Good point, Oliver. If our ambassador to the Vatican isn't able to convey the views of the Australian government to the Pope, then what is the purpose of his junket?

KMB/HermanYutic/Proxy: << I seem to have strayed off-topic again >>

Trolls invaruably do.

>> the views of the Australian government <<

Which are what exactly? Rudd is an Anglican/Catholic (I think), has yet to express a definitive position on the cover-up by the Catholic Church in general and the actions (paltry) taken by the Pope thus far.

"Any mug could tell the Pope he cannot repair
the damage by dressing in flash vestments,
chesting a microphone and uttering a few bland
words of regret. It's not that easy.

It might soften the blow if our community was
to witness some expression of genuine remorse,
some powerful act of sorrow, a dramatic and
public proclamation of conversion."

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/pope-must-grovel-and-beg-for-our-forgiveness-20100406-rpag.html

I can for-see a major conflict of interest between our Prime Minister demanding both a sincere apology and his penchant for subsidising religious schools.

Interesting times indeed.

Severin,

Governments I suspect would not have to push too hard to receive an apology. The Vatican has done that in the past.

The Catholic Church is like Dynastic China, it expects to be differred to. Countries sending the Vatican to diplomatic Coventry, I think might bring the Church down a beg ot two. And that is where it should stay until it is prepared to hand over priests/brothers (paedophilia) and nuns (bashing children) and the Bishops and Cardinals who are guilty as accomplices after-the-fact.

As for the politicians, they lead a secular society. Parishioner Rudd and Parishioner Abbott (not as secular leaders) and millions of other Catholics should say, "enough is enough", maybe having a protest Sunday, where they stay at all home.

The Vatican, I have read, is giving shelter to a past Bishop of Boston, protecting him from secular authorities. Why not confiscate/impound some US Church land, until such time as any arrest summons is answered? Govenments take these kinds of actions against drug cartels, even hoon drivers, why not the Catholic Church?

Posted by Severin, Friday, 9 April 2010 9:30:35 AM
" ... Paedophile priests are criminals and the Church's attempts to cover up their behaviour is aiding and abetting the criminal. ... "

..

Posted by Pericles, Saturday, 10 April 2010 8:14:29 PM
" ... But equally distressing is the handling of these cases , and the apparent inability of secular law to prosecute any of the religion's hierarchy, for obstructing the course of justice. ... "

..

Posted by CJ Morgan, Saturday, 10 April 2010 11:51:46 PM
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/10/2869180.htm

" ... The Associated Press news agency says it has obtained a letter signed by the future Pope in 1985, when he was a senior Vatican official, in which he resisted appeals for the dismissal of an American priest who had sexually abused two boys at a school in California. ... "

..

Mmmm .. now how does it go?
(Gimana *Boazy* Apa sudah pindah dari melayu selatan belum?)

Something like this:

" ... No, the Lord Will Not repent, you are a Priest/ess forever after the Order of Melchizedek. ... "

Significance being that some religious beliefs hold that whilst an ordination ceremony may be held by mortals, that fundamentally it establishes a Covenant between the Ordained and the Living God, thus some are very reluctant to interfere with it.

Is this relevant to catholicism? I'm not sure. Perhaps someone else can elaborate?

As far as I am concerned, if the Pope and the Vatican would only come out and say they will now hand over the files of names they must have of paedophiles still harboured within the Catholic Clergy to Police, it would go a long way to resolving the current situation.

The Pope and all Clergy within the Catholic Church are all human and thus must answer to the law authorities here on Earth before they do to any supposed God they worship.

They're attempting to purge their ranks of homosexuals.
What more can they do?