by StarmanSkye » Tue Jan 17, 2006 3:28 pm
"Attorneys for the Order of Friars Minor and Vatican Bank appealed to the Supreme Court. They argued that resolution of Holocaust-era claims was an issue of foreign relations constitutionally committed to the political branches of the U.S. government, not the courts."<br><br>That's rich -- As IF this issue of Nazi-era stolen equity and assets controlled by the Order of Friars Minor and Vatican Bank for over fifty years is something the Vatican has a keen interest in resolving and have been dilgently (and urgently) seeking to return to their original owners and heirs. The Vatican argued that the office of Pope as a Head of State with diplomatic immunity couldn't be sued for damages relating to complicity in covering-up a history of child-abuse in the US by Church officials (and also argued that Church assets are locally owned and managed, not linked) -- this seems a related strategy, claiming the Vatican is an International, sovereign Government that like the US Government can't be sued in a court of Civil Law that it isn't a subject of.<br><br>This seems an extension of a global trend, as corporations and the ruling elites, governments and officials maneuver to further consolidate their traditional immunity from being held accountable by law for their morally-challenged and ethically-questionable actions -- the operant principle apparently being that they don't play by the same 'ordinary' rules as the plebes -- OR, as in the case with gummint/political goons and Church officials, they have been serving the 'greater good' according to the ethical calculus of ends justify means. I guess the Vatican holds that their mission of 'saving souls' and doing God's (Catholic) Work is better-served by the Vatican holding on to stolen property (ie., the stolen property is put to 'better' use by the Church than it would be by their rightful owners.)<br><br>It sure seems to me that as long as the Church contests this claim that it forfeits ALL moral authority as a representative or agency of God -- and this apparant greed and egoism and vanity that reflects Church official's preoccupation with the trappings of wealth and power (feeding self-aggrandizement and sense of self-importance) should be seen as a major contributing factor in the cover-up of pedophile priests -- there's a supreme contemptuous arrogance there, not only in being untruthful and duplicious, but in acting to shield itself from the legal threat of forfeitting its assets for damages and compensation. I dunno, but it seems to me that if the Church is to salvage its rep it needs to divest itself of most of its wealth (re: returning property and paying damages, perhaps even contributing to education funds and/or community aid-charities, etc.), making a public show of accepting true poverty as a genuine 'servant' of God, perhaps --or especially-- appropriate re: Catholic concept of sincerity and demonstrating it by self-sacrifice and doing public 'penance'. I mean, after all, the Catholic Church is big on 'suffering' and 'paying' for one's sins -- so wouldn't it be entirely appropriate for the Church as a whole to suffer and pay for ITs 'sins'? A LOT of people would probably say that's entirely reasonable, and even necessary for the Church not to be seen as self-serving and hypocritical -- like, put yer money where yer mouth is fer Chisakes!!!<br><br>And yet, that's STILL not addressing the isasue of the Vatican aiding the Nazi Ratlines, or linkeage with European rightwing despot-regimes and 'other' financial scams and double-dealing and rackets -- much of it made possible (even necessary) because the Church hasn't been finicky about whether its money is dirty.<br><br>I mean -- the Church running Bingo halls?! (Surely, one of it's 'lesser' sins). Somehow, I think Jesus would be groaning -- that is, if he isn't laughing his ass off at the sheer assinine tragicomic idiocy of the Vatican/Church pimping itself as as a supremely-connected Fortune 500 Company-Country. (I wonder if the Church is invested in the Defense Industry).<br>Starman<br> <p></p><i></i>