Ratzinger's Responsibility: a papal mea culpa for child abuse cover-up?
Fr , one of the world's most famous theologians, and a former academic colleage of Pope Benedict, has called on the Pope to publicly accept responsibility for his part in the "worldwide cover-up" of clerical sexual abuse. Writing in the current edition of the National Catholic Reporter, in an article titled "Ratzinger's Responsibility", Professor Küng asks, "Is it not time for Pope Benedict XVI himself to acknowledge his share of responsibility, instead of whining about a campaign against his person?"
The academic and prolific author, whose licence to teach as a "Catholic theologian" was withdrawn by the Vatican because of his controversial views, pulls no punches in this latest challenge to Pope Benedict's authority.
He writes: "No other person in the Church has had to deal with so many cases of abuse crossing his desk . . . Honesty demands that Joseph Ratzinger himself, the man who for decades has been principally responsible for the worldwide cover-up, at last pronounce his own 'mea culpa'."
Read the full article .
Comment number 1.
At 19th Mar 2010, Rusticatus wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 19th Mar 2010, The Enquirer wrote:The problem with the Roman Church is that it has departed from the true Catholic faith given by Christ through His Apostles and Prophets in the Scriptures. Any false system of belief will bring forth bad fruits. This is why it has always had a history of rampant sexual immorality amongst its clergy.
Mandatory celibacy is clearly condemned in Scripture (see below), and even more fundamentally its clergy are not trusting in Christ alone for their salvation and therefore know nothing of grace. They need to be changed and get a new heart, or as the Bible says, they need to be truly born again. If you're not following Christ's formula for salvation, you're not going to get saved, and you haven't a hope of keeping His Law: "Because the fleshly mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Letter to the Church of Rome 8:7,8)
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, FORBIDDING TO MARRY, and commanding to ABSTAIN FROM FOODS which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving." (1 Timothy 4:1-4)
"...but if they cannot exercise self-control, LET THEM MARRY. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (1 Corinthians 7:9)
"Now when Jesus had come into PETER'S house, He saw his WIFE’s mother lying sick with a fever." (Matthew 8:14)
"Do we have no right to take along a believing WIFE, as do also the OTHER APOSTLES, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas [i.e. PETER]?" (1 Corinthians 9:5)
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 19th Mar 2010, Rusticatus wrote:Honesty demands that Hans Kung tell us about his own experience of celibacy. Could it be that he has been sublimating everything into a blind hatred for his lifelong nemesis Joseph Ratzinger? Doesn't he realise that if he had become pope he would have had to live without his infallibility? Far more inhibiting than any celibacy.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)