Vatican 'damaged' by row over rape victim aged 9

[gruber]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/5001920/Vatican-credibility-damaged-in-row-over-9yo-rape-victim.html

apparently they dont think abortion ius bad when it causes a public backlash

[Loki]

I thought the pope was "infallible". Are these cracks starting to appear.

[Seamus]

I thought the pope was "infallible". Are these cracks starting to appear.

The Pope is only considered to be infallible when speaking ex-cathedra


Since the solemn declaration of Papal Infallibility by Vatican I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_I) on July 18, 1870, this power has been used only once ex cathedra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_cathedra): in 1950 when Pope Pius XII (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XII) defined the Assumption of Mary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary) as being an article of faith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_of_faith) for Roman Catholics. Prior to the solemn definition of 1870, Pope Pius IX (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_IX), with the support of the overwhelming majority of Roman Catholic bishops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop), had proclaimed Immaculate Conception (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception) an ex cathedra dogma in December 1854.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility

[direvus]

The Pope is only considered to be infallible when speaking ex-cathedra

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility

I know I'm not alone in being baffled by the Catholic Church claim that "infallibility" is something that the Pope can flick on or off like a light switch.

I'm yet to meet a single human being who thinks that this idea makes any kind of sense, and that includes self-identified Catholics.

The idea that one can declare oneself to be infallible and that the very act of the declaration causes it to be so is so patently absurd, circular and dangerous, it makes me furious. That anyone in the whole world would accept such an odious doctrine is confusing and embarrassing.

I am reminded of Hitchens' wonderful comment during the debate "The Catholic Church is a force for good in the world", speaking about the period between one Pope dying and the next one being chosen:


And for that whole time, that whole interval -- it's a delicious, lucid interlude -- there isn't anyone on Earth who claims to be infallible.

Isn't that nice?

All I think, all I want to propose in closing is this: that if the human species is to rise to the full height that is demanded by its dignity, and by its intelligence, we must all us move to a state of affairs where that condition is permanent. And I think we should get on with it.
http://www.youtube.com/user/iqsquared#p/c/846BD8FE08034A9C/3/2P5VDkFwF5A

With apologies for going off on this tangent at such length.

[Seamus]

The idea that one can declare oneself to be infallible and that the very act of the declaration causes it to be so is so patently absurd, circular and dangerous, it makes me furious. That anyone in the whole world would accept such an odious doctrine is confusing and embarrassing.
A common human trait. Protestants are just as loopy with their claims of perfect interpretation of scripture, summed up as " the bible means exactly what it says,except when I say it doesn't"

Although the official declaration came only in the C19th,papal infallibility was accepted de facto for centuries.

The claim [oddly rejected by every other Christian denomination without exception) is that Jesus gave Peter the power. From memory,the quote is from the Gospels. Something like: "You are Peter,the rock and on this rock I will build my church---whatsoever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven"

The Catholics are supreme in cherry picking,obfuscation,equivocation, sophistry and bare faced lying.Makes sense I guess, they've had the most practice.

When I was growing up, Catholics with an IQ above ambient room temperature [such as my mother] ignored the pope most of the time as irrelevant. That doctrine helped my decision to leave the Church when I was 20. My atheism took a lot longer.

[Iridescence]

"Life must always be protected."

Except for the poor child who was carrying the "life" whose body is in no way mature enough to carry a twin pregnancy to fullterm and whose childbirth may have killed her AND the babies.

god these people are sick. I'm sure religion is a disease of the brain and some people are more affected than others. Or maybe it's a disease of wanting to keep a very fat coffer fat. In either case, this is sick, and sad.

[atheist_angel]

"hurts the credibility of our teaching, which appears in the eyes of many as insensitive, incomprehensible and lacking mercy".Well. they got that part right...

[gruber]

Well. they got that part right...


well if they genuily cared and accepted everyone, they wouldnt have commited so many crimes and and become the dominant power that made even kings fall on their knees