Why do we call the Vatican the "holy" see. When in reality it is a vipers nest or pit of snakes. Which is just as full of the usual manipulative power seeking games that is the feature any other human institution, especially those that exercise worldly power. Worldly power always corrupts those who exercise it (sooner or later)

Especially in the case of the Vatican which justifies its power via its inherently false religiosity.

Simple. Proscribe them as a terrorist organisation.

The Catholic Church is now a soft target. Its now easy to 'put the boot in'. Will the same logic in relation to prosecution for alleged abuses apply to Islam?? My bet is that the author is highly unlikely to seek prosecution of any non-Christian faith for institutionalised violence against women, gays and other minority groups. The West is wonderful at attacking its own Institutions but poor at dealing with real issues of global justice. This is just another example.

Meanwhile of course the "catholic" church claims, via its "magisterium" to be the only source of truth in the world.

And the current pope prattles on about the "dictatorship of relativism" which has sapped the moral of Western culture.
So perhaps it would be more convincing if it practiced what it preaches - all the way down the line.

If I commit a crime, is it in any sense justified if someone commits a similar crime of a similar type but much more horrific?

And yes I would argue (via the work of Lloyd deMause) that child abuse in Islamic countries is a hugely massive phenomenon. And that it is THE root cause of their dreadful politics.

Binoy Kampmark

There is no doubt that the Vatican is a State, as in the early fourteenth century it accepted the territories of a large part of central Italy donated by Emperor Constantine the Great and to day still possesses Vatican city.

It was this donation that gave rise to the dichotomy of Papal powers as Spiritual and Temporal.

Since, the Church of Rome has had to pursue two opposite aims, the message of Christ and the defense of its material wealth.

Mr. Kampmark would have done a good service to our understanding of the present Vatican predicament if he had analyzed how the political working of the group of ‘Princes of the Faith’, otherwise known as Cardinals, succeed in not tearing themselves to bits in the quest for power, like the ordinary Princes and Politicians do, and why the Vatican has reigned for a period (since Constantine the great) of approximately eight hundreds years while dictators and dynasties never lasted more than a few generations.

Cohesion and Celibacy is and remains the credo of the Catholics.

The Pope cannot but be sympathetic towards the priests of his church. He has gone through priesthood and knows the cost of celibacy and solitude

In conclusion if we cannot do without religions we have to pay the price of our criminal insufficiencies as the top race on this planet

Why people still put up with religion is beyond me, but they have rights, for now:)

cactus