98 Comments

• stanJames | Feb 07, 2012, 11:51 PM EST

  FAt chance, IC readers on the pope affirming Evolution. the ultra-conservative pope must know that affirming evolution blows up the adam and eve story on which virtually all western religions are based............The pope grew up btw in a church which had banned books list until vatican II.............Which it appears the Pope is trying to undo.

• stanJames | Feb 07, 2012, 11:45 PM EST

  If your opposed to using a clump of 150 cells to help end dread diseases, eg altheimers, macular degeneration etc, shouldnt we all oppose sending REAL PEOPLe to fight in Afghanistan, sacrificing thousands. I'm real serious on this one just to make a point.

• stanJames | Feb 07, 2012, 11:42 PM EST

  Several issues here. First of all so many posters seem to be trying to divert attention from the IC story - of the grand cover up of the endless hidden molestation of children by the church hierarchy Also, someone complained about there being more molestation in the USA in general then in the church First of all, the church ran a conspiracy to cover up these evil crimes. That's the real problem, PERIOD. Had the church immediately attacted the problem, probably 90% of the problem would have not occurred And second, the USA is has a lot larger population then the alter boys and some other kids in the church. Most people realize that less then 1% of ordginary people molest children, while SNAP says 5000 priests molested kids, about 8% of the priests..............And it estimates half the molesters are still unknown. 10,000 bad preists out of 50 to 70 thousand - horrendous..............When will the church allow priests to marry?

• sharon12345 | Apr 11, 2011, 07:53 PM EDT

  the reason the host was handed to people instead of placed on the tongue was because of the fear of the aids epidemic. at the time no-one knew how it was spreading, so the bishops and medical community decided to be safe rather than sorry.

• Intercessor | Oct 17, 2010, 09:47 AM EDT

  I think that Kung is correct. There should be another Vatican Council. I think the agenda should be to completely expose the sins of our current Clerical System, which has effectively taken the Church away from "The People of God." Pope John XXIII envisions a church where the Laity would be empowered, and over the last 40 years, we haven't seen too much Laity muscle when dealing with the abuses of Clericalism. Had the Laity been empowered, we wouldn't have had the Priest Pedophilia Scandal and the subsequent, Scandalous Coverups by bishops, archbishops, cardinals and even the Pope! The "Magisterium" would have been afraid of being kicked out of their princely estates and forced to live like ordinary men, without parading around in ridiculous, medieval costumes, that St. Peter and the apostles would have been caught dead in! I'm thoroughly disgusted with the whole lot of them. Why do "The People of God" even bother keeping them around?

• vincentruane | Jul 27, 2010, 08:31 PM EDT

  In reply to Carroll09- It is very easy for you to figure out if these photographs of an impostor Pope are fake or genuine. And if you want to quote the Bayside Messages then in the interest of full truth please quote them in their entirety.

• Godscre | Jun 13, 2010, 02:06 PM EDT

  Who are the dissidents to Jesus' teachings?

• Carroll09 | Apr 25, 2010, 05:50 PM EDT

  Vincentruane- as I said before, I don't know the sources of the photographs: the website doesn't reveal the source. I have already told you what Canon Law says about responding to claims:the Church would not be making a judgement on whether the messages were genuine or not,but on whether or not they contain anything which is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church-which,as Catholics,we trust that Christ (as He promised) will not permit to teach error.All it would take is one message to be contrary to the teachings of the Church-I have pointed out some already.However,on May 29,1976,Ms Leuken claimed that 666 is NOT the number of ONE man - this is COMPLETELY CONTRARY to Scripture and the consistent teaching of the Church,which says that it IS the number of ONE man...She claimed in May 1969 that God existed before the Trinity-that he "subdivided" Himself.The Catholic Church has always taught that was and is always the Holy Trinity,of Father,Son and Holy Spirit...On November 1,1977,she claimed that ALL teachers in the school-system have fallen to satan.These are not cases of the media hiding things-these messages are freely available from Bayside-affiliated sites.Such claims as these cause confusion and instil fear and suspicion among the faithful.Rightly were they condemned by the bishop & I would strongly admonish you,if you are indeed a member of the Catholic faithful,to trust in the teachings of the Church which we know have come from Christ Himself through the Apostles, preserved from error.You should humbly obey the bishop,knowing that the Church herself will bring you to Christ- you can,with trust in Christ,pray that the bishop will be led to the right decision about Bayside if the initial decision was,as you claim,misguided.

• vincentruane | Apr 25, 2010, 02:53 PM EDT

  Again in reply to Carroll09-Whether the Bayside messages are true or not, is wide open for debate, but to condemn them without a proper Church investigation is wrong and very wrong! In relation to prophecy all prophecy is always conditionally on prayer,penance and atonement. Also be aware that the major power branches of the media hides a lot of truth from people. In relation to the photographs they have been confirmed by many independent sources who have no belief in the Bayside messages.

• 2BorNot2B | Apr 23, 2010, 02:05 PM EDT

  The CC has flat out condemned the Bayside 'apparitions' Check out the Vatican website.

• Carroll09 | Apr 23, 2010, 05:40 AM EDT

  Also,regarding what you claim to be an absence of an investigation.I presume you mean by this that Ms Leuken (or others perhaps) was not interviewed by the bishop-he would certainly have been in a position to evaluate the widely-publicised messages without visiting the site.Canon law,contrary to what some associated with Bayside claim,does not require a bishop to carry out interviews.Can.326 gives the bishop authority to suppress such activity as Bayside "if its activity causes grave harm to ecclesiastical doctrine or discipline or is a scandal to the faithful".The purpose of an investigation is not to make a judgement on whether x,y,z is appearing,but to assess whether or not supposed messages are contrary to the teaching of the Church.Many of the messages are clearly doctrinally unsound-such as the O.F. of the Holy Mass being inferior to that of the E.F.,which is absolutely at odds with what the Church teaches.You keep telling me that the messages tell people to use holy water,to go to confession,to pray the Rosary-all laudable things;however,1.you don't need Bayside to tell you these things and 2.don't be fooled into thinking that the devil wouldn't be happy to give 99% truth if he could introduce just 1% error into the minds of the faithful with the result being confusion,disobedient to the successors of the Apostles-the devil knows well that he has much power in a kingdom divided against itself,which is why I urge you to build your faith,as Christ built His Church,on the Rock,Peter-& his successors who have the assurance that the Holy Spirit will be with them always.

• Carroll09 | Apr 23, 2010, 05:19 AM EDT

  Vincentruane-I am comfortable quoting St Ignatius as he,as an Apostolic Father,with the other Church Fathers demonstrates the importance of the living Sacred Tradition.Again,as I have said regarding what you call photographic "evidence"-the sources of those photographs are never revealed.You are asking me to automatically accept that they are all genuine "papal" photographs.The fact is,as I've said,that any Pope Paul lookalike,such as the actor in question could have merely dressed up as the pope,had his photograph taken,and then say to the world that the photos are of the pope himself.As for it taking "at least 12 years of concentrated study to understand the Holy Bible"-12 years for whom?Scripture itself is clear that the Church is to interpret & explain the Scriptures to us-yesterday's Mass reading from Acts 8 shows the inability of the eunuch to interpret Isaiah without the help of the Apostle Philip.The response to Christ's question "who do men say I am"(Matt 16)-only led to conflicting answers:John the Baptist,Elijah,Jeremiah or one of the prophets.This is what happens when you leave everyone to interpret Scripture for themselves-evident in the ever growing number of Protestant denominations.God revealed the true answer to Peter.

