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FORMER POPE BENEDICT XVI has blamed Catholic clerical sex abuse scandals on the 1960s sexual revolution and a collapse in faith in the West.
The ex-pontiff, who retired in 2013, said responsibility for the crises affecting the Roman Catholic Church globally lay with the fight for an “all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer admitted any norms”.
He argued that paedophilia “reached such proportions” because of the “absence of God”.
“Part of the physiognomy of the Revolution of ’68 was that paedophilia was then also diagnosed as allowed and appropriate,” he said.
Benedict - born in Germany as Joseph Ratzinger – has written a 6,000-word essay for Klerusblatt, a German monthly magazine for clergy.
Benedict said the direct consequence of the 1960s era of counterculture and sexual activism in Europe and America was the “collapse of the next generation of priests in those years and the very high number of laicisations” or priests leaving the Church.
Before becoming the pope in 2005 Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger and he headed the Vatican department that investigates sexual abuse.
‘Deeply flawed’
Some theologians have criticised Benedict’s essay on the causes of clerical paedophilia.
The letter was “deeply flawed” and “profoundly troubling”, Julie Rubio, professor of social ethics at Santa Clara University’s Jesuit School of Theology, said.
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Catholic theologian Brian Flanagan described the letter as “embarrassing”.
“The idea that ecclesial abuse of children was a result of the 1960s, a supposed collapse of moral theology… is an embarrassingly wrong explanation for the systemic abuse of children and its coverup,” Flanagan tweeted.
Benedict’s essay comes after Pope Francis hosted a landmark conference in February on how to deal with paedophilia within the Church.
At the end of the conference, he vowed an “all-out battle” against abusive priests.
Benedict said in his essay that the sexual revolution also led to the “establishment” in various seminaries of “homosexual cliques … which acted more or less openly and significantly changed the climate”.
Benedict criticised a seminary in Germany where trainee priests and lay ministers lived together.
He wrote:
At the common meals, seminarians and pastoral specialists ate together, the married among the laymen sometimes accompanied by their wives and children, and on occasion by their girlfriends.
“The climate in this seminary could not provide support for preparation to the priestly vocation. The Holy See knew of such problems, without being informed precisely.”
Benedict went on to recall one bishop who “arranged for the seminarians to be shown pornographic films, allegedly with the intention of thus making them resistant to behaviour contrary to the faith”.
The Church was first rocked by the child sex abuse crisis in the second half of the 1980s, particularly in the US, and it has been repeatedly criticised for protecting paedophile priests and its reputation.
Benedict was the first pontiff to resign in almost 600 years.
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@Artur Gurta: Ha ha. People who believe the tripe Casey is spouting are not the sort of people who actually vote. Casey will be lucky to move past 2% of the vote
Journal, Can you please stop reporting this drivel and get back to Krispy Kreme in Blanch. We have no idea how long the queues have been all week for Christ sakes.
President Higgins could fly the government jet to New York with his dogs on board and have them pampered and groomed in some of new York’s finest dog groomers courtesy of the tax payer and the people of Ireland will still vote him in because he has been a great statesman for this country.
@Martin Brennan: if he was really so interested in screwing the tax payer, and nothing else, why has he given back to the state around 100k a year in pensions he is entitled to, every year for the past seven years?
@Dermot Lane: Shush now Dermot, we can’t let facts get in the way when good ol’ prejudice is much more fun. Don you not know how mob mentality works…!?
@PaulineSmith: Irish people wear blinkers where politicians are concerned they screw the tax payer for every expense going and we loose our marables and suspend our faculties defending whatever party or politician we support. MD has a sense of entitlement and is smug about it- the only reason he will be elected is the fffg combination want th spare their slush funds for the general election early in the new year
@Martin Brennan: as a dublin taxi driver now and again I have had over the years ferried politicians on occasions and have witnessed there disregard for tax payers money first hand.
One leader of a political party I brought out to tv 3 in ballymount an hour before she was due on set because of make up purposes. She then insisted that i wait with meter running until her (not live) interview was complete.
Another occasion I had a politician chasing letters of recommendations to the Senate around the four corners of the city at a cost of over 180€ and this was recovered by said politician. Gravy train
@Eugene Conroy: The reality is the cosy cartel in the media won’t print these types of extravaganza as they are net beneficiaries of politicians wining and dining
Joan Freeman wants to promote wellness and mental health and yet voted in favour of young, vulnerable women having to travel abroad for bodily autonomy?
