The new Moral leader?

So it seems, the Vatican's Princes of the Church have chosen their new demi-god, and the choice was Cardinal Josef Ratzinger of Germany, who is an Ultra-conservative, and who was the right hand of Pope John Paul II. Interestingly, he also had a stint as a neo-Nazi youth. Of course he denies any wrong-doing or any involvement in participating in the extermination of Jews and others reviled by Hitler.

It's odd that no one seems to have issue with this. The Church is so clear on setting guidelines for everyone on how to live morally, yet they allow a Nazi into the Church as one of their princes and moral, spiritual leaders. Who gives a damn whether or not he didn't participate in killing anybody. The fact remains that he joined the Hitler youth guard, and didn't have the moral or ethical gall to say or do something. He preserved his life by standing by and letting others kill the Jews, Poles, etc. His inaction and lack of participation in rebelling against Hitler and the atrocities of that period were a sentence for those people to die. It says a lot about what and who he is. He is a political figure jousting for position in one of the richest, most secretive and possibly corrupt institutions in the world.

Now, I am sure there are a few good ones out there, but any institution that preserves and protects the very people who molest children or murder Jews, shakes the foundation of what I consider moral and ethical.

What is even more scary is Ratzingers' take on where the Church is going and the people who do not follow the faith. He is quoted as saying;

"Those who seek the truth find themselves objectively on the path that leads to
Christ"

His antiquated doctrine is a throwback to the middle ages. Any take on the Bible as literal and as the justification to rule over others and to instill a religious totalitarianism within the Vatican, is a dangerous turn. Read the Washigton Post article from November 2004 and have a look at the following quote:

Observers said Ratzinger’s views have been heavily influenced by the harrowing experience of two contending ideologies: fascism, which he experienced as a youth in Germany, and the Marxism rife in German universities during the 1960s.

“Having seen fascism in action, Ratzinger today believes that the best antidote to political totalitarianism is ecclesial totalitarianism. In other words, he believes the Catholic Church serves the cause of human freedom by restricting freedom in its
internal life, thereby remaining clear about what it teaches and believes,”
wrote John Allen, a journalist and biographer of Ratzinger.

Further evidence of his narrow perspective and lack of understanding of a global
cultural world, was during an interviewed quote he made to French newspaper Le
figaro that Turkey, a largely Muslim country, ought not be admitted to the
European Union.

"Europe is a cultural continent, not a geographical one. The roots that have
formed it . . . are those of Christianity," he said. "Turkey, which is
considered a secular country but is founded upon Islam, could instead attempt to
bring a cultural continent together with some neighboring Arab countries."

Ratzinger later said this was a personal view, but then again every view is personal, so I am only left with the unsettling knowledge that these views will permeate the Vatican.

So, just like that, in a puff of smoke, the choice has been made, and I think it's scary.

http://www.canada.com/national/features/pope/index.html