Ex-Pope: I Never Shielded Pervy Priests

In his first public comments since resigning, today former Pope Palpatine denied the long-running accusations that he shielded pedophile priests from exposure and prosecution.

The comments - which a victims' group rejected - were made in an 11-page letter to Italian author and mathematician Piergiorgio Odifreddi, who had written a book about the problems facing the Roman Catholic Church before the pope resigned in February. "As far as you mentioning the moral abuse of minors by priests, I can only, as you know, acknowledge it with profound consternation. But I never tried to cover up these things," said Benedict, who now has the title Emeritus Pope. Excerpts of the letter were published in the Rome newspaper La Repubblica on Tuesday with the former pope's permission. It was believed to be the first time Benedict has responded to the sexual abuse accusations in the first person, although the Vatican has always said he did much to put an end to sexual abuse of minors by priests and never tried to cover it up.

The victims group SNAP responded: "As head of CDF [Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith], thousands of cases of predator priests crossed his desk. Did he choose to warn families or call police about even one of those dangerous clerics? No. That, by definition, is a cover up." (Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

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Pope & Ex-Pope: Straight Marriages Only

Today the Vatican released an 82-page document co-written by Pope Francis and former Pope Benedict in which the pair says that marriage is only blah blah blah.

Francis paid tribute to pope emeritus Benedict XVI in the encyclical, saying that the ex-pontiff had "almost completed" the text before stepping down in a historic resignation this year and that he himself had merely added "further contributions." The 82-page text stresses that there is no contradiction between the Catholic faith and the modern world and calls for more dialogue with scientists, other religions and non-believers. It also restates the Catholic Church's position on marriage saying it should be a "stable union of man and woman." "This union is born of their love, as a sign and presence of God's own love, and of the acknowledgement and acceptance of the goodness of sexual differentiation," reads the text.

Also today, Pope Francis met Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for the first time.

Welby has been opposing legislation in Britain that would legalize same-sex marriage, saying it would undermine family life. Francis said he hoped they could collaborate in promoting the sacredness of life "and the stability of families founded on marriage." Significantly, Francis didn't say that marriage should be between a man and woman, which is how Benedict XVI routinely defined marriage. Vatican officials said it was a diplomatic way of making his point without issuing a provocative pronouncement.

And in more Vatican news, here comes Saint John Paul II.

The Roman Catholic Church will declare the late Pope John Paul II a saint, the Vatican announced Friday. Pope Francis signed the decree Friday morning, the Vatican said. John Paul was pope from 1978 until his death in 2005, and was in a way the first rock star pontiff, drawing vast crowds as he crisscrossed the globe. At his funeral, thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square and chanted "Santo subito" -- Sainthood now! The Polish-born pope was fast-tracked to beatification and became "the blessed" John Paul II barely six years after his death, the fastest beatification in centuries.

New Texas Billboard Campaign

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Pope Uses Final Tweet To Express Pity For Anybody Who Isn't A Christian

Ill Papa Wants Your Prayers

Bill Donohue Vs Dan Savage

"Unable to mount a rational critique of Pope Benedict XVI, he [Dan Savage] settled for writing a headline that was almost as long as his 'story.' It reads, 'That Motherf***ing Power-Hungry, Self-Aggrandized Bigot In the Stupid F***ing Hat Announces His Retirement.' Savage has a long history of trashing Catholicism, and he not only does it with impunity, he is rewarded for it. To wit: In 2011, he was invited to a White House reception for homosexuals. He said he arrived with his husband (would that make him the guy’s wife?). Savage gets away with his vile rants against Catholicism because he knows he can. Let’s face it, most of the mainstream media are as pro-gay as they are anti-Catholic. It really isn’t any more complicated than this." - Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue.

Italian Newspaper Claims Pope Resigned Due To Influence By "Gay Lobby"

According to an unsubstantiated claim by an Italian newspaper, the Pope resigned partially due to an internal Vatican report which warned that a "gay lobby" has an "inappropriate influence" on the daily workings of his office.

The newspaper suggests that such was Benedict’s dismay when presented with the details of the report on December 17th that it hardened his long-meditated decision to resign. The internal report prepared by Cardinals Julian Herranz, Josef Tomko and Salvatore De Giorgi had been commissioned by Benedict himself. He had ordered it in response to the so-called Vatileaks scandal which culminated with the arrest and subsequent conviction last autumn of the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, found guilty of having stolen confidential documents from the papal apartment. In this morning's article, it is claimed that the cardinals reported that various lobbies within the Holy See were consistently breaking the sixth and seventh commandments, namely "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not commit adultery". The "stealing" was in particular related to the Vatican Bank, IOR, whilst the sexual offences were related to the influence of an active gay lobby within the Vatican.

The above-linked article notes that the newspaper does not report the source of its claim and offers no quotes from any of the involved parties.

Quote Of The Day - Bill Maher

"Hey Catholics, newsflash — if the Pope can quit, it’s OK for you to quit, too. As you all know, this week Pope Benedict told Vatican radio — you know Vatican radio, playing the hits from the 8th century, the 9th century and today — Benedict told them he was going to resign because the church needs a fresh young face somewhere other than a priest’s lap." - Bill Maher, who has the readers of Daily Caller ever so pissed.

