By Paris Arrow
Benedict XVI Ratzinger: God's Rottweiler
September 23, 2011
http://pope-ratz.blogspot.com/2011/09/popes-visit-to-germany-greeted-by.html
Our motto is "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for (enough) good men - and good women - to do (and say) nothing". So even if there were less than the 20,000 protesters that were predicted to protest the Pope in Berlin, even if there were only a hundred ministers in Parliament who walked out during the speech of Benedict XVI, and even if the official German television network did not show the protesters on national television but prefer to invite only positive Catholic commentators, the protests is done and it will wake up and stop the triumph of the evils of the Pope and the Vatican.
The hypocrisy of Benedict XVI is astounding as he acts "shaken" during his meeting with sex abuse victims of priests in Germany. If he is truly "shaken", the first thing he must do is to fire Cardinal Bernard Law as Archpriest of St. Mary Major and vanish him from the face of the earth. Hypocrisy is the synonym of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger...
Pope 'deeply shaken' in meeting with sex abuse victims in Germany
GERMANY
CNN
Berlin (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI met Friday with a group of people who had been sexually abused by clergy in his native Germany, where disenchantment with the Roman Catholic Church has grown in the wake of the scandal.
The meeting, which occurred at a seminary in Erfurt, came on the second day of the pontiff's four-day visit to his homeland. Besides talking with victims of sexual abuse committed by priests and church personnel, he also met with people "who care for those injured by these crimes," according to a statement from the Vatican press office.
"Moved and deeply shaken by the sufferings of the victims, the Holy Father expressed his deep compassion and regret over all that was done to them and their families," the statement added. "He assured the people present that those in positions of responsibility in the church are seriously concerned to deal with all crimes of abuse and are committed to effective measures for the protection of children."
VIDEO
Pope’s visit met by protests
A small group of protesters in Berlin took advantage of the the Pope’s visit to voice their support for victims of abuse within the Catholic Church.
Carrying banners and photos of victims they gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
The demonstrators were from associations and initiatives from allover Germany and further afield.
Barbara Blaine is the President of the Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests.
“We believe that the Catholic Church officials have done a horrific job and that they continue to harbour sexual predators and that they endanger children across the globe.”
Brinkmann Henselder from the group Children in Homes, was a victim himself.
“The payments which the church have made do not make up for what the people have experienced. I’ve been suffering for forty years from my five years of abuse by a Catholic priest, and that cannot be overcome using financial means.”
Earlier Pope Benedict had appealed to Catholic Germans not to leave the church. Record numbers of worshippers have left the faith in recent years.
The demonstration organisers say they expect many thousands more to protest in the coming days.
Copyright © 2011 euronews
Pope's visit to Germany greeted by protest?
VIDEO http://presstv.com/detail/200688.html
Pope Benedict XVI. has arrived in Berlin for his first official visit to his home country Germany.
At Bellevue Palace, the residence of President Christian Wulff, he was greeted with military honors. In his first speech he said his visit followed no political aim but he was to meet people and speak to them about God. After a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel the pope addressed parliament, a privilege seldom granted.
Dozens of MPs walked out in protest to the pope's speech. Many joined a simultaneous demonstration against the pope's visit. Under the motto “No Power to the Dogma” up to 10.000 people marched through the inner city.
Former foster home children, who were abused in Catholic institutions, also protested in Berlin. The church's handling of the scandal of systematic child abuse had led to a record 181.000 German Catholics officially quitting church last year.
Pope Benedict later held a mass in Berlin's Olympic Stadium among 70.000 worshippers. Despite continuously dropping numbers, the Catholic Church is still the strongest religion in Germany with around 25 million followers. After Berlin the pope will visit the Eastern German city of Erfurt before leaving for Freiburg in Southern Germany.javascript:void(0)
The pope's four-day visit to Germany has caused a lot of controversy in his home country, both in parliament and on the streets, where several MPs joined the protesters in their opposition to Catholic teachings.
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'Pope Go Home': pontiff met by protests in native Germany
23-Sep-11, 1:26 AM | Agence France-Presse
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/13638/pope-go-home-pontiff-met-by-protests-in-native-germany
victims.png
A protester dressed as a priest blesses an inflatable sex doll during a demonstration against the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in Berlin on Sept. 22, 2011. AFP
BERLIN - A few thousand protesters, some dressed as condoms and nuns, marched against Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, attacking his views on issues ranging from gay rights to the pedophile priest scandals.
However the rally drew fewer people than organizers hoped, with police saying only around 2,500 had gathered in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz while the pope was delivering a speech at the Reichstag parliament building.
In the run-up to Benedict's visit, organizers had spoken of a protest numbering as many as 20,000.
One demonstrator was dressed as a giant nun clutching a crucifix and a wooden stick with "never again" emblazoned across her robe, a reference to the high-profile abuse scandal that rocked the Church in Germany last year.
Another wielded a banner proclaiming: "Pope Go Home," as he began his first state visit to his native Germany.
