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Subscribe to RSSScotland's Cardinal Keith O'Brien will not attend the conclave to elect a new pope – on Monday he resigned after being accused of "inappropriate acts," the same day that Pope Benedict decided an internal report on the leak of papal documents by the Pope's butler would remain secret. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
A potentially explosive report into embarrassing leaks from the Vatican will be seen by only two people — Pope Benedict XVI and the man who succeeds him.
Italian newspapers have already angered the Vatican by suggesting that the report found evidence of corruption, blackmail and a gay sex ring, and that it triggered Benedict’s decision earlier this month to give up the papacy.
The Vatican said in a statement Monday that Benedict, who commissioned the report on leaks from three cardinals, is the only person who knows its contents and will make them available only to the next pope.
The pontiff also praised the cardinals for showing "the generosity, honesty and dedication of those who work in the Holy See," considering "the limitations and imperfections of the human component of each institution."
Over the weekend, the Vatican took the unusual step of lashing out at the Italian press — accusing it of "unverifiable or completely false news stories" designed to influence the conclave that will pick the next pope.
Father Thomas Reese, author of "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church," said that Benedict’s decision to keep the report secret was not a surprise.
"The Vatican doesn’t like to do its laundry in public," he said.
In any event, he added, the new pope could always decide to make the report public. Benedict’s decision simply gives him cover in case he wants to keep it private, Reese said.
Javier Barbancho / AFP - Getty Images
Joseph Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. Look back at his life from childhood through his papacy.
The pope ordered the report on what has become known as the Vatileaks scandal last year after documents became public that deeply embarrassed the church, including some of Benedict’s own correspondence and letters alleging corruption.
Benedict pardoned the ex-butler, Paolo Gabriele, just before Christmas.
The pope, 85, announced earlier this month that he would abdicate, the first leader of the Catholic Church to do so since the Middle Ages. His last day is Thursday. A conclave to pick successor begins next month.
The decision to keep the leaks report secret adds a layer of intrigue to what has already been a tumultuous papal transition.
Just Monday, the most senior cleric in Britain, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, resigned after The Observer newspaper reported that three priests and a former priest had accused him of inappropriate behavior going back 30 years.
Also Monday, the pope changed Vatican law to allow his successor to be picked sooner — as soon as all the voting cardinals are in place in Rome. Under previous law, the conclave could not have begun before March 15.
Related:
Britain’s top cardinal quits amid priests’ allegations
This story was originally published on Mon Feb 25, 2013 9:59 AM EST
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17 This I command you, that you love one another.18 “If the world hates you, [a]you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. John 15:17-19
No surprise here about those that leave hateful comments toward Christians....those that have ears let them hear....
I believe folks are talking about the Catholic religion.
Those pervs are not Christians. They are masquerading as Christians to get access to their victims.
Hypocritical, finger pointing, elitist, holier than thou Christians -- Hear this -- you can't keep hiding behind your fish bumper sticker. People aren't as gullible as they once were. Live the talk or STFU.
Bless you AmericanSoldier ! Reading all this hate-mongering rhetoric was really making me heart sick and I was in awe of how so many people could be cruel, insensitive, and lost, yet feeding off each other's negativity like buzzards on road kill. Somehow, they have even managed to weave US politics into this topic thread and I'm like "What???"...I would not have even posted a comment and engaged, yet yourgraceful words of wisdom compelled me to do so. Again, I thank you and remind myself that this is indeed "the devil's playground". Peace be with you....Always...Apattycakes1
You would hope there is someone within the college of cardinals who could be a pope with integrity, and who will start to take immediate decisive actions to stop these sex crimes against innocent children.
Yet with that in mind, since all of these cardinals were promoted by popes we have our doubts, in fact some should be fired, including Mahony and O'Brien.
So we hope that outside law enforcement will get more involved and investigate these crimes against humanity.
Until high ranking church officials spend some time behind bars, nothing will change within this archaic secretive institution. As long as they can still get away with it, they have no reason to stop.
Children are safest when child predators and those who enable and conceal their crimes are held responsible.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com,
"SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
Wouldn't it be great if the next pope would grant "absolution" to any victim of pedophilia who kills the perv who did him?
Well, if the guy is truly repentant, he can be forgiven. There is basically no sin that cannot be forgiven.
There is basically no sin that cannot be forgiven.
Always loved this statement. It's the perfect scapegoat to commit any crime. Even if the person was still truly repentant, one can be absolute in their desires to fulfill horrific acts upon their neighbors and then turn to this ideology for ultimate forgiveness.
In other words, go ahead... rape, murder, steal, and create horrific pain to others.
But in the end... you still get to live for eternity in a heaven that will forgive you.
Talk about a sick delusion.
mr perfect talking there , never done anything wrong, your the one deluded
Jesus didn't keep secrets. And when he comes back, he will kick some Catholic but t. That's what that lightning bolt was all about.
