It's an amazing thing to think of the selection of the new Pope o'Rome this way: when they were young men, Pope John Paul as KAROL JÓSEF WOJTYŁA, Polish citizen would have been ratted out by Pope Benedict XVI, member of the Hitler Jugend (Hitler Youth) for studying for the priesthood, in a Krackow second. Irony is well and truly dead.
Unknown to many members of the church, however, Ratzinger’s past includes brief membership of the Hitler Youth movement and wartime service with a German army anti- aircraft unit.
Great, you all picked a former Hitler Youth and a guy who shot at and probably killed Allied Pilots in the name of Der Fuhrer. Terrific.
Sobering thought on the choice of titleholders for the Popemobile, doncha think? As barndog says in comments below: "Wait... listen to that sound -
The sound you hear is sensible Catholics leaving the church in droves. "
Methinks he's hit on the head.
posted by Jo Fish on 04.20.05 at 07:38 AM
Comments:
This lad at the helm of Holy Mother Church brings a whole new meaning to that wonderful old expression "Ein Volk Ein Reich Ein Fuehrer"
Wonder if he'll paint little stars on the side of the Popemobile for all the allied planes he shot down during the war?
posted by: fbg46 on 04.20.05 at 11:07 AM [permalink]
Not to say this guy is a winner, but he actually deserted his AA unit at a time when they would have simply shot him in the head if he had been caught. He also was in the Hitler Youth at a time when it pretty much was mandatory for men his age (WW2 ended when he was 18) I'm not saying I like the guy (I don't) but I think this is an issue that's been blown out of proportion.
posted by: Erik D. on 04.20.05 at 10:49 PM [permalink]
He actually did get caught and served time in a prison camp. Lucky for him one might say.
As a Catholic with familial ties to the church in El Salvador and Guatemala, his stance and actions as John Paul II's enforcer regarding "Liberation Theology" while nuns are raped, priests are murdered, and the poor are treated as a commodity to be abused is enough to make one shudder.
As an Irishman whose nation dealt with the pedophilia scandals before the US did, his statements are enough to make the entire Republic turn to the bottle in anger.
He's definitely got baggage, but the decisions made by a 14 year old in 1941 Germany are not necessarily ones to base a judgment on him.
What he's done as a Cardinal since 1980 provides us more than enough fodder.
At the time Ratzinger joined the Hitler Jugend, it was mandatory to do so. Be good for a lot of people around here to check their history before they sound off.
Much ado about nothing. Even average Germans were pressed to fight in the closing days of the war. My grandfathers best friend was a youth pressed into service with a WaffenSS unit as a grenadier despite asthma and a dead leg. Ratzinger is going to drag the Church back the 13th Century on other terms.
posted by: metulj on 04.21.05 at 11:18 AM [permalink]
Plenty of reasons to oppose this man without his compulsory service in the Hitler Youth. I am an Army brat who spent a lot of time in Germany. All of the older German men I knew were Wehrmacht or Hitler Youth veterans. 90% of them were very good people.
posted by: merlallen on 04.21.05 at 01:03 PM [permalink]
Yeah, the little 14-year-old didn't mean it. I'm sure Prescott Bush can be forgiven, as well. While we're at it, let's just give preznit drunken illiterate a pass also. I'm feeling very Christian tonight.
posted by: Pechorin on 04.21.05 at 08:22 PM [permalink]
Well, the Hitler Youth thing is so couple of days ago anyway. Right now, in the present, Pope Eggs Benedict the bunch-of-letters is bitching at the Spanish government for passing a bill that gives gay people marriage rights, and it looks like it's going to go through and be law. So Pope Eggs Benedict the bunch-of-letters has to make his first official Pope announcements an attack on civil rights.
With all due respect to Catholics everywhere, Pope Eggs Benedict the bunch-of-letters can go fuck himself. He's probably feeling guilty about some ten year old altar boy back in Heidelberg or something, so this is how he compensates, by crapping all over gay people and using his religious text and not the religious ideals to support it. An ass-hat for Pope Eggs Benedict the bunch-of-letters. I hope the Spanish government and Spanish people ignore him completely. Let him go get some tanks for Vatican City if he wants to tell duly constituted democratic governments what to do. I hope the Spanish people have not forgotten what a good Catholic Franco was and his excellent relationship with the Church while he was murdering Spaniards and suppressing free government and making fascism his legacy. The Holy See didn't have a damn thing to say about all of that. In fact, they were buddy-buddy because Franco went to mass every day.
Isn't this the same jackbooted, goosestepping conservative cardinal who directed that pro-choice politicians, like Kerry, be denied holy communion? Just what we need today, more intolerance and prejudice. One step forward, two steps back. Now a fundy pope to return the church to the glory of the 11th century.
posted by: Lowell on 04.22.05 at 02:19 PM [permalink]
He claims he was an unwilling member, but it doesn't seem like he's been so quick to shake off the hard-line authoritative training he received there. Some lessons take hard and early; I'm not buying the apostate thing.
The reason to avoid concentrating on his hitler youth activities (as well as his service in a german AA unit) is that it's too easy for opponents to derail legitimate criticisms of Pope Benedict the romannumerals. To my knowledge, there's not enough evidence that he was a willing participant to damn him. His recent activities, IMO, are what should be concentrated on, as they're more then enough to nail his sorry ass to the wall.
posted by: Erik D. on 04.23.05 at 01:01 AM [permalink]
