The Pope is in the soup again

[Don]

Has a pope ever resigned? No more krauts for pope, okay?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8612457.stm

Pope Benedict XVI has become embroiled in new revelations over child sexual abuse, over a letter he is said to have signed in 1985 before he became Pope.

Associated Press said it had obtained the letter, signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, resisting the defrocking of an offending priest.

Cardinal Ratzinger said the "good of the universal Church" needed to be considered in defrocking, AP reported.

It said the Vatican had confirmed the cardinal's signature on the letter.

However it quoted Vatican spokesman Rev Federico Lombardi as saying it was "not strange that there are single documents which have Cardinal Ratzinger's signature".

He added: "The press office doesn't believe it is necessary to respond to every single document taken out of context regarding particular legal situations."

AP said the offender, the Rev Stephen Kiesle, was sentenced to three years of probation in 1978 for lewd conduct with two young boys in San Francisco.

It said the Oakland diocese had recommended Kiesle's removal in 1981 but that that did not happen until 1987.

Cardinal Ratzinger took over the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which deals with sex abuse cases, in 1981.

AP says the 1985 correspondence, written in Latin, shows Cardinal Ratzinger saying that Kiesle's removal would have "grave significance" and would need careful review.

Cardinal Ratzinger urged "as much paternal care as possible" for Kiesle.

Kiesle was sentenced to six years in prison in 2004 after admitting molesting a young girl in 1995.

Kiesle is now 63 and is on the registered offenders list in California.

[Behshad]

The old pop was a cooler guy

[Don]

The old pop was a cooler guy

JP was A+ gangsta, rolling around in the pope mobile with his crunk cup, even after getting tagged from a Turkish driveby.

[brywool]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!!!!





Seriously though, I hope these guys get what's coming to them, but since the Vatican is the richest city in the world, nothing will probably happen to them as they can hush up anything with enough Vaticash. It sure is interesting timing with all the "Hey Catholics, come home" messages, but I think they were independent of each other.

[Jana]

What makes me furious are hearing the stories about these priests who abused boys and were removed from one church and not fired and relegated to other parishes and thrust onto unsuspecting parishoners who entrusted their children to be around them. Makes me sick.

[brywool]

What makes me furious are hearing the stories about these priests who abused boys and were removed from one church and not fired and relegated to other parrishes and thrust onto unsuspecting parishoners who entrusted their children to be around them. Makes me sick.

But Jana, you must FORGIVE them...
yeah, whatever


Lock em all up and throw away the key. Anybody that hurts kids deserves no mercy. Period.

[Jana]

What makes me furious are hearing the stories about these priests who abused boys and were removed from one church and not fired and relegated to other parrishes and thrust onto unsuspecting parishoners who entrusted their children to be around them. Makes me sick.

But Jana, you must FORGIVE them...
yeah, whatever


Lock em all up and throw away the key. Anybody that hurts kids deserves no mercy. Period.

I agree, but the monsters were not only not turned over to authorities, they were still practicing as priests with major coverups going on. Just goes to show, religion, as far as churches, are run by man. And when any organization gets big, i.e., churches, it corrupts in high places, and it's about power and not about the people so much of the time.

[Don]

When Caligula proclaimed himself as God, who knew mankind would still allow themselves to be dictated to by mortal men, who declare themselves as the spoke person for some heavenly creator, 2000 years later?

[Ehwmatt]

I was a senior in HS when Ratzinger succeeded to the papacy. I went to a Catholic school, so I was pretty attuned to the proceedings [not by choice, coulda cared less]. This guy was an embattled successor from day 1. No idea why they picked him. He's a total idiot.

[StevePerryHair]

I was a senior in HS when Ratzinger succeeded to the papacy. I went to a Catholic school, so I was pretty attuned to the proceedings [not by choice, coulda cared less]. This guy was an embattled successor from day 1. No idea why they picked him. He's a total idiot.

Because Pope John Paul was TOO progressive.. they needed to bring the church back to the dark ages Im beginning to think...