I'm sure that if anyone spills any details about the "report" he will be deemed a criminal by the Vatican, put on trial and considered an "enemy".

Yes, if by "good works" you mean setting the advancement of humanity back 2000 years.

Inquisitions, inprisonments, "holy" wars, witch trials, pedophilia, enslavement of thought, fear-mongering, unquestioned authority, denial of science, and unrestrained pursuit of power.

The Vatican is nothing more or less than the institutional face of slavery through terror.

@ Michael, save your prayers, a weak, murderous and jealous god who craves the simpering praise and worship of what he creates and cannot overcome enemies if they have iron chariots is is no position to grant boons.

Michael,

The Catholic church has a history of very good works spreading the word of God .

Yes, they did spread the word of God, via Crusades, torture and murder. The Catholic Church is a secretive Cult that should be abolished.

michael-451658...................You are brainwashed ! If Jesus Christ walked the Earth today he would have nothing to do with the Catholic Church and all it has stood for in the last 2000 years. You have confused the Catholic Church with Christianity, big mistake.

The RCC is the definition of pure, unadulterated evil.

The guy just looks evil. His actions reinforce that perception.

I will say a prayer for that God will open your heart to the real truth.

Great!

Will that be prayed through Mary? You know... just like Jesus or his disciples/apostles never instructed? Perhaps while you're at it, you can ask why countless billions of prayers for, say, the environmental disaster that 'is' Africa has never been aided by your deity in the least. Perhaps he's a bit more shy since parting seas and flooding the world... the good old days.

Grow up -- it's a fairy tale. There's good people in the catholic church, just as you'd expect in any institution its size. The rest of us do good things "without" some magical reward in the sky awaiting us.

The RCC is an outmoded international institution which denies internal problems with moral corruption, including sexual abuse, contraception, proven science, and any progressive thought or truth which does not fit the church's worn and tattered ideas of Christianity. It is an extremely controlling institution which leads and governs through fear, intimmidation, and guilt, AMEN!

This story reminds me of my sexual affair with a bishop. . .the worst, backstabbing weasel I've ever come across in my life. He used to always refer to Hillary Clinton as a "witch" and idolized Reagan to no end. He once put on an extremely revealing funky spandex one-piece leotard looking thing while I was visiting, whose neckline plunged almost to his crotch and fit so tight my head was boggled trying to figure out how he managed to put it on. lol. Ah the memories. . .what a douche bag that snake was.

I like how so many people see the protection and nurturing of pedophiles as a mistake, or bad judgement. It was a systematic cover up and actually promoted and encouraged these priests to rape little children by time and time again putting these known child rapists in charge of alter boys, moving them to different churches and always putting them in charge of alter boys.

Nothing and I mean NOTHING the church can do that can outweigh the hundreds of years of cover ups and protection of child rapists. And this is not some isolated incidents, this had been going on for hundreds of years in every country that has a church.

Didn't the Catholic Cardinal in the UK just resign yesterday for having gay sex with four other preists? Sounds like some major 'house cleaning' is in order.

and that's just what's wrong.everything is secret,secret,secret.Put it out in the open and let the world judge.OR IS BAD THAT YOU NEED TO HIDE IT FOR P.R. REASONS.IF THAT'S WHAT A POOR EXCUSE.Which only means the fix is in.

Who cares what is in the report unless you are Catholic?

Micheal, you are a prime example of what is wrong with the church. You are so indoctrinated by today's church, you believe every little thing they tell you, even if it isn't the truth. Though I have no problem with what Christianity is suppose to be about, what I see as being very hypocritical is the fact that so many call themselves Christians, yet, they don't follow all of his teachings as he wanted people to do. And when I say they don't follow them, I mean they pick and choose only those teachings that doesn't cramp their style, or interfere with their daily dose of materialism. The idea was to be purely spiritual, and to put that over all material things, not be a part time spiritualist.

So when people try their best to convert me to their Christian belief, I always tell them to get a job selling used worn out cars, because to me, that is what they have reduced Christianity down to by not following "ALL" of his teachings.

Doesn't anyone find it strainge that the catholic church has so much to hide ? Their history through the ages has been hiding anything that might not be in their favor or interfer with their power. No church should hold the secrets that may concern the peoples as a whole . The catholic church and most all churches protect themselves no matter what the cost to those others involved.

Everyone has skeletons in their closet. Everyone. The Catholic church is a pretty big "everyone."

No doubt they have screwed some pretty big pooches, literally, the last few years but I find it extremely strange that anyone would think that the Catholic church would be perfect.

Just more hate coming from a different direction IMO.

The Roman Church is about 2000 years old, it is run by mortal men, with all their faults, mankind has always sought of a way to communicate, identify,and explain what God is, the problem is God does not want to be explained, only obeyed, the natural laws of mankind must be followed by all mankind, God does not need to follow any Natural laws, since God is super-natural.

Jon - I haven't heard about the screwing of pooches; I always thought it was only altar boys.

Things are worse than I thought.

Good works don't excuse evil. That is a Catholic doctrine! The Catholic laity is so topsy-turvey in their logic I'm ashamed to have ever been a member.

The riddance of a faith-based organization like the Catholic Church, which is little more than good-will homeopathy, would be a net win for the planet. To think philanthropy and empathy, and good works would disappear without this vile religio-industrial complex is ridiculous.

People of good will exist IN SPITE, of the Church's attemps over the centuries to murder them when they were able to.

Pull our Ambassador to this puppet state and the next time you see a priest shake your head and ask them how they can willingly remain a member when their bosses cover up crimes against innocent babies.

Nominal Catholics, please leave and recoup some integrity.

-Ex Catholic, being good for goodness sake, not out of reward or punishment.

Why even bother with the research, if you are too corrupt and secretive to expose it? Oh that's right...you'd be bankrupt! You answer to humanity first...then your God.

I can't understand why people can stop believing in Santa Claus, but can't get a grip on reality when it comes to Jesus or God.

The last pope is coming soon!

I have deepest respect for the charity and kindness that is done under the umbrella of the Roman Catholic Church.

.

.

I also have anger at the expectations of blind faith from the mortal souls who have abused decency, morality and honesty.

Now there's a surprise. More secrecy for the rcc. They don't even bother to try to hide it anymore because they know their brainwashed minions will protect them in their crimes.

Michael

You are supporting the rape and abuse of children as long as you support the rcc.

New Gawker

Exactly.

