Tuesday, June 29, 2010

JP2 Army sex abuse widens within the Dutch Roman Catholic Church


It is important to see these real images where the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army thrived in other parts of the world. From 2002 to 2010, it was only an American problem, but now the JPIIPPA has erupted in Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy and in the Netherlands. The Belgian Police days ago raided and confiscated ALL documents and files of the Catholic Archiocese of Maline-Brussels.
See our coverage in The Opus Dei fabricates “The Age of Benedict XVI” in Rome... Belgian Police raid Archbishop’s Palace and Catholic Headquarters in Brussels http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/opus-dei-fabricate-age-of-benedict-xvi.html

"Belgian Police raid the Archbishop’s Palace and Catholic headquarters in Brussels in search for evidence of pedophile priests’ documents in Belgium" http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/belgian-police-raid-archbishops-palace.html






http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/catholic-church-child-sex-abuse-scandal-widens




Those investigating child sex abuse within the Dutch Roman Catholic Church are facing an enormous job which is increasing by the day. Complaints are flooding in from around the country following initial revelations made by Radio Netherlands Worldwide and the NRC Handelsblad newspaper.

The first reports of abuse came from a boarding school in the eastern town of 's-Heerenberg - now allegations have been made involving Roman Catholic institutions across the Netherlands.

One of these was an expensive boarding school for the children of diplomats and the wealthy at Eikenburg near the southern city of Eindhoven.

Robert Chesal reports:

Dolf was ten years old when he was abused the first time at the Eikenburg boarding school. It happened shortly after he arrived and he says the perpetrator was his group leader, a Roman Catholic brother.

"After a few weeks, I was woken up one night. The brother took me out of the dormitory. I had to get down on my knees and he put 15 blankets over me. I sat there sweating for 45 minutes. Then I had to satisfy him. That happened was every week for a year. I had to do it in every way possible. I was a child and I didn't know what I was doing."

Military precision
Eikenburg, located in beautiful woods near Eindhoven was one of the most expensive boarding schools in the Netherlands. Dolf, now 63, attended the school from late 1956 until 1958. He describes the brother as a large, coarse and aggressive man who demanded military precision from the boys.

He used to rip the blankets from the beds to make sure that the sheets had been tucked in properly and meted out the same kind of terrifying discipline in the dining room.

Brothers of Charity
The Brothers of Charity taught around 350 students in the boarding school’s 19th-century chapel and annexes. The order, which has branches throughout the world, is devoted to helping the poor, caring for the ill and to Christian charity.

However, the brothers enforced an extremely strict regime for the boys at Eikenburg. The instructors would hand out blue cards to boys who misbehaved, which meant they could not visit their home at the weekend. Dolf says the brother exploited the situation. "He tried to rape me. He was so big and strong. His hands were all over my face".

Letters censored
Since his parents were abroad, Dolf usually visited relatives during the weekend. His father was a diplomat. He was lonely, did not feel safe and was homesick. “My parents were far away. I had nobody to turn to.” Because the brothers checked all mail it was not possible to mention the abuse in a letter.

The Brothers of Charity’s regional superior, Ton van Heugten (74) at first refused to answer questions about the accusations. “I know about it. But I am not going to discuss it.” When asked about Dolf’s version of events. “I know about it. But I don’t know if something actually happened.”

Van Heugten says that the brother in question had been confined to a psychiatric institution. “There they diagnosed him as needing psychiatric care.” There was never an investigation into whether any of the boys had been a victim of possible acts by the brother.

An investigation by Radio Netherlands Worldwide and NRC Handelsblad into child abuse at boarding schools and seminaries reveals that a great deal of hidden suffering took place near the shady lanes of the Eikenburg boarding school. Of the more than one hundred cases investigated during the past two weeks, eleven took place in one school alone – Eikenburg.

Eleven former pupils describe how they and others were repeatedly abused and beaten. The events described allegedly took place between 1956 and 1983. The former pupils accuse nine Catholic brothers and one lay brother. More than fifty brothers worked at the boarding school on average.

