WP: ‘Catholic Church still plagued by cardinal sin’

Vatican City (photo by Joyce Thiel)

The Washington Post had an interesting report about some of the cardinals of the Church of Rome:

5 March 2013

Catholic Church still plagued by cardinal sin…

As Mary Caplan, a leader in the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), noted, “We’d all like to think there could be a transformation in the church now, but we have to face the reality that the same men responsible for protecting our abusers are going to be the ones casting the ballots.”…

Sodano, Bertone, and Levada are three of the most influential people involved in the selection of the next pope. Their role in the ongoing enabling and concealment of rape and child sex crimes throughout the world is so central that they were named in a Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) complaint to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On behalf of SNAP, CCR has urged the ICC to investigate high-level Vatican officials – including Pope Benedict himself – for crimes against humanity. With more than 22,000 pages of supporting materials and evidence of the crimes committed by Catholic clergy and their cover-up, the ICC complaint is an unprecedented effort to call to account individuals leading the systematic effort to sweep sex abuse under the rug. CCR is also pressing the case for church accountability in a report filed today with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which will scrutinize the Church’s record on children’s rights later this year.

Sodano, Bertone, and Levada are hardly just three bad apples in the church barrel. The group of church leaders who will be selecting the next pope reads like a who’s who of accessories and accomplices in the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/guest-voices/post/catholic-church-still-plagued-by-cardinal-sin/2013/03/05/ba6744e4-8532-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_blog.html

So, many of the electorate (and I did not list all the cardinals that the above article pointed as having suspicious character) involved in selecting the next pontiff are suspected of at least improper behavior.

But beyond the sex and financial scandals in the Church of Rome, how serious are problems are the theological problems there? Notice what one priest reported three years ago:

March 10, 2010

Chief exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth says Devil is in the Vatican

Richard Owen in Rome

Sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church are proof that that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican”, according to the Holy See’s chief exorcist.

Father Gabriele Amorth, 85, who has been the Vatican’s chief exorcist for 25 years and says…the consequences of satanic infiltration included power struggles at the Vatican as well as “cardinals who do not believe in Jesus, and bishops who are linked to the Demon“.

He added: “When one speaks of ‘the smoke of Satan’ [a phrase coined by Pope Paul VI in 1972] in the holy rooms, it is all true – including these latest stories of violence and paedophilia.” http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7056689.ece

When I reported about that back then, I also posted the following comment (Vatican’s Chief Exorcist Claims the Devil is in the Vatican):

The next pope will likely be a cardinal and/or a bishop. Since an “antipope” is expected, having a pope who does not even believe in Jesus would fit with the descriptions of the final Antichrist of the Bible.

Perhaps I should add that the Bible is clear that the final Antichrist will have demonic-influence, if not actual demonic possession, according to the Bible (Revelation 16:13).

Of course, if the Church of Rome would not have forced celibacy on its priests and bishops in violation of biblical teachings and the practice of the original Church of God (see Was Celibacy Required for Early Bishops or Presbyters?), then it would not have had nearly the sex scandals that it has been dealing with. I suspect that Satan was aware that the celibacy policy would cause scandal and this may be why he or his demons could have inspired the following Catholic prophecy:

Ven. Holzhauser (17th century): The Great Monarch will come when the Latin Church is desolated, humiliated, and afflicted with many heresies (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 114).

These sex scandals have humiliated the Church of Rome (“the Latin Church”), hence if the above prediction is correct, then we are very near the time that the “Beast” leader will rise up.

The “Great Monarch” is also supposed to rise up during the time there are “very impious priests” (Tzima Otto, p. 53)–which would be consistent with the whole sex scandal issue among the Catholic priesthood.

Furthermore, notice the following about another type of timing from an Eastern Orthodox :

Monk Leontios (no later than 912): …the King…Afterwards I will go [march, pass over] to where I exited from; and the wolf will also come but for a few days. (Tzima Otto, H. The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenika Press, Rock City (SC), 2000, p. 85)

According to Dr. Tzima Otto, “the wolf” is the Antichrist (ibid, p. 97). Thus, the Great Monarch is supposed to be around the same time that the final Antichrist rises up. And while some “Catholic” prophecies indicate that the final Antichrist comes at the end of the reign of the Great Monarch, the Bible suggests that the two will work together as the final Antichrist will encourage all to support the Beast, who seems to be the ‘Great Monarch’ of various Catholic and Orthodox prophecies.

If some type of a “great light” or other sign settles upon (or from) a particular cardinal who would become pope in the next next few weeks, we may be nearer to the end than hardly anyone will think possible.

According to the famous Malachy prophecy of the popes (see The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” or you can also watch the video Pope Benedict XVI and the next pope), there is only one pope left. And if you look at other Catholic prophecies, this pope, if he is the last one, will be an antipope, the final Antichrist. So, certain Catholic prophecies seem to point to this being the time that the Beast and False Prophet of the Bible will arise.

Biblical chronology and prophecy points to a period near this time as well.

A scandal-plagued church is the type that could be expected to elect a non-believer as its leader. A leader that the Bible warns against. And the process for selecting that leader is going on this very day.

Some articles of possibly related interest may include:

The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. The next pope would be number 112 and is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
Pope Benedict XVI and the next pope Will the pope that succeeds Pope Benedict XVI fulfill biblical and non-biblical prophecies? What about Pope Benedict himself? Pope Benedict XVI resigned his pontificate effective February 28, 2013. Might his resignation lead to the fulfillment of prophecy? Might his resignation lead to the prophesied Antichrist according to biblical and Catholic prophecies? Do Catholic prophecies foretell of an antipope as the next pope? Is the Peter the Roman of the Malachy prophecies the next pope? Is there a 6,000 year plan? Is the 6,000 year almost up?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2021 or 20xx?
Was Celibacy Required for Early Bishops or Presbyters? Some religions suggest this, but what does the Bible teach? What was the practice of the early church?
Did the Early Christian Church Practice Monasticism? Does God expect or endorse living in a monastery or nunnery?
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? 1964 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
Peter and Rome He was an original apostle and early Christian leader. Where was Peter buried? Where did Peter die?
Overview: How Does the Church of God Agree and Disagree with Other Faiths Professing Christ? This overview answers that and explains what the Church of God basically stands for. In the appendices provides information about certain complaints and as well as an overview about many COG-related groups.
What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? Although most believe that the Roman Catholic Church history teaches an unbroken line of succession of bishops beginning with Peter, with stories about most of them, Roman Catholic scholars know the truth of this matter. Is telling the truth about the early church citing Catholic accepted sources anti-Catholic? This eye-opening article is a must-read for any who really wants to know what Roman Catholic history actually admits about the early church.
Apostolic Succession What really happened? Did structure and beliefs change? Are many of the widely-held current understandings of this even possible? Did you know that Catholic scholars really do not believe that several of the claimed “apostolic sees” of the Orthodox have apostolic succession–despite the fact that the current pontiff himself seems to wish to ignore this view? Is there actually a true church that has ties to any of the apostles that is not part of the Catholic or Orthodox churches? Read this article if you truly are interested in the truth on this matter!
Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries? Did you know that many in the second and third centuries felt that there were two major, and separate, professing Christian groups in the second century, but that those in the majority churches tend to now blend the groups together and claim “saints” from both? “Saints” that condemn some of their current beliefs. Who are the two groups?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Should Christians be Nazarenes today? What were the practices of the Nazarenes.
Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome What actually happened to the primitive Church? And did the Bible tell about this in advance?
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?