Jon

Actually, they screw little pooches. Entirely abhorrent behavior that should a) be punishible to the full extent of the law and b) be stopped.

Unfortunately, these slime are financed and protected by millions of brainwashed people the world over, so it's going to take a groundswell to stop them. You in or out?

bishopaccountability.org "survivor's accounts"

Its amazing how much hate there is on this blog. Little truth, but lots of hate. The priests who have abused anyone should be prosecuted by the civil authorities in the countries where the abuse took place. The leaders of the Church who covered up or protected the abusers should be punished in accordance with the law.

The hate you feel, express and harbor in your hearts will do much more damage to you than it will to the Church. As far as the Church keeping the results of the investigation secret, so what. Its an internal investigation and the Vatican is not a democracy, it is an absolute monarchy. As head of state and head of government the Pope is free to do as he pleases with the results of an internal investigation into internal activities.

these catholic haters are not catholics to understand, writing all these vile accusations. its so unfortunate even catholics do the same, since not all catholics fully understand the spirituality of the catholic religion. first catholicism is not a contentious religion, but a spiritual religion between man and GOD, whose faith belief with God's words - BLESS ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND DID NOT SEE. spiritual acts for Catholics mean solely PRAYERS period. catholics do not deal with scrutinizing why God allows bad things happenings to human, because man's earthly thinking can never ever be in level or in line with God's thinking, and no matter how super intelligent humans are, it can never ever be matched to thinkings and wills of God Almighty, like the thoughts of wicked poster entries here, against the catholic religion. catholic priests, bishops, etc. are all humans, and humans are sinners, weak, easily give in to temptations. humans who are strong to resist temptations, free of sins are saints. priests who committed sins of sexual abuse were asked by their superiors, if such heinous crimes were committed, answers of NO are taken to be true, and offering of prayers to God for the truth to prevail, answers of YES are unknown, since part of the seminary teachings are to voluntarily leave the seminary if seminarians cannot fulfill, follow the moral obligations of the spiritual teachings of catholic religion, to be ordained to priesthood. catholicism being a spiritual and not contentious religion, as i mentioned before, prayers are the only actions the superiors adhere to. priests or priest who continue to lie about his crime, but hard evidences of sexual abuse are surfacing, the superiors cooperate with authorities. lack of correct, true understanding of people exactly what catholicism are all about are showing on many poster writing entries.

joemike

You wouldn't be so diplomatic if you were a victim. You would not let them continue to destroy other childrens' lives.

bishopaccountability.org "survivor's accounts" Do you want your children to go through this?

Despicable. This type of secrecy goes back to the beginnings of the Catholic Church. I mean there is zero chance the bones of St. Peter are under the Basilica but of course if you are pious enough they are there.

Just like if you are pious enough you will find all of this acceptable. But wouldn't you think he would be worried about the punishment God will have waiting? doubtful, I have always said those at the top are the least likely to believe the true mumbo-jumbo of the dogma they push. And that doesn't just apply to Catholicism.

@deecee, comment 1.3 Then why was the butler pardoned? There are of course others who know its contents as there had to be investigators and the ones who published it! So just more smoke and mirrors!!!

No doubt they have screwed some pretty big pooches, literally, the last few years but I find it extremely strange that anyone would think that the Catholic church would be perfect.

Indeed, why would one expect the infallible representative of god on earth to be perfect.

Hey, didn't the Vatican hire a Fox news reporter as their PR talking head recently? How's that working out?

First off, I was Catholic until I was in my late 20s to early 30s, so yes, I do know how the church works, how it is set up, and I have been treated well and treated badly by priests and nuns. Yes, I have family who are still Catholic and some are spiritual, while some aren't. The Church is NOT spiritual at all. It is a business. There are some spiritual people in the church and some who are evil. The problem is that the spiritual people aren't at all in charge. The evil ones are.

I don't see much hate here. Well, I don't see it in posts where people have no tolerance for pedophiles loose among our kids, and I see them mostly saying that it isn't okay to protect people who hurt others, especially children. I see some Catholics who are defending their church and I understand that, but you can have your private spiritual life without being in total denial.

Does the Church do good works? I am sure it does on some levels...mostly by some nuns and some lay people, though. But I have been "helped" by Catholic Charities myself, and their "help" consisted of not believing what was happening to me in one of their foster homes and then sending more kids to live there. Yep, helped me a lot. I could add more, but I won't.

Anyway, if the Catholic Church really wanted to make up for the horrible things that have happened in all those years from the beginning, and they really wanted to start moving into this century and were sorry they hid people who raped little children, wanted to become the spiritual haven that some of you say it is, then they should be opening the doors and cleaning house. They won't do it because they will lose so many leaders and so much money...this is also about a fortune they hold and not only kids, although that would be plenty. It's about lying and hiding and even stealing, and it's about not being that spiritual place it is supposed to be.

So either close your eyes and see only angels and Jesus all singing sweet songs, or see that humans are running the Church and running it into the ground with greed and evil. See what is in front of you! The people you can haters are people who hate to see so many hurt and so many lies told to protect the victims. I dn't care if you stay Catholic, but don't act as if all is rosy and that keeping up the secrets is a good thing for the Church. It is what will doom it. If you financially, morally, and spiritually support an organization, don't you think you have the right to know where your money is going and who is breaking laws, abusing people, and behaving in what your Church laws say is seriously immoral ways?

1. The Catholic Church is made up of child raping criminals and those that protect them and let them perpetuate their deeds - which makes them equally culpable.
2. Stop defending CHILD RAPISTS and an institution perpetuating it!!!!
3. It is the same as defending Jerry Sandusky and Penn State Football.
4. Do you defenders of the Catholic Church have children????

The Pope had 3 cardinals lead this investigation. So he, the next pope and 3 other cardinals should know the content. If one of the other cardinals is elected the next pope, the number remains, but if not, a minimum of 5 will be in on the secret. So all that has to be known is who were the other cardinals who were involved in this investigation.

Assume some future blackmailing, or scandal were to pop up. We know the butler was involved in the past, then there will be the (newly) ex pope, and 3 cardinals with motive for the blackmail. The investigation should then start with the 3 cardinals. Assume one cardinal investigated corruption, one blackmail, and one the gay sex ring.