Physical violence
Not all the pupils came from wealthy families. Henk Overdevest and his two brothers, sons of a bulb grower from North Holland, attended Eikenburg in 1968. Henk says his mother was emotionally unstable and did not have the ability to deal with her children, whom she often beat. Due to the dangerous situation at home he was sent to Eikenburg to attend the sixth grade of elementary school.

The troubles started immediately after his arrival. The group of new pupils was walking up the steps when one of the boys said something cheeky. One of the brothers “gave him a really hard blow to his head. The boy fell down the stone steps and landed with a smack on the pavement. Nobody helped him. The boy picked himself up. He was crying really hard of course.”

Intimidation
The cruelty was allegedly of a sexual nature as well. The boys who stayed during the weekend were the ones who experienced the alleged abuse most often.

Mr Overdevest: “We were playing billiards one Saturday afternoon. A boy was about to play a shot with his cue when the same brother walked up behind him. He pressed the boy against the billiard table and began to wildly rub against him.” Nobody else did anything because they were afraid of reprisals.

Henk befriended one of the supervisors, a lay brother of around 19 years of age. The supervisor invited Henk to his room to talk. “We chatted until late in the evening, with the radio on, and he gave me a sweet glass of liqueur.” The lay brother was preparing to make a sexual advance.

“At night I was asleep in bed and I woke up. Someone was touching my penis. I pushed him away.”

The supervisor tried it again another time, but this time more aggressively. Henk pushed him away.

“A short time later I heard a boy with a loud voice shouting somewhere else in the dormitory, “Shove off. Keep your hands off me!” His parents arrived the next day and the lay brother was fired immediately.”

Dolf and Henk’s accusations are just two examples of a structural pattern. Reports by other former pupils show that it is highly likely that pupils were frequently abused during the 1960s and 70s.

A former pupil who complained to Superior Van Heugten about abuse years ago looks back in anger. “He said that my story could not possibly be true.” Recently the former pupil received a letter from Van Heugten which included the cautious phrase: “We would greatly regret it if an incident had ever occurred at our institution.”

Comfort
Some time before the school closed its doors in 1996, girls were admitted as well. Each pupil had his or her own room. Although the atmosphere was less strict, there were still instances of abuse. A woman (42) from Deurne, near Eindhoven, says a brother began to abuse her in 1980, when she was 13, until 1983. Because she is married and has two children she wants to remain anonymous. The brother said he wanted to comfort her because she was homesick. However, they ended up having sex.

When her father found out and threatened to call the police the man was transferred to another boarding school run by the Brothers of Charity, St Jozef in Roermond. Today he is one of the four members of the board of the Brothers of Charity in the Netherlands.

Confessed
The Brothers of Charity still reside in Eikenburg. Regional father superior Van Heugten at first refused to discuss the accusation. However, in a second telephone conversation he admitted that the board member “had something to do with that girl”. He says the brother “sat here crying and confessed”.

The first Roman Catholic institution to face an investigation into charges of sexual abuse was the Don Rua monastery in ‘s-Heerenberg. Now it seems that widespread abuse occurred at the Eikenberg boarding school as well. In view of the many complaints which are being sent to Hulp & Recht (Help & Justice), a Roman Catholic organisation dedicated to fighting sexual abuse, more institutions will probably follow. The Netherlands can now join the growing number of countries where past cases of widespread sexual abuse at religious institutions are coming into the limelight after having long been ignored.

Dummy cakes versus Yummy cakes






In our right hand corner we have the original, scrumptious Yummy Cakes! In our left, we have the avant-garde, gorgeous Dummy Cakes!

Ding Ding Ding!
When it comes to dessert, our clients are often at a loss when it comes to Yummy versus Dummy.
“What do you mean, spend money on a cake I can’t even eat?”
Ah Grasshopper, there is so much for you to learn!
Here are the basics for deciding on having your cake and eating it too:

Dummy Cakes 101

Dummy Cakes are virtually limitless…created to be the focal point of your wedding, they can be any size, shape, color or design you want, even twisting and bending in Cirque Solei style. Want an Eiffel tower cake? Done! A cake in the shape of a Prada bag spilling open, complete with lipstick, Blackberry and wallet? Done!
Dummy cakes can do pretty much anything….
except be eaten.
So, back to the age old question:
Why have a cake I can’t eat?