• vincentruane | Apr 22, 2010, 11:52 PM EDT

  Also CarrollO9-I'm real puzzled by the fact that you feel comfortable using a quote from a ST.Ignatius Antioch from AD110, and you are also comfortable about ignoring strong photograph evidence and strong voice analysis from around 1975. That is one massive contradiction and also the Bayside messages state that it takes at least 12 years of concentrated study to understand the Holy Bible.

• vincentruane | Apr 22, 2010, 10:55 PM EDT

  In reply to Carroll09- You keep trying to avoid the key point and this it, the Catholic Church has never carried out a honest investigation of the Bayside messages, so it is dishonest to tell people to stay away from them, and this most definetly ignores some of God's Ten Major Commandments and the apostles and Jesus obviously believed strongly in The Ten Commandments. Also the Bayside messages strongly advise that all Catholics should use lots of Holy Water.

• Carroll09 | Apr 22, 2010, 07:24 PM EDT

  Vincentruane-just to add one further note:I wonder if you are familiar with Saint Faustina-it is said that she saw Jesus many times & indeed her obedience was put to the test.On one occasion she asked her Mother Superior for permission to make a certain sacrifice which Jesus requested.She was scolded by Mother Jane and told that she was not to make the sacrifice.She obeyed,and soon after Christ told her that her humble obedience to her superior was more pleasing to Him than any sacrifices she could have made-He always encouraged her to be obedient.Later,of course after numerous impediments,the Church decided that there was nothing in the Divine Mercy messages which were contrary to faith and morals.The point is that one ought to be humbly obedient when a pastor makes a judgement for the spiritual welfare of the faithful-if the judgement was hasty,the faithful can have confidence that the Lord, who is with His Apostles throughout the ages through the Holy Spirit as He promised,will always lead His Church to the right decision.As Pope John Paul II told the young people at WYD 2000: "If you love Christ, love the Church!" As St Ignatius of Antioch (A.D.110) said:"Follow your bishop...as Christ followed the Father.Obey your clergy too as you would the Apostles...Where the bishop is to be seen,there let all his people be;just as,wherever Jesus Christ is present,there is the Catholic Church."

• Carroll09 | Apr 22, 2010, 06:47 PM EDT

  The ongoing abuse scandals have nothing to do with it-unfortunately,bishops,priests and even the Pope are sinners like the rest of us-indeed as were all the Apostles sinners.However,individual failures don't affect the teaching of the Universal Church-failure of a bishop,for example,to act on a complaint does not mean that the Church teaches that to do so is ok.The Extraordinary Form of the Holy Mass is no better than the Ordinary Form-to say otherwise is to dismiss & contradict Pope Benedict's saying that they are merely DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS OF THE ONE RITE.Either the one and same Sacrifice of Calvary is made fully present before us in both expressions of the Holy Mass or it is not-the merits of Calvary are infinite and do not come in half-measures.One Mass (celebrated reverently according to the rubrics and books set forth by the Church),which IS the Holy Sacrifice offered by Christ,is no better or worse than another;to say otherwise is,in fact,to make a mockery of the salvific power of just one drop of the Precious Blood shed by our Lord Jesus.There are many faithful Catholics,obedient to their pastors,who are returning to the traditions of the Church without engaging in and relying on messages which cause great confusion.

• vincentruane | Apr 22, 2010, 05:59 PM EDT

  Again in reply to Carroll09-The Bayside messages state that when a Cardinal or Bishop preaches heresy that is contrary to true Catholic Doctrine, Priests and lay people have the right to disobey, and when you think of this ongoing sex scandal obviously such a statement has a lot of merit, perhaps it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Also the Bayside messages state that the current Mass is still valid but it is not as good as the old Mass.If there is one common message that defines Bayside it is return to tradition, return to the ways of your grandparents, the Catholic Faith that they understood. For 40 years these Bayside people have faithfully held 33-3-Hour Evening Rosary Vigils and have also as I have already said before prayed 15 Decades of the Rosary every Sunday for the good of the Catholic Faith.-What a story that is and the Brooklyn Archdioces still refuses to carry out an honest investigation of these Bayside messages.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 22, 2010, 03:55 PM EDT

  Thanks to Carroll09 for the link to firstthings site and that open letter response to Hans Kung. The debate is good. I haven't posted on the site - so far!

• jacersisityourself | Apr 22, 2010, 03:50 PM EDT

  I think the move to distributing Holy Communion by placing the host and/or chalice in the hands of the recipient was more in keeping with what Christ did with His Apostles and whoever else was there in the room at that “last supper” (why it’s called that I don’t know; heck, it was the first of – rurrrhhh – how many billions of Holy Feasts since? It’s been said there are four every minute all around the globe). More likely He asked them to pass the Communion from one to the next by hand. Sorry Vincent, I don’t feel I can run with your theories despite yr honest belief in them. I had a look at yr site btw; thank you for the invite. It is interesting but not convincing in many aspects. I trust and believe in Jesus and His Holy Mother, rarely in human interpretations of what either of them would say to us through those who claim to be holy intermediary visionaries.

• Carroll09 | Apr 22, 2010, 05:34 AM EDT

  Vincentruane-if the messages say that people should receive Communion on the tongue and kneeling,they are in direct conflict with the Church's position.Personally,I prefer to receive kneeling & on the tongue,but individual bishops' conferences have the authority to decide whether Communion in the hand will be permitted.Furthermore,the Church teaches that it is illicit to deny communion to a communicant on the grounds that they wish to receive kneeling where standing is customary.As for people praying the rosary for priests-that is laudable,but they can still do this amongst the false messages:even the demon in Mark 5 was able to affirm that Jesus is "the Son of the Most High God".How surprising that when the bishop makes a pronouncement about the false messages,the Bayside followers are told that it's ok to disobey the bishop.Funny-the same thing happened at the Holy Love "shrine" days after Bishop Lennon ordered the faithful to keep away.So,we are to believe that Christ appointed apostles and their successors (the bishops) to teach the truth by the power, guidance & authority of the Holy Spirit,and then His Mother,Queen of the Apostles,encourages disobedience to them? Please,forgive me for trusting Christ's words over those of a self-appointed prophet.

• vincentruane | Apr 21, 2010, 08:02 PM EDT

  CarroliO9-There is nothing in the Bayside messages that is heretical as you claim, how your mind has become so full of false facts is to me unexplainable.

• vincentruane | Apr 21, 2010, 07:57 PM EDT

  Also Carroll09-Every Sunday morning for 40 Years the people of Bayside have prayed 15 decades of the Rosary especially for priests.So would they be doing that, if they were heretical as you falsely claim.

