.

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/02/12/Pope-Benedict-Resignation/

Tue, 2013-02-12 15:03

#53

Boom Boom

Good article. I've been well aware of Benny for a long time, even have one of his early books.

Tue, 2013-02-12 15:32

#54

6079_Smith_W

From that Kevin Annett article:

Quote:

I doubt that it's totally coincidental that Ratzinger was forced out of office so quickly barely ten days after our Common Law court published online hard evidence of the Pope's involvement in crimes against humanity. Any new Pope will face the same charges, of colluding in a massive criminal conspiracy.

I 'd say most of that article conforms with what anyone could glean from the media. Yes, there is a good chance it had something to do with the money.

I seriously doubt that Annett and his International Tribunal drove Rattenfaenger from office, though. I can see how he'd want to jump on the bandwagon.

Tue, 2013-02-12 16:39

#55

Catchfire

Tue, 2013-02-12 17:45

#56

Unionist

There's a new report out claiming Ben-Adiq't has converted to Islam.

Pass it on.

Tue, 2013-02-12 18:23

#57

epaulo13

..oops

Tue, 2013-02-12 22:45

#58

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

And once he becomes a Muslim you guys will have to stop making fun of him here...

Wed, 2013-02-13 06:55

#59

Michelle

kropotkin1951 wrote:

I love your picture Boom Boom. Here is an article that sets out the career of Cardinal Rottweiler as I remember it.

Heh. Cardinal Rottweiler. Actually, my favourite epithet for the guy was one that I saw someone (can't remember who) post on babble years ago when he was first elected as pope.

"The German Shepherd". :D

How much do you want to bet that the little creep gets sainted after he buys it?

Wed, 2013-02-13 09:30

#60

Slumberjack

Bec.De.Corbin wrote:
And once he becomes a Muslim you guys will have to stop making fun of him here...

Evidently, you haven't been around here long enough to know how some of us have treated religion in general. It's more often the case; however; that when commenting on matters of oppression people will complain up through and about whatever hierarchal chain is doing the oppressing. In our circumstances the system of oppression that is experienced here just happens to have been passed down century after century through the various antiquated and more modern systems of control. In our past discussions, it made little sense to focus more than was necessary on someone else's system of oppression when we haven't been very successful to date in effectively coming to terms with our own.

Wed, 2013-02-13 10:13

#61

6079_Smith_W

Slumberjack wrote:

In our past discussions, it made little sense to focus more than was necessary on someone else's system of oppression when we haven't been very successful to date in effectively coming to terms with our own.

That would be a roundabout way of saying the same thing, no?

Besides, I think it was a joke.

Wed, 2013-02-13 10:34

#62

Slumberjack

6079_Smith_W wrote:

Slumberjack wrote:
In our past discussions, it made little sense to focus more than was necessary on someone else's system of oppression when we haven't been very successful to date in effectively coming to terms with our own.

That would be a roundabout way of saying the same thing, no? Besides, I think it was a joke.

The same thing as what? It's an offensive joke at best, because it is in a similar vein to the far right's suggestion that the left in general, and critics of what people relate to as western based religions, are somehow in league with 'evil' Muslims around the world by default.

Wed, 2013-02-13 10:44

#63

6079_Smith_W

The same thing as saying he'd be off limits. You're just adding that it would be because he wouldn't be our problem anymore.

And I think you might be reading stuff into it that wasn't there. Bec didn't say we were in league with anyone.

I thought it was funny, anyway.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:27

#64

Unionist

It was exactly what Slumberjack said it was, and entirely in character at that.

Also, anyone who comes here saying "you guys" is quite clearly setting themselves apart as a spectator/critic of the left. I don't mind that. But I do think it's revealing.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:43

#65

6079_Smith_W

You know, I remember thinking it should properly be "Ibn" or "Bin", not "Ben", but let it pass, because it was just a joke (and a good one at that).

If you wonder why such jokes are made, getting bent out of shape over them is a good place to start.

And the fact remains that SJ arrived at the same point; he just followed the loop.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:43

#66

Unionist

Right. Take a course in how to tell the difference between making fun of the Pope and making fun of the Left. Then get back to me with more tips on what makes a really funny joke.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:50

#67

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

Relax, it was humor. It is not my fault you found none in it and couldn't enjoy the moment.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:50

#68

Slumberjack

If you're out to make fun of the left, just be sure to do it from a leftist perspective, however far out in left field it may originate from. Well, that's my rule of thumb anyway, mainly because from that angle there's no shortage of material.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:51

#69

6079_Smith_W

Near as I can see, anything that takes itself way too seriously is asking for it.

