Harry´s Blog

The BBC documentary Sexual Crimes and the Vatican is based on a 1962 memo from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The document reaffirmed the inviolability of the seal of confession, but the BBC film said that it was intended to ‘protect and hide’ abusive priests….There was to be an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest, and any witnesses. The document was revised in 2001 to deal more specifically with sex abuse cases, but it still remained secret. And before being elected Pope in 2005, it was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department that enforced the rules.” (1)

According to CNN, Father Joseph Feit, confessed to a fellow clergyman that he had raped and killed young women in 1960 at McAllen Texas. Instead of being told to turn himself in, he was shielded and counselled at Assumption Abbey Monastery in Ava, Missouri. Now, after almost half a decade, one of his “counsellors” has told the story. (2)

Herbert Kuhner
Catholic Shenanigans

We have heard so much talk in Austria from Bishops Andreas Laun and Kurt Krenn about abortion, which they describe as “murder in the womb.” According to Laun, if a child is raped and becomes pregnant, the child should have the child. (3) Here’s Laun making comparisons: “Hitler would have been delighted with legalized abortion.” (4) (Laun needs to polish up his history. In the Third Reich performing abortions was a capital crime.)

Pope John Paul II went on in the same vein and compared abortion with the Holocaust.(5)

I’d like to ask these clergymen what they have to say about murder after birth. The suffering of a murdered victim ceases after he has been killed. The practice of pedophilia is tantamount to murder, only the victim continues to live after he has been spiritually killed. The word “Holocaust” would certainly be more appropriate to describe the fate of these victims.

Here are some humanistic views by two theologians concerning contraception and incest:

Monsignor Carlo Caffarra: “According to Church Law it is ethical for a man to infect his whole family with aids, including his children. For it is Mortal Sin to prevent this from happening by the use of condoms….A man who has been infected with aids is justified in cohabiting with his wife. If he uses condoms, he is committing a Mortal Sin.” (6)

Peter de Rosa: “Masturbation is a sin more grievous than the rape of one’s own daughter. The latter is more ‘natural’ since an incestuous rape can at least lead to the birth of a child.” (7)

Let us give Caffarra and de Rosa the benefit of a doubt. Perhaps they real mean what they say, and perhaps they really think that they are speaking on behalf of the Deity.

If so, they are rigidly adhering to principles, even if it means the disregarding common sense and totally negating compassion.

I know that I’m letting my emotions get the better of me, but I say they are not on the side of the angels but rather are trodding are straight and narrow path to perdition in seven league boots. On the other hand, you can’t condemn a man for not knowing any better, so their destination can’t be subterranean. It’s a delightful little terrestrial state known as the Land of Wicky-Wacky-Woo.

And here’s an example of religious law and order: Cardinal Bernhard Law of Boston has been instrumental in protecting pedophiles from the law. In his Boston diocese, 60 churches were forced to close due to pedophile scandals. Law, who is a fugitive from American law, hightailed it to Rome where he is sitting pretty.

Here’s how the Vatican got Law off the hook. In May of 2004, Law was designated as Archpriest of the St Mary Major Basilica, the third most important place of worship in Rome, Law is in charge of the basilica’s administration and has various ceremonial functions. Law was not only put on display, he publicly said a mass for the late pope and participated in the papal election.

Aside from the ethical implications, this is the chutzpa of chutzpas. And imagine, the Vatican has criticized the press in indulging in “sensationalism.”

Here’s Law in court in Boston, concerning a letter about the transfer of a pedophile priest,
Attorney for the plaintiffs: “Do you recall if you were you were troubled by the information in this letter?”
Law:” I do not recall having seen the letter at the time.”
Attorney: “Do you recall writing the note on the letter?”
Law: “I do not recall writing that note.”
Attorney: But that is your handwriting and signature.”
Law: “But I have no doubt that that is my handwriting and signature!” (8)

Law was not only put on display, he publicly said a mass for the late pope and voted for the new one. Aside from the ethical implications, this is the chutzpa of chutzpas. And imagine, the Vatican has criticized the press in indulging in sensationalism. That’s the tactic! And it is used in every case.

And here’s an apt comment by Garry Willis on Cardinal Bernhard Law of Boston, who holds the American record in shuffling pedophile priests from one parish to another: “The Cardinal was too deeply engaged with the fate of the unborn to care for born minors being abused by his priests.” (9)

The Catholic Church is now constantly in the media, but it is getting the kind of publicity which is not bringing would-be converts knocking at its doors. Invariably the scenario goes like this: a priest is exposed as a pedophile. His bishop hushes the situation up and sends him elsewhere, where he continues his activities. And the procedure repeats itself again and again.