Then you start linking things up. Corruption works with blackmail, and blackmail works with gay sex ring, but corruption and gay sex is less likely. Corruption works very well with financial affairs, for without a financial backbone corruption wouldn't be an issue. So question one is, " Who's the cardinal who investigated corruption in the Catholic Church? " Is he subject to being blackmailed or is he a blackmailer himself, and if he's being blackmailed is that because he's in the gay sex ring? Questions two and three would be of similar bent.

Sorting things out would be similar to PBS Mystery Theatre. All cardinals would be suspect, but only those cardinals living in the Rome area are likely to be one of the three Cardinals chosen by the pope to conduct this secret investigation. Someone, say a news journalist, will conduct such an investigation, publish it, and 'bingo' the new pope will have another scandal. More scandals, less new converts, and the Catholic Church decays further. The alternative is to lie about the corruption, blackmailing, and gay sex ring, have no further investigations into the workings of the Catholic Church, and everyone just forget about any and all wrongful behaviors, and the church will grow in numbers. My bet is on continued decay of the Catholic Church.

Religion is ALL complete and utter B/S.

The Judeao-Christian-Islamic family of religions alone is directly responsible for countless tortures, rapes, murders, opression, repression, theft, and all forms of abuse imaginable.

If you subscribe to the lies these people are peddling, you deserve the world you get.

treated badly by the priests/nuns? so how personal are you with these priests/nuns to experienced all these bad treatments by the priests/nuns. catholics in general, the same goes with the priests, bishops, etc are not too personal in treating their parishioners. nuns are usually teachers in catholic schools, stay in convents or their own retreat homes, never in the rectory where priests usually stay. your wrote a very skeptical narratives, a total non existence in reality, that must be taken with a grain of salt.

I was slapped and paddled by priests and Brothers and witnessed punches, slapping, etc from nuns, priests, and Brothers. But I honestly didn't see any sexual abuse although we suspected many were gay (for instance, a two-way mirror in the boy's locker room...). And this was in the 1970s.

I would forgive those things. However, for the Catholic leadership to protect, harbor, and allow child rapists to continue their crimes is unforgivable! And the whole Catholic institution should be torn down because of it.

Our priest drove a white cadillac, had an antique doll collection, and took vacations to Thailand.

I remember him feeling my parents out about taking me on a trip to Paris. It was very subtle but it was there.

Parishioners wrote to the bishop with concerns about him, about what I do not know. The bishop sent the letter to the priest and nothing further happened.

Why is it people in powerful positions think they cover scandals up? How long does this Pope think he can keep anything secret for more than a short time? This isn't the 12th century, it's the 21st century.

These men of God, are exactly that, men, that are as fallible as the rest of humanity! I was introduced into the Roman Catholic Church, when a foster parent learned that was my parents religion. I received my 1st Communion,became an altar boy, got Confirmed, during 1 years time, due to my late start. I had to learn Latin as that was required back then! I lived with them two times 4th and 6th grade. At another time I was put into a large home for boys[approx. 150 boys] in Brooklyn, NY, which was St. Vincent Home for Boys. I grew from these two different experiences, the foster home was the worst one and most physically abusive I had been in,[cast iron frying pan over the head was last straw] and the priests during my training were overall good, although one was an alcoholic. St. Vincents had one priest Father Harris, who was the director and nuns, who ran the infirmary, kitchen, and a clothes warehouse. The rest was ran by lay people, as counselors, social workers etc.Overall a good program, that had some failings, as did I! I would probably choose to live there again. The one thing I will always remember Father Harris for, is when I started a boycott of attending church every Sunday, as the boys who weren't Catholic, did not have to go to their religions church! He called me in, talked to me, and made the decision that church services were no longer mandatory for us boys! This was in the late 1960's. To this day I have to respect him for that decision, as it was a decision that could not of been easy for him. I learned two things from these very different lessons, one was going or belonging to a church does not make you a good person! The other is that you live your life to a certain set of values, in the hope that you harm no one, purposely! Although I am not religious, I do believe in the idea of moral values they teach!

What I've always found odd is that Republicans like Santorum and Romney want the Vatican to dictate our laws in respect to reproductive freedoms, when they are clearly the most corrupt organization in human history in that arena.

Faith has its place in society. Most religious texts teach morals and empathy, which is good. However, organized religions, institutions, cults, whatever you want to call it, these things cause mob mentality in weak willed people.

Do away with churches, do away with rituals. If you have faith, you do not need an organization to reinforce it.

Oh pontiff, what would Peter say? Perhaps, "too many secrets." I wonder... I seperate the good and many acts done by "Catholic Charities," from the deeds of the Vatican.

I was given an ancient "Font" years back, estimated made circa 1000 AD. It is made from two shells. I would like to sell it and give that money to help save American children. Twenty years of trying and I cannot find a single soul to "expertize" it. The first million given to a charity gets it.

lol "probe will be kept secret?"did they get it up some more alterboys....... wonder who's butt got probed that they want to keep secret!!!

Desertmo 1.49 All religious institutions exist in America "tax-free," they pay zero income taxes. A recent study finds that could be as much as 81 Billion dollars a year. The flip-side of that would be that those who give to these very same institutions are able, by law, to write their gifts off of their income taxes, thus reducing their personal tax liabilty. Does that then double the 81 Billion dollar sum to the total of 162 Billion every year? The Supreme Court ruled that religious institutions could exist tax free because they do deeds of good will that benefit all of the people. Do you find the acts of the "Westboro Baptist" church to be "good deeds"? That they choose to further their agenda by picketing at the sacred funerals of our troops killed-in-action, seems evil and not Christian to me. In reality, that religious institutions, and the tens of thousands of 501(C) 3,4, 5's, pay no taxes, it is we the people, the common tax-payer, who really foots the money for them to exist, like them or not. There are many people who direct their tax lawyers to factor their income taxes backwards. That is to say they begin with "how much more do I need to donate to a registered non-profit or church to reduce the tax liabilty by 5%, or 10% or some such amount. You may not like the work of the Heritage Foundation or the Lexington Institute; for examples. The reality is that you are paying their bills willy-nilly. How do you like dim apples?

If Ratzinger is really retiring because of his age and health conditions then what does he have to hide by not releasing this information?

Does the human TicTac remember the 8th Commandment or does that only apply to the parishioners in the pews?

I was raised Catholic but I renounced my faith in the early 90s when I could no longer condone the actions of the priests or the Vatican. The world will be a much better place when there is no Pope. the Vatican records/library are completely open to the public and the Vatican only exists an art museum.