• vincentruane | Apr 21, 2010, 07:44 PM EDT

  Again in reply to Carroll09-I believe the Bayside messages should be properly investigated by the Catholic Church and your claim that they are heretical is either a deliberate lie or you are a victim of misinformation.I will just give you two examples here-One- The Bayside messages do not say the current Mass is invalid as you claim, but it repeatedly says that the old Mass is a much better Mass.Two-In relation to your false point about obedience, this is what the Bayside messages state,'When a Cardinal or Bishop preaches to the flock false doctrine about the Catholic faith, a priest or a lay person has a right to disobey such heresy.In relation to Holy Communion the Bayside messages say, receive Holy Communion in your tongue and on your knees after making a good confession. I'll leave it at that for now.

• Carroll09 | Apr 21, 2010, 06:29 PM EDT

  George Weigel has written an open-letter in response to that of Hans Kung. It is worth reading: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2010/04/an-open-letter-to-hans-kung

• Carroll09 | Apr 21, 2010, 02:44 PM EDT

  Vincentruane-do you not think that those involved in Bayside, on whose website the messages are published, would make sure that such messages,supposedly from Our Lady, would be correct before putting them out for all the world to see? These "printing errors" as you call them are reproduced on other websites, so this is what I and the world have to go on- and as it stands at the present time, the Bayside "prophesies" are teaching error and are heretical, and as I said in an earlier post, Catholics should place no credence on them- the Church, through Sacred Scripture,Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium guided by the Holy Spirit, gives us what we need in order to live as Christ wishes and to work for our salvation.

• vincentruane | Apr 21, 2010, 10:57 AM EDT

  In reply to Carroll09-Two times I have replied to every point in your message, but the message are being blocked. All your points about Bayside have major errors, except the June 18-1988- message, but because it doesn't make since in common English, it looks like a printing error has occurred ie- some key words have been left out. This is about the twentieth time In my replies to other posts I have been stopped. It reminds me of Section 31! Keep praying the Rosary.

• JOHNTOBIN | Apr 21, 2010, 01:50 AM EDT

  I have not seen Irish Central report the fact that772,000 children of the general population of the U.S.A.were abused or neglected during the year 2007.Many experts claim this is only the tip of the iceberg.How about getting some balance into your reporting.

• Carroll09 | Apr 20, 2010, 07:53 PM EDT

  Vincentruane-for example,June 18,1988:"the one who comes after [Pope John Paul II] will destroy him if he can-he will attempt to destroy Pope John Paul II".Pope Benedict is the one who came after Pope John Paul-he was one of his closest aides in life & in death, Pope Benedict wants him canonised!On the same date,she prophesied that a "ball of redemption" will be set upon mankind & "is hurtling towards earth!It will be here within this century,if not sooner"...a prophesy on a market crash that would paralyse the whole world's monetary system in less than 2 years (which never happened).It continues to promote disobedience to successive bishops who have admonished the faithful to keep away-if we are to judge such "shrines" by their fruits,then the "fruit" of disobedience to the successors of the Apostles is a particularly rotten one.Doctrinal errors & deceptions include:saying that receiving Communion in the hand is sinful;Vatican II was false;The Ordinary Form of the Holy Mass is invalid;an "impostor Pope" governing the Church;Pope John Paul I poisoned.The list goes on...

• jacersisityourself | Apr 20, 2010, 03:17 PM EDT

  I think 2B is also quite right to highlight Who is being received in Holy Communion and the respect one should have in doing so. Frankly, I sometimes shudder at the enormity of what I am receiving but then think thankfully of the simplicity of Christ in choosing to present Himself to us under the appearance of bread and wine. Barneyjo’s reference to Matthew 7:15-20 is humorous in the context of 2B’s points on receiving Communion but I think barney could have included reference to the previous verse, 7:15-19, which might be seen as having everything to do with April Drew’s article above and vincentruane’s points.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 20, 2010, 03:13 PM EDT

  2BorNot2B – you are quite correct in saying that celebration of the Eucharist was held in private homes in the very earliest days of Christianity and I’m well aware of that, thank you. My references to churches and the inner sanctum belong to times when the first 'church' buildings appeared to serve growing Christian communities. I have a great interest in old churches and love visiting them on my travels. Though I’ve not been to Istanbul, I believe the (first-built, c.300 AD) Hagia Sophia there was the first Christian church to be declared a Basilica and it contained an inner sanctum one time. The present Hagia Sophia building (c.500 AD), once a basilica, then a mosque and now a museum, also had a sanctum. I’ve seen inner sanctums (ok, I know that should be sancta) in old Greek Orthodox churches – two very endearing ones particularly, one in a busy commercial street in Athens city centre (it’s tiny, delightfully out of place yet snugly fitting in perfectly amidst the shops and office buildings) and the other in Lindos, on the island of Rhodes off the coast of Turkey. I prayed the Our Father in both.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 20, 2010, 03:01 PM EDT

  Thanks to Carroll09 for the post on Vatican II. I stand corrected. I must check out that book you mentioned – probably available in the Dublin Veritas bookshop.

• barneyjo | Apr 20, 2010, 12:05 PM EDT

  Just one final comment on this discussion, which just might provide food for thought for all those contributing posts; MATTHEW 7:15-20 (enough said) - Barneyjo

• vincentruane | Apr 20, 2010, 11:19 AM EDT

  My previous post is in reply to Carroll09)

• vincentruane | Apr 20, 2010, 10:31 AM EDT

  You may deny the Bayside messages but you cannot honestly deny the photographic evidence of an impostor Pope so lightly, or the voice analysis evidence so lightly with a clear and honest conscience. And in relation to Bishop Mugavero how could he with an honest and clear conscience dismiss the Bayside messages, when he didn't even read them.And as far as I know there is nothing in the Bayside messages that is contrary to the true teachings of the Catholic Church and since you claim there is, I would welcome reading about them in a reply post!

• Carroll09 | Apr 20, 2010, 06:08 AM EDT

  2BorNot2B- Re. where is the outrage towards psychiatrists...as we saw in the aftermath of the Murphy Report in Ireland, it was perfectly acceptable for psychiatrists, social-workers, lawyers, gardai, etc. to claim that they were on a "learning curve" with regard to sexual abuse.I have heard social-workers claiming that the issue of abuse never came up during training- maybe it didn't; it probably didn't come up in the seminaries either.Yet priests and bishops apparently should have known better than these supposed experts.Now,no one is claiming that those guilty of abuse or coverup should be excused-a crime is a crime,but if we were to see the scale of compliance with abuse in "secular" society as well as among clerics,we would be shocked beyond words.In Ireland (and elsewhere) at the moment it is very clear that no one is doing more than the Catholic Church to ensure the safety of children-there are several dioceses now which experts acknowledge have child-protection policies which far exceed the state's own guidelines.