@Rochelle: I’m questioning whether her vision of wellness matches that of the public as it seems to be something more spiritual than based in reality. How else could someone with such a priority in the area of mental health not see the incredible psychological damage and even loss of life that the our archaic abortion laws had caused for decades?
@Rochelle: The rate of suicide is lower among women who carry pregnancy to full term than those who have an abortion. So maybe check your own expertise first.
Mute Travellers Are Over-represented In Irish Jails
Favourite Travellers Are Over-represented In Irish Jails
Report
Oct 23rd 2018, 11:35 PM
@John O’Keeffe: she makes 100 grand a year, pays tax, gives Sinn Fein a chunk (they’re funding her campaign!!) And thinks by keeping 48k she’s on the average wage!!
I want to know if as president will she still keep 48k and give Sinn Fein the rest?
Jesus I admired Casey during the week by speaking his mind but god he’s just terrible at public speaking. He can barely string a sentence together. Quality of candidate is so poor. They’re arguing about irrelevant minor issues instead of important issues
@Declan Edward: Maybe, but I think that depends somewhat on his schedule for the rest of the day. I genuinely don’t believe the use of the jet is an issue.
@Declan Edward:
The Government Jet has to be maintained in top order at all times , the pilots have to clock up flying hours , in order to do this. Would it be better just to fly the jet empty around Ireland’s Air Space to give it a run or to occasionally use it to bring the President to an engagement . Hot air about nothing.
@RockyRockStar: If Higgins is repeating what his staff told him, it’s hardly a lie, is it…?
Also, if the jet is necessary for state affairs and emergencies and is within the purvue of our security forces who need to maintain legal licencing and a state of readiness, then it is a security issue.
Imagine the scandal if it turned out the pilots were unlicenced to fly the thing or it wasn’t properly maintained?
Can’t you find an actual reason that stands up to scrutiny as to why Casey is so much better than Higgins…?
Ni Riada pays €40k in tax and gets €60k take home.That’s a salary of €100k, not €75k. Plus she gets up to €50k in expenses.
€150k per year is over 4 times the average industrial wage. She’s a bit loose with the truth.
Can’t wait for Friday and the end of this election,it is boring beyond words and worse still we knew the outcome from the beginning,but still we are subjected to the stage shows which only serve to remind us how unsuitable the candidates are and how ill acquainted they are with the office of President and its functions,Michael D need not bother pack for another seven years.
You’d never think rte are on Micky D’s side ,, don’t call a liar a liar please ,, David McCullagh should be sacked for the way he has started this debate
Unreal how biased the media are to Higgins it’s time we moved away from the establishment Higgins comes across as a very pompous person totally out of touch a complete puppet for the government it’s time that this great nation of ours moved forward and give one of these candidates a chance to make a difference
@Dermot Lane: the only established candidate is Higgins backed by all parties but sinn Fein it’s time we as a country move away from this Higgins comes across as a privileged pompous individual and it’s time that a real person can take office and try make a difference
@Martin O Donnell: I think you need to take the blinkers off there, as regards the other candidates. Casey is running for the highest office in the land and he doesn’t even pay taxes here. Ni Riada got caught out in a lie about her salary. Of the other 2 Dragons, one was born into a privileged background and the other is FF light. Joan Freeman, while I actually think she is sincere, is backed by a dodgy businessman and seems clueless as to the constitutional role of the president. Take your pick.
@Dermot Lane: All true, except you neglect to mention Michael D’s significant shortcomings. Shady expenses and extravagance in the job, pretentious waffling as par for the course, a penchant for leftist dictators abroad, the list goes on.
Absolutely none of the candidates are fit for the office.
@ihcalaM: yes, I was clearly talking about the other candidates besides MD H, as I say in the comment, which was in response to someone called MD H ‘priveleged’
What business does sean Gallagher have saying in an interview about Michael d Higgins getting a jet from Dublin to Belfast. Trying to get the people mad so we will give him a vote. Bore off.
Thankfully Michael D changed his mind and decided to run. Having any of those other 5 as President would be a serious embarrassment for the country. Ironically he is head and shoulders above them.
@CrabaRev: We had a “Gerry Adams type” last time out and he was also a complete waste of space. He didn’t even know where he wanted to be president of. Bertie Ahern????? Get a grip.
