My father escaped persecution in Russia at the turn of the 20th century and whenever anything adverse happened in his life, a bad week at the butcher shop, the stove went out, he would raise his eyes to the sky, and say firmly, “anti-Semitism.” Little did I know that one day the Vatican would employ a similar explanation in order to deal with sex abuse charges. Father Raniero Cantalamessa told a religious group, including Pope Benedict XVI, the alleged priest scandal dealing with sexual abuse reveals “the most shameful aspect of anti-Semitism!” He quoted from a letter received from a “Jewish friend”(who shall remain nameless) who “followed with disgust the violent and concentric attacks against the Church.” According to this Jewish person, “the use of stereotypes, the shifting of personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”
Numerous priests have been charged with sexual abuse, not by non-Catholics, but by members of the Church. How the hell did we get from point A to point Z? Does one get the feeling the Catholic Church has hired Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as their image consultant?