Not only a "so-called" holy organization is free of hypocrites, but grown men who like having sex with little boys, run a gay sex ring, and out front, they are against gay/lesbian.

And people follow these idiots.

It's important to draw a distinction between Christianity and the RCC. One can practice the Christian faith and follow the example of Jesus without the RCC, or any church structure for that matter. The RCC, like most religious institutions, is all about power, money and control... and it's for this reason that whatever is in the Vatileaks report must have scared the daylights out of Benedict. After all, if the report didn't contain anything scandalous or alarming -- or if it actually vindicated people -- why not release it and silence us critics once and for all?

Benedict's embargoing of the Vatileaks report is a cover-up and an obstruction of justice, pure and simple. If he had to operate under the laws of any genuine rule of law, his actions would be considered criminal.

And here is the mind that hath wisdom. The 7 heads are 7 mountains, on which the woman sitteth . And there are" 7 Kings/remember this" 5 are fallen ,one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,he must continue a SHORT SPACE . And the Beast that Was ,and is not ,even he is the 8th ,and of the 7, and goeth into perdition . John is taken to the time of the 6th King (John Paul II ) one is yet to come (Benedict) and when he cometh, he must continue a SHORT SPACE (Abdicates). And the Beast that Was, and is not (Abdicated has no crown) EVEN HE IS THE 8th(Crowned Pope Emeritis/112th Pope/8th King) ,and is of the 7 (Benedict), and goeth into perdition . Francis is the 113th pope and isn't of the 7, He might be the False Prophet

It can't change, if it did change it would collapse. It exists only by lies and brainwashing. Could you imagine if the Vatican opened up it's libraries and let everyone know the truth of their evil?

Our Lady of Sorrows is an understatement.

MM-584706 "You are brainwashed ! If Jesus Christ walked the Earth today he would have nothing to do with the Catholic Church and all it has stood for in the last 2000 years. You have confused the Catholic Church with Christianity, big mistake."

I am not a Catholic. I am a Christian, but I do not share your views above. Jesus "hung out" with sinners, prostitutes, tax-collectors, etc.

Jesus said "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17

Kumar-889209: Jesus associated with sinners to stop them from sinning, not to participate in their sinning. And he would lash out against the hypocrites in this church just like he did the hypocrites in his own church.

Kumar, are you seriously trying to tell us that Jesus would approve of the things the Catholic Church does? If so you much be talking about a different Jesus then the one who wanted people to treat each other well. I'm thinking he would have been pretty pissed watching many things that have happened instead of hanging out with the ones who did the sins.

Does anybody know how to say bull@!$%# in Latin?

It's pronounced exactly as you spelled it! A miracle!

Agreed. This church needs to confess everything to its flock. I think even Jesus Christ would want them to do that, if you look at his reaction to the corrupt churches of his day.

Kumar's avatar shows he's loss!!!! LOL!!

If you read my comments, I DID NOT SAY Jesus would condone EVERYTHING the Catholic Church does...but he will not condemn them either! I guess those who comment above think they are perfect and don't need a Savior!

Only One Person's Opinion seems to understand Romans 3:23 (for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.) ALL HAVE SINNED...that includes you, me and everyone!

@Kumar: If this Jesus person, doesn't condemn the systemic child abuse that has gone on, and continues to go on in the Catholic Church, coupled with the abuse of their financial clout and secrecy to whisk these monsters away from prosecution. Then his time on the cross wasn't long enough.

Whitewashing responsibility, because 'All have sinned' is a slimy, disgusting way to say you have no place judging me for being a pedophile because once upon a time you cheated on your taxes, or jaywalked, or lied to your parents.

I'm not perfect, but I'm no pedophile, murderer, rapist, or anything like that. These priests should be lined up against a wall and shot. And you know what, if I ever do something illegal, I should pay the price for that. You do the crime, you do the time.

BMurphy, then you and your children and their children should be condemned. Jesus hates sin, but as long as you confess your sins, He WILL continue to work in your life.

99% of the Catholic Church are good people. They help people all over the world! They feed and clothe children. They medically treat thousands of people in Catholic Hospitals free of charge.

1% (or perhaps even much less) of the Catholic Church is composed of pedophiles. The media's job is to report this, but where is their report of all the good the Church does. It's like the CIA, they were blasted for their failures, but their successes (and there are millions) go unnoticed!

STOP CONDEMNING A WHOLE GROUP FOR THE BIG SINS OF A FEW...and by the way, these pedophiles are not Christians or Catholics; they are wolves in sheep's clothing!

STOP CONDEMNING A WHOLE GROUP FOR THE BIG SINS OF A FEW...and by the way, these pedophiles are not Christians or Catholics; they are wolves in sheep's clothing!

Stop giving your Church a free pass on raping children and using it's financial clout to help them to avoid prosecution, and I certainly will. Every donation you make to the Church coffers, can be used to aid this practice, and as such, you're all guilty.

I agree 100%. If you can't stand up to the evil and throw it out of the church, then those who remain in the church are condoning EVIL. Just like those who did not stand up to Hitler are as guilty as Hitler. A true Christian can NOT look the other way when EVIL is in their church. They must eradicate the EVIL.

You're absolutely right. The Church's influence comes from its numbers. Most Catholics are not dogmatic, hateful people. But the fact that they remain members contributes to the Church's power, even though the positions of the Church don't represent the majority of Catholics. Cafeteria Catholics should leave the Church.

Brought up Irish Catholic , agnostic since my teens. My late father, literally called one priest out on his corruption. It appears they are getting worse not better.

However, a agnostic either still believes in God , Creator, or simply says "I don't know". Or just doesn't believe in organized religions.

A Atheist says , there is NO God . And it is his faith, that there is NO God.

Slight difference.

NO, Scar. An agnositic simply "doubts God's existence."

Scar,

Agnosticism and atheism address different things. I am not a person of faith. Your definition of atheism is wrong. Atheism: lack of a belief in gods. Get it? And by the way, who taught you that incorrect definition? Just think about that.

I'm glad you left the Catholic Church. Should have been a no brainer but you probably had a lot of peer pressure to remain.