Unionist, It was a good joke, made at the expense of an imaginary construct. I should think that the principles of this site are strong enough that we don't need to fear that they will be demolished by it. But let me go check in the Mali thread just to make sure it hasn't turned into open season over there.

Wed, 2013-02-13 11:54

#70

Slumberjack

Bec.De.Corbin wrote:
Relax, it was humor. It is not my fault you found none in it and couldn't enjoy the moment.

That's not entirely true, because it's rarely the fault of an audience for heckling a comedien who stumbles over the material and still thinks its funny.

Wed, 2013-02-13 12:05

#71

NDPP

6079_Smith_W wrote:

Near as I can see, anything that takes itself way too seriously is asking for it.

Unionist, It was a good joke, made at the expense of an imaginary construct. I should think that the principles of this site are strong enough that we don't need to fear that they will be demolished by it. But let me go check in the Mali thread just to make sure it hasn't turned into open season over there.

Yes indeed, Mali's a hoot! What's a little imperialist murder and mayhem (and NDP support for it) between friends eh?

Wed, 2013-02-13 12:08

#72

Unionist

This "joke" was an exact parallel of: "Haw haw, now you guys can't criticize the Ontario Liberals any more!! Haw!"

The worst thing about the joke is that it isn't funny. The second-worst thing is that it's not from a left perspective (as SJ points out). If it were, it could actually have identified one of many hilarious, ironic, sad aspects of the left in Canada (or on babble) which is worth ridiculing, without buying into offensive stereotypes like that one (namely, that the left allegedly has some sympathy for Islam).

Wed, 2013-02-13 12:27

#73

Slumberjack

Catchfire wrote:

Well, it's nice to be included in one of the above categories at least. I don't know how on Earth people who are constantly being excluded from everything are supposed to get along.

Wed, 2013-02-13 12:47

#74

Slumberjack

6079_Smith_W wrote:
Though I have to say that "Begone Heretic" is swiftly gaining more relevance and moving up in the pack.

No one that I'm aware of has summoned the inquisitors.

Wed, 2013-02-13 13:01

#75

6079_Smith_W

No... No red hot pliers, no thumbscrews, no knee-crushing wedges and no bibles. Obviously no one can be an inquisitor without those.

On the other hand, you should be happy that this is turning into a "Catholic Church Greatest Hits" thread.

Wed, 2013-02-13 13:10

#76

6079_Smith_W

Yes Unionist. Of course your joke was funnier. Though I have to say that "Begone Heretic" is swiftly gaining more relevance and moving up in the pack.

(edit)

And I'm starting to think it serendipitous that "not a joke" is in the thread title.

Wed, 2013-02-13 15:37

#77

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

Slumberjack wrote:

No one that I'm aware of has summoned the inquisitors.

Ha, you said it first (inquisitors)...

"Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition"

Sat, 2013-02-16 08:48

#78

Maysie

All humour in this story is gone for me now.

Pope Evades Criminal Charges by Hiding in the Vatican

Quote:

Feb. 16, 2013 Late breaking news on the real reason why Pope Benedict XVI quit the job as Pope is centered around the fact that he was going to be charged for crimes against humanity by shielding pedophile priests in the RC church.

A statement given to Reuters reveals that the Church has decided to grant Joseph Ratzinger immunity against any and all charges involving his protection of known sex offenders.

As a high ranking member of the Catholic Church, Ratzinger knew priests who habitually were reported as sex offenders with children and shipped them to other parishes where they continued raping children.

Even after becoming a Pope as well he protected priests by denying criminal charges.

Sat, 2013-02-16 09:52

#79

Sven

6079_Smith_W wrote:

If you wonder why such jokes are made, getting bent out of shape over them is a good place to start.

:)

Sat, 2013-02-16 10:19

#80

Unionist

Sven wrote:
6079_Smith_W wrote:

If you wonder why such jokes are made, getting bent out of shape over them is a good place to start.

:)

Good criterion. Giving offence to progressive people is the surest measure of fine wit.

But why stop at Islam jokes? How about a forum dedicated to blonde jokes, gay jokes etc.? Just watch these lefties get bent out of shape! Haw haw haw!

Sat, 2013-02-16 12:33

#81

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

Hey Unionist, you're the one that brought up Islam in this thread as part of a “joke” in the first place. Then you get all serious… WTF?

And oh by the way not all progressives are as leftist as you are, sorry to disappoint you. (Not really), I'm sure a few are even Catholic.

