Andrew Sullivan, a Catholic who is worried about the direction his church has taken under Pope Benedict XVI writes:
There is, it seems to me, a connecting thread between all the various depressing bits of Catholic news this past week, beginning with the clueless, insular outreach to reactionary SSPX anti-Semites and culminating in the latest revelations about the serial child rapist protected by John Paul II, Father Maciel. That thread is not sex or anti-Semitism. It is the abuse of absolute clerical power.
This trailer for the film Vows of Silence delves into Maciel’s past.
Some of Sullivan’s other items about the pope also make worrisome reading. These insightful items from the blog of America magazine, which is published by the Jesuits are also worth a look. (It is worth remembering that the pope had the previous editor of America sacked.)
Reuters Faith World blog has covered the backlash against Benedict, and the reversal it produced, as has The New York Times.