Pick a Better Pope – 7/52 Ways to Stop Pedophiles
Pope Benedict XVI is stepping down at the end of February. He leaves behind a legacy of shame for Catholics with the child sexual abuse scandal. Instead of facing the problem, he supported a coverup that conflicted with his repeated public apologies.
With a leadership change, the church has a chance for redemption, but the shortlist of possible Popes has more than one candidate with dirty hands. Our local golden boy is Cardinal Dolan.
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and a shiny media star positioned to become Pope.
PaddyPower.com gives Dolan good odds. (Yes, you can bet on who will be the next Pope.) But, you won’t find on Paddy Power.com the long odds on when the church will stop CSA within their private chambers.
Past behavior of Cardinal Dolan doesn’t offer hope for social progress. He was instrumental in paying-off child molesting priests to leave quietly. Then he lied about the scheme. When a man-of-God lies, it’s time to dig deeper. Digging, we notice that Cardinal Dolan has covered up many messes on his climb to the top of the Catholic hierarchy. He’s good at his job.
Fox News is quite excited about Dolan’s chances to become the first American Pope, while avoiding the P-word in their orchestrated interviews that gush about Dolan’s ultraconservative social positions. Although we won’t see an endorsement, RNC leaders are probably pulling every possible string to put Dolan into a new set of robes.
Dolan is an astute businessman, but falls short in doing the business of the Lord. Will he be a popular Pope? Yes, he can manage the extensive business of the church with a silver tongue.
Will Pope Dolan be a trusted leader of families? Not likely, since he ambitiously demonstrated a lack of compassion and protection for children who were blessed by the touch of pedophile priests. He could have responded with integrity, instead of more secrecy.
When white smoke rises over the Vatican, Timothy M. Dolan may have a new Papal name. If it is Pope Pius, the incongruity will be shocking but somehow perfect. Pope Pius XII controlled the Roman Catholic Church during World War II and failed to condemn Nazi atrocities.
If they don’t pick a better Pope than Dolan, sexually abused children may still be shoved to the darkest corners of this richly glided religion.
Excellent piece. Dolan would e a disaster. But then, the Church is a disaster – they seem never to have read the Gospels which articulate what Jesus taught (he rejected hierarchy, insisted on poverty for his preachers, advocated the equality of women in his actions and teachings, insisted no one on earth be called “father” since there is only 1 father in heaven, never mentioned abortion and homosexuality tho both practiced in his day, etc.) As Garry Wills says, “Whatever or whoever Jesus was, he was not a Christian.”
http://www.RosemaryAgonito.com/HypocrisyInc
Darn right!