Pope Benedict XVI claims 1970's culture is to blame for rampant pedophilia in Catholic Church!
Pope Benedict used his annual speech to Rome's cardinals and bishops on Monday (Dec. 20) to ask them to reflect on the church's responsibility in the child sex abuse scandals. Benedict qualified his mea culpa by stating that the scandal (in which priests who sexually abused children were often ignored or protected by the Catholic Church) was partly justified by the broader social context. Benedict said that while the church accepted some responsibility, he could not be silent about ''the context of these times.... There is a market in child pornography that seems in some way to be considered more and more normal by society." [History of Pornography No More Prudent Than Present] Benedict claimed that as recently as the 1970s, "pedophilia was theorized as something fully in conformity with man and even with children." In this climate, the Catholic Church's actions were merely reflecting the moral relativism of the times: "It was maintained — even within the realm of Catholic theology — that there is no such thing as evil in itself or good in itself," Benedict said. That is, church leaders weren't sure if child sexual abuse was wrong, since secular society seemed to accept it.
Full article:
http://www.livescience.com/culture/catholic-pope-blames-society-for-pedophile-priests-101221.html
French village of Bugarach worries over 2010-End-of-the-World believers swamping the town due to rumors of it being one of the few sacred locations of safety from Armageddon!
Bugarach, population 189, is a peaceful farming village in the Aude region, southwestern France and sits at the foot of the Pic de Bugarach, the highest mountain in the Corbières wine-growing area. But in the past few months, the quiet village has been inundated by groups of esoteric outsiders who believe the peak is an "alien garage". According to them, extraterrestrials are quietly waiting in a massive cavity beneath the rock for the world to end, at which point they will leave, taking, it is hoped, a lucky few humans with them. Most believe Armageddon will take place on December 21, 2012, the end date of the ancient Maya calendar, at which point they predict human civilisation will come to an end. Another favourite date mentioned is 12, December, 2012. They see Bugarach as one of perhaps several "sacred mountains" sheltered from the cataclysm. "This is no laughing matter," Jean-Pierre Delord, the mayor, told The Daily Telegraph.
Full article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/ufo/8217001/French-village-which-will-survive-2012-Armageddon-plagued-by-visitors.html
The Lake Lure Inn hotel in North Carolina finds ghostly image in wedding snapshot
A hotel in North Carolina finds itself in the middle of a spooky mystery. The Lake Lure Inn was hosting a wedding anniversary reception, when the events and catering manager decided to snap a photo of the ice sculpture. Some say the photo captured the ghostly image of a young boy on the left side of the picture.
Full article:
http://www.ktnv.com/story/13719793/north-carolina-inns-photo-sparks-ghost-questions