There are many reasons why dummy cakes are a great way to go.
It’s important to note that when you order a dummy cake, your baker will also be supplying you with cupcakes or a sheet cake that is pre-cut and served after the dummy cake is presented. While you won’t be able to eat the decorative cake, chances are that if you have a talented baker, the edible cake will be delicious.



Here are some reasons why one may want a dummy vs a yummy:
1.) The Freedom Factor: you want a complicated cake that will wow your guests, it’s likely that the design will be easier to construct using fondant and Styrofoam, the main ingredients in dummy cakes.
With Dummy cakes, the possibilities are endless…
2.) Picky, Picky!: What if you have a Japanese themed wedding and you want green tea flavors, but also the traditional chocolate and vanilla? You can have a variety of cupcake flavors or even small sheet cakes. Let’s be honest, guests can be super picky and if you have anything unusual it may be best to provide some good old fashioned traditional flavors.


3.) Options! If you want a “mostly dummy” cake, you can have the bottom tier be real while the rest is fake. This is can great for weddings, where the traditional caking cutting photo is usually a must for the photo album that follows.
4.) Lots of Hungry Partiers…after your guest list exceeds 300, one yummy cake won’t do the trick anymore.

Yummy Cakes 101

And yet there is something about tradition that just doesn’t get old. “Yummy” cakes are the kind that can be eaten (imagine that!), and while they can’t take on the crazy sculptural forms that some dummy cakes can, they can be carved into shapes and decorated with a myriad of edible arrangements-including edible flowers.
Most of the reasons why you might want a yummy cake has to do with the drawbacks associated with dummy cakes.


Here are some reasons why you might choose a yummy cake for your special day:
1.) Flava’ Flave: Cupcakes and side cakes tend to be dry and many report that flavor in side cakes isn’t always as scrumptious..which leads to number 2….
2.) Don’t get fresh with me! Yummy cakes are made, iced and served the day of your event, as opposed to sheet cakes, which can be made a day or two before, affecting freshness and quality.

3.) Fabulous Fillings- When it comes to yummy cakes, the sky is the limit… not so with cupcakes. In general, you can’t use fresh fruit fillings in cupcakes.
4.) Quality, not Quantity…If you have more than 300 people are your event, you can also choose to have more than one yummy cake rather than a whole lot of plain sheet cake.

5.) It’s just plain awesome to be able to eat the beautiful cake that someone worked super hard on. And if you ask some, tastier too!

We hope this helps and that your day is as delicious as the cake you choose to use!

Rainbow Girl




My latest creation: Rainbow Girl. The crochet pattern is available in my Etsy Shop: kandjdolls.etsy.com

Monday, June 28, 2010

Belgian Police raid the Archbishop’s Palace and Catholic headquarters in Brussels in search for evidence of pedophile priests’ documents in Belgium

Read our coverage of the Belgian Police raids in the Archbishop’s Palace and Catholic headquarters in Belgium. You go, Belgian Police! HOORAH!

The Opus Dei fabricates “The Age of Benedict XVI” in Rome... Belgian Police raid Archbishop’s Palace and Catholic Headquarters in Brussels http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/opus-dei-fabricate-age-of-benedict-xvi.html

Our sister websites:

The John Paul II MIllstone

Cardinal Bertone, stop fooling us with the “Communist” trump card; the Belgian Police raid proves that you Vatican Princes are not ‘above the law’! http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardinal-bertone-stop-fooling-us-with.html

Winners!

During this giveaway Mr. Cupcake received the most love from giveaway participants and Mr. Ice Cream Cone didn’t seem to be so popular. But amongst my Japanese students Mr. Ice Cream Cone was the most popular and Mr. Cupcake wasn’t liked much at all. Wonder why? Perhaps because they don’t sell cupcakes in Japan and most students didn’t even know what he was.
Anyway, let’s see who won! Unfortunately, my cute assistant is not available this time to draw giveaway winners, so I simply used an online random number generator. And it resulted in these three winners:
Congratulations ladies! Please, email your addresses to theloulogue@gmail.com.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Hobbes

This huge Hobbes doll is made by Belinda (knittingprettynnz on Ravelry). The pattern she used is my Hobbes pattern available in my new shop kandjdolls2.etsy.com.

