Pope blames 'terrifying' sex abuse on Catholic Church

[12th Doctor]

So... I'm confused.  He says this, and makes no effort to cover it up, and you guys continue on the attack.  Would it have improved the situation had he said this before, prior to knowing all the facts?  That seems to be what you guys are pissed off about now.

[12th Doctor]

makes no effort to cover it up

He did in the past.

You mean like when he reorganized the entire Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith to try to handle these cases?

[12th Doctor]

So... I'm confused.  He says this, and makes no effort to cover it up, and you guys continue on the attack.  Would it have improved the situation had he said this before, prior to knowing all the facts?  That seems to be what you guys are pissed off about now.

Uh, who's continuing any attack?  This is the first step in the right direction, obviously.

The attack has shifted now, and that shift is reflected in your attitude, obviously.  Now its... "Oh man, after the long cover-up (which had nothing to do with this Pope) the asshole finally decided to do something."

[12th Doctor]

Sex abuse scandals, just what Jesus would've wanted. I agree with Catholic theology but not the church itself. tsk tsk

And yet, if Christ's Church had always been free of scandal, he would have died an old man, surrounded by his ever-faithful disciples.

[12th Doctor]

Sex abuse scandals, just what Jesus would've wanted. I agree with Catholic theology but not the church itself. tsk tsk

And yet, if Christ's Church had always been free of scandal, he would have died an old man, surrounded by his ever-faithful disciples.

You're referring to the disciples betraying him? The disciples would've been between 12 and 20. If they had not betrayed and denied Jesus, then Jesus wouldn't have died for our sins. Jesus would condemn the Catholic priests who molest children.

The point -----------------------------------------------------------------> You

[12th Doctor]

So... I'm confused.  He says this, and makes no effort to cover it up, and you guys continue on the attack.  Would it have improved the situation had he said this before, prior to knowing all the facts?  That seems to be what you guys are pissed off about now.

Uh, who's continuing any attack?  This is the first step in the right direction, obviously.

The attack has shifted now, and that shift is reflected in your attitude, obviously.  Now its... "Oh man, after the long cover-up (which had nothing to do with this Pope) the asshole finally decided to do something."

Well, bluntly put, Soulty, isn't that a pretty apt summary of the situation? (The "asshole reference being optional depending on one's personal view of Benedict?)

Nothing would have been helped by him making a public statement before.  Benedict used the period of time between the opening of the flood gate and now doing what he should have been doing... gathering information and coming to the realization of the measure of the situation (and let's not forget, he spanked the Irish bishops a few months ago, once things came out with that situation).  The Pope is not omnipresent, nor omnipotent... as hard as people find this to believe, the entire institutional Church does not open its doors, and shift its course just because he wants it to... all the more true in the post-Vatican II climate.  He sought to appreciate the enormity of the cover up (not the enormity of pedophilia acts specifically, since, for the trillionth time its seems less common for priests than the general population), before he acted.  People blaming the Vatican and the Pope is only proof that most people aren't paying attention to what is going on, or have already jumped to a predetermined conclusion, since local bishops and national bishops councils have been the culpable parties in all cases.