Benedict's Anguished Cry

The following from CBC.ca:

---Pope Benedict XVI visited Auschwitz on Sunday, walking through the
gates in the footsteps of more than a million Jews, Poles, Roma, gays and
others who were killed at the Nazi concentration camp.

The German-born Pope, who was on the fourth and last day of a visit to
Poland, walked alone and in silence.

But later, he spoke up. "To speak in this place of horror, in this place
where unprecedented mass crimes were committed against God and man, is
almost impossible, and it is particularly difficult and troubling for
a Christian, for a pope from Germany," he said.

"In a place like this, words fail; in the end, there can be only a dread
silence, a silence which itself is a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did
you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?"

Good questions.

God's rep. on earth scolding the boss, the all-just and all-merciful, who sees every sparrow that falls. I'm willing to believe that the Pope's anguish was heart felt and sincere. Those who censure him for having joined the Hitler youth may think otherwise. The news release says he was forced to join. "Forced" may be a bit strong, but no doubt there was pressure, it may have been "the thing to do", peer pressure, nationalism, etc. What would I, as an ignorant youth, have done in those circumstances? I hate to think of it.

THE POPE GOES TO AUSCHWITZ

Pope Benedict will be visiting the Nazi death camp. In a way this is good, in a part of the world where anti-semitism is still not dead. But is there perhaps just a bit of hypocracy here? The papacy had signed a Concordat with the Nazis prior to World War Two which, according to many critics, facilitated their establishment of absolute power. It has also been established that the Vatican was a conduit through which high ranking Nazis made their way to South America. Over the centuries the Church has actively promoted anti-semitism by spreading the falsehood that the Jews killed Jesus.

Should the Pope not apologize?

Dark Age Dawning

The so-called Dark Age began with the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 6th century. There was no more Pax Romana and no more Roman civil code. Disorder and civil strife resulted until people organized under various chiefs, petty kings, dukes etc., until the feudal system emerged. The new dark age that some people see coming will not be a result of the American Empire crumbling - this empire has a long way to go yet - but from the crumbling of American democracy.

There are large forces at work to subvert democracy. The most visible culprits are Bush, Cheney and their fellow thugs, who have made no secret of their desire to run the world as they see fit. They have the economic muscle and the guns, and as far as they're concerned we can all eat cake. (The reader can use his/her imagination to substitute another four letter word for cake.) They are truly brazen in this regard. Bush has let it be known that he will only obey laws that suit his purpose, all in the name of security of course. The Constitution is not worth the paper it's printed on. Their allies in the corporate world own the media which prints and shows only what they want the public to know. An instance of this is the media silence on the address by Stephen Colbert at the recent White House Correspondents' Dinner. It was a lash at Bush and at the toady media and was itself a most newsworthy event. Bush was furious and the press dutifully ignored it. The New York Times famous banner "All the news that's fit to print" should read "all that we see fit to print".

Those who look to the Democrats to save America are losing heart. These toadies have readily approved the most vile of Bush's appointments to the Supreme Court and elsewhere. Many people are wondering where they can turn. The November elections are a source of hope but no one is betting the farm on it. There is even speculation that the elections will be "postponed" due to some arranged crisis. I hardly think so, but the speculation alone is a sign. And if the Dems win control of Congress, what then? Will they continue to play dead?

Woe to America. Woe to the world.