Victims of clerical sex abuse have reacted furiously to Pope Benedict’s claim yesterday that paedophilia wasn’t considered an “absolute evil” as recently as the 1970s.
In his traditional Christmas address yesterday to cardinals and officials working in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI also claimed that child pornography was increasingly considered “normal” by society. 
“In the 1970s, paedophilia was theorised as something fully in conformity with man and even with children,” the Pope said.
“It was maintained - even within the realm of Catholic theology - that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than’ and a ‘worse than’. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”
The Pope said abuse revelations in 2010 reached “an unimaginable dimension” which brought “humiliation” on the Church.
Asking how abuse exploded within the Church, the Pontiff called on senior clerics “to repair as much as possible the injustices that occurred” and to help victims heal through a better presentation of the Christian message.
“We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light,” he said, citing the growth of child pornography “that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society” he said.
But outraged Dublin victim Andrew Madden last night insisted that child abuse was not considered normal in the company he kept.
Mr Madden accused the Pope of not knowing that child pornography was the viewing of images of children being sexually abused, and should be named as such.
He said: “That is not normal. I don’t know what company the Pope has been keeping for the past 50 years.”
Pope Benedict also said sex tourism in the Third World was “threatening an entire generation”. 
Angry abuse victims in America last night said that while some Church officials have blamed the liberalism of the 1960s for the Church’s sex abuse scandals and cover-up catastrophes, Pope Benedict had come up with a new theory of blaming the 1970s.
“Catholics should be embarrassed to hear their Pope talk again and again about abuse while doing little or nothing to stop it and to mischaracterise this heinous crisis,” said Barbara Blaine, the head of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,
“It is fundamentally disturbing to watch a brilliant man so conveniently misdiagnose a horrific scandal,” she added.
“The Pope insists on talking about a vague ‘broader context’ he can’t control, while ignoring the clear ‘broader context’ he can influence - the long-standing and unhealthy culture of a rigid, secretive, all-male Church hierarchy fixated on self-preservation at all costs. This is the ‘context’ that matters.”
The latest controversy comes as the German magazine Der Spiegel continues to investigate the Pope’s role in allowing a known paedophile priest to work with children in the early 1980s.
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Disgusting and out of order. The pope is a sick man who has no morals. He should not be in the position he is as he is a complete disgrace to man kind and what god created. How dare he speak such rubbish and insult all those that have been victims to the church. I hope this man roots in hell.
The pope is clearly a very sick and twisted indiviual who should be removed from the postion he is in and put in prison. He preaches as if he is a saint yet nothing more than the devil himself. He is satan and seaks and preys on the week. He will never get through thhe gates of heaven and be forgiven by the almighty.
I AGREY HE SHOLD BE MOVED FROM HIS POSTION AN PUT IN PRISON AS IT MAKE HIM AS BAD AS THE SICKPEOPLE THAT PRAY ON OUR CHIDREN I THINK WHAT HE SAID IS THE MIND OF A VERY SICK ANDI EVIL INDIVIUAL
The honourable Pope has been talking about and participating in debates about child abuse in church for decades now. Being in position of authority, what positive steps has he taken to address this menace?
Apparently, the Pope has helped encourage this evil: more knowingly than not. So the Pope is a part of the problem and we cannot look upto him to rectify the evil practice. Does he consider it evil at all?
Omgwtfbbq
“It was maintained – even within the realm of Catholic theology – that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself. There is only a ‘better than’ and a ‘worse than’. Nothing is good or bad in itself.”
This is completely twisted. Evil is very real. The Pope indeed is a sick and twisted man if he is distorting scripture like he does.
Funny, I’m watch REM on TV right now and they are playing “Losing My Religion”. Seems appropriate.
How much do you wanna bet that the pope has raped a few children too?
Either way I don’t think the pope should be in that position any longer considering how sick minded he is
This appears to be an exact copy of an article that appeared a year ago December. Did the Pope actually give his Christmas address ‘yesterday’, i.e. Nov. 12th this year?
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/popersquos-child-porn-normal-claim-sparks-outrage-among-victims-15035449.html
Maybe we should make sure that original article is real, too.
Therefore why they feel the need for a Sinners box, to repent & ask who(the fuck)ever for forgivness for they’re screwed up, sick minds. Hearing others ‘confess they’re sins’ helps the so called leaders feel better of themselves!
Oh i love the part where he says “We cannot remain silent about the context of these times in which these events have come to light,” he said, citing the growth of child pornography “that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society” he said.”
YET, may i add they own pornography, i also read that their printers print porn.
OK when are we going to take a stand on this?
I believe that pedophilia and child pornography is normal … in Vatican!