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| 2010-03-10 |
| Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that "the Devil is at work inside the Vatican", according to the Holy See's chief exorcist. Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican's chief exorcist for 25 years and says he has dealt with 70,000 cases of demonic possession, said that the consequences of satanic infiltration included power struggles at the Vatican as well as "cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon". Father Amorth, who has just published Memoirs of an Exorcist, a series of interviews with the Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti, said that the attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II in 1981 had been the work of the Devil, as had an incident last Christmas when a mentally disturbed woman threw herself at Pope Benedict XVI at the start of Midnight Mass, pulling him to the ground. Father José Antonio Fortea Cucurull, a Rome-based exorcist, said that Father Amorth had "gone well beyond the evidence" in claiming that Satan had infiltrated the Vatican corridors. "Cardinals might be better or worse, but all have upright intentions and seek the glory of God," he said. Some Vatican officials were more pious than others, "but from there to affirm that some cardinals are members of satanic sects is an unacceptable distance." Father Amorth told La Repubblica that the devil was "pure spirit, invisible. But he manifests himself with blasphemies and afflictions in the person he possesses. He can remain hidden, or speak in different languages, transform himself or appear to be agreeable. At times he makes fun of me." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #4 "Cardinals might be better or worse, but all have upright intentions and seek the glory of God," Or, like a Jesuit said "We are like signposts,it doesn't matter if they're dirty or not, they still show the Way." |
| Posted by: Willy 2010-03-10 20:07 |
| #3 sex abuse scandals in my Catholic Church were a demonstration of the powerful to hide, obfuscate, and enable disgusting and (sinful and morally) unacceptable behavior. The offending parties are being rooted out (have been for the most part) and hopefully prevented forever. Evil has a face, and sometimes it's simply "the convenient over the difficult, but necessary". Sad to say, fallible human nature includes the clergy, but one expects, and rightfully demands, more |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-03-10 19:29 |
| #2 That's our responsibility. One of the catches that go with a republic. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-03-10 16:57 |
| #1 Can we get Father Amorth to make a call on 1600 Pennsylvania Av.? |
| Posted by: Alanc 2010-03-10 15:57 |