John,
How do you know He did not keep secrets? What happened to Jesus between the ages of 12 and 30?
Uh oh.......
What if there isn't a God?
Italian newspapers have already angered the Vatican by suggesting that the report found evidence of corruption, blackmail and a gay sex ring................................. Do you think? What a pathetic bunch of sinners and hypocrites and they have the audacity to criticize other christian faiths.
The secrecy and corruption never ends. The church needs a thorough overhaul from top to bottom. Many of us former Catholics are ashamed of this Pope and the entire church for their repugnant behavior. Their arrogance, intrusion into US politics, denial of women's full rights, sex abuse and money scandals all point to a corrupt and dysfunctional institution. What ever happened to doing what Jesus asked us to do? How about selling all that jewelry and those funny hats and helping those in need? Sadly, the next Pope will probably be Benedict Light...a continuation of the old school, conservative hierarchy. Unless the Roman Catholic Church wakes up soon, they will go the way of the Republican Party...first a joke and then oblivion.
Ya ll really think changing out the Pope will accomplish anything..?
WoW...600 years since the last Pope retired early..! How long before the Next Pope retires Early..?
The church needs to find the priest something else to to play with ...
besides young boys and each other..and quit trying to cover up these perverted acts....
Whatchya Think..? lol
The Vatican, keeping secrets? You don't say. This will come as a complete shock to families affected by Priest abuse.
Hey, The Pope can do what he wants with internal documents and such. None of your or my business. No different than any other large organization. Everything does not need to be known.
Sure sure... so when a corporation is under scrutiny for corruption, sexual abuse, and blackmail only the CEO, CFO, and CIO have the right to look over the allegations and documentation.
You freaks will say or do anything to protect evil.
Think in the real world of Law and Order, they call that being an accessory to the crime...
and Sexual abuse of a Children is a crime..FYI...You really think covering up this crime is a good thing...?
If so, your as sick as the criminals (church officials, priest) committing this act...
One of the commandments say thou shall not kill but it was alright for the crusaders to go out and kill people. 60,000,000 people were killed during WWII . I'm sure they were praying their ass off as they were getting butchered or burn alive from bombs
Well what a shock!! It's high time the Catholic Church was abolished and that old fart should go to prison for cover up and aiding child rapist's.
We are witnessing the Great Falling Away of the "Church"
If no one else it going to do it, let me be the first to offer a solution by advising the Vatican that honesty (which means candor and full disclosure!) is the best and only way to get this scandal behind them. Stonewalling by being secretive and evasive (as though through this process they may somehow bring an end to the scandal) is for them to only continue in their state of denial. This problem never go away until they've first acknowledged they've got themselves one whale of a problem and then very quickly proceed to the task of cleaning house by vetting and thoroughly evaluating every priest, bishop and cardinal in the Church and then defrocking all those who have in any way participated in either the coverup or themselves been actually involved in these despicable, unspeakable acts. Yes, they'll be wounded but at least it wont be a lethal wound. At the other side they'll come out a smaller for cleaner church, one that can start the process of rebuilding!
Parents,
Please stop forcing our children to believe in religion. Teach them to be good people and use the golden rule. We don't have to threaten them with burning in hell for eternity to have them understand what's right and wrong. You don't have to waste your time in a church on Sundays. Rather than donate to the church donate to another worthy cause or start one of your own with your neighbors and friends. Above all else wake up...it's 2013 and believing in invisible floating Gods defies all that we know to be true today. Let's save our children...the most logical way.
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.
Tomvet,
Or...it could be the whole invisible floating God, who hears all and sees all, who somehow impregnated a virgin, who made the earth in 7 days thing....
Covering for child sexual abuse by priests is a little more than being excused as an understanding " of the human component" Pope! Hopefully your successor will bring the Church in to the 21st Century by allowing priests to marry if they choose and getting honest about the past. You want us to come to the confessional booth but I don't see you or the Church operating the same principle. "Mistakes were made" is not the same...as real confession and atonement.
Another day, another story about religion is the problem.
The only reason they are hiding the report is because of the gay sex ring they discovered. Hiding it confirms that everything Italy reported is 100% true.
The only way for the Vatican to quiet the speculators is to become more open. The only way for the Vatican to retain its power, authority and credibility is to remain secretive. Guess which way they will choose?
By keeping the outcome secret, the Vatican is practicing damage control by attempting to control the spin, not by making any changes that will prevent the same problems in the future. The only future that the Vatican desires is one in which the world adapts to meet the Vatican, not the other way around.
Until the Vatican lets the public see their dirty laundry in the full light of day, nothing will change.
investigate the pope and the vatican
They can keep all the secrets that they want. They can't keep any from God.
The Catholic church has definitely been infiltrated with pockets of evil, and that is truly tragic, because the Catholic church, and what it ACTUALLY believes and profess through it's catechism (which most of the critics have NEVER read) is the only Christian denomination that actually has the full picture on Jesus and salvation--salvation by faith AND good works. Most Catholics fail to live up to this standard because we are weak human sinners, but at least we hold it up in our church teachings as the ideal to strive for.