And here’s how the Holy See handles it: He just doesn’t. According to the BBC, there are about ten thousand victims of pedophile priests in Canada. I quote the Trib headline: “Pope declines to meet with victims of sex abuse in Canada.” (10)

The BBC documentary Sexual Crimes and the Vatican is based on a 1962 memo from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “The document reaffirmed the inviolability of the seal of confession, but the BBC film said that it was intended to ‘protect and hide’ abusive priests….There was to be an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest, and any witnesses. The document was revised in 2001 to deal more specifically with sex abuse cases, but it still remained secret. And before being elected Pope in 2005, it was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger who headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican department that enforced the rules.” (11)

Another documentary on the subject is Deliver Us from Evil, directed by Amy Berg. In the film, Oliver O’Grady, a former priest, describes how he abused young boys and girls as young as 9 months for over 20 years central California, including a period in the 1980’s when Cardinal Roger M. Mahoney was O’Grady’s bishop in Stockton. Mahoney now heads the archdiocese in Los Angeles. O’Grady, who now resides in Ireland, said he was able to continue abusing children in part because Mahoney moved him from parish to parish in the face of abuse accusations. (12)

The film features a taped deposition from 1997, in which Cardinal Mahoney denied having known that Mr. O’Grady was a pedophile.

Mahoney and the archdiocese reached a settlement worth $660m for abuses by priests of 508 victims.

Thus, the pedophiles are not brought to justice, but rather are shielded from justice by their bishops. You cannot avoid asking whether the pope, the cardinals, bishops and priests are above the law.

A priest in Bad Goisern used the cloth as a cover for engaging in such activities. He was never brought to justice, but simply transferred to a parish in Vienna.

A cardinal law of the underworld
is that you don’t put a man on display
who has broken the law,
or who has been an accomplice
of those who broke the law.
You stash him away.

The man who had previously been at the top of the Austrian clerical ladder had to resign when some of his former wards spoke out about their experiences under his tutelage. It seems that the statute of limitations prevented him from being brought to court. Of course all the former altar boys and one man, who is now a priest, were telling fibs. At any rate Bishop Krenn and Helmut Zilk, the former Mayor of Vienna , and his spouse are convinced that he is innocent and the visit him annually. Zilk: “I consider the cardinal as the victim of a calumnious campaign. I have a high opinion of him….He has a big heart!” (13)

The wildfire is also raging in Canada, Mexico, Britain, Australia, France, Germany, and in such Catholic redoubts as Ireland and Poland.

And apparently the hush-up policy also includes murder.

According to CNN, Father Joseph Feit, confessed to a fellow clergyman that he had raped and killed young women in 1960 at McAllen Texas. Instead of being told to turn himself in, he was shielded and counselled at Assumption Abbey Monastery in Ava, Missouri. Now, after almost half a decade, one of his “counsellors” has told the story. (14)

Let’s go back a bit! Here’s a key quotation by Pope Plus XII: “Dear friends do not forget that millions of Catholics serve in German armies. Shall I bring them into conflict of conscience?”

Harboring criminals is nothing new for the Catholic Church. At the end of World War II
Pope Pius XII opened the Vatican doors to Nazi mass murderers and Ustascha-men like Ante Pavlic. The Ustascha engaged in creative arts and crafts such as making necklaces out of eyeballs.

The Vatican “Ratline” helped these “good Catholics” and other Nazis to escape to Spain and South America. Monsignor Otto Mauer in Vienna and Bishop Alois Hudal, who was located at the Vatican, were the Austrian members of the Rat Line.

Here’s a quotation by Monsignor Otto Mauer of Vienna in 1948, three years after the Holocaust: “The Jews have immense influence on communism and capitalism. They pass themselves off as defenders of humanity…but they are nothing but a depraved people with a perverted spirit….They have been condemned to eternal damnation….They invariably choose the evil path.” (15)

When Chilean putschist and dictator Augusto Pinochet was detained in London in 1998, Pope John Paul asked for clemency and his return to Chile. Chilean Cardinal Angelo Sodano on Pinochet: “Masterpieces can also have small errors. I would advise you not to dwell on the errors of the painting, but concentrate on the marvelous general impression.”

(Yes, Angelo, there are a few small errors in the masterpiece like mass-murder, rape and torture. But who cares about that!)