The churches fights among themselves over the validity of others worship of G*D. Agnostics and Atheists fight over the validity of the non-believe of others. People are ridiculous.

someone who's morality is self defined has no buisness commenting on someone elses morality

An atheist is one with no belief in any god, an agnostic is one that has a very hard time believing in god. Because of his life experience, because some of the things religions do or cause, makes it hard to believe mostly, because of evil the agnostic has experienced or witnessed.

calling it mussolinis experiment shows your true ignorance and your desperate attempt to destroy anything that convicts you. the rcc was founded long before mussolini so your statement sounds more like liberal democratic ranting

The Vatican, Apples, was not Vatican City until Mussolini and the pope at that time cut a deal where the Vatican would be considered independent of any county (including Italy) and unaccountable to anyone, not even apparently its followers! It was that arrangement with Mussolini and the Pope that I believe Atheist is referencing.

So before your insult Atheist, remember, the Catholic Church is relying on your ignorance, inform yourself.

@ Scar-481986 Wrong. An atheist (not capitalized, as it is NOT a faith or religion unto itself) does not believe the claims of divinity made by others.

While it is accurate to say we do not believe in a god or gods, this position does NOT require "faith" of any kind. It is the opposite; the rejection of faith in gods claimed but unprovable.

If one is a Christian, he or she rejects all the other gods claimed by humans throughout history, but embraces the one THEY claim is divine (and "real"). In this example, a Christian and an atheist reject all the same gods except one.

An atheist simply rejects your claimed god as well.

that did not change the vatican it just gave it a measure of protection from the dictatorship that was in power in italy, but other than creating boundaries nothing else changed

Theist?

Oh, apples? Those who get morality simply from one book also might not want to tell everyone else how to be moral. See? We can all play that game. It's the, "I'm better than you are and gooder and righter and the only right group in the world so listen only to how I think things should be done". Not all Christians who read that book follow a moral code, and not all of the people who don't follow that book are immoral or amoral people. What you said makes no sense.

Ram, as a former Catholic also, I couldn't have said it better.

Atheist-6939529

Why should I leave my church just because some priests sinned? The priests should be put into prison where they belong, and actual good priests should take their place. Problem solved.

Party-liners, I don't think the point was that you should leave a church because some priests sinned. You help pay for cover up and settling cases with victims to keep them out of court when you put money in the plate. If none of that bothers you and you don't mind all the secrets, then I can't think of a reason for you to leave.

ram-762581

If we are just talking about money here, I'd say all parties are to blame.

First and foremost, the higher up people never should have protected the priests, etc., who committed the pedophile acts. The whole money issue could have been avoided if the people had done their duty.

Second, the ones suing are also Catholic, which is why I can't understand how they can justify taking such large amounts of money which other Catholics such as myself give to the church in which I had intended that the money go towards helping others in more need, etc. Can you tell me why one of those victims needs all those millions of dollars.

Lastly, yes I do donate to the church. I don't give...well I don't intend that my giving's go towards the cover-ups of evil priests. I give so that I can help people be it to the poor, the good people who follow the faith, support nuns, monks, etc.

party-liners,

You're not very good at this are you? Would you walk away from your own father if he was shown to have repeatedly protected pedophiles who raped you by giving them a paycheck and fresh rectums to rape?

If your answer is no, you are immoral.

Your pope did essentially just that. You are immoral to stay. Something tells me that the pope could dine on an infant (boiled in holy water) and you would say, well, THAT's not enough for me to leave either.

I don't know how people like you sleep at night. Faith is a cognitive illness. That's a plausible explanation.

Atheist-6939529

The Catholic religion was founded by Jesus through his disciple Peter. I am not walking away from my father "God."

18^k And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,^* and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

19^l I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.^* Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

”20^{* m} Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

Matthew, chapter 16

It's apparent you can't understand the difference between the Catholic Church and humans. Why should I have to leave just because some men did something wrong. They are the ones who should find their new home in prison. According to your thinking, their would be no religion then since all religions have just as bad of sinners in their ranks. That's what I would expect to hear from an atheist though.

Atheist-6939529

You show me a currently living man who has never sinned. All the reasons you give to leave are pointless until you can show me a place to go that's sinless. Although, once I arrive there, the place will once again have sin in its ranks since I myself have sinned. It may not be to the degree you view a pedophile, etc., but sin is sin. Eventually someone will sin gravely again.

ram i dont get my morality from myself but from God, which is a good thing for all you haters

Party-liners... The Catholic Church is a man-made political institution that has little if anything to do with Jesus' "church." Any Christian wishing to leave the Catholic Church can easily join one of any number of less corrupt, less dysfunctional denominations. Church organizations come and go... but faith remains.

SJGuy-873947

Matthew, chapter 16

18^k And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church,^* and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

Jesus church is the Catholic Church. All other christian churches are frauds. The disciple Peter created the "church" which by the way is singular, and also known as the Catholic Church.

thetruthshallmake-u-free..............Jesus Christ would be sickened by the Church that befouls his name. You are 100% correct about "Throwing The Money Changers out of the Temple ".

14 Years of Catholic Education, I want no part of these perverts, and I believe Jesus Christ would feel the same way. Just a different branch of the Taliban, in some ways much worse.

It would be a more interesting story if anyone who was alive at the time had actually written about it.

No historian, no scribe, no witness, no Roman administrator, and no religious authority documented any of these stories. They wrote about all sorts of other things, harvests, crimes, social gossip and affairs of state, but not a single word about a prophet named Jesus.

You would think that with all the supposed turmoil that Jesus supposedly generated, and the miraculous events attributed to him, that someone, anyone would have written down an account. In fact, no one wrote a single word about Jesus until appox. 40 years after he supposedly lived, walked the Earth, worked his miracles, died and rose from the dead (just like Osiris and many others, by the way). And those accounts were exclusively written by those who neither met or knew this decidedly fictional character.

I'm also an ordained minister with a Ph.D in religious philosophy Gimmeabreakoradrink. I probably know the so-called "Holy Bible" and history of the church better than you ever will, having seen it from both sides. I'm also not simply parroting something my minister told me but never considered checking out for myself.

But you're right, I'm an arrogant, pompous @55hole. Those who are unable to debate objectively or or refute my statements all agree on this point.

BTW, as long as you're providing "evidence" why don't you share with us the proof of Josephus, and see if it passes muster with anyone not named Jethro. I know what Josephus wrote, I have to wonder if you do.

Gimmeabreakoradrink, you're strangely silent so let me help you out.

I'm well aware that Christian group use the writings of Josephus to prove the existence of Jesus, here's the "proof"...

