The Catholic Church and Child Rape

Some have argued that Gordon Brown received inconsequential coverage in comparison to the pope during their coinciding trips to the US. Yet, Mr Brown and his group of croons haven't come under increasing pressure from a lack of supporters. Oh, well, maybe they have. But one thing that we do not associated with the New Labour of Britain is child rape. We need not remind ourselves of the atrocities committed by numerous cardinals across the UK, let alone the States, only exacerbated recently by the polygamy scandal in Texas; admittedly a Mormon cult, but still followers of gentle Jesus, meek and mild. Obviously, the pope may be deluded, but he certainly isn't stupid, and so he called for mass prayer this January in a vain attempt to rid the guilty priesthood of impure thoughts. I'm sure this is what compelled Christopher Hitchens to write about the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church a fortnight ago in Slate. If the Vatican is serious about ridding child-abuse from the church, he asks, "Why is the Vatican continuing to shelter Cardinal Bernard Law?" So, when the pope actually addressed his audience regarding this matter, I thought there must be a god. However, it all seems rather shallow, as evidenced by this article in The Times. The whole debacle merely acts to compound the suggestion that religious passions, sensibilities, and doctrines provide a sinister conduit for debauched behaviour that wouldn't even be considered by an emotionally sound person untouched by "sacred" texts. This is a deep topic discussed briefly by Prof. Daniel Dennet in The Times this morning as an introduction to his debate with the Jew, Lord Winston. Recommended reading.