Tyrone from the Backyardigans

My latest pattern: Tyrone. He is one of the Backyardigans from Nick Jr. I made two: the first with a 3mm hook and a larger one with a 4mm hook.


The pattern is available in my shop for cartoons: kandjdolls2.etsy.com

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Monday, June 21, 2010

Benedict XVI and Eve: affiliation with the Devil







Who committed the most grievous sins against Catholic children: Naked Mother Eve or Holy Father Benedict XVI all covered in white Emperor’s Clothes? It is said that the Devil can appear in a human form dressed in white regalia. Eve ate (bit) only one apple but Benedict XVI as Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith condoned and covered-up the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army who committed the "Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Protportions" for over 26 years

Benedict XVI was quoted in many Catholic headlines for his few words on the clergy sexual abuse scandal: "It was to be expected that this new radiance of the priesthood would not be pleasing to the 'enemy' ... And so it happened that, in this very year of joy for the Sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light - particularly the abuse of the little ones. ...” Benedict XVI preached before 15,000 priests at St. Peter’s Square on June 11, 2010 to close the Year for Priests. The Vatican Bank’s highest paid reporter John L. Allen Jr as Pied Piper for Benedict XVI immediately identifies the ‘enemy’ in his headline, “Pope sees the Devil behind timing of sex abuse crisis”, see http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/john-l-allen-jr-deceptions-call-vatican.html. In the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army, we pointed out how Benedict insulted the victims with the condescending and demeaning words of “little ones” for now-adult victims who were battered with decades of ‘Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions’ see http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/benedict-xvi-asks-for-quickie.html. Calling victims “little ones” shows how out-of-touch and grossly insensitive Benedict really is. But what else can he feel dressed in his Zeffirelli Emperor’s Clothes regalia surrounded by majestic frescoes at the Vatican Palace and heiled by throngs of adoring priests and Catholic fans? In spite of meeting a few victims and shedding a few crocodile tears, he remains arrogant and refuses to see that all authentic victims always speak of how their youthful innocence was stolen from them. Really, there is nothing “little” or sweet- innocent about these long-suffering victims and calling them “little ones” is an unremorseful affront to them.

Read full article in Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/eve-and-benedict-xvi-blame-devil.html

Read our latest articles in the John Paul II Millstone http://jp2m.blogspot.com/

Friday, June 18, 2010

Mrs. Chantal

She did it! She got married! Congratulations Chan :). Enjoy the honeymoon.
My mom took a few quick pictures for me to get an idea of her big event. As you can see, I was present through my wedding monkeys and Chantal looked beautiful in her dress. Can’t wait to see more pictures.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Sweet GIVEAWAY!

Giveaway closed: Winners will be announced on Monday!

Last week I taught several really fun sewing classes at school! Students got to choose their favorite sweet treat from three examples and sew it in class with me. And I sewed three extra badges to give away on my blog, because I had so much fun during my first giveaway! Meet Mr. Ice Cream Cone II, Mr. Chocolate Chip Cookie II and Mr. Cupcake II. And someone took a bite out of poor Mr. Cookie because he looks so delicious.
So this time I’ll be giving away three little handmade friends, so there will be three winners!! How can you win one? Just follow this blog and tell me in the comment section of this post which one of the three sweet treats you’d like to win. Make sure to do this before 11:59 PM (Japanese time) on June 26th! Good luck everyone:)!

Oh and here are the sweet treat badges that were created during the sewing classes last week by my adorable students:

Little Monkey

Heike Messina made this little monkey. She dyed and spun the yarn herself.  Heikes German crochet blog:
heikesblogwelt.blogspot.com.

The pattern is available in my Etsy shop. I have now 2 shops. One for cartoon characters (and this monkey as it is Boots from Dora): kandjdolls2.etsy.com. The other for my 100% original designs: kandjdolls.etsy.com .

Congratulations, Chantal & Henk!