Here we go again: Hague-based War Crimes War Crimes Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte is on the track of former Croatian General Ante Gotovina, a war crimes suspect. The suspect is reported to be in hiding in a Franciscan monastery in Croatia. Pope Benedict XVI is keeping mum about the matter, but Carla is no softie. She’s as stubborn as they come. Thank God!

When they got Gotovina, and the Croatian streets were filled with his fans. Among the demonstrators were high Church dignitaries and in Split, the seminary, to a man, was on the streets. (16)

Yes it’s an old story. The Church always seems to have soft spot for mass murderers, if the happen to be anti-Bolshevists, and in this case that spot seems to be for those who do away with Orthodox Serbs.

A mass-murderer, who is a Catholic, can be a good Catholic, as far as the clergy are concerned, as long as he does what he does for the right cause.

Ed Fagan achieved fame in Austria as a hard-nosed and ruthless lawyer, but there isn’t only one Ed Fagan in the States. There’s an army of Ed Fagans. Some of the Ed Fagans are Jews, but you don’t have to be Jew to be an Ed Fagan. The Ed Fagan who headed a team of Ed Fagans who got O. J. Simpson off the hook happened to be black. And there are plenty of WASP Ed Fagans.

Some Ed Fagans have placed themselves at the disposal of those who were victimized as boys by men of the cloth. At first the Catholic Churched decided to pay compensation to the victims. However, after the Church accountants presented their estimate of what the sum might be, the dignitaries realized if they ever paid it, the next receptacle for contributions would be a tin cup. So the alternative seems to be to hire a passel of Ed Fagans, who incidentally happen to be “practicing” Catholics, to get them off the hook. These devout Ed Fagans are representing the Church for altruistic reasons, not for profit, and are charging cut-rate prices for their services. The method of the Catholic Ed Fagans is to cow the victims and their families into withdrawing their suits. Here’s how this should work. They are trying to make mincemeat of the first victims who have come to court.

As we know it is traditionally the job of the rapist’s attorney to badger the victim and break her down by placing her integrity and veracity in question. The victims are easy prey, since have come to loathe themselves for having been victimized and they loathe their bodies for having been abused. I certainly wouldn’t want to live in a buggered body.

The clergy, all the way up and down, doesn’t seem to give a damn about how they feel. And they have no qualms of conscience about causing them additional suffering. Everyone knows that if you work a victim over, there is a possibility of making him insane or causing him to commit suicide.

Here is a quote from the Herald Tribune: “Church lawyers make no apologies for their tactics. They argue that their ethical obligation is to their client, not to some abstract moral standard.” And here’s one from the Horse’s mouth, namely Church attorney Joseph Sweeney: “I’m not just going to lay down and die just because I represent the Church. I attempt to be decent, but I’m not going to give away the store.” (17)

Here’s how the “decency” works: I go to the Herald Tribune again. “A diocesan attorney confronted a 22-year-old former altar boy who accused a local priest of abuse. The attorney portrayed the man as a homosexual, a liar and an alcoholic. The diocesan lawyer asked at one point if the man blamed himself for the abuse.” (18)

And that’s how the Catholic attorneys are dealing with the victims of priests, who may now be men, or even may still be boys, and that’s how they are dealing with their families. Can you imagine that? Who or what do the dignitaries think can be salvaged? And there is another aspect they haven’t taken into account. Americans are not softies. They can’t be cowed. They are tough and they stick to their guns.

Cardinal Egan of New York likes to have his cake and eat it too. Egan admitted that when he was bishop of the diocese of Stanford Connecticut, the Church covered up pedophilia by one of his priests, but Egan testified that the Church did not bear responsibility for the priest’s actions.

Here’s a statement by Egan: “Priests are self-employed contractors working for autonomous parishes.”

Apparently Egan’s patron Saint is Pontius Pilate.

The bishops are using methods they claim would comprise a one-way ticket to Hell for members of the flock. But perhaps they think that wearing the cloth will get them special celestial treatment

Well, a few old ladies with dented hats might buy what they’re trying to sell. Being devout is not necessarily synonymous to being dumb.

Here’s a quotation by a cynic named Frederick Hunt: “If the Church adhered to its own principles, it would have lasted for the period it took the Deity to get the show on the road, namely one week.”

I’m not sure whether there is somebody up there, but if there is, I don’t think He has done a very good job. If He’s there and sees and hears everything his representatives are doing and saying, He has my unlimited compassion.

I have no doubts about the existence of Satan. He must be stoking the coals and turning Hellfire up to its highest level right now, and he’s whistling and humming while he’s at it. He can’t wait to receive the guys who are interpreting the Good Book while they live according to the Satanic Book.

