He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
-- John 8:7 (KJV)
Homosexual marriages are part of "a new ideology of evil" that is insidiously threatening society, Pope John Paul says in a new book published Tuesday.He's kidding, right? Gay couples who want to commit themselves in love is an ideology of evil? Perhaps he should look in his own organization if he wants to talk about evil. Thanks to a number of brave victims, and the commitment of The Boston Globe, we know this:
In "Memory and Identity," the Pope also calls abortion a "legal extermination" comparable to attempts to wipe out Jews and other groups in the 20th century.
For decades church leaders kept horrific tales of abuse out of the public eye through an elaborate culture of secrecy, decepetion, and intimidation. Victims who came forward with abuse claims were ignored or paid off, while accused priests were quietly transferred from parish to parish or sent for brief periods of psychological counseling.In 2002 1,200 priests had been accused of abuse. By 2004, that number had grown to over 4,300. Again, from the Globe:
Far from being unaware of abusive behavior, Cardinal Law and his deputies had detailed information on many of the archdiocese's most serious molesters. Yet it was not until decades of allegations had accumulated against them that many abusive clergymen were removed from parish ministry. Despite reports of child rape and other criminal behavior by clergymen, church leaders made no apparent effort to inform law enforcement authorities.
The scandal began brewing in Boston, but it was not isolated here. As public furor grew, other dioceses began confronting abusive clergy in their ranks. By the end of 2002, some 1,200 priests had been accused of abuse nationwide, according to a study by The New York Times. Over the course of the year, five US prelates resigned in connection with sex scandals, including Boston's Cardinal Law -- joining four others who had resigned in previous years. The crisis was also felt worldwide, with accusations of abuse or the mishandling of scandals forcing the resignation of bishops in Argentina, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Wales, Scotland, Canada, Switzerland, and Austria.
The Catholic bishops of the United States have removed about 700 allegedly abusive priests and deacons from ministry over the last two years, a dramatic housecleaning at the end of a half-century in which 4,392 priests allegedly abused 10,667 minors.In my mind, that nearly 11,000 children were abused by men of God is pure evil. The Church's organized-crime-style response to pay off victims, cover it up, and move the priests to new parishes, that, Your Holiness, is unadulterated evil. So spare me, Your Holiness. This former Catholic has decided to stop standing there while you throw stones and start throwing them back. Two people of the same gender who love each other is not evil, it is love, and God is love.
To call two adult human beings who live in a relationship of love evil is an attempt to deny them participation in one of the most fundamental human experiences -- the experience of loving someone and being loved in return. That is where God is found.Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.-- 1 John 4:7-8 (NRSV)
I, for one, am done listening to "men of God" tell me that because I am a gay man I should be denied love, and by extension, God. God is not yours to take away.
-- Rob in Baltimore
