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	Like Vatican, Journalists Can Blame the Devil By Dianne Williamson Worcester Telegram & Gazette March 14, 2010 http://www.telegram.com/article/20100314/COLUMN01/3140404 UNITED STATES -- As a journalist, I'm delighted that the Vatican's chief exorcist recently announced that the devil is "at work inside the Vatican" and the culprit behind the still-ongoing sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. While a predictably irrelevant excuse, it's convenient for us all, correct? For example, when the gazillionth person this week happens to ask why newspapers print so much bad news, or how come I'm so caustic or irreverent or fill-in-the-blank, I can do more than frown thoughtfully and pretend to think about it. Now I can blame the devil. The newsroom is brimming with Satan's mischievous spawn, and if you don't believe me, just ask the city's police chief. Incredibly, the Vatican not only employs a chief exorcist but apparently allows him to speak publicly, even though he's 85 years old and clearly a few peas short of the soup regurgitated in that fine religious documentary "The Exorcist." Father Gabriele Amorth spoke out last week as the spread of scandal that began in the United States in 2002 embroils Ireland, Austria, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany, birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI and his daffy brother, George Ratzinger, who recently admitted that he slapped choirboys as discipline but didn't really enjoy it. Nor was he aware that pupils at the school in Regensburg suffered sexual abuse, he said. Father Amorth claims he's dealt with a whopping 70,000 cases of demonic possession (can the archfiend multi-task?) and said the sex abuse scandals were proof that the anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See. Notice that it's still all about them rather than the truly battle-scarred — the victims themselves. Notice, as usual, how out-of-touch this Church reveals itself to be. "When the possessed dribble and slobber and need cleaning up, I do that, too. Seeing people vomit doesn't bother me," said Father Amorth, chief exorcist for 25 years. And in case you're assuming that Father Amorth is a harmless old crank that the Vatican keeps around for cocktail parties ("Hey Father! Monsignor Smith is twisting his head around again!") he added that Pope Benedict "believes wholeheartedly in the practice of exorcism" and has "encouraged and praised" his work. "When one speaks of the 'smoke of Satan' in the holy rooms, it is all true, including these latest stories of violence and pedophilia," Father Amorth said. Likely speaking on a day when the Vatican's public relations staff was away on retreat, he warmed to the topic and explained that people possessed by Satan vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron. "He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages," he continued. "At times he makes fun of me (italics mine). But I'm a man who is happy in his work." Indeed. Exorcising demons must bring enormous job satisfaction, but let's hope he has a good health care plan. It's not funny, really. And in fairness to the Vatican, it has slowly moved beyond its dismissal of the sex abuse scandal in 2002 and acknowledged "failures" in leadership. But even now, as the Church suffers devastating damage worldwide, its cloistered leaders continue to parse, evade and fail to step up. In Ireland, for example, not one bishop was removed and the pope announced no plans to visit that country or meet with victims. Instead, despite the pope's statement in 2008 that he was "deeply ashamed" of the scandal, the Vatican still somehow believes that the crisis is a plot to undermine the Church. So after blaming conspiracies and homosexuals, they've now settled on the devil. I'm not sure whether we should laugh, cry, throw up or be grateful that at least one constant remains in our confusing, ever-changing world — the Catholic Church will never, ever get it. This is the Church that still opposes artificial contraception, treats women as second-class citizens and touts abstinence as the answer to AIDS. And it was Pope Benedict himself who imposed secrecy on sex abuse cases in 2001. "The Devil resides in the Vatican and you can see the consequences," said Father Amorth. He's right, but probably not in the way he intends. And if any Catholics are offended by this column, you know who to blame. Contact: dwilliamson@telegram.com
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