Chantal is my mother’s younger sister and I’ve gotten used to thinking of her as my hip single aunt. She’s only twelve years older than me, and I’ve never even called her ‘aunt’, just Chantal. A couple of years ago she hooked up with Henk and they’ve been inseparable ever since. And after today she’ll no longer be single, because she’s marrying her hunk Henk today!
Unfortunately, I can’t make it to the wedding, because I won't be home until next month. Which is a shame because I'd love to see Chantal get married in her cream colored dress, but I’ll just have to see it on video. To celebrate her special day, I’ve made some wedding monkeys, because Chantal's Chinese zodiac is monkey, just like mine. I hope the bride and groom have a wonderful wedding and make today one of the most precious memories they'll have.

Blue Little Lady

Salmay made this cute little lady with apron. She used the pattern of Pink Little Lady (free) with the apron from Alice in Wonderland

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Masquerade 2010








The 7th annual Long Island Elite Masquerade was a great success!

The theme this year was Wonderland. We were so excited to put on this year’s event for the Long Island Elite, who raised money for Long Island Charities and had a blast while doing it!
Rather than the usual cocktail set up of various round tables, we created a mad tea party 8 tables long. Guests loved the tea party so much they chose to sit there for dinner as well, amidst the calculated clutter of flowers, cups and saucers, tea pots, antique books and clocks. We placed some of the clutter on spinning plates for added magic…

Photos by Dennisimo Photography
Besides being cozy, this sociable seating arrangement set up fantastic opportunities for guests to network. One of the most prevalent remarks of the night was how easy it was to make connections and exchange information.
Our challenge every year with this event is keep things fresh and exciting. After 6 years of putting on the same event, the challenge grows every year—it’s a good thing we love challenges at DJS, because there’s nothing better than topping yourself!

Some of the other elements of the evening:

We chose fresh, vibrant colors for our floral arrangements. When you are working with bright table tops you have to make sure that your arrangements can stand on their own and aren't drowned out by the surrounding colors.



We accented our special reserved tables with branches laced with orchids, moss and hanging votives. These elements grounded the tables and gave a glittering, whimsical detail.



Dawn Strain, President & founder of LIE looked gorgeous in a gown donated for the evening by Kleinfeld Bridal




Scrumptious dessert by Just a Sliver! We had character inspired cupcakes and ones that said "Eat Me"
Who Are You?
We transformed the patio into a hookah lounge, complete with Hookahs from Mystique.

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

Our croquet and life sized chess set was a big hit!

Photos by Dennisimo Photography



Who is LIE?

Founded in 2002, the Long Island Elite (LIE) is an organization dedicated to fostering the growth and development of Long Island’s business professionals under the age of 40, the region’s emerging business leaders. To learn more about LIE, please visit their website at
http://www.longislandelite.com/home.asp
The performers provided by Chezzam created a magical evening with a crazy cast of characters that kept the spirit of the evening fun, quirky and charismatic.

Photos by Dennisimo Photography

The King, Queen and Member of the Year Gary Cucchi (Tweedle)
Photos by Dennisimo Photography

If you couldn't make it and would still like to donate to the Long Island Elite, please go
here

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

For All Seasons

 Image Courtesy Wisteria Via Camilla At Home

Oh I love this coat rack. I'm a sucker for a blackboard at the best of times... but mixed in with a coat rack?... perfect for all seasons.... snow gear or beach towels! I'm off to the snow for a couple of weeks for a very 'active' family holiday. Will be back soon.
A-M xx

Sunday, June 13, 2010

World Cup Soccer Zakumi Doll Pattern

With the World Cup Soccer under way you might like to make little Zakumi here. He is a great doll to make. The hair is just basic crochet. You sew the hair parts to the head. The pattern is in my new Etsy shop kandjdolls2.etsy.com

Saturday, June 12, 2010

My third and last series of sewing classes

The best thing about special lesson weeks here at AEON is that us teachers get to teach something really different for a change. And I my case that means I get to teach sewing classes! This is the third time I'm doing this and this was by far my favorite kind of sewing class. 

The first time we made some fish, ghosts and ice lollies, but that was before I had found a good felt supplier so we used felt from the 100 yen store and they didn't really have great colors at that time. The second time was for Valentine's Day and we made hearts and kisses. Then we did have awesomely colored felt, but our creations didn't have faces, and stuff is just cuter with faces and buttons for eyes.