Something I wonder about is how the Sacrament of Confession fits into all this. What are the pedophile priests telling their confessors? Are they mentioning their grievous sins in the confessional? Are the priests who are committing serial pedophilia revealing that sin again and again in their confessions or are they leaving it out of them? And what are the priests hearing Confession saying to the pedophiles? According to Catholic doctrine, a priest cannot reveal what he has heard in the confessional, but it certainly is his duty to urge the penitent who has confessed a crime to surrender himself to the law.

And imagine, pedophiles wearing the cloth have used prayer as a prelude to seduction and the seduction chambers have been the rectory, the sacristy, and even the confessional!

At the semiannual bishops meeting on June 13-15, in Dallas, some Bishops want limit the definition of pedophilia to genital contact. That would discount kissing on the lips, providing pornography or engaging in obscene calls. Some wanted to exempt priests who had committed only one act of abuse and repented it. Why should whole lives be affected by a single act? Joseph Galante, the coadjutor bishop of Dallas provided the answer. “The victim’s whole life has been affected, why should the priest’s not be.” (19)

(There is, of course, a shortage of priests, and we need every man we have.)

Perhaps this leniency should also apply to homicide. If a one-time murderer repents, why not just let him go off scot-free?

There is a personal aspect I’d like to mention here. During my family’s emigration, there were nuns and a priest who were very kind to us. Mother Batchelor in Britain, Sisters Ellenita and Mary Anne and Father Rey, who later became Monsignor Rey, in the States. I loved those wonderful nuns and I could never forget them. They gave me so much care and affection! Monsignor Rey was a liberal priest who played a part in the Vatican Council under Pope John XXIII. He was kindness personified.

I visited Sister Mary Anne at McCauley Hall in Watchung, New Jersey, when she turned a hundred, with my friends Buddy and Albert. We were in her class at St. Paul’s School in Princeton and our friendship has lasted over the years.

I’m glad that Sister Mary Anne is dead now. I wouldn’t want her heart to have been broken.

Here’s something I’d like to thrown in. Let’s say the guys in black hats and kaftans that were doing what the guys in the tri-corns and frocks are now doing. What would be happening? I’ll answer that. We’d have a world pogrom, and there would hardly be a temple left standing.

There are sixty-five million Catholics in the United States, which is quite a minority, and that minority of millions is going to dwindle considerably.

Here’s the Herald Tribune: “A Minnesota plaintiff’s attorney Jeffrey Anderson, recently filed three civil racketeering lawsuits, arguing the Catholic Church acts like an ecclesiastical crime family. The bishops, in his telling, cover up for pedophile priests by moving them from one state to another to avoid detention. He names a star defendant in one case: the Holy See.” (20)

I say good luck fellows! I’ll come to the funeral, but I won’t bring any flowers.

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(1) followthemedia.com, Philip M. Stone May 23, 2007.
(2) CNN.Com. EDT, May 30, 2007.
(3) Kreuz.net Katholiische Nachrichten
(4) religion.orf.at
(5) BBC Online February 22, 2005.
(6) Monsignor Carlo Caffarra, Dean of the Institute of Family Research “Johannes Paul II” Täglich Alles, Feb. 14, 1993.
(7) Peter de Rosa, author and former Dean of Corpus Christi College, England, Täglich Alles, Feb. 14,

(8) Int. Herald Tribune, May 10, 2002. Garry Willis: “Bishops at Bay”, (9)The New York Review of Books, Aug. 15, 2002.

(10) Herald Tribune, July 26, 2002, p. 4.
(11) followthemedia.com, Philip M. Stone , May 23, 2007.
(12) Jennifer Steinhauer, New York Film Festival, Oct. 7, 2006.
(13) Profil, Dec. 11, 2000, Vienna, p. 50.
(14) CNN.Com. EDT, May 30, 2007.
(15) Hugo Löwy: “Warum Haß?” Renaissance, No. 10, May, 1948, p. 10: quoted from a lecture by Otto Mauer on April 10, 1948 at the Volkshochschule Alsergrund for the “Circle for Christian and Jewish Problems”; also referred to in No. 18, Jan. 1949; researched by Dr. Evelyn Adunka.
(16) Kleine Zeitung, Dec. 15, 2005, Graz.
(17) Int. Herald Tribune, May 14, 2002.
(18) Int. Herald Tribune, May 14, 2002.
(19) Gharry Willis “Bishops at Bay”, New York Review of Books, Aug. 15, 2002.
(20) Int. Herald Tribune, May 14, 2002.