Sat, 2013-02-16 12:57

#82

Catchfire

Can I suggest that we stop letting Bec's unfunny attempt at trolling the left succeed? Maybe we can even get this thread back on topic.

Sat, 2013-02-16 13:51

#83

Bec.De.Corbin Bec.De.Corbin's picture

Trolling? I don't know Catchfire, sounds more like guilty consciences to me.

Anyways...

Quote:

A man flops down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie is stained, his face is smeared with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin is sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opens a newspaper and begins reading.

After a few minutes the guy turns to the priest and asks, “Say, Father, what causes arthritis?”

“Loose living; cheap, wicked woman; too much alcohol; and contempt for your fellow man,” answers the priest.

“I’ll be damned,” the drunk mutters, returning to his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he said, nudges the man and apologizes. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to be so harsh. How long have you had arthritis?”

“Oh, I don’t have it, Father. It says here that the Pope does.”

Sat, 2013-02-16 20:20

#84

Michelle

Interesting theory, Maysie, but I think the article you quoted is like the end of a game of "telephone" - each person adds their little twist until the message is different at the end.

The Reuters reporting actually doesn't support the conclusion that the Politicol News article comes to. The Politicol News article comes to the conclusion that the reason the Pope resigned is because he's afraid of being arrested for crimes against humanity should he leave the Vatican as the Pope to do his official duties. They're using quotes from the church in the Reuters article to support their theory, along with quotes from the activist group ITCCS. But neither are saying that, as far as I can tell.

All they are talking about is why the German Shepherd is going to be living in the Vatican for the rest of his life AFTER he resigns, which is because they don't want him to be prosecuted once he's a former head of state. That's different than saying that the church is admitting that he's guilty (I don't think they are admitting that), and I don't think that's the same thing as saying that he's resigning BECAUSE of the possibility of charges.

Besides which, the whole theory falls apart when you take into consideration that you can't prosecute a sitting head of state, so it would probably be safer for him to stay Pope until he's dead.

Sun, 2013-02-17 00:18

#85

Unionist

I read the same stories and came to the same conclusion as Michelle. At best, it's an explanation of why Ratzinger will take up residence in a convent within the Vatican once he no longer has the title to protect him. It doesn't shed any more light on why he's quitting. Who knows... the stated reasons may actually be the real ones. Even a broken clock...

Sun, 2013-02-17 03:45

#86

Fidel

Unionist wrote:
If it were, it could actually have identified one of many hilarious, ironic, sad aspects of the left in Canada (or on babble) which is worth ridiculing, without buying into offensive stereotypes like that one (namely, that the left allegedly has some sympathy for Islam).

Sympathy? Hell no, Liberals threw Islamists to the wolves after 9/11 in order to maintain credibility among right wing conservatives. It's about knowing who your political allies are.

And it's about democracy, separation of Church and state and all that. Next to the Catholic Church, Fethullah Gulen, King of the madrasas, heads up the next wealthiest religious organization in the world. http://gulenmovement.ca

Yes it really is sad. The Liberal soul was bought and paid for in advance.

Mon, 2013-02-18 19:52

#87

Boom Boom

Spotted!

Fri, 2013-02-22 10:37

#88

josh

A potentially explosive report has linked the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI to the discovery of a network of gay prelates in the Vatican, some of whom – the report said – were being blackmailed by outsiders.

The pope's spokesman declined to confirm or deny the report, which was carried by the Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.

The paper said the pope had taken the decision on 17 December that he was going to resign – the day he received a dossier compiled by three cardinals delegated to look into the so-called "Vatileaks" affair.

Last May Pope Benedict's butler, Paolo Gabriele, was arrested and charged with having stolen and leaked papal correspondence that depicted the Vatican as a seething hotbed of intrigue and infighting.

According to La Repubblica, the dossier comprising "two volumes of almost 300 pages – bound in red" had been consigned to a safe in the papal apartments and would be delivered to the pope's successor upon his election.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/21/pope-retired-amid-gay-bishop-blackmail-inquiry

Fri, 2013-02-22 11:47

#89

kropotkin1951

Next you'll tell me that some of the heterosexual prelates also succumb to sins of the flesh.

Mon, 2013-03-04 23:43

#90

Boom Boom

Why the obsession with the papacy at the CBC? Every hour CBC Newsworld is running stories about Cardinal Ouellet and how great it would be if he is elected the new Pope. Nary a word of criticism directed his way, either. Peter Mansbridge got the only English language interview with him.