• Carroll09 | Apr 20, 2010, 05:57 AM EDT

  Vincentruane-the supposed mountain of evidence has its roots in the Bayside "prophesies" and is fuelled by them- the conspiracy theory is driven by Bayside (supposedly under Mary's direction) -according to canon law,the bishop can make a declaration if messages are contrary to faith and morals or if (as is the case of Bayside) they instil doubts in the minds of the faithful (c.f.Bishop Mugavero's decree).Can.212 also says that the faithful are to obey the bishop in such matters.Also the quotes by Jacinta regarding a pope weeping etc. could apply to the current Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI.

• 2BorNot2B | Apr 19, 2010, 11:26 PM EDT

  Kudos as well to Efmc4429 -- Shouldn't someone bring up the fact that priests were sent to psychiatrists to be 're-generated' and these shrinks gave those priests a clean bill of heald and sent them back to the bishop having declared them 'cured.' -- Shouldn't these Quacks be sued by both Church and abused for letting mentally sick and unreformed men out? -- Where is the outrage at them?

• Watereskhill | Apr 19, 2010, 11:26 PM EDT

  So many exausting tangents from the core issue here (?) I agree with Irishathen's brief comment that the current Pope (quote) "definetly instigated a cover-up" and in closing "Whilst speaking to victims in Malta this past week-end he had tears in his eyes. Is he a great actor or is he starting to feel contrition?" am only prayerful that the real Cardinal Ratinzer has not been drugged by The Mason's Theatrical Dept languishing in a cell someplace in The Vatican, and a look-a-like on The Throne of Peter as per Vincentruane's peculiar conspiracy theories. One indeed hopes that the man in Malta was indeed The Pope close to contrition--from the heart. Lex Dei In Corde Meo. Slainte.

• 2BorNot2B | Apr 19, 2010, 11:21 PM EDT

  Well said katieherk! The Catholic Church cleaned up its act some 8 years ago. This scandals are being dredged from half a century ago by people who want to expell the Church from the public square because it is the last obstacle to total secularization pushed for by statists, militant atheists, homophiles and pro-aborts; not to mention the constant needling of anti-Catholic evangelical bigots who'd like nothing more than to see the Church embarrased and defeated.

• 2BorNot2B | Apr 19, 2010, 11:13 PM EDT

  Jacersisity... -- Actually in the earliest days of the Christian Church there weren't buildings that even resembled the present churches, much less altar rails. Christians assembled in private households to celebrate the Eucharist and these surely had no rail. It wasn't until the Church was freed from persecution and out of the shadows of the catacombs that church buildings began to be constructed. As for the silly argument about the altar rails, it has much more to do with the intransigence of modern-day Latin Rite fanatics than with the actual act of worship as prescribed anywhere in the bible. Surely, it would be better to instill a greater sense of reverence in people receiving Communion, but that comes from UNDERSTANDING CLEARLY "WHO" IT IS THAT IS BEING RECEIVED, rather than with any architectural structure that holds people back some arbitrary distance from the altar. That sounds a bit Pharisaical in the sense of having to 'obey the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law.-- One can be equally reverent by simply genuflecting deeply before receiving Jesus, and then keeping a prayerful stance afterward, than by kneeling at the rail totally ignorant of import of the moment. -- Further, what is even more shocking is the ignorance of people who approach the altar with chewing gum in their mouth, without having gone to reconciliation previous to receiving, and dressed immodestly, as though they are going to the beach in low cut T shirts, shorts and flip-flops. -- In that sense, I think the clergy have done a horrible job of instructing the people.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 09:07 PM EDT

  On Southernprides’ comment: I trust in Jesus’ enabling, nothing more. His enabling of Love is more massive than you would ever imagine. Go find it. It’s got peace of soul, mind and body in it. Go find, there’s a tabernacle close to you. Privacy ensured.

• vincentruane | Apr 19, 2010, 09:01 PM EDT

  In reply to CARROLO9-There is a mountain of evidence to support the fact that the free masons drugged the real Pope Paul VI and placed an Italian actor on the seat of Saint Peter from about 1973 to 1978 even if Bayside never existed. And as for Bishop Mugavero he did not investigate the Bayside messages, yes he had a letter sent to every Church condemning these messages, but he did not investigate them, and as far as I know there is a special Canon Law in the Catholic Church that deals with supposedly new claimed apparitions which Bishop Mugavero ignored. So why did he ignore the Canon laws of his own Church? Leave Bayside out of it and there is still overwhelming evidence there, that the free- masons drugged the real Pope Paul VI and planted an impostor Pope on the seat of Saint Peter. The final aim here is to have a Pope who will agree to a one world religion where the true Catholic Church will not even be recognizable, However some Franciscans have a saying 'Man makes his plans and then God laughs.'

• barneyjo | Apr 19, 2010, 07:33 PM EDT

  Quite so. However history teaches that from time to time, God can select the most curious and unlikely messengers!!!!! - Barney Jo

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 06:54 PM EDT

  Southernpride quotes from times gone by and good riddance to those times, I say. Every human being is a creature of God, given the gift of life and deserves to live, not be executed. That is why the majority of civilised states and people around the world have got rid of executions. Everyone has a right to atone, be genuinely sorry and repatriated back into God’s real purpose for human existence before they meet the supreme maker of theirs and our very existence. No one except God has the supreme choice. And do you know what? He’s very forgiving, so long as you repent. Richard Dawkins, and his harebrained followers and sucked-in people might please take note.

• Carroll09 | Apr 19, 2010, 06:42 PM EDT

  Jacersisityourself- thanks for your gracious response to my post.If you study the documents of Vatican 2,there is not one sentence that ordered the removal of altar rails-NOT ONE!Latin was also to be preserved-there was the POSSIBILITY of celebrating Mass in the vernacular,but nothing implies that it was to be the norm.The suggestion that the altar should be placed away from the wall-again to allow the POSSIBILITY of Mass facing the people- applied only to new churches;no existing beautiful high altars or altar-rails were to be smashed!Why did all this happen despite the intentions of the Council Fathers?Perhaps one reason is that hand in hand with this "spirit of Vatican 2" was a desire among some priests to get "with it" or to be more "worldly".Also,a number of translations into English were extremely deficient-omitting the odd word here & there greatly changed the meaning of some texts.It's amazing how similar many of these post-Vatican 2 "innovations" are to what the Protestant "reformers" did 500 years before.I suggest you read "The Catholic Sanctuary & the Second Vatican Council" by Michael Davies (an excellent short book of about 30 pages, published by TAN Books) or his longer version "Pope Paul's New Mass".