And this week I taught five classes in which we made cupcakes, cookies and ice cream cones and they all had faces! Look at all these pretty ladies working hard on their favorite sweet treat:
This class was also the most successful of the three, because our creations were a little smaller, I did some preparatory sewing for each student sewing and I made everyone use a running stitch in stead of the more complicated blanket stitch. Students mostly finished within the hour and they all loved their little badges: 
I've taught at AEON for more than three years and these were absolutely my favorite classes! Wish I could do a few more before I leave Japan.

And the winner is...



I had so much fun organizing this giveaway, I'm going to do it again! Check back soon, another giveaway is coming this week.

See the monkey I made for the winner in the colors of her choice.

Benedict XVI asks for ‘quickie forgiveness’ from “little ones” who were battered for years by ‘Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions’

St. Ignatius Loyola called the Jesuits the Society of Jesus. St? Josemaria Escriva called the Opus Dei priests “the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross”. We call the worst crime against Catholic children “the Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions”. We call the innumerable pedophile priests “the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army” because John Paul II had the longest papacy for almost 27 years and he covered them up and he did not protect one single child from one predator priest. That is why John Paul II must never be called a “Saint” by children in this generation and all generations to come. He was heartless and callous towards children in his lifetime and in his death.

Benedict XVI is acting infallible again. At the end of the Year of the Priest celebrations in Rome, he dressed and acted like a Roman Pontiff, sitting at the trillion dollars Chair of St. Peter, and with a few words, he speaks as if he can eradicate decades of “Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions” on “little ones”.

Benedict XVI’s words of “little ones” is an unashamed insult to hundreds of thousands of victims of the John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army who continue to suffer lifetime of “living Hell”, many committed suicide and are drug addicts, many are divorced and continue to have haunting nightmares of their years of “Priestly Sodomy”. These victims are not "little ones" but "big victims" who are not "ones" but have real personal faces, personal names and real human beings (who are not mere statistic) who were sexually assaulted for decades by “Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Proportions”.

Benedict XVI’s use of “little ones” on victims is condescending and sweet nothing. “Little ones” are sweet words often used for innocent children as words of endearment. But there is nothing sweet or innocent and endearing these victims have been battered and scourged for years by only the most abominable sexual priestly beasts can imagine and do - like Fr. Marcial Maciel who sodomized even his own son.

It is time for the fall of the papacy. It is time for the fall of the Vatican. It is time for the fall of Rome. It is time for the end of “quickie forgiveness of sins” and the fiction of the Eucharist. It is time that the Pope is no longer a "Head of State" and not be entitled with political immunity. It is time for the end of the "reverence for priests". It is time for the end of the Eucharist which is pure fiction of the powers of the Pope and priests to reincarnate Christ flesh in 9-seconds formula of "transubstatiation". It is time that John Paul II be called "the Pope of Priestly Sodomy of Biblical Porportions".

See our related articles

The John Paul II MIllstone

Reasons why priest pedophilia is eternal: John Paul II the Great “Saint”, “The Conscience” of the ‘Age of Benedict XVI’, “Holy Father” Marcial Maciel http://jp2m.blogspot.com/2010/06/reasons-why-priest-pedophilia-is.html

Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler

Rome celebrations of Benedict XVI and 15,000 priests who are wizards worse than Harry Potter http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/rome-celebrations-of-benedict-xvi-and.html

Benedict dispatches to Ireland 9 Apostolic Visitors -- all who are ignorant about “secular crimes” and know only of "quickie forgiveness of sins" http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/benedict-dispatches-to-ireland-9.html

Cardinal Bertone, what we need is not “spiritual renewal” but “a Catholic Registry of Pedophile Priests” to warn and protect children http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardinal-bertone-what-we-need-is-not.html

No amount of ‘historic apology’ Benedict makes will matter -- unless he fires the first criminals Cardinal Bernard Law & Cardinal Roger Mahony http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/04/no-amount-of-historic-apology-benedict.html

Cardinal Bertone, what we need is not “spiritual renewal” but “a Catholic Registry of Pedophile Priests” to warn and protect children http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardinal-bertone-what-we-need-is-not.html

The « 'reverence' for priests » harbours and perpetuates priest pedophilia. 9 Apostolic Visitors to Ireland to re-enforce (fairy tale) Holy Communion http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2010/06/reverence-for-priests-harbours-and.html