Flavius Josephus, born 4 years after Jesus was reported to have died, wrote in the Antiquities of the Jews "and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James". He wrote this in the year 93 or 94, fully 60 years after the reported crucifixion and absolutely no mention is made of his life, his ministry, his miracles, his death, or his ressurection.

That's all folks, that's the total sum of Christain proof of Jesus. And there remains nothing, not a single word written about Jesus during his supposed time on Earth.

there is more written about him thats not in the bible, than is written about george washington crossing the delaware. oh and "im an ordained minister with a phd" BULL. bold face lie. nobody studies 6-8 yrs in theology and becomes an athiest, dont past litmus test

Who said anything about atheism? I'm a recovering Christian, thank you.

If you care to debate rather than simply nay-say, I'm certainly willing to listen. I also notice that you make vague claims about how much is written about Jesus without presenting a word of it in real evidence. Interestingly, there is much written about many mythological figures, but no one in their right mind looks at those references as historical fact.

As to your claim than no one studies for years and then turns away from their teachings doesn't take into account those who recognize that their teachings were nothing more than manipulations and lies. It happens more than you know, but such facts are not for the "sheep".

Apples-n-oranges, this is your chance to expose an obvious fraud, put them in their place and teach them the error of their ways, are you up to the challenge? Are your facts? God expects you to challenge me, if your faith is strong enough he will surely put the words in your mouth that will refute my statements. If you cannot, don't feel bad since I have an iron chariot and even the Hebrew god Jehovah shrinks before me.

Well said. Personally, I went to Catholic School for twelve years and was a believer. It wasn't until I was well into my 40's that I discovered that there was absolutely no actual proof that Jesus ever existed, let alone the son of God.

-A recovering Catholic

even the muslims acknowledge Jesus existed and even Mary

jim what was your revelation that caused you to "open" your eyes. what is your proof that refutes carbon dated documents of eye witnesses 1900 yrs old? ive got an empty tomb and a whole lot of witnesses. even in a court of law it can be proven beyond reasonable doubt that he lived and was crucified 2k yrs ago

so then gimmee - explain that the supposed Josephus writings just "magically appear" in the storyline about 700 or 800 or so. Josephus NEVER wrote that - it was all ADDED AFTER THE FACT some 700 or 800 years LATER.

Josephus - ROFLMFAO - AT YOU FOR YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF IDIOCY. What's next SANTA?

I accept that a regular Man named Jesus existed, I don't accept that he was born from some immaculate conception nonsense, or that he is the Son of God.

Hey Christians, Jesus Christ has been dead for almost 2,000 years, he didn't die for our sins he died because he was thought of as a troublemaker.

Jesus was a rebel for his times, that's all he was.

Apples-

So now you want to say that Islam is accurate about Jesus, because you're leaving out the part about him NOT being the Son of God. Can't have it both ways, my friend.

what is your proof that refutes carbon dated documents of eye witnesses 1900 yrs old?

What documents? what eyewitnesses? What tomb? Can you name any of these eyewitnesses? Is there anybody in the Bible who even CLAIMS to have met Jesus? Did anyone mention him during his lifetime? Nope. An old story is simply an old story.

Please. SHOW me your court room evidence. I truly would love to see it.

no that is just another non christian source to verify his existance. show me a dead crucified body that archeology will support and prove to me that is the man named Jesus of nazareth , son of joseph and maybe ill reconsider

show me a dead crucified body that archeology will support and prove to me that is the man named Jesus of nazareth

I'm not even sure what you're talking about. Are you trying to make my point for me? Maybe you ran the cocktail flag up the pole a few hours ago? Kind of hard to provide the dead body of a fictional character. Speaking of archaeology, did you know they have proven that there was NO town called Nazareth at the time of Jesus' supposed birth?

apples and oranges, nothing real yet? And "even the Muslims acknowledge", please stop! You may be interested to know that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are based all upon the same discredited fables. Try to find an objective and contemporary source and you will come up as empty as so many generations have before you.

As for all you other hearsay and anecdotal based references, a complete lack of evidence doesn't prove an assertion, it tends to disprove it. The burden of proof is one the one making the claim, not the other way around.

Ask your minister about it, I'll bet you eventually get this standard response for sheep that ask these difficult questions, a solemn look and a heartfelt "Well, it's really a matter of faith" usually satisfies those who really didn't want to know the truth anyway.

There is not a single shred of real evidence regarding the existence of Jesus. If there was, it would have been enshrined, encased in golden boxes, paraded out before the masses on a regular basis and most importantly, generating revenue. The Turin shroud was created between AD 1260 and 1390 precisely because there is no real empirical, physical or documentary evidence in existence, but you will still commonly hear in Christian churches that radiocarbon dating proves it to be from the time of Christ.

The reason believers are known as the "faithful" is because they choose to believe even in the face of missing or contradictory evidence. If there were any proof whatsoever, they wouldn't need faith, they would have documented fact, but they don't.

No demonstration of science, or appeal to rationality can ever convince the willfully ignorant. They are afraid of truth, and they are products of a very efficient and destructive propaganda machine designed to funnel resources from the uneducated or gullible into the pockets of so-called "holy men" and their self serving institutions.

Mjolnir,

PRO-TIP, use the ignore option for that poster. It's a beautiful thing.

:)

It's OK, I like it...

I just imagine some red-faced, snaggle-toothed Gomer in his filthy trailer, surrounded by stinking dogs spewing flecks of rancid spit on the monitor as they try to convince others to accept what no one with an education or ability to reason accepts. These inbred slaves represent the best the "faithful" have to offer, and because they lack the ability to think for themselves, they are valuable as both readily milked and shorn property, and as soldiers in a spiritual war that is perpetually "coming".

Ever wonder why the poorest and most uneducated neighborhoods have the most churches? And despite the proximity of so many of "God's Houses" the surrounding areas are among the most blighted, forlorn and crime ridden areas of any community?

Christian churches in particular keep their charges uninformed and afraid in order to profit from their terror. They rely on peer-pressure and positions of authority within the church to keep more intellectually capable members from asking questions or independently investigating their wild claims.

If they only knew, there is no false god easier to smite than Jehovah, the Hebrew assassin of babies.

Mjolnir, so true about crime/faith. Heck, the majority of people (>90%) in US prisons are people of faith (1997 Federal Bureau of Prisons). Draw from that what you will. But consider, adjusted per capita, atheists are the least represented demographic in jail. Draw from that what you will too!