• Southernpride | Apr 19, 2010, 05:52 PM EDT

  The Irish goverment is 100% responsible for the protection of it's citizens and especially the childern who are the most vunerable. Childern are easily exploited by those devil worshipping homosexual paedophile priests. The goverment must pass laws to execute those vermin priests like the did back in the Irish civil war against the IRA terrorists who were running amok causing mayhem and killing innocent Irish people Here's an example of how the Irish goverment dealt with the IRA terrorists : "27 September – The Free State's Provisional Government puts the "Public Safety Bill" before the Dáil, setting up military courts which allow for the execution of IRA terrorists captured bearing arms against the state and aiding and abetting attacks on state forces. It passes by 48 votes to 18. The Irish Labour Party oppose it". This is what is needed to protect our shildern

• Carroll09 | Apr 19, 2010, 05:12 PM EDT

  RthrBHistCorr - I agree with you that Hans Kung can hardly be regarded as unbiased or without an agenda...The fact is that, while many cases could have been dealt with better, no one did more to rid the priesthood of paedophiles than Cardinal Ratzinger while he was head of the CDF - he ensured that the Vatican had the power to deal directly with cases rather than leaving it to individual bishops, some of whom, as we now know, tried to sweep the problem under the carpet. As to vincentruane's claim that there was an impostor pope, NO Catholic should place any credence on messages which have come from Bayside,as the shrine does not enjoy the confidence of Church authorities & it was formally condemned by Bishop Mugavero in 1986.The so-called evidence actually proves nothing-there is a Pope Paul VI look-alike...needless to say, the sources are not revealed.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 05:10 PM EDT

  (...cont’d) All clerics are human like us people of the street and can make mistakes deliberately or by failure to act. With all child abusers, it’s a psychological and pathological illness, as pointed out by ICentral’s Fr. Tim recently. I think the Pope may have basically admitted his mistakes in his meeting with the abused people in Malta this weekend and asked for forgiveness, though I don’t know that. Unlike irishathens, I don’t think he was acting, when he cried, sharing the pain of the abused - as reported by an abused person in attendance “We were all crying together” he said. It’s by forgiveness, reparation and the love and mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus heart that we, Catholics or none, can find a way forward out of this furore, which, as has been pointed out by Efmc4429 and katieherk amongst others, is not limited to the Catholic Church. It happens in our very own neighbourhoods; how much is covered up even within families you know? How are we humans going to put a stop to that neighbourly cover up? When are we going to point the finger of blame at our neighbours, friends, or relatives? ‘People in glass houses...’ And then there’s the ‘Judge not and you shall not be judged’ – I’m hopeless at that btw, but I try, I try!

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 05:05 PM EDT

  irishathens, whose comments I have great respect for, disappoints with a straightforward accusation that Pope Benedict deliberately covered up all those years ago. We don’t know that yet; the secular and atheist media are making hay on the topic and persuade us so, for good or bad, though I don’t yet dismiss the possibility of a cover-up by the then Cardinal Ratzinger either. Back then there were ‘ways of doing things’ according to codes of practice that would not be accepted today but were quite normal at the time. In Ireland, it was possible to get charges, brought against you by police officers, dropped upon the intervention of an elected member of parliament or, yes, even a priest or someone else. That was the way some things were done back then, with a wink and a nod. Sure didn’t Catholic Ted Kennedy even manage to get a divorce? Even in today’s business world there is a commonly used phrase “Well, we won’t talk about that (truth) now...” - things are glossed over but continued to happen in the background anyway. ( Cont’d...)

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 04:50 PM EDT

  Re vincentruane’s posts and the Virgin Mary’s request for restoration of rails, I’m not sure of that. When Christ first invited his Apostles to ‘Take this, all of you, and eat It’ and ‘Drink of this Cup’ I doubt He made them kneel on the floor. He passed His Body & Blood to His friends while they were seated around a table, or more probably seated on the floor as was often the custom of eating in company in those parts of the world back then (still prevalent in some mid-east countries; heck, I’ve been at many an Irish hoolie where I ate me chicken curry sitting on a floor cushion!). With vincentr mentioning Garabandal (which I have respect for) and speaking of the Virgin Mary, has anybody noticed that there hasn’t been an officially declared miracle in Lourdes since 1951? It doesn’t stop me saying my Rosary though.

• missspook1994 | Apr 19, 2010, 04:28 PM EDT

  The Pope is still covering up the crimes of the church's leadership. He should step down and the church should open up, instead of hiding in secrecy all the crimes comitted by the universal church to keep women out and hide the crimes against all children both male and female. How many children belong to priests, bishops or others in church positions that have been hidden? I have heard their are several born to nuns fathered by priests and covered up and put out for adoption as parents unknown.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 19, 2010, 04:25 PM EDT

  Carroll09 – thanks for your information. It’s at odds with what I was taught in school during and in the aftermath of Vatican II. The priests in our local churches also explained the removal of altar rails in the context of Vatican II and the desire for inclusiveness of the congregation in the celebration of the Eucharist. If my information is wrong or fudged, can you enlighten us as to the origin of the decision to remove altar rails in new churches (and obviously now in older ones)? I’d be delighted to learn more.

• barneyjo | Apr 19, 2010, 04:00 PM EDT

  Irish President Mary McAleese has made a speech which has touched on the impact of clerical abuse in the Catholic Church; her comments have been reported elsewhere on this site. In the course of her speech to the Conference of Religious in Ireland (CORI) held in Dublin, she said the following;" Those who lived good lives and who invested generously and unselfishly in the lives of others - in other words - the vast majority of Cori's members, have been heart scalded by the now clearly undocumented depravity of those who dishonored their vocation by abusing children and the denial and inaction which allowed that depravity to continue with virtual impunity. They are also heart scalded by the righteous rage of those who were abused" Do you suppose that the President's Husband, Dr Martin McAleese, is a Freemason, who might have written these direct comments of criticism for his wife to articulate?

• vincentruane | Apr 19, 2010, 02:46 PM EDT

  I did not blame the free masons and communists for all of the sexual deviance in the Catholic Church, but they are responsible for some of it and they are trying to use this scandal to plant an impostor Pope on the chair of Saint Peter with the intention of completely destroying the true Catholic faith from within.This is why I keep telling people to read 'Windswept House' which was published in 1996 and was written by Fr Malachi Martin.You can also go to my web site and press on the link or tab titled the 'Impostor Pope.' where you will see undeniable proof of attacks on Pope Paul VI by the free-masons. Contained in that Impostor Pope page is photographic evidence, eye witness evidence, and voice analysis evidence that the free masons have been attacking the Catholic Church and they have been doing it for a long time. And it is you Southernpride who lie not I.

• Searlit | Apr 19, 2010, 12:35 PM EDT

  Like what you say McNamara31.

• Efmc4429 | Apr 19, 2010, 12:07 PM EDT

  During the fifties, sixties and into the seventies it was considered reasonable treatment for pedophiles to be sent away to seek psychological remedies for the disorder and to expect these people to be cured and return to their normal lives. We all know now that there is no treatment for these people. They never recover from this psychosis. I realize child sex abuse has probably been going on for many many years in the home, at school and at recreation facilities as well. It is certainly a disgrace for those priests involved. However, to condemn all priests and the Catholic Church of a mass cover up is most unfair. 99% of our priests are honorable, devout men who have served their God and congregations with loving care. To particularly single out our Holy Father for these vicious attacks is outrageous. On NBC every night for the past week and a half this has been a feature on the world news. It appears to be a hot topic. I find this somewhat hypocritical considering the many other organizations that have been involved in such scandals and are ignored by the press. I believe this is outright Catholic bashing which appears to have reached new heights. No one can ever make ammends to these children who were abused but the Catholic Church has tried vigorously to compensate most of these people. I recommend that we continue to pray for these shameful abusers and for those who have been abused so that God in His Mercy will bring justice and forgiveness to all involved.