John Paul II Pedophile Priests Army

Opus Dei fabricate “The Age of Benedict XVI” in Rome http://jp2army.blogspot.com/2010/06/opus-dei-fabricate-age-of-benedict-xvi.html

Compare the CRIMES and their VICTIMS in America

Victims - Attackers - Responsible Leaders

Pearl Harbor - 3,000 victims - 170 planes - Admiral Yamamoto

WTC & 9/11 attacks - 5,000 victims - 19 Muslims - Osama bin Laden

USA Priest Pedophilia - 12,000 victims - 6,000 priests - John Paul II & Benedict XVI & Opus Dei, the new Vatican Trinity


Pope asks God for forgiveness but offers no apology on priest abuse


Benedict XVI's remarks at a gathering of priests at the Vatican are praised by clerics, but victims groups are less impressed.
Pope Benedict XVI



Pope Benedict XVI waves after celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City. (TONY GENTILE, REUTERS / June 12, 2010)
By Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times

June 12, 2010

Reporting from Vatican City —

When Pope Benedict XVI announced the "Year of the Priest" that concluded Friday, he probably didn't have in mind the sort of year he got.

He acknowledged as much in a closing Mass, telling more than 10,000 assembled priests in St. Peter's Square that "in the very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light."

Benedict had been widely expected to use the occasion to issue his most sweeping and detailed mea culpa to date for the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and perhaps to announce new measures to cope with it. The scandal has rocked the Roman Catholic Church in Europe this year, nearly a decade after it shook the American church to its roots.

But the pope did neither, blaming the problem on "the enemy," Satan, even as he begged forgiveness from God and from the victims of priest abuse, as he has several times recently. The latest comments failed to satisfy at least some in his audience, who called for greater accountability and more concrete measures to combat abuse.

"How many times can you apologize before you take action?" asked Joelle Casteix of Newport Beach, a leader of the U.S. victims group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, who attended the outdoor Mass.

Benedict celebrated the Mass in sweltering heat after presiding the night before over a vigil in which he strongly defended the church's requirement that priests take a vow of celibacy.

Although he has a reputation as an occasionally austere figure, the pope won praise from priests for speaking plainly and showing a keen understanding of their difficulties, as well as for inspiring them with reminders of the importance of their work and depth of their faith.

"It's a challenge being a priest today, no?" Andres Ulloa, 24, an Ecuadorean seminarian from Guayaquil, said after the Mass. "But he talked about the joys of being a priest.... He knows how to get to the center and the essence of problems."

The pope's homily was delivered to a sea of men who wore white robes over black streetwear, looking decidedly uncomfortable on a hot, muggy day. Together with the previous night's crowd, the gathering of Catholic priests was believed to be the largest in history. The men fanned themselves and covered their heads with all manner of sun protection: fishing hats, straw hats, baseball caps (some worn backwards), handkerchiefs — even paperback hymnals propped up like tents.

At one point, sounding much like the academic he once was, Benedict spoke of the development of monotheism, and seemed to criticize non-Christian faiths as well as the Enlightenment, the historical movement that brought revolutionary developments in science and philosophy.

He said that early in its development, monotheism embraced a "distant" God unlike the one worshipped by Christians. "This one God was good, yet aloof," the pope said. "Consequently, one didn't need to worry about him."

Benedict spoke about "the audacity of God" in trusting men to be priests.

"That God thinks that we are capable of this, that in this way he calls men to his service and thus from within binds himself to them — this is what we wanted to reflect upon and appreciate anew over the course of the past year," he said.

Although he didn't announce any new measures to combat sexual abuse, he said the church must use "the shepherd's rod, the rod with which he protects the faith against those who falsify it."

His abuse remarks drew applause at one point, and praise by priests afterward. However, the comments of some clerics served as reminders that the scandal is not entirely global. Benjamin Ogechi Agbara, a diocesan priest from Port Harcourt, Nigeria, said he was satisfied with the pope's comments but that sexual abuse was secondary in his country.

"The problem of the church," he said, "is poverty in Africa."

