These Guys Just Don't Get It

The moral outrage of the true Catholics is up in full force. This is from Georg Neumayr, and earned Sullivan's Malkin Award, for good reason:

Since when have secularists and dissenting Catholics been experts on the protection of children? These self-appointed reformers of the Catholic Church preside over a debased culture that abuses, aborts and corrupts children. That a reckless and depraved liberal elite would set itself up as moral tutor to Pope Benedict XVI is beyond satire. Here we had on display during Holy Week the spectacle of the Vicar of Christ receiving moral instruction from Barabbas. Who turns orphans over to homosexual couples at adoption agencies? Who sends Planned Parenthood propagandists into schools? Who clears the streets of major cities for "gay-pride" parades with the North American Man/Boy Love Association in tow? It is the liberal elite who champion these child-corrupting practices. . . .

Can't forget NAMBLA, now, can we? Especially considering the nature of the crisis the Church is facing. Got to drag them into the picture, except that their agenda and the Church's seem more in tune than either is with anyone else's.

The Vatican has apparently decided that the best defense is a strong offense -- you see, it's a conspiracy against the Church:

The Vatican heatedly defended Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, claiming accusations that he helped cover up the actions of pedophile priests are part of an anti-Catholic "hate" campaign targeting the pope for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Vatican Radio broadcast comments by two senior cardinals explaining "the motive for these attacks" on the pope and the Vatican newspaper chipped in with spirited comments from another top cardinal.

"The pope defends life and the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, in a world in which powerful lobbies would like to impose a completely different" agenda, Spanish Cardinal Julian Herranz, head of the disciplinary commission for Holy See officials, said on the radio.

Meanwhile, in Maine, the hierarchy's compassion is sticking out all over the place:

Two weeks ago, we learned that the Bishop of Maine, Richard Malone, stopped funding Homeless Voices for Justice, because the group's parent organization, Preble Street, opposed the repeal of Maine's same-sex marriage law. Bishop Malone led the repeal campaign, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on it while simultaneously shutting down parishes in the state. Like most Catholic leaders, Malone is driven by homophobia.

There's been an outpouring of support for Preble Street since the Bishop's announcement. Today, my sister, Karen, informed me that the Governor, John Baldacci, is hosting a fundraiser for Preble Street. Karen told me it was the Governor's idea to host the fundraiser. He wanted to do it. The Governor, who is Catholic, signed the marriage equality legislation last year -- and campaigned hard to prevent its repeal.

This is from the thank-you that Joe Sudbay got for his contribution:

"Poor and vulnerable people have a special place in Catholic social teaching. A basic moral test of a society is how its most vulnerable members are faring...Our tradition calls us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first."

One of my buttons, and the one sure to send me into a towering rage, is the idea of the misuse of power over those who can't defend themselves. That applies to institutions no less than individuals, and the Church has taken first place on that list.