Slashdot Mirror


Pope Rails Against the Internet and Transparency

tcd004 writes "At a conference on digital media at the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI attacked the idea of transparency in the Internet age, warning that digital transparency exacerbates tensions between nations and within nations themselves and increases the 'dangers of ... intellectual and moral relativism,' which can lead to 'multiple forms of degradation and humiliation' of the essence of a person, and to the 'pollution of the spirit.' All in all, it seemed a pretty grim view of the wide-open communication environment being demanded by the Internet age."

6 of 840 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Nazi bastard by Tig3rzhark · · Score: -1, Troll

    The Catholic Church lost their moral authority a long time ago. The Pope has a lot of nerve doing a moral statement about the Internet while being a former Hilter Youth and a pedophile.

  2. Re:The Pope by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    I'm pointing out that the Popes have traditionally been regarded as wise

    Drinkin' the Kool Aid there, aren't cha?

    anything the pope says is automatically viewed by the Catholic Church as 100% Awesome.

    Dude think about what you are saying.

    Full disclosure: I'm an agnostic "recovering" Catholic.

    Well that explains it! You fell off the wagon, didn't cha? Talk to your sponsor and come to the weekly meeting. Remember, you are powerless over your addiction.

  3. Re:wagging the dog by gillbates · · Score: -1, Troll

    But back in the old days, shuffling the offending priests off to different diocese, and quietly denying that any wrongdoing took place was enough to keep the matter buried.

    I suppose the alternative - announcing the names of the victims with a trumpet - would be more compassionate? Perhaps in the effort for justice we should likewise publicize the names of rape victims, too? I mean, information wants to be free, right?

    So often people forget that real life circumstances are often much more complicated than the average AP reporter can grasp. How often do we bemoan the fact that science and tech reporters get it wrong? Doesn't it occur to people that the press gets it wrong more often than not - that if they're ignorant of the basics of science, that they're probably just as ignorant of the machinations of the Church?

    As someone fairly close to a priest accused of abusing boys, I have a uniquely personal insight into the matter.

    In the late 80's, the parish priest who baptized me was accused of abusing young boys.

    The alleged victims sued, hoping to gain a substantial windfall. You see, in rural areas, jobs are hard to find, and - though the supposed victims couldn't even remember the abuse - they felt entitled to some of the Church's money. They found a psychologist who claimed that through hypnosis they had "recovered memories" of the abuse. The case didn't even make it to trial - it was dismissed by the judge.

    But when the Chicago Tribune later reported the story - nearly 2 years after the case was resolved, they reported only that he'd been accused, *not acquited*.

    But by this time, the Church had already reacted. For years the Catholic church had insisted that homosexuality was just another sin - that with counseling, it could be cured. Hence, they put "cured" priests back in charge of children. But now they were facing a scandal they couldn't deny - the abusers were overwhelmingly homosexual. The Catholic Church had to change its position with respect to the priesthood: homosexuals would no longer be allowed. They simply couldn't risk the scandal of child abuse.

    And now you know why homosexuals are no longer allowed to be priests. Not because the Catholic Church didn't want them, but because they had to admit that homosexuals represented too great a risk of abuse to children. The media frenzy and constant public attention had forced them to act. They had to take measures to stop the abuse, and the single largest common factor in the abuse cases was homosexuality.

    And the next time you hear of homosexuals being unjustly discriminated against, remember, that it started with the free press, the unregulated flow of (dis)information. The media, in an attempt to libel the Church, exaggerated and lied about the Church. And now the Church, which had long railed against unjust discrimination against homosexuals, now had to cease hiring homosexuals, lest it be found liable for their actions.

    --
    The society for a thought-free internet welcomes you.
  4. Re:I've heard this before... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yeah, I guess British immigration policy is somewhat problematic ... you know, if you happen to hate niggers, especially of the sand type.

    Racist.

  5. It's not the cover-ups, it's the over-alls. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    All of it stinks of a jew at the top. Follow the money, as it all leads to a rudder-like snot-locker attached to a jew somewhere in Stockholm.

  6. Re:wagging the dog by thisnamestoolong · · Score: 0, Troll

    I do not care who the pope is, but as an enemy of the Catholic church I would very much like to see any sitting pope removed from the papacy -- such a blow will shake the institution to its core and will wake many up to the lunacy that they are signing up for by declaring themselves Catholics.

    --
    To the haters: You can't win. If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine