What if it were the Dalai Lama?

Here’s a headline for your consideration: Dalai Lama Covers for Child Rapist

Suppose a Buddhist monk had raped and molested children in a temple, and instead of reporting it to the authorities when found out, the Dalai Lama instead buried the evidence and moved said monk to another temple – after scolding him. Then, this same monk rapes more kids. Then, it turns out that monks in temples all over the world have been raping kids for at least the last 50 years, and it was covered up whenever possible. What would the reaction be? What kind of scrutiny would Buddhist temples in America get?

Do I even need to ask the question, what if this scenario was played out in the Muslim faith? Would there even be mosques open in America right now?

What if we skip the question of faith, and keep it to organizations in contact with children? How about the superintendent of a large school district who finds out a teacher has been raping students. Instead of firing the teacher, he quietly moves him to another school, and tells him “don’t do it again.” Then, a few years later, we all find out not only about the original rapes, but also about ones this teacher committed in the new school he moved to.

We all know that teacher would go to jail, as he should. But does anyone think that the superintendent would keep his job? No, the public outcry would be enormous, and the teachers, administrators and community leaders would be in the forefront of the outcry.

So where are the bishops, priests and world leaders asking for the pope to resign?

Nobody in the western world would take the Dalai Lama seriously if he were involved in such a scandal. A Muslim cleric? An Imam? Are you kidding? We would not hear the end of it until heads had rolled! So why should the pope keep his job?

You might say, especially if you are Catholic, that the pope is infallible. The Doctrine of Infallibility says that because the pope is god’s representative on earth, and speaks and acts for god, he cannot make a mistake. Since god makes everything happen, and the pope is his rep, the pope is simply representing god’s will.

Following this doctrine (which was created by popes and Catholic officials), leads to the logical conclusion that god wants Catholic boys and girls raped by church officials. If they are allowed to cover it up, they prolong the problem and increase the number of victims. This current pope himself partook in cover-ups.

You could argue that he partook in cover-ups as Bishop Ratzinger, not as pope, and therefore abetted the rape of children before he was infallible. But consider what this pope has said about child rape within the church. He ruled that the rape, sodomizing, molestation and physical abuse of children should remain an internal matter, and the discipline handled in secret. Worse, in my opinion, was his rating of these crimes. He further ruled that raping children in church was equivalent to throwing away communion wafers.

I’m sorry, but as a non-Catholic, I can’t believe this guy. Raping children is the same as throwing away crackers. Un fucking believable!

I get that the crackers have important ritual and symbolic meaning to Catholics. Communion crackers are the symbolic flesh of Christ, and given out in a mock cannibalism (goddabalism?) ritual. Church belief may place great importance on these crackers that I could not understand. And, as pope, bishop or priest one might place very strict church rules on what to do with said crackers. If a priest breaks these rules, whether I understand or not, he might face sanctions. Maybe even serious ones. Great. Do your thing. To consider throwing away crackers a serious church crime is up to the church.

But to consider the two acts equivalent is insane. I threw away some crackers last week. They were in the back of a kitchen cupboard, and they were stale. Nobody was violated, abused or hurt by this action. You may argue that it was a waste of food in a world where children go to bed hungry, but nobody took it in the ass.

Children have taken it in the ass (and mouth, hand and vagina) by the tens of thousands (over 15,000 in Ireland alone), and this pope helped to cover it up in the past. His own rulings on this matter cast him as definitively fallible, as well as one mean SOB. He cares more about his position as shepherd, than he does his flock. He should quit, or be forced out if the Catholic Church is to have any credibility as a religious organization.

But that won’t happen. This pope will likely ride out this controversy in his palace, surrounded by centuries of acquired riches, and be only lightly scathed by public criticism, let alone legal sanction. Many Catholics will continue to support their church and speak of the good works it does. And, since forgiveness is a big part of Catholic doctrine, they will forgive themselves and move on.

But the victims will lack accountability here on the temporal plane of existence. Popes and bishops will get away with what other professionals would lose a career for, if not go to prison.

If Jesus wants to forgive you, when you go on to meet him, that’s his business. But a man who hides child rape does not deserve to be pope. Period. And do we have any doubt that if it were a non-white, non-Christian religious leader that the national mantra would be “get rid of the summa bitch!”?

We shouldn’t, because it would.