Religion is primarily a third world problem now. All the industrial countries pretty much just have religions that swap memberships with each other nowadays. Not unlike theme parks or country clubs.

Have hope! Every generation has a higher IQ than the previous one. We are smarter than our grandparents ever dreamed of being.

Education and science literacy will vanquish most of the hideous religions out there like Catholicism and Islam. I suspect religion will go out with a fizz looking like Anglicanism before finally evaporating.

That said, as long as people remain afraid of death, Big Faith will have a job. When people, like you and me, understand that the ones who die ARE the lucky ones (for they were able to experience life), perhaps there will be real priorities set for humanity like jetpacks and long lived canine companions for all.

mjoke what proof do you need? really? does God need to come to earth put one foot on america and the other on spain and shout to the world? appear before you and change you into a dog and back to a human? carry you to the ends of the universe and back? you name it. now play devils advocate, no pun intended, suppose you got that proof, then what? you were basically forced to believe by undeniable evidence,no faith involved. now lets say you wrote it down in a book. 1000 yrs from now someone picks it up and says thats hogwash, i wont believe it unless i see it. now you see where we are at today.

oh mjoke, ive an iq of 165, and could probably beat you at chess blindfolded

JIMBO, lack of evidence is not proof of nonexistance,there are a lot of towns that didnt exist until archeologists found them, ppl thought sodom and gomorrah didnt exist until we found them, how about pompei???? thought to be a myth until we found it. quit reading from your athiest cue cards, google and youll find plenty on this town. there are four gospels and a bunch of letters that say they knew Jesus , in the bible. there are carbon dated pieces of scrolls and letters that are from the 1st and 2nd century to back this up. yea physical evidence.

mjoke the shroud of was not from 1200-1300, scholars agree the carbon dating was off because of the fire, there are pollens on the shroud that could only have come from the time of Jesus in jerusalem. even if it had been made in the 1200 era they didnt have the skills to make it anyway especially since none knew about photography and negative images.

@ apples-and-oranges "oh mjoke, ive an iq of 165". That may be true, however your comments, ability to write and your opinions make that claim extremely unlikely. What good is having the capacity to think, without the will?

"scholars agree" What scholars? You make a lot of claims for a genius, but never seem to back them up with any verifiable facts. The tests were conducted by scholars from 3 different universities, if you had actually read the report you would have discovered the various methods they used to ensure that any contamination did not affect the results.

Dont worry. Anonymous will hack their system and expose the real reason. Imagine that. HACKERS tell more reliable stories than the media, church and politicians.

Let us place our hope in the hackers.

Can Anonymous hack illuminated manuscripts?

Most Catholics, but not most Priests, would be shocked to learn that over half of all seminarians drop out before ordination because they finally accept the fact that they're gay. Among those who go on to become full-on Priests, roughly half of them eventually quit because they are gay and sick and tired of being self-loathing hypocrites.

stink tank...not even the 8th comment and some idiot crawls out of the woodwork to make a completely IRRELEVANT partisan comment. When you're ready to do an objective comparison between the present and previous administrations regarding transparency then we'll debate that in an article where it applies. Until then, STFU and do something else besides taking a bath in Rush Limbaugh kool-aid.

Tank

Is your medicine keeping you from staying on topic?

Okay tank: You don't like secrecy? Publish your real name and a photograph so that we can laugh at you.

Tank,

Obama's authority comes from the people who voted him into office, twice. He didn't need you vote or support, doesn't expect it, and most likely doesn't want it. It's time the country moved beyond it's violent, ignorant and bigoted past and few of us care whether or not you care to join us.

obama's authority comes from his hitler like brainwashing he did on the masses. go ahead and enjoy your socialist state your creating. wait till he removes the term limit for the pres, one day you will have no freedom , you wont do anything unless the gov says its ok.

apples - LOL are you really crazy enough to be afraid he will remove the term limit and stay president like some type of dictator? You think congress would let him do that? you people are insane

he passed obama care when no one wanted it. but believe me all politicians are about keeping power so there would be little ressistance to this. how come congress has no problem voting themselves a raise every time but cant come up with a budget for you? lets get real the gov is all about a measure of control. do i think its likely maybe not but its certainly possible, of course he may just be the candidate for the new world order leader in the future

tank - stop playing with daddy's computer. You don't know enough to make lucid comments...

apples-n-oranges...as I mentioned to your brother stink tank, aside from being completely irrelevant to the topic at hand, you must be on some seriously power crystal meth to believe such retarded nonsense.

ObamaCare was passed with consent of Congress. To say that nobody wanted is completely false. The only people who didn't want it were your hero Gestapos on Parade who couldn't give a sh*t about whether or not lower income class of citizens had access to affordable health care.

As for the term limits speculation...that is TOTAL BS. There is no way any president is going to change that...it's a Constitutional Amendment which takes more than just a simple majority of Congress.

Lay off the FAUX News for Dumb Fux for while and try to pay attention to the topic of the current article.

You guys are making one troll very happy today

Please empathize with Tank. My best guess is that someone affected his tank and it is unstable, and unfilled.

And for someone to say, "Who cares what is in the report unless you are Catholic?', is a lost cause of responsibility and accountability. We co-exist on this earth and we want to be aware of what to avoid, what to cut off and what to hold on to. Each person has a stake in this, even when it is another religion.

obamacare was passed by predominantly democratic congress. those democratic congressmen did not win reelection, were replaced by the GOP, showing the people have spoken against obamacare.

oh gun in case you just blind and dumb, obama care dosent provide health care it penalizes you if you dont get some. and when thousands of employers put ppl on part time to evade all this crap or go out of buisness altogether maybe youll see the light. btw it was a partisan vote that passed it buddy, guess you didnt look at the polls that said a majority of americans were against it. your buddy dems in congress didnt pay them any heed instead were sheep to the mighty Obama and did his bidding. and yes he can remove the term limits with presidential power, why not the supreme court can make laws?

Hey, Farts -n Turds are you that much of a simpleton ? The term limit is a constitutional amendment. Cannot be wiped away by an executive order. Would take super majority of congress ( I believe 66 % ) Or a state by state ratification. It's obvious you didn't pass third grade, so I doubt you got to the Gov't class in highschool. Oh and this is about the child molesting, women locking up ( Magdeline girls ) butt plugging catholic church not President Obama.