The church is indeed coming apart at the seams because of the evil acts of a tiny minority within, aided by the mobs of jackals who rip at the carcass from outside--this is the TRUE evil--the destruction and ridicule of God's true church on earth. When it is gone, true Chrisitanity will be done, and all that will be left will be a bunch of hypocritical freestylers who believe what they WANT to believe and not what Jesus actually TAUGHT us to believe, which is what they truly NEED to believe.
Protestants started the process hundreds of years ago when they decided to ignore the parts of the bible they don't agree with and pretend that faith alone can get you into heaven, even if you hate and persecute your fellow man. It's easy to say "I'm saved" and then go through the rest of your life mocking the type of behavior Christ taught us was REQUIRED to get into heaven--faith, hope, charity, love, repentence, and foregiveness, but the TRUE path to salvation is much more difficult, and is never really "done". Over the years, Protestants have continued to mock the Catholic church for "failing to follow scripture", even though literally hundreds of Protestant denominations each have a completely different idea of what the scripture actually means, tailored to match the personal preferences of the human leaders of each individual group.
Outside of the issue of sexual abuse, which is truly horrifying, yet by no means unique to the Catholic church, Protestants expend much of their venom on the idea that Catholics practice idolatry--a popular notion that is based on complete and utter ignorance of genuine Catholic beliefs. If you don't believe me, look at our printed catechism, which mentions again and again that the ONLY path to salvation is through Jesus. So, quit saying that Catholics don't believe that. We just happen to believe that all men and women are part of the body of Christ, along with all the departed, including those who have demonstrated extreme holiness in their lives (the saints) and especially the Blessed Mother, who performed the most perfect act of human obedience to the will of God by bringing forth the Word of God made flesh for the benefit of all mankind.
I don't expect you to read this with an open mind, but I'll write it anyway. We don't pray TO Mary--we ask her to pray FOR us (to Jesus!!) and WITH us (to Jesus!!!), which in our opinion, is a whole lot better than asking some multi-millionaire TV megapreacher to do the same thing. The much-maligned Rosary is a celebration of the life, works, and mission of JESUS. Most of those who spew venom regarding this prayer have no idea what it is truly about. Protestants cite scripture about "babbling like Pagans" in typical fashion--by rote memorization, treating it as a "sound bite", and regurgitating the anti-Catholic party line which completely ignores the context in which the scripture was written. For the record, that particular scripture refers to babbling endless incoherent magical words or the names of pagan gods in the hope of invoking magic spells, a common pagan practice in the time of Jesus. Jesus NEVER said to not repeat prayers or to "pray only with your own words, as Protestants always claim. In fact, he did just the opposite, telling us we should ask the Lord again and again for the same things, and even giving us EXACT WORDS for one prayer. (the Lord's Prayer). Jesus himself repeated prayers to God the Father numerous times throughout the gospels, most notably during his agony in the garden of Gethsemene. Again, I don't expect any of the Catholic bashers to read any of this with an open mind, but you really should at least try to set aside the preconceived notions foisted on you by your preachers, your families, your buddies, or the closed-minded folks in your bible study groups.
What if there is no God?
Trying: Doesn't the "TRUE CATHOLIC CHURCH" as you put it, also worship Mary by praying to her and making porcelin statues and images, of which you bow down to worship, sing hymns and make prayers? What happenned to Jesus's words "The only way to the father is through me." or "I am the way the truth and the light." Doesn't the catholic church require its followers to jump through hoops of faith by receiving certain sacraments and performing good deeds? I thought the bible stated "Not by works but by grace we are saved." Hypocracy.
the bible does say to pray without ceasing, yea really is ridiculous how protestants like to qoute out of context, they take a sentence of scripture and try to use it literally but when it come to Jesus saying THIS IS MY BODY THIS IS MY BLOOD, UNLESS YOU EAT OF MY FLESH AND DRINK MY BLOOD YOU HAVE NO LIFE IN YOU. then they want to say oh thats just symbolic when its clear he meant it LITERALLY
Secrets, secrets and more secrets. Seems to me that for centuries now, the Catholic church has been nothing but smoke and mirrors. "Do as I say, not as I do." Hypocrites from the top down. I am sad for those who are truly faithful, as they continue to be exploited and betrayed by the Church they thought they could trust.
The only reason for keeping the report secret would be because it contains damaging and/or incriminating information.
The Pope's emphasis on secrecy reveals how utterly out of touch he is with this world, or any other.
If his policy is accepted, we can only assume the worst about the Vatican and the secrets (and violations of law) they are covering up.
Talk about self-inflicted wounds!
Big surprise coming from a ex-Nazi. Not. Now the pope will have more time to watch old Nazi newsreels. Plus watch the videos of pedophile priests raping young boys. All for the big investigation no doubt,that will always be kept secret.