Other demonstrators were protesting against the pope's ban on artificial contraception, with signs reading: "Free choice between AIDS and condoms."
Several dozen leftist deputies also boycotted the pontiff's speech in parliament, amid concerns over the separation of Church and state.
One MP, Rolf Schwanitz from the center-left Social Democrats, told Agence France-Presse: "In our constitution, it says that all religions should be treated equally."
"For me, this invitation (to speak in parliament) does not meet this criterion. They say that he has been invited as a head of state, but the Vatican only has a couple of hundred of inhabitants," added the deputy.
He said it made no sense "to invite the head of a dwarf state to speak before the Bundestag".
Berlin's large gay community was also out in force to protest what it says are Benedict's outdated views on sexuality, some carrying banners saying, "Homophobia kills."
Holger Schweitzer, 52, an architect sporting a t-shirt that said: "Homosexuality is curable", told AFP: "I came basically because of the Church's attitude on gay issues."
"We know there are several gay priests and the Church should allow them to say so. This man has a closed mind. He is a long way from reality and I cannot imagine any modernisation" of the Church while he is at the helm, he said.
Protests in Spain last month against the pope's visit turned violent, with clashes between riot police and demonstrators. Thousands turned out to protest against the cost of the pope's visit amid an economic crisis in the country.
Organizers in Germany were adamant before Benedict's arrival that this would not be repeated.
During a 1996 visit by John Paul to Berlin, protesters shouted abuse and hurled paint at the popemobile. The pope was also confronted by streakers.
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Sex abuse victims blast Pope's inertia
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Fri Sep 23, 2011 2:12AM GMT
Pope Benedict XVI is seen before meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the house of the German Bishops' Conference in the German capital, Berlin on September 22, 2011.
An American group representing victims of sex abuse by Catholic priests accuses Pope Benedict XVI of failure to tackle the issue appropriately, urging him to take action to halt sexual harassment.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) demanded on Thursday that his Holiness institute significant reforms to curb the immorality, AFP reported.
"It's sad that in Germany, where hundreds of brave, wounded child sex abuse victims have spoken up in the last year, the pope can't bring himself to openly address the most devastating crisis in modern church history," said SNAP's president Barbara Blaine.
"If he can't even talk about it, there's little chance he can fix it,” she added.
The remarks come as pontiff has begun a four-day visit to Germany, his homeland, where a great number of Christians have abandoned the Roman Catholic Church in protest at the priests' sexual abuse of youths.
The Vatican has announced that the Pope would most probably meet some of the abuse victims in Germany, while critics insist that his goodwill gestures do not cut the mustard.
"We keep looking for the papal speech in which he outlines clear, specific action steps that will help prevent future clergy sex crimes and cover-ups. But it never happens. This time is no exception," Blaine noted.
"It's ironic that the pope speaks of justice while his lawyers and church lawyers across the globe consistently fight to stop child sex abuse victims from being heard in court.”
After a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Pope addressed the German parliament, welcoming a privilege seldom granted.
Dozens of German MPs walked out in protest at the Pope's speech, while many joined a simultaneous demonstration against his visit.
Up to 10 thousand people have held protest rallies under the motto 'No Power to the Dogma' during Pope's visit to Germany.
The Church, which is not obliged to report such criminality to any authority under the Vatican's laws, is suspected of having tried to sweep the abuse cases under the carpet.
The scandal, which emanated from Ireland and Pope's home country, has rocked Roman Catholic institutions in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and the United States.
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'Pope Go Home': pontiff met by protests in native Germany
GERMANY
Expatica
http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-news/-pope-go-home--pontiff-met-by-protests-in-native-germany_177310.html
A few thousand protesters, some dressed as condoms and nuns, marched against Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, attacking his views on issues ranging from gay rights to the paedophile priest scandals.
However the rally drew fewer people than organisers hoped, with police saying only around 2,500 had gathered in Berlin's Potsdamer Platz while the pope was delivering a speech at the Reichstag parliament building.
In the run-up to Benedict's visit, organisers had spoken of a protest numbering as many as 20,000.
One demonstrator was dressed as a giant nun clutching a crucifix and a wooden stick with "never again" emblazoned across her robe, a reference to the high-profile abuse scandal that rocked the Church in Germany last year.
Another wielded a banner proclaiming: "Pope Go Home," as he began his first state visit to his native Germany.
Other demonstrators were protesting against the pope's ban on artificial contraception, with signs reading: "Free choice between AIDS and condoms."
Several dozen leftist deputies also boycotted the pontiff's speech in parliament, amid concerns over the separation of Church and state.
One MP, Rolf Schwanitz from the centre-left Social Democrats, told AFP: "In our constitution, it says that all religions should be treated equally."
"For me, this invitation (to speak in parliament) does not meet this criterion. They say that he has been invited as a head of state, but the Vatican only has a couple of hundred of inhabitants," added the deputy.
He said it made no sense "to invite the head of a dwarf state to speak before the Bundestag".
Berlin's large gay community was also out in force to protest what it says are Benedict's outdated views on sexuality, some carrying banners saying, "Homophobia kills."
