Drudge linked to a Sun article which purports that Christophers "I have Daddy Issues" Hitchens and Richard "It's Better to be Smart than to be Correct" Dawkins plan on arresting the Pope.
Pope Benedict XVI was hit by new controversy this weekend over a letter he signed in 1985, arguing against defrocking a sex-abuser priest. He is due to visit Britain in September. International law allows an arrest for crimes against humanity outside a person's own borders.
Hitchens said: "The institutionalised concealment of child rape is a crime under any law."
Really, boys? This is your publicity stunt of choice, now? Arresting the pope?
Of course, the article doesn't really help matters. It says the pope signed a letter in 1985 against defrocking a priest, and then has a Hitchens quote accusing the pope of concealing child rape.
These are logically connected in what way?
Do we have some kind of document showing that Ratzinger advocated concealing pedophiles?
Do Hitchens and Dawkins even understand what it means to defrock a priest?
And are we now to arrest people for making arguments on behalf of criminals? Wouldn't we have to arrest every defense attorney that ever stood on behalf of a perp?
UPDATE:
This article by Michael Sean Winters makes a pretty clear case why the accusations above are hogwash. It does a great job showing how the media are presenting incomplete pictures that make it look like Ratzinger was defending a pedophile and the Church's reputation even though neither are plausible in the full context.
Comments