• RthrBHistCorr | Apr 19, 2010, 11:55 AM EDT

  Fr. Hans Kung was stripped of his authority to teach Theology several years ago. Funny how that "little fact" escaped this reporters attention and the reference to his as a "Theologian" in this article is misleading. I would hardly call Fr. Kung unbiased and without agenda in bashing the administration

• michaelvona | Apr 19, 2010, 11:52 AM EDT

  A lot of truth in Kung's comments.

• katieherk | Apr 19, 2010, 10:50 AM EDT

  Aren't we all tired of this "Catholic bashing"? The stats show that the Catholic Church is the lowest when it comes to abuse compared to other religions. But... we only hear about the Catholics. This is actually the continuation of persecution of Catholics. Yes, it's disgusting to know all about the abuse, but how about mentioning the other churches where the stats are much higher. Sick of it!

• McNamara31 | Apr 19, 2010, 10:38 AM EDT

  Joanhugh We are all very aware sex abusers are in all walks of life, but never, ever, did any catholic think that the bishops and the Vatican would let it go on for decades in an attempt to save face. By doing this they also dishonored all the good and loyal priests that were forced to work alongside predators of the worst kind.

• McNamara31 | Apr 19, 2010, 10:24 AM EDT

  JoanHugh What do you mean "no one will print it." You keep posting this bit of information, like it makes a moral difference that children under the age of legal consent were molested by clergy. If it were your child would it have mattered to you if the molester was classified as having pedophilia or being a homosexual. To futher quote the John Jay Study they also stated: “ scathing criticism directed at the bishops who failed to recognize the horror of sexual abuse of children, ignoring the human needs of the victims and mollycoddling abusive priests.

• ladyjane | Apr 19, 2010, 10:04 AM EDT

  I think it is sad that our religious leaders are not being honest with us. Let's get to the truth and start healing.

• Joanhugh | Apr 19, 2010, 09:48 AM EDT

  In the United States it was 5% pedophlia and 81% homosexual activity with adolasent boys but no one will print that but you can look it up John Jay college did the report

• Carroll09 | Apr 19, 2010, 09:22 AM EDT

  jacersisityourself- actually,Vatican 2 NEVER decided that altar-rails should be removed.There is NOT ONE document which instructed churches to re-order sanctuaries.The idea that free-standing altars might be built only applied to NEW churches, to give the POSSIBILITY that the Mass may by celebrated facing the people.In fact the current missal still implies that the priest is facing the same direction as the people-at certain points in the Mass the priest is instructed to face the people and say X,Y,Z.The rubrics don't make sense if the priest is already facing the people.The Brompton Oratory in London is a perfect example of the changes Vatican 2 required-precisely nothing about the sanctuary has been changed!

• irishathens | Apr 19, 2010, 06:08 AM EDT

  He most definitely instigated a cover-up. Whilst speaking to victims in Malta this weekend he had tears in his eyes. Is he a great actor or is he starting to feel contrition?

• barneyjo | Apr 18, 2010, 08:29 PM EDT

  Not being aware of all occurrances of apparitions, I would be grateful for any clarification on what significance the Blessed Virgin attaches to the presence of the altar rails. Also, given that I have a choice of how I receive the Eucharist (sometimes kneeling, sometimes standing) what has she said on this matter?

• vincentruane | Apr 18, 2010, 08:15 PM EDT

  In answer to liar and false accuser Southernpride I have consistently condemned acts of pedophile against children by the Catholic priests, however I have quite correctly pointed out the hyprocisy of people saying they are horrified at priests molesting children and then at the same time, some of these people stay silent or actually support killing unborn children by acts of abortion. When an unborn child is killed that child is also a victim of molestation. As for Niall O Dowd let him publish the photographs of the real Pope Paul VI who was drugged and the Impostor Pope that the free masons planted on the chair of Saint Peter. Publishing these photographs would highlight that there is even more corruption in the Catholic Church than many people realize.Pray the Rosary!

• vincentruane | Apr 18, 2010, 07:32 PM EDT

  In answer to Barney Joe I have not accused every priest or Bishop of being a Communist or Free Mason, I have merely pointed out that the Catholic Church has been infiltrated by many Free Masons and Communists, who have joined the Catholic Church with the purpose of destroying it from within. There are two books in particular which prove this, one is 1025AA- The AA means anti apostle. (This book deals with the fact that the Communists under the command of Free- Mason Stalin had 1025 priests planted in the Catholic Church in 1938, and some of these have rose up to be Bishops and Cardinals in the Catholic Church. Obviously some of these people are now dead and in fact some of them became converted to the true Catholic Faith. The other book is 'Windswept House' by Fr Malachi Martin. There is also plenty of other evidence that the Free Masons have infiltrated the Church to destroy it from within. In relation to Jacerisityourself and the altar rails, in apparitions of the Blessed Virgin which have been happening for a long time now(Some of these are true and some are not)The Blessed Virgin Mary has called for the return of the altar rails to all Catholic Church's and has also requested that people receive Holy Communion on their knees and in the tongue after making a good confession. I will also add here that if you really care for the Catholic Church keep a close eye on Garabandal and also beware of any media releases about the Catholic Church from known Free Mason media sources.

• barneyjo | Apr 18, 2010, 06:05 PM EDT

  It wasn't my intention to do anything other than point out that my experience of attendance at church and participation in the Eucharist was totally at variance with the view being expounded by vincentruane and others. In the same vein, I could not accept a blanket labelling of priests as Freemasons and (or) Communists for the same reason. I made the point that if I were able to have this experience of the Eucharist, and the Rosary in one small corner of the Catholic World, then it is more than likely that others across the Catholic world are able to enjoy the same experience. The point of course being, generalisation is an inaccurate exercise at the best of times and, to coin a phrase "Sometimes its hard to see the forest, because of the trees!!"

• jacersisityourself | Apr 18, 2010, 05:28 PM EDT

  (...cont’d.) Vatican II decided that the rails be taken away to make the celebration of the Eucharist more inclusive for the congregation, with the priest now facing the people, and the vernacular or local language of the people used instead of Latin. It was therefore not a surreptitious act of desecration to remove altar rails or to change to vernacular, as Vincent might believe.

• jacersisityourself | Apr 18, 2010, 05:25 PM EDT

  (...cont’d.) The partition consisted of large exquisitely adorned wooden panels about 8-10 feet high, often higher, with a doorway in the centre leading to the sanctum. Most Orthodox Churches have and still use this sanctum today, sometimes with a curtain drape closing the doorway when the Act of Consecration is taking place (maybe this has changed since?). The sanctum can also be seen in some old Catholic Churches, e.g. St. Mark’s in Venice – the area behind the main altar of today. I don’t know when or why but the partition was later taken away and replaced by altar rails in Catholic Churches. The rails maintained a separation between the congregation area and a now-open sanctum but the priest always carried out the Act of Consecration with his back turned to the people in case of a miraculous re-appearance of Christ. (One of the recorded miracles of the Eucharist was the sudden appearance of a human bleeding heart in place of the Host on the altar during Consecration. The priest fainted with shock and the congregation panicked at the sight). (Cont’d...)