The pope's comments did not appease organized groups of abuse victims who have called for more substantive action.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, issued a statement calling Benedict's remarks "a great disappointment and a squandered opportunity."

Casteix and several other representatives of SNAP were also critical.

Casteix, SNAP's Southwest director, said she would not be satisfied until the church instituted a zero-tolerance policy under which abusive priests and those who covered up their crimes were turned over to civil authorities and expelled from the church. (Benedict has called for all sexual abusers to be turned over to police.)

Priests might have been inspired by the gathering at the Vatican, Casteix said, but the pope didn't give them any tools with which to deal with the problem.

"They leave here and what do they really have?" she asked. "Nothing. Inspiration doesn't really save a child."

mitchell.landsberg@latimes.com

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pope-forgiveness-20100612,0,940659.story

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

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Educating children and atoning for sins

Dan Rodricks
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-rodricks-catholic-church-20100613,0,2915790.column

June 13, 2010


Thursday, in Rome, the pope asked for forgiveness for child sexual abuse by clergy, while in Baltimore, the archbishop asked for money for parochial schools. And thus we had, on one day, the confluence of two streams of Catholic consciousness that have been flowing briskly this spring: a church whose leadership for decades tolerated immeasurable abuse of children claiming the noble desire to continue educating them.

In March, Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien announced the closings of 13 more schools in Baltimore and Baltimore County, setting off protests and an impassioned but fruitless effort by parents, students and alumni of the Cardinal Gibbons School to save their beloved high school.

The announcement drew attention to steady enrollment declines and to the archdiocese's severe financial losses. Further, the shuttering of these 13 schools raised questions about the church's continued role in educating poor children and the children of the working poor, many of them non-Catholics. "We're educating them not because they're not Catholic, but because we are," Archbishop O'Brien told The Catholic Review. "It speaks to our social justice teaching, our commitment to serving the poor and our belief that every child is deserving of a quality education."

That's the stuff of Catholic tradition that the faithful, and even the not-so-faithful-anymore, could find inspiring and convincing — if not for all the doubts that have been raised, and continue to be raised, about church leaders who claim to stand up for children.

Like a flood that exposes buried artifacts, the spring brought a wave of new reports about the abuse of scores of children by Catholic clergy, in the United States and in Europe. One report, in The New York Times, told of a priest who abused as many as 200 deaf boys at a school in Wisconsin and raised serious questions about Pope Benedict XVI's role in the matter while he ran the Vatican office responsible for investigating charges against priests. Other news reports left doubts about Pope Benedict's handling of abuse cases while an archbishop in Germany.

Government investigations in Ireland have found widespread sexual abuse by priests in Catholic schools as well as cover-ups by church officials and Dublin police.

The Catholic Church in the United States has paid out an estimated $2 billion in abuse settlements, and claims of damages across the country have caused eight dioceses to file for bankruptcy and others to close parishes and schools. There have been thousands of allegations of abuse by hundreds of priests who served in parishes and in schools between 1950 and 2000.

The pope, who met with American victims two years ago, issued a series of contrite statements this spring, even as the scandal spread, with hundreds of new allegations surfacing in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. On Thursday, Pope Benedict issued another apology for the decades-long nightmare, this time from the Vatican.

What has not been sufficiently addressed in all of this is the lingering effect of the abuse scandal on school enrollment, on the finances of the church and on the power of church leaders to reverse those trends. The scandal's full cost to the church — in cash and in credibility — remains a thing of speculation. In Baltimore or anywhere, when an archdiocese closes schools, unable to continue to subsidize the education of poor children, many Catholics wonder if it's because of all the damages still owed to victims. Also unclear is the extent to which the scandal has affected parents in their decision to enroll their children in Catholic schools.

Now the Archdiocese of Baltimore, having closed 28 of its schools since 2000, steps forward with a plan to reverse the declines and improve the remaining schools. Parishes will be asked to foot the bill, of course. It took a panel on Catholic education 16 months to come up with that novel idea — that the great Catholic diaspora along the Beltway and beyond should pay for the church's mission to improve the lives of poor children, many of them in Baltimore, whether they receive Communion or not.

Certainly that's a worthy mission. But Catholics, both the devout and the struggling, will decide whether their church can be trusted to continue it.