Pope Sees the Devil Behind Timing of Sex Abuse Crisis

Since the Catholic sexual abuse crisis erupted a decade ago, there have been numerous attempts to explain its causes, from a lack of fidelity to an over-emphasis on celibacy and clerical privilege. This morning in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI pointed to a deeper unseen force lurking behind the crisis, especially its timing: the Devil.

It’s no accident, the pope implied, that precisely as the Catholic church was celebrating a “Year for Priests” in 2009-2010, the sexual abuse crisis once again took on massive global proportions.

“It was to be expected that this new radiance of the priesthood would not be pleasing to the ‘enemy,’” Benedict XVI said. “He would have rather preferred to see it disappear, so that God would ultimately be driven out of the world.”

The term "the enemy" is a traditional Catholic way of referring to the Devil.'

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Pope Benedict XVI Urged to Step Down

A US priest has urged Pope Benedict XVI to step down amid scandals of child sexual abuses by former clergies that has engulfed the Roman Catholic Church.

An ardent critic of sexual abuses committed by Catholic priests, the Rev. James Scahill of the parish of St. Michael's Church in Massachusetts used his last weekend's sermon to call on the 82-year old Pontiff to resign for the good of the Catholic Church.

"If he can't take the consequences of being truthful on this matter, his integrity should lead him, for the good of the church, to step down and to have the conclave of cardinals elect a pope with the understanding that the elected pope would be willing to take on this issue, not just in promise," Scahill said, according to a CNN report on Tuesday.'

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Report: Church Abuse Claims are 'Zionist Attack', Bishop Says

A retired Italian bishop has sparked a furious row after quotes attributed to him suggested claims of sexual abuse in the Catholic church are a Jewish conspiracy, a British newspaper reported on Monday.

A website quoted Giacomo Babini, emeritus bishop of Grosseto, as saying he believed a "Zionist attack" was behind the criticism, considering how "powerful and refined" the criticism is, the Guardian daily reported.

Babini has denied the comments, which follow a series of statements from Catholic churchmen alleging the existence of plots to weaken the church and Pope Benedict XVI.'

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Pope Says Church to Come Out of Abuse Scandal

Embattled Pope Benedict XVI, whose church is ridden with mounting allegations of sex abuse by pedophile clergy, has described Catholic priests as “angels” with responsibility.

"Like all those baptized, our mission is to be angels and Jesus Christ's messengers", but "priests, ministers of Christ, have a special responsibility", Benedict told hundreds of Catholics gathered at Castel Gandolfo near Rome for the Easter Monday prayer.

The Pontiff, who seemed untouched by the recent events clouding the most important event on the Catholic calendar, suggested that the Vatican's reputation would prevail due to divine protection.'

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John Paul ‘Ignored Abuse of 2,000 Boys’

Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer abused an estimated 2,000 boys for decades without sanction

When John Paul II died five years ago the crowd that packed St Peter’s Square for his funeral clamoured “Santo subito (Saint now)!” in a spontaneous tribute to the charisma of the Polish pontiff.

As the faithful marked the anniversary of John Paul’s death on Good Friday, however, he was being drawn into the scandal over child abuse in the Catholic church that has confronted his successor, Benedict XVI, with the worst crisis of his reign.

Allegations that the late pontiff blocked an inquiry into a paedophile cardinal, promoted senior church figures despite accusations that they had molested boys and covered up innumerable cases of abuse during his 26-year papacy have cast a cloud over his path to sainthood.

The most serious claims related to Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, an Austrian friend of John Paul’s who abused an estimated 2,000 boys over decades but never faced any sanction from Rome.'

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Ireland Child Abuse Report Reveals Vatican, Police Cover-up Collusion

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The Vatican refused to co-operate with an official inquiry investigating sexual abuse by clerics in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

The official Report of the Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin was published on Thursday. The investigation began in 2006, and covered the period 1975 – 2004.

The Commission’s brief was “to investigate how Church and state authorities handled allegation of child abuse against 46 priests”.

The inquiry condemned church leaders for covering-up abuse for decades.

The Commission examined complaints concerning over 320 children. Substantially more of the complaints related to boys. Of the 46 priests examined, 11 pleaded guilty to or were convicted in the criminal courts of sexual assaults on children.

According to the Commission, there was also collusion on the part of the police. A number of very senior members of the Irish police regarded priests as being outside their remit. There were some examples of them actually reporting complaints to the Archdiocese instead of investigating them.'

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Pope's Preacher: Abuse Critique Like Anti-Semitism

Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher on Friday likened accusations against the pope and the Catholic church in the sex abuse scandal to "collective violence" suffered by the Jews.

The Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa said in a Good Friday homily with the pope listening in St. Peter's Basilica that a Jewish friend wrote to him to say the accusations remind him of the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism".'

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