Religious Left

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Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to the UN, read out a statement after a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva. He said: "Of all priests involved in the abuses, 80 to 90 per cent belong to this sexual orientation minority which is sexually engaged with adolescent boys between the ages of 11 and 17." Tomasi added that it would be "more correct" to refer to ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males, than paedophilia. The statement also attacked other religions, with Tomasi saying that most US churches embroiled in abuse scandals were Protestant, adding that the problem was also common in Jewish communities. Mr. Tomasi, the men were catholic priests and that is the issue. Trying to point the finger in other directions does not change this fact. Let us also remember the catholic church doesn’t allow female priests, it’s an “all male club”. Since the catholic church seems to be confused let clarify som...

Richard Owen in Rome The Times Online UK Angelino Alfano, the Italian Minister of Justice, yesterday Thursday said he had refused a request by the public prosecutor in Rome for permission to charge the comedienne and satirist Sabina Guzzanti with insulting Pope Benedict XVI. Mr Alfano said he had decided not to proceed with a prosecution "knowing the depth of the Pope's capacity for forgiveness". Speaking at the Catholic University in Milan the minister said that as a Roman Catholic himself he had been "saddened and shamed" by Ms Guzzanti's remarks. However she had accepted full responsibility for them, and he saw "no point in adding further fire to the flames". BACKSTORY full article

Richard Owen in Rome, The Times Online UK An Italian comedienne who said that Pope Benedict XVI would go to Hell and be tormented by homosexual demons is facing a prison term of up to five years. Addressing a Rome rally in July, Sabrina Guzzanti warmed up with a few gags about Silvio Berlusconi — her favourite target for her biting impressions — before moving on to some unrepeatable jokes about Mara Carfagna, the Equal Opportunities Minister and one-time topless model. But then she got religion, and after warning everyone that within 20 years Italian teachers would be vetted and chosen by the Vatican, she got to the punchline: "But then, within 20 years the Pope will be where he ought to be — in Hell, tormented by great big poofter devils, and very active ones, not passive ones." Giovanni Ferrara, the Rome prosecutor, is invoking the 1929 Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Vatican, which stipulates that an insult to the Pope carries the same penalty as an insult to the Ital...

krqe.com BOSTON (AP) - An activist group hoping to pressure the Roman Catholic church into dropping its long-standing prohibition on women in the priesthood is planning an ordination ceremony for three women in Boston. The group known as Roman Catholic Womenpriests says it will hold the ceremony at a Protestant Church in Boston on Sunday. The group said the three women - Gloria Carpeneto of Baltimore, Judy Lee of Fort Myers, Fla., and Gabriella Velardi Ward of New York City - are responding to a call to serve the church. The Vatican has warned that women taking part in ordination ceremonies will be excommunicated. full article

By On Top Magazine Staff A coalition of groups – including atheist and gay groups – rallied in Sydney, Australia against Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday. The NoToPope Coalition says Pope Benedict XVI's stand against homosexuality makes him “chief homophobe.” The group also believes the Pope's views on abortion and contraception are unacceptable. Earlier in the week, the coalition was facing a serious threat to their plans as a new ordinance banned anyone from “annoying” the pilgrims. However, a federal court agreed with the protesters right to free speech, striking down the ban. full article

A special tribute to Fire Chaplain Father Mychal Judge, who died on September 11th, was held Saturday night – ahead of the pope's visit to the World Trade Center site. Those in attendance urged Pope Benedict XVI to remember the openly-gay priest. "He had a heart as big as New York," said friend Brendan Fay. "There was room for everybody. We wish that our church had room for everybody, and that was one of our prayers tonight, that our church would be welcoming, especially those who feel excluded, especially gays and lesbians." Friends describe Judge as a beacon of light. full article

I am a big admirer of the current Pope , am glad he came to America , and hope he had a good time. Nonetheless, it really is about time for a papal proclamation announcing that God is a bi gender twister. But since that is not going to happen anytime soon, it would be good if he just turned down the gay bashing a bit. However, I tend to pay him no mind on this stuff. When the Pope preaches the sin of queerness , it carries the same theological weight as the edict against birth control —who cares? Not most Catholics . Jesus talked about a lot of stuff, most of which people don't follow. But he never bothered to mention homosexuality one time. And in the Bible there are only four or five passages on the subject, and the bulk of those are stuck back there with the dietary laws, which also address the necessity of griding your loins and wearing ash sack cloth on certain holidays. As far as specifically condemning dykedom -- there is one ambiguous obscure passage . The Pope adm...

DignityUSA will sponsor a series of public events and witnesses during Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral visit to the United States April 15-20. Events will be held in both Washington, D.C. and New York City. The oldest and most progressive organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, DignityUSA has fifty chapters and local contacts in every state. "All of our events are planned to be peaceful, prayerful and positive," said Marianne Duddy-Burke, DignityUSA's executive director. "At the same time, we need to recognize the damage that this Pope's attacks on our community have caused countless individuals and families. We witness on their behalf." full article

Following his fourteenth birthday in 1941, Ratzinger was enrolled in the Hitler Youth — In 1943, he was drafted at age 16 into the German anti-aircraft corps. As the Allied front drew closer to his post in 1945, he deserted. He was posted to the Hungarian border area of Austria (remember the movie Sound of Music?). When Hungary was occupied by the Red Army Ratzinger was put to work setting up anti-tank defences in preparation for the expected Red Army offensive. While there, he saw Jews being herded to death camps As a Nazi, Ratzinger was arrested by the American military and placed in a prisoner of war camp.

Rome (1 January) - Heterosexual Pope Benedict XVI has called for peace in the world during his New Year's Mass in Saint Peter's Cathedral. Since 1967, New Year's Day has been World Peace Day in the Roman Catholic Church. The pope said that there is a direct relationship between peace in the world and the traditional family, based on a bond between man and woman. Indirectly he criticised unmarried couples and homosexual marriage, which has been legalised in many countries including Spain, which is mostly Catholic.