I usually wait until after events have unfolded a bit more to write about them. That's partly because my day-to-day work schedule doesn't leave as much time for writing here as I'd like, and partly because I prefer to get a look at the bigger picture and round my observations up accordingly.
But this Sept. 18 speech by Johann Hari deserves recognition for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, it's right and extremely eloquent. Hari goes into the documented proof of Ratzinger's malfeasance without becoming bogged down; grounding his speech in a common-sense appeal while summing the issue up perfectly:
"He talks about repentance, there is no other group of criminals in the world that we allow to say 'sorry' and walk free. You want to repent, repent from your prison cell.
There are people who will tell you we've come here to be anti-Catholic. Well, I disagree with the ideas of all religions, but I can think of nothing more anti-Catholic than what they're about to do in Hyde Park. They are about to cheer a man who covered up the rape of thousands of children of Catholics. Is there anyone here who can think of anything more pro-Catholic than what we are doing, trying to bring that man to justice."
Listen to the whole thing.
The speech is also worth noting because Hari, while an unapologetic atheist, gets that one of the main virtues of secularism is its ability to unite diverse creeds under a common legal and political framework, bringing them all a basic measure of peace and justice while giving individuals the space to reject, mix or follow those belief systems as they choose (Hari's column on free speech is a must-read on that front).
So while Hari makes it quite clear that he doesn't believe in Christianity, there's no scolding Catholics. On the contrary, he praises those who've stood up to Ratzinger, especially their role in helping to reveal the extent of the pedophilia coverup, and notes that the ideals of the faith they practice demand a fight against papal corruption. Hari gets that defeating the Vatican's seeming exemption from basic justice is a struggle that transcends the usual arguments about divinity: the status quo is wrong under every moral system.
That's why the movement to hold the Pope accountable is important, even though the chances of seeing him arrested seem remote (he'll probably die of old age first); it's establishing an important precedent for prosecuting any bastard that thinks they can get away with this sort of crime, regardless of their station. This problem did not begin with Joseph Ratzinger, and it will not end, even after he is gone, until that justice becomes reality.
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