Vatican Quotes
This quotation shows the unique relationship that the Irish Republic has had with the Catholic Church. There was probably no other non Muslim country in the world where a political leaders could get elected avowing this kind of loyalty and control by a religious heirerchy. See {639726} for an even more Irish, drastic departure from the concept of separation of church and state.
His response was to being asked whether he could do something with Russian Catholics to help Laval win favor with the Pope, to counter the increasing threat of Nazism. This quotation is often used as an example of Stalin’s disrespect for the Papacy. However, in this case, the Pope was extremely weak politically and some argue spiritually for he did not oppose Hitler and the Nazis very much. Defenders of the Papacy argue that Hitler had overwhelming force and little respect for the Pope, and ironically this was what Stain was referring to. Ironically, another Pope, John Paul, had a major part in bring down the Soviet Union and he had no divisions.
Coughlin was a great admirer of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and the Fascists. He was one of the American “heroes” in Nazi Germany, receiving assistance from the Nazi government. Between his anti-Semitism and support for Hitler, Fascism and radical socialism, the Vatican ordered him off the air and shut down his political demagoguery.
The Irish Catholic Church had covered up the predatory child abuse behavior of many priests. The Vatican did also. At first they denied that priests had molested children. Then when the facts were becoming public, they argued that it was the behavior of an isolated priest here and there. Then they were faced with the fact that there were many priests who were pederasts, and the church castigated the individuals and denied that the Church officials knew what was going on and covered the crimes up, But many high officials of the Church knew that it was happening. They thought that the harm that would be done by loss of faith and trust in priests if the sexual oredation became known would be worse than if they tried to control the problem quietly inside the church. What they were accused of is just what had happened. Even Pope Benedict XVI when he was a mid-level Vatican official had refused to defrock a perverted California priests who the American church officials had wanted to get rid of. Even when the enormity of the abuse had become public, many Catholic officials denied that there was serious, traumatic harm done to the victims. Archbishop Martin was a leader in facing the issue squarely, admitting the behavior and the effect and trying to make amends and change. He was not at all popular for this among the Irish prelates and the Vatican officials, However, he managed to preserve some trust and support for the Chuch which had a major reform task ahead,
There were many other confirmations of the crassness to which the Papacy had descended. While Church historians disagree as to the extent of the vices of Pope Alexander VI, all agree that his personal life was a disgrace. However, a previous Pope provided guidance for interpretation of Papal behavior that was undesirable or immoral. See {590453}.
At the time the Pope had secular, diplomatic relationship with many of the states of Europe:
The Confederacy was looking to develop sympathy for the their cause, even within the Catholic Church which many Southern Protestants were very prejudiced against. Davis, himself, however, had attended Catholic schools as a youth and almost converted to Catholicism. Reading this letter today we are fascinated by the fact that Davis could ensure the Pope that “everyone” in the Confederacy could enjoy “temorial” rights and also the “free exercise of his religion.” Blacks, a very large proportion of the Southern population, could of course enjoy neither. Davis did not even cover himself by saying :every citizen”. He said “everyone” an absurdity even then, but Jefferson, an otherwise intelligent man, was so prejudiced that he did not consciously realize that he was lying to the Pope whom he respected greatly.
