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Date Posted: 07:17:55 04/14/11 Thu
Author: Trajan
Subject: Father Gabriele Amorth singled out the New York Times

Back in the late 60s and early 70s, popular comedian Flip Wilson often performed a bit featuring a character named Geraldine, the wife of a minister, who detected the hand of Satan in her own weakness for impulse shopping. Her trademark tagline was "The Devil made me buy this dress."

That line of defense came to mind while we were reading this Catholic News Agency story reporting that an Italian priest who specializes in exorcisms has seen Satan at work in the media coverage of the Catholic Church's round of scandals involving the sexual abuse of children by priests. Father Gabriele Amorth specifically singled out the New York Times—which has reported on one such scandal in Milwaukee where then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, appeared to permit a priest with a long history of abuse accusations to retain his office—as pursuing an agenda "prompted by the Devil."

"There is no doubt about it," Amorth told CNA. "Because he is a marvelous Pope and worthy successor to John Paul II, it is clear that the devil wants to 'grab hold' of him." He went on to explain that "the devil wants the death of the Church because she is the mother of all the saints."

As defenders of the Church continue to castigate the Times and other media outlets for their coverage, the American paper of record is standing pat. A spokeswoman for the Times told Politico's Michael Calderone that its "stories were based on meticulous reporting and documents," adding, "We stand by that reporting."

Amorth's blame-shifting gambit is striking for its theological reach, but other institutions fending off similar abuse charges are proving no less resourceful in fingering culprits outside their own walls. A Portland, Ore., scout master who testified in a $29 million suit involving an adult scout leader who has confessed to molesting boys on overnight stays at his apartment, alleged that the fault in the case lies with the parents of the kids. Scout master Eugene Grant called the area parents "criminal" and "negligent" for permitting their kids to stay with the defendant—even though at the time of many of the incidents, the Boy Scouts had no policy banning adult leaders from hosting Scout sleepovers.

—Brett Michael Dykes is a national affairs writer for Yahoo! News

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