...this is a question posed by KMOX Radio's Mark Reardon, who hosted an hour of some of the most confusing arguments for the Pope's resignation I've ever heard.
His basic principle was this: Accepting the facts of the New York Times' recent article bashing the Pope, should the Pope resign, as would any other head of an organization accused with being an accessory to a crime?
Unfortunately for Mark, most Catholics do not (and likely will not ever) accept the Times as a credible source of information when it comes to Catholic-bashing. There have been numerous posts on the problems in the NYT piece (some are linked to at the bottom of this post), but Mark would not for a moment entertain these problems, or any other arguments against the basis of his question.
Rather, he blamed a couple people for being insensitive to the victims of these crimes. Mark: nobody is arguing that the crimes should be shuffled under the rug or covered up. Rather, people are arguing that, in the specific instance of the NYT piece (and in most media reporting of the issue, by and large), there are serious flaws and inaccuracies that cause most rational people to discount the entire article!
Anyways, here's some good reading on the issue:
- To Whom Shall We Go? (article by Archbishop Timothy Dolan)
- Clocking the Times (article quoted by Whispers in the Loggia, dealing specifically with the U.S. case mentioned in the Times' article)
- Pastoral Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to those in Ireland (straight from the Pope!)
- "A Well-Oiled Campaign Against the Pope" (mentions some important info from different sources)
Comments
thanks for misconstruing my entire argument. it's shameful that people continue to defend the church over what in any other circumstance would be criminal behavior.
I am not misconstruing your argument. And in no way do I ever, would I ever, or should I ever accept, or condone, or allow for the behavior of some bishops and curial members in the handling of the sex abuses that have happened in the past.
I don't think any reasonable person would defend the coverups that have happened. Those who participated in them directly should be prosecuted by the law.
However, your show yesterday asked the question, "Should Pope Benedict XVI resign?" To this, I answer very strongly, no. At least, not if you are judging by the recent hubbub from the NYT.
If you'd like to argue for stronger sanctions against priests who are not living their call to be faithful and holy priests, or argue for stronger reprimands or punishments (by law or in the Church) for those administrators involved in coverups, then I'll talk with you.
But if you automatically trust the facts stated in the NYT article, and won't listen to any arguments about the veracity of the Times' claims, then I can't talk to you, because you won't listen...
...or are you just using the shock-and-awe question "Should Pope Benedict XVI Resign?" as a quick freebie to get more listeners?
In either case, if you'd like to discuss the punishments for the crimes committed, and for those who allowed them to happen under their direct jurisdiction, then please state that *that* is your topic of discussion... not the resignation of Pope Benedict. I think this confusion is what has led to a lot of ruffled feathers.
Thanks Jeff,
Also Mercatornet.com has a good article by Michael Cook called " The gathering storm"
Here is an excerpt:The huge, unreported story is that we are in denial about a widespread, deliberate, systemic encouragement of people not to control their sexuality. It’s as if a health department allowed witch doctors and Reiki therapists to edge out surgeons. Or as if a defence department allowed its tanks to rust. Fundamental principles of a civilized society like sexual restraint, fidelity in marriage, and nurturing families, are being undermined. The mind-numbing list of politicians caught with their pants down, the tsunami of pornography, sky-rocketing teen sex – all these are warning bells about the consequences of creating a hyper-sexualised culture.
I agree with you fully on that. Another good read on the issue is Humanae Vitae, by Pope Paul VI. Our society is headed nowhere fast, and we must pray that we can get out moral act together. I fear that our country will be torn apart not over abortion or religion, but over sexual immaturity.