• jacersisityourself | Apr 18, 2010, 05:22 PM EDT

  The exchanges between barneyjo and vincentruane on the subject of altar rails are going nowhere. In the earliest days of Christian churches, the celebration of the Eucharist took place out of sight of the congregation in the church, within a sanctum – a sacred inner place. This was a part of the church cordoned off from the main area by a partition but open at the top or sides so the people could still hear the Mass. The partition was in place because of the belief in Christ’s words that He would return again – in that at the act of Consecration, Jesus could possibly physically, bodily reappear. The sight of such a happening was considered too shocking for the congregation and so the celebrants used the inner sanctum. (Cont’d...)

• jacersisityourself | Apr 18, 2010, 05:02 PM EDT

  I have read the full letter by Dr. Hans Kung openly addressed to bishops of the world. I am disappointed that he has chosen to do so. Even so, I find certain merit in what he calls for – I have long held the opinion that the Christian Churches need to get back to the basics of Christianity as they were in the Church’s early days. I look forward to seeing any replies HK may receive – hopefully as publicly as he has addressed the bishops in the main media papers around the world. Let’s not forget that Pope Benedict is Bishop of Rome, so the letter is addressed to him too. I do not accept for one minute that Roman Catholic Church is evil as some posters here allege. I freely and fully choose to practice my faith in Jesus through the Roman Catholic Church, despite its human frailness and faults.

• barneyjo | Apr 18, 2010, 04:58 PM EDT

  No Vincentruane, I referred to Churches (plural - as in more than one) where there are altar rails on the Sanctuary. Also, you may have missed my points about the fact that Priest to whom I listen to at Mass, continue to a) encourage the Rosary to be said as a family prayer in the home b) support Rosary Groups in Churches where the Rosary is given before Masses and during weekly Holy Hours. I also mentioned that Priests will also participate in these events where they can. This is somewhat at variance with the view or "status quo" you have sought to present as fact. In all good conscience, it would be difficult for me to ascertain whether a Priest who prays with his flock, who encourages and supports devotion to prayer, to the Blessed Virgin, is a Freemason or not. By your own stated criteria, it would appear that the Priests in my community are "not" therefore Freemasons or Communists. And my community is only one of tens of thousands across the Catholic World.Mind you that has not prevented any of these good men of God from standing before their Flock to express their condemnation and horror at the actions of Senior Clerics the world over, in covering up abuses, and sin of all kinds. A word I have frequently heard used is "Ungodly" when they pose the question "where is God in these actions or statements?" It is a valid question that we could all ask of ourselves I think. But hey, if I have been able to find many good men who remain in the service of God, maybe others, even you can also. Yours in Faith and in Christ - Barneyjo

• vincentruane | Apr 18, 2010, 01:17 PM EDT

  Well Barney Joe I'm delighted to hear there are altar rails in your Catholic Church, so that is two Church's now I know of that have altar rails, however the altar rails have been removed since 1962 from thousands and thousands of Catholic Church's . How removing the altar rails from Catholic Church's was supposed to help the Catholic Church is a question, that needs to be asked more often. But hey if you were to ask that question you might disturb the free masons who have infiltrated the Catholic Church with the purpose of destroying it from within. Till these free masons and communists are rooted out of the Catholic Church some who are pedophiles, you will continue to have scandals in the Catholic Church.Many of these free-masons have rose up to be Bishops and Cardinals in the Catholic Church and they aim to make the Catholic Church a tool of the free -masons New World Order. IE- They aim to make a mockery of JESUS WORDS!

• McGivern10 | Apr 18, 2010, 12:09 PM EDT

  I think that the Pope in power now can take his place at or near the top of the list of the most evil popes in the history of the Roman Catholic Church and if you really know church history that kames him awfully bad.

• mrkennedy | Apr 18, 2010, 11:37 AM EDT

  This article doesn't surprise me coming from a priest who should be defrocked and getting ready for Purgatory or Hell!!

• Portia777 | Apr 18, 2010, 09:59 AM EDT

  We have known all this in Ireland for years, even since the 1960's in my case, but the abused children were only seen as troublemakers and silenced, aided and abetted by HSE social workers etc. This church is a cult with members indoctrinated into it from birth with no choice. Members are so brainwashed, even Hitler could not manage what the catholic cult has done. It is also guilty of millions of murders over the years- those who refused to obey their evil ways were tortured and murdered. Women and children are second class in this cult,who are expected to OBEY THE PATRIACH without question.

• barneyjo | Apr 18, 2010, 05:06 AM EDT

  For VincentRuane; this may come as some surprise to you, but the churches I attend (in large part) still have their altar rails in place. In addition at communion time, those receiving have the choice of whether they receive the host on the tongue, or on the up-turned palm. Furthermore, the Rosary is still said before Mass (with the priest participating). Families still say the Rosary in the home (here in Ireland. So you will understand why I find your post on this a little confusing?

• baginses | Apr 18, 2010, 03:17 AM EDT

  This guy covered it up. We all know it. Lets not protect those who protect pedophiles. Uhhhh.....evolution has been proven over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over, over X 10^10 again. It is as real as cancer, i.e. bacterial resistance, sickle cell anemia, artificial selection, genetics, developmental biology. God has never been subjectively substantiated to eliminate a sliver of a shadow of doubt. BTW breakthroughs in science have helped treat cancer. Religion can't cure cancer, can it?

• Tybourne | Apr 17, 2010, 11:03 PM EDT

  Kung and the Pope are old enemies and former colleagues. Kung wants to go in a direction that would make the Catholic Church indistinguishable from slack protestant bodies like the Anglican communion that preach a partial, compromised gospel. Benedict and JPII have shown extraorinary forbearnce in not excommunicating him. 1. Joseph Ratzinger only took "charge of all such cases" because they had been so clearly mishandled by bishops in the U.S., Ireland and elsewhere. The procedure demanded confidentiality only for the course of the investigation, to protect all involved, espcially the victims. Since 2001, hundreds of offenders have been stripped of their priesthood, many of whom were handed over to the police. 2. "the pope passed up the opportunity afforded by Holy Week." Funny, I thought Holy Week was about the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ!

• barneyjo | Apr 17, 2010, 08:46 PM EDT

  And didnt Jesus challenge the Jewish Religious "Establishment" of the day during his time of Ministry; as did Padre Pio in his time.What was good enough for the Son of God, is good enough for me!!.

• vincentruane | Apr 17, 2010, 08:18 PM EDT

  In answer to Barney Joe you could read some of the writings of the 33 doctors of the Catholic Church. You could also ask Niall O Dowd since he's so fond of using photographs on IRISHCENTRAL to publish photographs of the free masons impostor pope, which I've mentioned in my previous post. And in relation to your remark about broken bodies, broken spirits and broken souls I can assure you if the likes of Hans Kung and his anti Catholic friends gets their way, there will be a lot more broken bodies, broken spirits and broken souls.You could also start calling for the return of the altar rails to Catholic Church's so that people would be able to kneel to receive Holy Communion in the tongue, the way the great Saints of of the past approved of receiving Holy Communion. Finally the Rosary is the prayer of prayers. The prayer of peace and it's a prayer many priests and Bishops for some suspicious reason no longer pray. I wonder why?

