Well, it wouldn't be a proper Monday morning without one of these coming across the wires.One of Italy's best-known priests has apologised for accusing a liberal Jewish lobby of trying to weaken the Roman Catholic Church, saying he meant to refer to a a Masonic lobby instead.
The gaffe is the latest from 82-year-old Pietro Gelmini, a priest known for his drug rehabilitation centres and powerful political allies in Rome, after he confirmed last week that he was being investigated for sexually abusing young men.
Thanks so much, Father. I guess that's the new strategy when you're accused of sexually abusing young boys - deflect by quoting from the Eichmann playbook: "All Jews Masons, All Masons Jews." As a Catholic and a Mason, I don't know which part of your behavior to be disgusted with first.
My buddy is going to petition the Grand Lodge in California. He and his wife are devoted Catholics. When his In-Laws found out he petitioned they have disowned him.
ReplyDeleteThey do not know why they hate the Masons, but because some Catholic said to hate them they do. He is a great guy and is devoted to his religious beliefs. He will make a great Mason.
I've experienced the same thing. My grandmother caught heck from her pastor (WELS Lutheran) for me being a Mason. My congregation (ELCA Lutheran) has many Masons in it and the pastor is generally neutral with it. I don't understand why so many people feel so strongly about an organization they know so little about.
ReplyDeleteI just posted on BT the old adage "Scratch an anti-Mason, find an anti-Semite."
ReplyDeleteThe Protocols of Zion linked the Jews and Masons a century ago in a (obviously false) conspiracy to overthrow world governments. Catholics have had a problem with Masons for the last 150 or 200 years, and other religious sects picked up the vibe.
John Robinson (the Born in Blood guy) postulated that the problem was politically based from after the American Revolution when the leaders of various South American countries came to the US to learn how we overthrew the British rule; the Church of Rome being heavily dependent upon the taxation of the colonies and the lucrative gold trade lost a huge amount of revenue.
Furthermore, Brother Garibaldi helped to unify Italy, resulting in the Vatican losing most of it's land holdings. Until then, the Church maintained its own army/police force (the Inquisition, etc.) which they used to rule concurrently within each country.
The Baptists and other fundamentalists have a rpoblem because Freemasons seem to delight in sitting in lodges with those of other religions, and more especially, in not espousing the theology of any particular religion. My Fundie sister and mother don't understand why a Catholic, Lutheran, Jew, Muslim or Hindu are all equal.
His "All Jews Masons, all Masons Jews" attitude may get applause up and down the Via della Conciliazione, but I was sort of hoping that appalling brand of insult would be too low for a priest these days. Looks like I was naive.
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way, shame on the papers with a predominantly Jewish readership for going along with his sham. "Whew, okay, he just misspoke himself. That's okay as long as he really meant the Masons instead."
And yet, if I understand this press release (and my Italian is absolutely horrible), I think it says that the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of Italy who is apparently an attorney, offered his services to defend this priest free of charge, if the case goes to court. If so, bravo, Most Worshipful Brother. Bravo.
If not, someone who really does understand Italian please set me right.