All the real polls ( the journal polls are not accurate because they are only made up of respondents who are on the website, not random samples as used by polling companies) put Michael D at between 68-70% while his closest contender, Gallagher is in the teens and Casey is around 2%. I
@Dave Harris: And if you read those results accurately you’d know that the polls were conducted before Peter Casey made his remarks, after that he shot up in popularity.
@Rachel O’ Meara: would ya go way outta that if someone gets elected president for calling tinkers trespassers we’re in some state as a population. I doubt he’d make 10%. Or I’d hope anyway.
@Bilbo Baggins: Did I say who I was voting for? I just corrected another commenters claim that he was still at 2%. He has gained alot of support, he’ll definitely end up with more than 10%, judging by social media platforms, news comments sections, online forums and hearing people on the street talking it’ll be close.
@talksense: I was just putting up all the candidates to be fair. Although, I would sooner vote for Liadh than Gavin or Joan. One of the main reasons Liadh won’t get my number 1 is her Sinn Féin ties.
@PaulineSmith: but instead the want a millionaire like MDH!!! Go on, it’s time for a change,
People are forced to retire at 65, but this man wants a second bite at the cherry
@PaulineSmith: I’m voting for the person I best see fit for the role, a person who will stand up and ask the questions that need to be asked and a person who has a proven track record of accomplishment in everything he does,
Michael D is a real statesman and a great repersentive for Ireland. He seems to be the only one that understands what the job is about.. All the others shitting on about things they wouldn’t have anything to do with anyway.
You know what would demonstrate who is actually in the lead in this race??a journal poll ! I mean you have a poll for which type of tomato sauce people like. does the journal think this is not important enough to run one?
@Andy mc Laughlin: any poll carried out independently would be more accurate than those polls being offered at the minute. But I suppose that’s making the assumption that the journal is independent and impartial.
Oh my word. I genuinely did think Peter Casey was very Donald Trumpish……. now he’s going to appoint members of his family to important positions (his wife to the Council of State) if elected…..he has a similar Trumpishness on the issue of arms / neutrality and let’s not even go to ethnic minorities…I’m starting to think that he’s only involved for his entertainment value! Surely he can’t be serious.
@The Bull McCabe: he’s oddly quiet about how much he’d like to spend on arms tho Bull…. and presidency is all about pc and diplomacy… unless you’re Mr. Trump of course! Personally I would not want anyone representing the highest office in the land to be as bullish and aggressive as he is… be the holies we’d be at war with every second nation if Peter went off on a rant….. we’d need the other five to dig him out! Personally cannot wait for Friday to be over…. I’m losing the will
@The Bull McCabe: I don’t believe he’ll have the opportunity to spend money on anything Bull… well only out of his own pocket in any case……it’s his ideas and attitudes on the arms that are a worry. Anyway each to his own Bull and we’ll all hopefully make an effort to use our vote on Friday…… that’ll be the deciding factor
@CrabaRev:
Very true.
I hadn’t seen much of her before, but she comes across really very badly. Creepy with the touching, condescending with some of her answers, dishonest and disingenuous with her replies on the HPV vaccine and the average wage question.
Ironic that Peter Casey has said they cyber bullying is a scurge on the nation and hw will be working on tackling that issue if he is elected considering the absolute hatred and bullying of Travellers that’s going on all over social media. Also Ironic how he doesn’t pay a cent of Tax in the country considering he is a multi millionaire running for head office in the country.
@Dwayne Jordan: yes was very bad quality debate ,mainly because nearly all the same questions we have heard all week been trashed out again with the same answers.Really taught RTÉ would have done better than that, in fact Claire Byrnes one was much better in my opinion.
@Mazza86: the only issue I have is that its a sweeping statement, if he said “most” then there’d be no critical leg to stand on, as factually most travellers do fall under his description, and I’d be very unhappy to be an honest traveller being swept in with the rest.
Well, what a dull discussion with no new ideas and all for a totally pointless position/role, and as 3 of them are used to hearing ” For that reason…… I’m out”
What a terribly moderated and structured’debate’. If anyone was watching this in a hope that it would sway them, I think they’ll be let down. Absolutely no consistency and everyone allowed just shout over each other, playing one man upship
Debating what? How much money the winner will take needlessly from the taxpayer? all theyre doing is throwing shite at each other.. What a pile of b****cks
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