Holger Schweitzer, 52, an architect sporting a t-shirt that said: "Homosexuality is curable", told AFP: "I came basically because of the Church's attitude on gay issues."
"We know there are several gay priests and the Church should allow them to say so. This man has a closed mind. He is a long way from reality and I cannot imagine any modernisation" of the Church while he is at the helm, he said.
Protests in Spain last month against the pope's visit turned violent, with clashes between riot police and demonstrators. Thousands turned out to protest against the cost of the pope's visit amid an economic crisis in the country.
Organisers in Germany were adamant before Benedict's arrival that this would not be repeated.
During a 1996 visit by John Paul to Berlin, protesters shouted abuse and hurled paint at the popemobile. The pope was also confronted by streakers.
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The Christian Post
Thu, Sep. 22 2011 04:28 PM EDT
Pope Benedict Greeted by Protests During German Tour
By Ivana Kvesic | Christian Post Reporter
Pope Benedict XVI, who has been facing a summer of immense scrutiny, is visiting Germany from Sept. 22-25 and is expected to be greeted by protestors accusing him of trying to cover up child sex abuse allegations.
The pope said of his journey to his homeland in a speech at Bellevue, "Even though this journey is an official visit which will reinforce the good relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Holy See, I have not come here primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals, but rather to meet people and to speak about God."
Nevertheless, not everyone in the pope's native Germany is enthusiastic about the visit, as Benedict was greeted by protestors gathered in Berlin angered by his handling of cases of child abuse by priests and over his views on sexuality.
One protestor, Markus Schuke told Reuters, "Why has he been invited to parliament? He has nothing to do with politics. His policies on condoms are as good as murder."
Another protestor argued against the way the pope has handled child sexual abuse cases saying, "It was the church and this pope who allowed all of the abuse to be swept under the carpet."
The most recent scrutiny following the pope has come from The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) that fielded complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Pope Benedict XVI and three senior Vatican officials.
Lawyers for the Center for Constitutional Rights are handing the (SNAP) case and argued last week, "The Vatican officials charged in this case are responsible for rape and other sexual violence and for the physical and psychological torture of victims around the world both through command responsibility and though direct cover-up of crimes."
The Vatican responded to the scrutiny in a statement released by the Associated Press, calling the action a "ludicrous publicity stunt and a misuse of international justice system."
Nevertheless, experts believe that because the ICC was established with jurisdiction over war crimes and crimes against humanity, crimes allegedly committed by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church are unlikely to come before the court.
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Protests greet Pope Benedict as he visits his native Germany
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People dressed as either Hitler or the Pope, or in this case, men dressed as nuns -- came out in protest against the pope's visit in Berlin.
Protestors dress as Hitler, Pope in separation-of-church-and-state demonstrations
In a visit to his native land of Germany, Pope Benedict XVI told the German parliament that politicians must not sacrifice ethics for power, recalling the evils of the Nazi regime and the Third Reich. Benedict's reception was not entirely warm. He was prompted to visit Germany in a bid to halt the tide of Catholics leaving the church and acknowledge the damage caused by recent sex abuse scandals. Protestors, some dressed as either Hitler or the Pope were on hand to denounce what they felt was a violation of the separation of church and state.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - "We Germans know from our own experience" what happens when power is corrupted, Benedict said, describing Nazis as a "highly organized band of robbers, capable of threatening the whole world and driving it to the edge of the abyss," the Pope said, standing in front of the historic Reichstag parliament building. The gesture was symbolic, as Hitler torched the building in 1933 in a show of brute force.
Benedict said that even under the Nazi dictatorship. Resistance movements stuck to their beliefs at a great risk, "thereby doing a great service to justice and to humanity as a whole."
"Even today, there is ultimately nothing else we could wish for but a listening heart - the capacity to discern between good and evil, and thus to establish true law, to serve justice and peace," he said.
Benedict took time to applaud Germany's ecological movement, calling it "a cry for fresh air which must not be ignored or pushed aside."
While dozens of lawmakers from opposition parties boycotted the pope's appearance, Benedict looked out on a mostly full house as guests occupied empty seats. His address ended with a standing ovation.
It was estimated that only "several thousand" protesters ended up showing up at the capital's Potsdamer Platz, far fewer than organizers had predicted. There were no reports of any incidents.
In the rally during the pope's speech, protesters held signs with slogans like "not welcome" and "where there's enlightenment, there's future."
Gay, along with student groups has announced that anti-Papal demonstrations will be held in Berlin and Erfurt.
"We are against discrimination, unequal treatment, against the banning of condoms and we want to make that clear," Joerg Steinert, director of the German Gay and Lesbian Association told Associated Press Television News. "We will be visible when the pope addresses parliament."
Berlin's openly gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit, says that he welcomes the pontiff's visit to the capital and will meet with him personally. Wowereit points out that unlike Benedict's Bavarian homeland, Berlin is largely Protestant, or secular - a leftover of decades of Communist rule.
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