Here are the top 6 scandals of the Vatican Church:
1. Nazi-Friendly Priest
Bishops and priests were accused of
helping high-ranking Nazis escape during WWII. Alois Hudal, a bishop,
openly shared his pro-Nazi views and is believed to have helped dozens
escape. Krunoslav, a Croatian priest, also played a key role in
organizing a Nazi escape line. Ludwig Kaas, a Roman Catholic priest and
prominent German politician leading the Centre Party
(a Catholic Political Party), aided Hitler in obtaining votes. Kaas
gave a speech outside Reichstag voicing the Party’s support for the Enabling Act, an Act which gave Adolf Hitler the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag (a legislative body in German)… This Act is sickly similar to the Patriot Act enacted by Bush and was a major step in instituting the dictatorship of Hitler.
2. Vatican Bank Scandals
The Catholic bank, Banco Ambrosiano, made a
series of unsecured loans to Panamanian shell companies, transactions
facilitated by the Vatican Bank. When their bank collapsed in the 80′s,
the Vatican denied any workings with the group, but would eventually pay
$224 million to various creditors. It was soon discovered that the
Catholic bank was involved in money laundering with Italian gangs,
however no one from the Vatican was arrested.
3. Prostitute Rings, Gay Networks, and Homosexuality
There are far too many sex scandals that
have occurred in the Vatican. There are priests who are gay but
celibate, priests who actively engage in gay sexual activity, and
priests who endorse it in contradiction to their own policy.
According to the catechism homosexuals are
to be treated with respect and compassion, however the homosexual acts
themselves are contrary to natural law and are not approved under the
church. Yet many of these sinful acts remain.
Two well known Vatican members ran a gay
prostitution ring, Angelo Balducci and Ghinedu Ehiem. Which many believe
lead to the resignation of Pope Benedict. Read more about that here.
4. Mafia Links
The church has managed to maintain a
troubling relationship with Italy’s powerful criminal organizations—from
the Sicilian Mafia to the Calabrian Ndrangheta and Campanian Camorra.
At a time when the church was not reconciled with the Italian state they
looked to other sources for local authority and the Mafia fit the bill.
As a result this lead to years of the church turning a blind eye to
their wrongdoings, which we still see the effects of today.
5. Baby Theft
Nuns, priests, doctors, and nurses all
conspired to steal as many as 300 Spanish babies over the course of five
decades. Spanish babies because many of the Spanish hospitals were run
by the Church. Mom’s were informed that their children died at birth and
shown an infant’s corpse. The babies were believed to have either been
scarified under some sort of ritual or sold to approved families for
large sums of money.
Sister Maria Gomez, was one of the first Nuns to be charged.
6. Child Abuse
The Vatican, for decades, has denied all
knowledge of child abuse. However it has been suggested that a Latin
document, signed by Pope John XXIII in 1962, proves otherwise. This
document lays down a policy of secrecy in dealing with sexual abuse and
recommends victims to take an oath of silence. Those who do not comply
are excommunicated.
Pope Benedict, Pope Francis, and many
others have been accused of covering up child sexual abuse within the
church. Some even believe the Popes themselves are involved.