Tue, 2013-03-05 01:45

#91

NDPP

BREAKING NEWS : 'The Downfall of the Vatican, The Queen & The System' (and vid)

http://youtu.be/9XttXhxYIKI

Alfred L Webre III & Reverend Kevin Annett

http://globalvoice2012.us/blog/2013/02/26/feb-18th-alfred-l-webre-iii-re...

"Our very special guests Alfred Lambremont Webre III and Kevin Annett have much to share. This is a show you wont want to miss. The Pope and the Vatican as a Global War Crimes Organization: Child Genocide & Pedophilia, Financial War Crimes."

Canada's 'Reverend' Kevin Annett, 'Judge' Alfred, and his sky pilot pals, challenge the Vatican, the Queen, Harper and all 'the big dogs'....HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS...it's going to be a bumpy ride...

Tue, 2013-03-05 06:41

#92

lagatta

I want to scream reading endearing stories about that old bastard Ouellet. He represents about the most rightwing, homophobic and misogynist faction of what is left of the Catholic Church here. Remember that he said women who were pregnant due to rape should basically just suck it up. If he should become Pope, we'll have to have a large and lively feminist, LGBTQ and assorted heathen demonstration showing the world that 19th-century man in no way represents contemporary Québec society.

As for heterosexual prelates, nobody even worried about them; very often they had a de facto "wife" and of course a lot abused the frailty of women seeking spiritual guidance when their life was particularly crappy, along the same lines as doctors, including shrinks, have long done. In the Renaissance, the largest contingent of prostitutes by far was found in Rome.

Papal conclaves are big business in Rome. Stendhal wrote scathing stories about them two centuries ago, and they have long been a subject of biting popular humour among the common people of Rome.

I hope people are following the muck around Cardinal O'Brien!

Tue, 2013-03-05 06:51

#93

lagatta

Also, more about the old reactionary scum Cardinal Ouellet, in Le Devoir. He was basically kicked upstairs; the Church here was glad to get rid of him!

http://70.38.27.6/societe/ethique-et-religion/372342/marc-ouellet-le-car...

Even Church higher-ups were displaying their "malaise" with his disgusting statements!

Tue, 2013-03-05 08:30

#94

josh

"rightwing, homophobic and misogynist"

Sounds like the job description.

Tue, 2013-03-05 08:41

#95

Boom Boom

Who is Cardinal Marc Ouellet? (Macleans)

Outside the Church, though, Ouellet has often been a polarizing figure. He has held proudly to the tenets of Quebec’s arch-conservative past, decades after the province itself has moved on. It’s no surprise that non-Catholics see him as an anachronism in his native province—home to liberal abortion laws, laissez-faire sexual mores and the country’s largest percentage of unmarried couples. What marks Ouellet is his willingness—glee, even, for some critics—at expressing his disapproval, a tendency that endeared him to Benedict, a personal friend, and the Vatican’s conservatives.

In May 2010, while speaking at a conference of the pro-life group Quebec Life Coalition, Ouellet said he was against abortion in any instance, including rape. “Taking the life of an innocent is always a crime, morally,” he said. “This creature is not responsible for what happens to him; it’s the rapist who’s responsible.There is already a victim. Does there need to be another?”

Ouellet’s reductionist argument suggesting a rape victim, in getting an abortion, was guilty of murder, sparked a month of near-unanimous condemnation in Quebec media. Members of the then-Liberal government and the Parti Québécois opposition competed to denounce the cardinal. The president of the province’s women’s rights association said Ouellet’s words were “profoundly offensive” and “an insult to human intelligence.” A La Presse columnist wrote how the “fundamentalist” Ouellet was also against euthanasia, and that he hoped the cardinal “dies after a long and painful sickness.”

Yet the cardinal didn’t shy away from his comments. Far from it. “I met him three weeks after he made the comments, after he endured that public lynching,” says Quebec Life Coalition president Georges Buscemi. “He was like a giddy schoolboy at what his comment had provoked, the hysteria it caused. He reminded me of a kid who had thrown a rock through a window. Like, ‘Uh oh, what did I do?’ He wasn’t quite like that, but almost.”

Tue, 2013-03-05 08:49

#96

Unionist

Boom Boom wrote:

If Ouellet becomes Pope, will our media here in Quebec switched from "attack dog" mode to fawning sycophants?

Of course not. He's already a cardinal and Vatican top dog crime boss, FFS, and the Québec media have been more critical than anyone. I sincerely hope he becomes Pope. It may spell the end of that criminal organization.