Good thing I'm only a bad one:
"UN grills Vatican on sex abuse scandal; In historic hearing, exchanges sharp; ‘The Holy See gets it,’ monsignor says" by John Heilprin and Nicole Winfield | Associated Press, January 17, 2014
GENEVA — After decades of accusations that its culture of secrecy contributed to priest sex abuse, the Vatican was forced for the first time Thursday to defend its record in public and at length in a stuffy UN conference room before an obscure human rights committee….
The Vatican was compelled to appear before the committee as a signatory to the UN Convention for the Rights of the Child, which requires governments to take all adequate measures to protect children from harm and ensure their interests are placed above all else.
Blows your mind, doesn't it?
The Holy See was one of the first states to ratify the treaty in 1990, eager to contribute the church’s experience in caring for children in Catholic schools, hospitals, orphanages, and refugee centers….
Woah!
Then the clerical sex abuse scandal exploded around the world. Thousands of priests were accused of raping and molesting thousands of children over decades, while many of their bishops moved them from parish to parish rather than report them to police. Critics allege the Holy See, the central government of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church, contributed to the problem by encouraging a culture of secrecy to protect the church’s reputation….
The scene at the human rights committee’s headquarters was remarkable, with committee members marveling at how an institution as powerful as the Holy See could be hauled before a relatively obscure agency to answer uncomfortable questions before a packed audience.
Traditionally, the Holy See has insisted that the Vatican bore little or no responsibility for the problem, blaming the scandals on individual priests or their bishops, over whom the Vatican has no real control….
The UN committee, made up of independent experts, will deliver its observations and nonbinding recommendations on Feb. 5.
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Related:
"A document obtained by the Associated Press Friday shows [that] Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests over two years for sexually molesting children, [and] was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting and was compiled to help the Holy See defend itself before a UN committee this week in Geneva [in] over eight hours of often-pointed criticism and questioning from the UN human rights committee."
Pa. priest released from prison after appeal
Chicago clergy sex abuse data set for release
Chicago priest sex abuse victims demand more files
Chicago Archdiocese sheds light on abuse
I'm not shedding any, sorry. That's the kind of stuff that gets people killed.
Speaking of killing:
"Thousands brave cold for abortion protest in DC" by Brett Zongker | Associated Press, January 23, 2014
WASHINGTON — Thousands of abortion opponents confronted wind chills in the single digits on Wednesday to rally and march on Capitol Hill to protest legalized abortion, with a signal of support from Pope Francis.
That will encourage conservation of heat (wink, wink).
The annual ‘‘March for Life’’ is held every January on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 decision that declared a constitutional right to abortion. The event draws many Catholic high school and college students from across the country for a series of events and prayer vigils that led up to a rally and march on the snow-covered National Mall.
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President Obama also issued a statement Wednesday, saying the 41st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision is a chance to ‘‘recommit ourselves to the decision’s guiding principle: that every woman should be able to make her own choices about her body and her health.’’
The president also said the nation should resolve to protect a woman’s access to health care, her right to privacy, and to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. The theme of this year’s march was ‘‘Adoption: A Noble Decision,’’ as an alternative to abortion, organizers said. Abortion protesters came from Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and beyond. The crowd included many young people, including high school and college students from Chicago, Cleveland, and elsewhere. Many held signs that read ‘‘#TeamLife.’’
While there were mostly cheers and upbeat chants, the crowd booed when House majority leader Eric Cantor of Virginia said there had been an expansion of abortion coverage in the nation’s health care overhaul. The march began on the National Mall, then protesters marched along Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court.
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Related: Pope lauds women, urges wider role
Wow, a two-faced Francis.
Also see: John Paul II’s notes to be published
"They were immigrants from Iraq and India, the Congo and Colombia, some touched by violence and others distant from it, but all came to pray for the rising number of Christians being killed, tortured, and threatened around the world. Sermed Ashkouri, an Iraqi immigrant, said death threats, killings, and church bombings started in his country after the 2003 invasion by the United States and its allies. The violence has been in part fueled by rising Islamic extremism. He immigrated to the United States in 1991, but has family in Iraq who have been victimized. “It’s tough to live there, but a lot of Christians refuse to leave because they feel they belong,’’ he said. Even so, the numbers of Christians in his country are dropping. O’Malley spoke to those crowded into the pews about the centuries of persecution against Christians and the importance of this history as a unifying element among denominations."
He's been hanging around Zionist Jews too much.
And about that sectarian violence narrative….
"Vatican prelate accused of money laundering" by Nicole Winfield | Associated Press, January 22, 2014
VATICAN CITY — A Vatican monsignor already on trial for allegedly plotting to smuggle $26 million from Switzerland to Italy was arrested Tuesday in a separate case for allegedly using his Vatican bank accounts to launder money.
What was he laundering?
Financial police in the southern Italian city of Salerno said Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, dubbed ‘‘Monsignor 500’’ for his purported favored banknotes, had transferred millions of euros in fictitious donations from offshore companies through his accounts at the Vatican’s Institute for Religious Works.
Police said they seized $8.8 million in real estate and bank accounts Tuesday, including Scarano’s luxurious Salerno apartment, filled with gilt-framed oil paintings, ceramic vases, and other fancy antiques.
A local priest was also placed under house arrest and a notary public was suspended for alleged involvement in the money-laundering plot. Police said in all, 52 people were under investigation.
Scarano’s lawyer, Silverio Sica, said his client merely took donations from people he thought were acting in good faith to fund a home for the terminally ill.
$ome people are $ick, yeah.
He conceded, however, that Scarano used the money to pay off a mortgage….
Ah, being faithful to the New God, the BANK!
Police and Sica have said the money involved in both the Swiss smuggling case and the Salerno money-laundering case originated with one of Italy’s most important shipping families, the d’Amicos….
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Now THAT i$ DIRTY, but not evil!
Now the Catholic guilt kicks in because I'm abandoning the blog to play ball this morning.
Sorry, readers.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
Worcester priest removed after allegation of abuse in 1970s
No wonder McManus likes to drink.
