There’s nothing like taking decisive action to correct a major problem. Too bad the Pope doesn’t seem to understand that. His idea of decisive action in dealing with the problem of pedophile priests is to wait five years after the church’s foundation has been rocked by the scandal and then command the churches to pray continuously for God to solve the problem:
Pope Benedict XVI has instructed Roman Catholics to pray “in perpetuity” to cleanse the Church of paedophile clergy. All dioceses, parishes, monasteries, convents and seminaries will be expected to organise continuous daily prayers to express penitence and to purify the clergy.
Vatican officials said that every parish or institution should designate a person or group each day to conduct continuous prayers for the Church to rid itself of the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy. Alternatively, churches in the same diocese could share the duty. Prayer would take place in one parish for 24 hours, then move to another.
…
The instruction was sent to bishops by Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil, head of the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy. He told L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, that he was acting in the Pope’s name. The Pope wanted Catholics to pray for the “mercy of God for the victims of the grave situations caused by the moral and sexual conduct of a very small part of the clergy”, he said.
Cause prayer works so well for sick people and sports teams. Thanks, Pope, for nothing. Which is about all your plan will add up to.
Link via Pharyngula.
Instructing them to pray “in perpetuity” suggests that pedophilia is in their nature.
Let these festering demons rot in their halls of evil, the shame of their faith has shown itself to the world in a way that will NEVER be forgotten.
And they will suffer for it till their dying day so long as i live.
Unless a lot of priests start disappearing I’m gong to say this won’t work.
Pope Palpatine is one of the few people who actually makes me wish that I believed in Hell.
[...] fair. Back in 2008 the Pope did propose one way to solve the pedophile priest problem: Continuous non-stop prayer asking God to cleanse the church of pedophiles. That’s the best he could come up with. [...]