Anne Frank and the Pearl Necklace?

The inimitable Mark Steel, on that grimmest of papal scandals:

The Pope’s own preacher managed to make life even trickier for his boss, complaining that criticism of the Catholic Church on this issue was similar to anti-Semitism and “Collective punishment for Jews.” Of course. I’m sure when a priest is told the children he abused want action to be taken against him, he thinks “I tell you what, now I know exactly how Anne Frank felt.”

Still, I suppose we should be grateful he didn’t add “But none of the priests used condoms so at least they’re all good Catholics.”

(Cartoon by Mike Scott for New Jersey Newsroom, March 24, 2010.)

Stating the obvious

The thing is—

Father Gabriele Amorth said people who are possessed by Satan vomit shards of glass and pieces of iron.

He added that the assault on Pope Benedict XVI on Christmas Eve by a mentally unstable woman and the sex abuse scandals which have engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Germany and other countries, were proof that the Anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See.

“The Devil resides in the Vatican and you can see the consequences,” said Father Amorth, 85, who has been the Holy See’s chief exorcist for 25 years.

—you don’t need to sell me on the shards of glass in order to convince me the Devil resides in the Vatican. Just like we really don’t need the endless scandals to convince me the Church is gay.

‘Nuff said.