This Should Get Pope Ratz Going

Cardinal Oullet Apologizes For Church Conduct

Give credit where it's due - this is a start:

Among the errors he cited are attitudes, prior to 1960, which favoured "anti-Semitism, racism, indifference to First Nations and discrimination against women and homosexuals."

Ouellet acknowledged that abuses of power hurt the church's image in Quebec and hindered its moral authority.

"Mothers of families were snubbed by parish priests without regard for the family obligations that they are already assumed; youngsters were subject to sexual aggression by priests," he wrote.

I think this is the first time that I've seen anything remotely resembling an apology from a senior member of the Roman Catholic hierarchy for some of the most egregious behaviours of the church itself and its clergy.

By no means do I believe that the R/C church has yet begun to repent for that past - when we start seeing the Church not merely apologize, but actively taking steps to correct policies that are blatantly fostering discrimination then I'll start to consider whether the church is in a position to make statements of "moral authority".

Of course, we could also find that Pope Ratz makes the good Cardinal's existence in the Church a living hell too...

[Update]
Lifesite Comes Out With Their Interpretation, which naturally tries to justify the standard Catholic dogmas of misogyny and homobigotry:

His inspiration in apologizing comes, he says, from similar actions by the late Pope John Paul II in 2000. And like John Paul, Cardinal Ouellet also strongly affirms the Church's stands against homosexual acts and the so-called woman's right to choose.

Excesses, prior to 1960, by some clergy and religious in the province who unjustly discriminated against persons with homosexual inclinations with name-calling and belittling attitudes were hurtful, and indeed the source of much bitterness. For the Church, the opposition to homosexual acts, comes not out of any type of disdain for persons with same sex attractions, but just the opposite.

It is out of love for those afflicted with these sexual temptations that the Church speaks out against homosexual acts. She recognizes the physical, emotional and especially the spiritual harm that results from these behaviours.

I realize full well that Oullet's comments are far from a complete repentance of the Church's historical attitudes of intolerance and bigotry, but LifeSite's interpretation is essentially a blind defense of the worst aspects of how scripture can be read.

Westen's attitudes are an insult to neanderthals everywhere, harkening back to a time when beating the tar out of someone for being gay was considered good sport, and women were published for being sexual beings.

... and these people wonder why church attendance rates keep dropping ...
[/Update]