Funny old world when we consider that Ratzinger of the Vatican has the brass neck to ‘deplore’ the treatment meted out to Chinese Catholics by the Beijing authorities. In the past he has deplored condoms, women priests, and gays. Now, in a week where his priests have been caught with their trousers down yet again, he has focused his wrath on China.
What have the Chinese done that merits being deplored in Cloyne week? The country has a state sponsored church. Which means it is beyond the control of the Vatican and appoints bishops without taking into consideration the views of Ratzinger and his cronies. As a result the dictatorship of the popetariat excommunicated from the Church a bishop, Joseph Huang Bingzhang, who was ordained without approval from Rome.
His is the third appointment in a month against the wishes of the Ratzinger cabal and has strained already poor relations between Beijing and the Vatican. Ireland, it is reassuring to know, is not alone among governments in putting it up to the men of god.
Commenting on Haung’s appointment the Vatican said ‘he lacks authority to govern the Catholic community of the diocese’ and complained that he was ordained ‘illicitly.’ Since when did illicit behaviour of bishops and priests ever worry the Vatican? It is not that the bishop in question poses a threat to children, but to Vatican power.
The Vatican also defended those bishops it claimed were forced to attend Mr Huang's ordination, describing their reluctance to voluntarily do so as ‘'meritorious before God.’ Yet Maurice Crocker, a courageous priest in Australia’s Woolongong parish who was ostracised and driven to suicide because he reported paedophiles in the Church to civil law, was regarded as a scourge before god.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun., China’s boss Catholic too forcefully criticised the ordination. A day prior to it he had written to the Chinese President urging him to stop ‘rogue civil servants … forcing mainland bishops, priests and lay people to do things that go against their conscience.’ On top of that he hit out at ‘the scum of the church’ for assisting in the process. Wonder if he had the former bishop of Cloyne in mind when he used those words. The illicit activity he got up to was a hell of a lot more serious than ordaining unapproved bishops.
There will be many who shall find in this a lot to be galled about. The bishop was only ordained last Thursday and he is out on his holy hoop by Sunday. Whatever happened to god’s day off? His holy men can’t relax their vigilance otherwise dodgy bishops might just get through.
Now we can rest assured if the excommunicated bishop were to have raped Chinese children all sorts of delaying mechanisms would be put in place to ensure he stayed in place. Canon law would kick in, The Congregation for the Doctrine of The Faith would take time to meditate, consult the Lord, pass papers back and forth, threaten with exile priests who demanded the matter be handed immediately by civil law. It might even have moved Huang to another parish in China or abroad where it would have installed him as a teacher in a Catholic Maintained School.
Whatever the Vatican might do the one thing we are absolutely certain it would not do is to excommunicate the rapist within 72 hours of the offence. In the morally inverted world of the Vatican those who assume bishophood without Vatican approval are committing a much greater crime than the clerics who rape children. Ratzinger is infallible and he should know. The Holy Spirit told him so.
Ultimately, there should be no such thing as state appointed church. Religion is a private matter not a state concern. But who could dispute the claim of a national government that wanted to protect its sovereignty and its children from Vatican meddling and interference? The Vatican would encourage the bishops it appoints to relegate to second place the needs of Chinese children so that the interests of the Vatican would come first. The Vatican appointed bishops might be more inclined to cover up rapes than the state approved church. Why would they break a long time habit for China?
No brownie points either for predicting the next scapegoat to explain away the child rape crisis gripping the Vatican.
China.
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Oh dearie me,I feel we may soon have another apparition,
ReplyDeleteMarty,
ReplyDeleteI hear the Lord speaking in my ear.
A tree stump, a moving statue or even something from Lourdes, he has promised.
Has anyone ever gone to Lourdes with one leg and come back with two? I think there is a website somewhere about god hating amputees. Every other ailment gets cured at Lourdes!
i hear most people in wheelchairs amaze onlookers by leaping out of the water ...seemingly its the same stagnant pool from day1 and stinks. The shock of it cures all.
ReplyDeleteLarry,
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child people telling me they had holy water from Lourdes. Even at tat age I knew it was all bollix Then people wised up and started bringing back Vodka. It at least could cure hangovers.
SMH,
ReplyDeletethe Rat in the Vat would send his rodents to eat the Chinese bishop!!
Just noticed that those Chinese Catholics who don't want to be subject to the Vatican are impressed with Enda Kenny's challenge.
ReplyDelete