• commodianus | Apr 17, 2010, 07:28 PM EDT

  Kung also attacked Blessed Pope John Paul II regularly.

• commodianus | Apr 17, 2010, 07:28 PM EDT

  Faithful Catholics know Hans Kung as a Heretic who denies several fundamental tenets of Catholicism, and has been banned from teaching Catholic theology. He's been attacking Benedict for years, and waits until now to mention in passing the abuse scandal in an attempt to bring attention to himself. This man is an enemy within the Church.

• barneyjo | Apr 17, 2010, 06:03 PM EDT

  And Vincent, it is not the media that has divided the faithful, it is human decency who cannot accept that the leaders of the church could put the reputation of the world entity ahead of broken bodies, broken spirits and broken souls. If all you say is true, then what do we do about it. What can I as a single struggling Catholic do to redeem my Church and my faith in it? What can I do that my Father in Heaven would approve of?

• barneyjo | Apr 17, 2010, 05:57 PM EDT

  Then Vincent, I can only conclude from your remarks, that we are all lost. Satan has won the day by dividing the Catholic Church. For as we are told in scripture "A House divided against itself cannot stand" I will be content to await God's Judgment on humanity, in whatever form it manifests itself.

• McNamara31 | Apr 17, 2010, 02:48 PM EDT

  Consider, the total impact, of this self imposed "darkness" that the Vatican has inflicted on those who still consider themselves catholic, and the good priests who continue to do Christ’s work. Good priests are demoralized by the constant un Christ like actions that have come from the Vatican since 2002. The corporation style cover up of the abuse of countless children was done solely to save face for a church that is so disconnected from any parental emotion, providing all supports and therapy for the abusing priests, while no thought was given to the children for decades. When Bishops did report,decisions to deal with known hard core abusers were put off for "years" in an attempt that it would just go away, with no thought of the future children that would experience horrors that would haunt them for a lifetime. I applaud priests like Fr. Scahill of Massachusetts, who this past week called for the resignation of those who allowed this travesty, including Pope Ratzinger. This Vatican has disgraced the good works of generations of catholic clergy worldwide, by making them work side by side with known criminals of the worst type.

• vincentruane | Apr 17, 2010, 12:55 PM EDT

  In answer to victim of media mis-imformation Barney Joe. First all you can go to vincentruane.com and click on the link or tab titled impostor Pope. Here if you scroll down the page, you will find 8 photographs, 4 of the real Pope Paul VI and 4 photographs of the impostor Pope, who was an Italian actor planted on the seat of St Peter by certain Freemasons. Secondly: Hans omission Kung full article was published in the Irish Times and in actual fact it says very little about the pedophile scandal but has a major anti Catholic blueprint to smash the true Catholic faith founded by Jesus Christ. Thirdly: This vicious attack on the Catholic faith by Hans omission Kung was published by the freemason newyorktimesyndicate. The reason I include omission in Hans Kung name is he frequently mentions Vatican Two, but says nothing about the disgusting removal of the altar rails from many Catholic Church's. He also says nothing about how the freEmasons and communists have planted thousands of priests many who have rose up to be Bishops and Cardinals in the Catholic Church. In that sense your question about how do you know who is faithful and true has merit.The Bible tells you: By their fruits you will know them' and Hans Kung has revealed by his own words he doesn't understand one of God's Major Commandments 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' His attack also includes classic divide and conquer suggestions which is a hallmark of many attacks on the Catholic Church by certain branches of the free masons and their vast media influence.

• murphy66 | Apr 17, 2010, 12:23 PM EDT

  Hey, April, your last paragraph is incoherent.

• murphy66 | Apr 17, 2010, 12:20 PM EDT

  Germans are afraid of one another.

• KathyCallahan | Apr 17, 2010, 11:37 AM EDT

  Ah Ha

• mollymguire | Apr 17, 2010, 09:34 AM EDT

  QUIT PUTTING MONEY INTO THE CATHOLIC COFFERS!!! ITS THE ONLY WAY THE CHURCH ever moves in the direction of those abused by priests. This b*st*rd pope covered up and promoted and moved bishops out of the reach of law enforcement. He underestimates his congregation. He will be damned and his minions with him.

• zingyoo | Apr 17, 2010, 09:31 AM EDT

  LOL, I am guessing he is probably the biggest abuser of them all. Kinda looks like he is into the lil ones LOL Lou www.security-tools.us.tc

• barneyjo | Apr 16, 2010, 09:37 PM EDT

  Well then, dos your conspiracy theory include the Pope himself Vincent? How can you tell just who is a conspirator and who is not? And what precisely do you define as being an anti-catholic agenda? It is the Catholic Church hat is intent on shooting itself in the foot over and over again. I dont think that it is Anti-Catholic to stand up to those who lie, bully, obfiscate about the truth. No that is what Jesus, in his Ministry, was prepared to to. He challenged all which was taken at the time to be correct and proper. HE DEFENDED THE WEAK AND THE VULNERABLle; cured their ailments and sicknesses. If Jesus was prepared to put give his life in sacrafice to save humanity and to face down powerful lobbys of the day by showing he would rise from the dead, then what was good enough for God made man to do is sure as heck good enough for me. He told us "where two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there also" That wasnt two or three Catholics, Jews, Protestants; two or three who believed in him. So you should get off the Anti-catholic conspiracy theory, unless of course you yourself want to finish the job you claim that others have started!!

• MaryCaplan | Apr 16, 2010, 09:36 PM EDT

  The "hands of power" that we want to affect and change are the Powers that allow children to be abused and survivors dismissed. We demand that this alleged moral power stops the cover up of such crimes and opens the doors to truth and change. Kung is correct in writing that Benedict has passed up the opportunity when faced with such major challenges. Mary Caplan SNAP NYC snapnetwork.org (Survivors Network of those abused by Priests)

• vincentruane | Apr 16, 2010, 06:47 PM EDT

  Hans Kung proves by his own words he does not fully understand God's Ten Commandments, maybe this is why he is banned from teaching Catholic Theology. He is also a supporter of a one world religion, which would be, by its nature anti- Catholic and Darwin's or is it science theory of evolution has never been proven. Ye journalists in IRISHCENTRAL cannot be blind to the fact, that so many who are claiming outrage at the pedophile scandal, also seem to have what many great saints of the past would call a anti- Catholic agenda. Fr Malachai Martin in his books warned people many years ago, that the people behind the New World Order were trying to smash the Catholic Church from within. The current Catholic Church is riddled with infiltrators, ie spies who seek its complete destruction by taking over some of its major hands of power, including the seat of the Pope.

• johnozed | Apr 16, 2010, 01:31 PM EDT

  Oink!