Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Justin Bonaparte on March 7, 2010 at 7:20pm

Uh oh, spaghettiooooos!

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on March 7, 2010 at 7:44pm

The apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, does it ... whether it falls in the US or Ireland or somewhere else in this benighted world!

Permalink Reply by MaleficVTwin on March 7, 2010 at 11:52pm

I expect this kind of headline from The Onion. Reading it as real news makes it even better. :)

Permalink Reply by ɟǝןıx dǝʇɹɐɹ on March 8, 2010 at 12:46am

I was just going to post this ! You are faster !

I am expecting to hear in my lifetime about a pope involved in a gay sex scandal. That would be funny. :)

I guess that from those 2000 years of Christianity, 200 were under the leadership of some gay closeted popes anyway.

same article but on huffington post

Permalink Reply by Douglas Clifford on March 13, 2010 at 8:09pm

I have been told that Paul VI was gay (Giovanni Montini); unfortunately, no hard evidence to back this up.

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on March 13, 2010 at 10:03pm

from Queers in History,

"Paul II died, on July 26, 1471 of a stroke, allegedly whilst being sodomized by a page boy. After his death, one of his successors suggested that he should rather have been called Maria Pietissima, "Our Lady of Pity", because he was inclined to break into tears at times of crisis. Some historians have suggested the nickname was rather due either to Paul propensity to enjoy dressing up in sumptuous ecclesiastical finery, or his likely homosexuality"

also

Pope Julius III
...His lasting fame, or notoriety, rests rather on his relationship with the 17 year old boy whom he raised to the position of Cardinal-Nephew, and, it was said at the time, with whom he shared his bed

I just wonder how anyone would know these things.

Permalink Reply by Eric on March 8, 2010 at 5:35am

They get a pass on the rape and abuse of children, but throw some consenting adults into it and they get fired. Makes perfect sense.

Permalink Reply by Jo Jerome on March 18, 2010 at 7:12pm

They get a pass on the rape and abuse of children, but throw some consenting adults into it and they get fired. Makes perfect sense.

Somewhere a priest is making notes: "Note to self, keep them young."

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on March 18, 2010 at 9:32pm

Yeah, but.....

damn, there is no yeah but. You are 100% right.

Permalink Reply by Gaga on March 8, 2010 at 12:53pm

Some details, if you are interested:
Angelo Balducci was the president of the council for public works, the body within the italian government which decides on legislations, tenders, safety certifications, etc.
He is accused (along with other people - they allegedly formed a tight group sharing common interests) of corruption and to have illegaly favoured specific companies on tenders for public works.

The raunchy part to which the article refers, came out among the intercepted phone conversations during the enquiry for corruption. He apparently had a thing for male escorts...

To be fair, though, even if Balducci is close to the vatican, there isn't at the moment any mention of involvement of people from the church, choristers aren't priests or anything. I might be part of the Vatican choir. Well no, I couldn't 'cause I hate the RC and I haven't that good a voice, but I digress...

The more interesting thing, IMHO, is that the "gentlemen of His Holiness" are chosen among (my loose translation):"Persons with outstanding merits with the church".
One has to wonder which kind of merits can a corrupted goverment official have with an organization with huge interests in public works...

Permalink Reply by Sentient Biped on March 8, 2010 at 3:15pm

Not that I really want to be fair, but I will. There are hundreds of millions of Catholics in the world, and what, thousands of priests? And these guys weren't even priests, as you say. If an occasional Catholic is corrupt, it doesn't say anything about the church as a whole, or about the pope, or about the Vatican.

Everybody loves a good scandal, but it wouldn't be fair to claim that this says something about Catholicism.

Sometimes I hate being fair.

Permalink Reply by Justin L on March 14, 2010 at 10:04am

you have got to think , with sooo many catholics worldwide. Some percentage of them are going to be homosexual. How they deal with it varies i guess lol.