Would take super majority of congress ( I believe 66 % ) Or a state by state ratification. Breeze, for a proposed Constitutional amendment to become law, the proposed amendment must attain a 2/3 (67%) majority in BOTH houses of Congress, AND then it must be ratified by no less than 3/4 of the states. In the 50-state USA, that means 38 states, and normally the time limit for said ratification is five years. That is a very high standard, and it is not surprising, therefore, that in our 225 years under the Constitution, it has only been amended 27 times. Even more surprising, is the fact that so many people were so stupid as to ratify the amendment allowing for the creation of the federal Income Tax in 1913.

hey smelly breeze i guess you voted for the socialist obama, ppl thought stalin was liberating them too until it was too late, did you ever think congress might approve removing the term limit? they wont impose term limits on themselves.

They don't believe in what Luke wrote -- they believe only in power and money -- and cover-ups.

of course, even though they say that the final report will only b seen by ratso and the next big guy, they sort of seem to forget that there were a lot of people who PREPARED that report...

@Put a Fork: Yes, but the people preparing the report have a fanatical devotion to the Pope and not to the sheep! We don't know a fraction of the sins committed by the Church throughout history.

The situation speaks for itself - 4 chaplains in WWII on a troop ship gave up their life jackets to others who had none. I may be a devout atheist but this act speaks volumes about their devotion to their cause.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Chaplains (copy and paste into a browser window)

I think there are plenty of instances throughout the history of the RCC where pope's have not exactly had saintly careers

That is true, and to think the Pope is "infallible" is a joke.

Or resign at all..

You're probably never going to know why the Pope REALLY resigned.it's a MASSIVE COVERUP.Always has been.Always will be.As long as the money keeps coming in though ,the way the bosses see it,THERE IS NO REASON TO CHANGE.AND SO IT IS!!!

How do you know Randy?How about the massive coverups from Obama and his criminal regime? Bengahzi,Libya,Fast and Furious scandal,wanting to take our weapons?Had enough Randy?

I will pray for all of you who are athiests,abortion lovers,Satan lovers,anti Christian,anti church,etc.

When one can not debate the article at hand, deflect, deflect, deflect, deflect, deflect, deflect and deflect, right antiCMattews?

I also find it ironic that someone that does believe in a God, would violate their own teachings and pass down blind judgement upon others. Guess you better pack for a very warm afterlife, eh?

After all, you know what your Bible says about the self righteous, right? Of course you don't. You just hide behind religion to justify your arrogance and ignorance.

anti - can you shove your head any farther into your anal orifice? I mean just push harder and keep pushing - you may even get into the small intestine IF YOU TRY

Um, J. Willard, no one is saying the pope is stepping down in disgrace. He's an octogenerian in a demanding and stressful job, it's OK for him to be too tired to continue in the capacity the job requires. His dedicating the rest of his life on earth in prayer is far more valuable than anything the rest of these hate-filled commentors will be doing with their time.

What I got from this and other articles is that the @!$%#s hit the wall and he's too old to deal with it.

Jim, you say that, but just remember, the RCC has had 2000 years of experience at "putting a lid on it." This is by far not the biggest crisis the RCC has faced.

Father Guido! Is that you!??!!

How else would a criminal be treated, by criminals ;-)

Senator Chalmers (Nebraska) said this:

"If given the choice between leaving my child with a RCC priest or a mafia boss.... I'd choose the mafia boss...."

how about sourcing that, nevermind that is a idiotic comment if accurate. less than 1 % of priests are even accused of crimes, i think your at 100% bad behavior with a mob boss

Do mob bosses suck little boys weenies?

dont know, maybe

I do agree, but the Catholic Church, Mormon Church, Scientologists, etc. wouldn't exist without, sheep. It's like blaming QVC for credit card debt. Sheep are unwilling to take personal responsibility, so they get fleeced.

You are right Roadkill about the root of the RCC *problems.* An excellent reference is GOODYE! GOOD MEN by Michael S. Rose which depicts the type of persons seminaries endorse and those turned away with blessings from the CEO of this pedophilia cult. It is the flock that enables such evilness to exist because being in denial is a safe coping mechanism: shut your eyes and close your ears and remain silent against the suffering of unprotected little children. The deaf children that lived in an institution for the deaf in Wisconsin in the 50's and *managed* by a pedophilia priest *spoke* up about molestation and their cries fell on *deaf ears.* This priest later retired to his mama's retreat. Now the CEO will retire to his newly renovated *retreat* and another clone will be voted to be the next CEO and the scandals denied. To *The City* rank and file: better have a guard on those *butlers* lest another theft occurs.

you got part of it right, the root of the problem in the world is gay sex, not just in one church but the whole world

EXACTLY SHARON but It Won't Happen ANYTIME SOON so don't hold your breath.

You just wasted your time and exposed your ignorance... I laugh at you.

catholicism is a spiritual religion. catholics do not worship the pope, but respected as the head of the roman catholic church. do not write your own rude uneducated made up ideas, trying hard to sound like an expert on what catholic religion are all about. Tyrannosaur is correct of your ignorance ranting post.

Religions in the USA and Europe pretty much just swap memberships these days. Not unlike a gym. It's all about the perks. Some even have airline mileage plans!

Religion elsewhere is primarily a Third World problem. Whenever education is introduced and women are given control over their own bodies, family sizes shrink, and faith goes extinct.

Here Here, abby-1588585! From your lips to Gods ear! And as far as the mindless, spinless drones that keep contributing and supporting this corrupt pedophile ring of silence....shame on you!

Abby was pretty respectful towards average Catholics in her comment. You were not. Shame on you, and your anti-Catholic rant, which you cloak in "concern" and self righteousness. "Contributions" from "mindless, spineless" people in the pews pay for lighting, heating, and repairing their own church buildings, supporting charitable work on a local level, operating schools, and many other things that involve dollars which do not go to bishops or the Vatican. The Vatican deserves criticism, but ten to one, people like you - who shrilly castigate an entire church with a mob mentality and paint all withing with the same brush stroke, have skeletons in your own closets that you pray don't see the light of day.

Dear Hans, I'm sorry if I upset you but my "shrilly castigate of an entire church" comes from years of attending them. Organized religion, much like government is a swimming pool filled with ALOT (not all) of hypocrites, all while hiding behind the name of God in order to dictate, "Do as I say....not as I do!" The money collected within "said churches" would be much better spent and certainly more Godly if it could ALL stay within the community doing Gods work. The vatican should be paying its parishes for their Godly deeds instead of the other way around.