Quote Of The Day - Father Tony Adams

"From the immaculate soles of his Pradas to the jeweled tip of his gold-threaded mitre, Pope Benedict XVI has been a paragon of gilded denial whose brow furrowed briefly when confronted with news of pedophile priests, church cover-ups, condom use in Africa, unruly nuns, plummeting Sunday church attendance and a general lack of new and renewed subscription to a church that has kept its flock in line with the threat that disobedience to the infallible moral teaching of its pope would lead to eternal fire in hell.

"Benedict once said that it would not bother him if the Catholic Church should become drastically smaller in size by the weeding out of dissenters. His 'my way or the highway' approach to pastoral leadership resulted in the silent and almost unnoticed mass exodus of significant numbers of American Catholics who simply stopped getting married in church, stopped going to church on Sunday, stopped feeling guilty about gay sex, artificial birth control, condoms or vibrators, stopped entering the confessional on Saturday afternoon, stopped becoming nuns and priests, and, as was disclosed in startling recent surveys, stopped believing that gay people should not have equality and that other belief systems are not just as good as Catholicism." - Father Tony Adams, writing for South Florida Gay News.

Read the full article.

FRANCE: Topless FEMEN Activists Protest Pope At Notre Dame Cathedral

The Ukraine-based feminist group FEMEN, who have recently disrupted anti-gay rallies in France, yesterday protested topless inside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Here is their own video of the demonstration. Please note, there are boobies ahead.

LGBT Catholic Groups React

Dignity

As members of the Church who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, as well as family members and allies, we call on the Cardinals and the new Pope to enter into a true dialogue with our community. We call for an end to statements that inflict harm on already marginalized people, depict us as less than fully human, and lend credence to those seeking to justify discrimination. We call on our Church not only to embrace but to champion the dignity and equality of all humans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Equally Blessed

With the pope’s impending resignation, the church has an opportunity to turn away from his oppressive policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, and their families and friends, and develop a new understanding of the ways in which God is at work in the lives of faithful and loving people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We pray for a pope who is willing to listen to and learn from all of God’s people. We pray for a pope who will realize that in promoting discrimination against LGBT people, the church inflicts pain on marginalized people, alienates the faithful and lends moral credibility to reactionary political movements across the globe. 

New Ways Ministry

We are praying, too, for LGBT Catholics and their families and friends, whose lives were made more difficult living under Benedict’s reign both as pontiff and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), where he served previously. For the last three decades, Benedict has been one of the main architects of the Vatican’s policies against LGBT people. New Ways Ministry directly experienced those harsh policies several times over the years…Fortunately, we have survived the many attempts by the Vatican to end our ministry, and, thanks to the support of so many Catholics, we have emerged stronger for it.

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The Pope's Resignation Letter

"In today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is." - Pope Benedict XVI, in his official resignation letter.

Tweet Of The Day II

Tweet Of The Day - Emperor Palpatine

This is the most recent tweet from Ratzi. Twitter is wondering if this is a clue.  Best comment on Facebook so far: "I did Nazi that coming!"

Dan Savage On The Pope

This "shocking attack" clip is currently at the top of NOM's blog. It's also pretty fucking hilarious. Naughty language within.

Ill Papa Visits Mexico

(Photo via Andres Duque)

Pope: Gay Marriage Threatens Humanity

Ill Papa today issued his strongest denouncement of same-sex marriage yet heard.

He told diplomats from nearly 180 countries that the education of children needed proper "settings" and that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman." "This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society. Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself," he said. The Vatican and Catholic officials around the world have protested against moves to legalize gay marriage in Europe and other developed parts of the world. One leading opponent of gay marriage in the United States is New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, whom the pope will elevate to cardinal next month.

There are hundreds of millions of gay people in the world. We are humanity.

NEW YORK: Anti-Gay Archbishop Timothy Dolan To Be Promoted To Cardinal

Apparently satisfied with New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan's campaign against gay civil rights, the Vatican will be promoting him to cardinal.

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan will be among those elevated to cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church in a Vatican ceremony next month, the Archdiocese of New York announced in a news release on Friday. He was among 22 new cardinals named by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday. Eighteen of them, including Archbishop Dolan, are under the age of 80, Reuters reported, and are therefore eligible to enter the secret conclave to elect a new pope after Benedict dies. There are 120 cardinals who serve as papal elector. Vatican Radio carried the official announcement and the names of all those who will be elevated in a ceremony on Feb. 18.

Last month Dolan claimed that Catholic churches in New York were being threatened with lawsuits unless they hosted same-sex weddings, a ridiculous lie because such suits are specifically barred by state statute.

Pope: People With Poor Ethics Get AIDS

"Above all, it is an ethical problem. The change of behavior that it requires – for example, sexual abstinence, rejection of sexual promiscuity, fidelity within marriage – ultimately involves the question of integral development, which demands a global approach and a global response from the Church. For if it is to be effective, the prevention of AIDS must be based on a sex education that is itself grounded in an anthropology anchored in the natural law and enlightened by the word of God and the Church’s teaching." - Emperor Palpatine, at the closing Mass of his visit to Africa.