by: Rick Johnson 
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
RikJohnson@juno.com
Consider that during the Bush-Dukakis presidential campaign, Jerry Falwell, a powerful fundamentalist baptish minister with a large following not only produced a comic book attacking Mike Dukakis for appointing Lauri Cabot the “Official Witch of Salem”, he also told his congregations and television audience that god wanted them to vote for George Bush, all of which was illegal. His actions swayed the US Elections.
Later after the 9-11 attacks, it was Falwell who told the world that Witches were at fault for the attacks.
Consider how many people have been influenced or controlled by this person who ‘spoke for god’ and so was followed blindly. Had he told his followers to burn Witches, at least some would have done so.
Even in Witchcraft which is notorious for the free-thinking of it’s members, we see many Gardnerians whose justification for some action was “my Queen told me..”.
Consider how a pope with political authority and the command of the catholic faith could sway those nations that hare heavily catholic. Even in modern Ireland birth control is illegal only because the catholic pope forced that law to be passed.
Thus it is vital that we be aware of the opinions of those who lead any religion.
After 1978 John Paul II rewarded Joseph Ratzinger for 'services rendered... in helping him get elected' with the office of Prefect of the 'Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith'.
The Office of the Inquisition founded in 1542 was officially renamed the Holy Office in 1908 and then in 1965 renamed as the 'Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith'.
Joseph Ratzinger was named Pope a few hours ago.
The Head Inquisitor is now Pope!
Ratzinger is also a former soldier of Adolph Hitler's Third Reich, and very right wing - just the man for the job.
My fiance is a big collector of pictures and information regarding the war, and we were just discussing the fact that Joseph Ratzinger was in fact under hitlers command due to draft at the end of the war, where he helped dig anti tank ditches at the austrian hungarian boarder, HOWEVER he did defect and took refuge in a school for priests where his studies began.
Just to let you know, in my opinion, I dont fully believe he is in favor of nazies due to this action.
Lisa
Let me add "homophobe" as a Fourth item to your list of new pope stories:
This is from an _Outrage!_ article in 1998 discussing Ratzinger's extreme homophobia:
In 1986, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote the infamous Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. Ratzinger wrote that a homosexual orientation, even if the person is totally celibate, is a "tendency" toward an "intrinsic moral evil". Moreover, a homosexual inclination is both an "objective disorder" and a "moral disorder", which is "contrary to the creative wisdom of God". "Special concern and pastoral attention should be directed towards those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not." Ratzinger's 1986 Letter concludes that pastoral care for homosexual persons should include "the assistance of the psychological, sociological and medical sciences", and that "all support should be withdrawn from any organisations which seek to undermine the teachings of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which ignore it entirely".
Most shocking of all, the 1992 document suggests that when lesbians and gay men demand civil rights, "neither the Church nor society should be surprised when ... irrational and violent reactions increase".
Complete article at http://www.outrage.nabumedia.com/pressrelease.asp?ID=39
One could call him the most powerful homophobe on earth.
Phyllis
'In 1997 Ratzinger annoyed Buddhists by calling their religion an 'autoerotic spirituality' that offers 'transcendence without imposing concrete religious obligations'. And Hinduism, he said, offers 'false hope'; it guarantees 'purification' based on a 'morally cruel' concept of reincarnation resembling 'a continuous circle of hell'. The Cardinal predicted Buddhism would replace Marxism as the Catholic Church's main enemy this century."
From the article: Cardinal Josef Ratzinger - New Internationalist Magazine, September 2000
Ratzinger eschews the word "church" when used for non-Catholic bodies, he thinks the RC should own the word!:
"Catholic bishops and theologians who refer to Protestant churches as "sister churches" were causing ambiguity. Instead of referring to Protestant churches as "churches," both documents use the term "ecclesial communities." '
from: http://www.deceptioninthechurch.com/epnews.htm
Phyllis
To be changed and updated as more info is found so send me confirming or conflicting information.
To contact me or to request topics to be covered, send to RikJohnson@juno.com
by: Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
