UNITED STATES
Times-Standard
Tim Martin/for the Times-Standard
times-standard.com
Posted: 03/10/2013
I’m sure you heard the news. Pope Benedict XVI recently broke with 600 years of tradition and threw in the towel. His resignation, along with blackmail allegations against the Vatican, sexual abuse cover-ups, and advocating for homophobia, has hit the titanic church like an iceberg and is slowly pulling it to the bottom.
The Roman Catholic Church has long had delusions of adequacy. Lately, it’s become clear just how deep and wide the chasm is between Catholicism and the modern world.
When Pope Benedict retired, he left behind a wave of ill-ease and a slew of unresolved crises. Among them are 4,450 priests accused of sexual abuse in the U.S. between 1950 and 2002 — according to a 2004 draft survey for the U.S. Conference of Bishops — that remain oddly unrepentant for their behavior, a clergy that is totally oblivious to the plight of women, and an institution that has little if any relevance to the human race in the 21st century.
It amazes me that Pope Benedict was considered “The Holy Father” during his time as spiritual leader of the church. Especially since he ordered all files on sexual abuse sent to his office, and knew more about the movement of child predators between parishes than anyone. Instead of retiring, Benedict should have resigned over his inability to address the widespread abuse perpetrated by church priests around the world, and the subsequent cover-ups. It would have been the Christian thing to do.
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