Angelo Balducci, “Gentleman of His Holiness” Pope Benedict, has been fired after reportedly being caught by Italian police arranging for male prostitutes to be brought to him. The young men reportedly include one who is studying for the priesthood.
Balducci was arrested on February 10th and reportedly taped in call for male prostitutes. He is a member of the Gentlemen of His Holiness, or Papal Gentlemen, the ceremonial ushers of the papal household. The Gentlemen are expected to “distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord.”
Balducci reportedly ordered deliveries of prostitutes, including “two black Cuban lads”, a former male model from Naples, and a rugby player from Rome.
Regarding the off-topic Shreveport story:
Beyond any shadow of a doubt, I know that this same kind of garbage is going on all across this country, albeit more covertly and with different twists. Where it will stop, if it isn’t brought to the fore and exposed, is anyone’s guess.
anon nurse,
Thanks for the heads up on what clowns with badges to avoid when I go to Shreveport.
George,
Now as I reread your comment, it is obvious what you intended to say. Sorry, sardonic wit gets by me sometimes in text form.
Off-topic, but a couple of interesting stories about another, evolving “militia group”:
Louisiana sheriff trains volunteers for ‘Project Exodus’ to combat terrorism
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/louisiana-sheriff-trains-volunteers-for-project-exodus-to-combat-terrorism/1
Rachel Maddow’s “take” on this group:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#35718393
AY–
Are you referring to the “evangelical Christian hate group called ‘Repent Amarillo'”?????
Sometimes I think I’d be better off not knowing what’s going in our country–and the world.
Elaine M. – Thanks for the thinkprogress.org link.
Do you think that they are going to move on to the Vatican next?
Buckeye–
“Led by a man named David Grisham, a security guard at a nuclear-bomb facility called Pantex.”
Hard to believe–but I promise you I didn’t make it up! Check out the link I posted with my comment. Here it is again:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/03/04/texas-taliban/
Here’s the link to the site of Repent Amarillo:
http://www.repentamarillo.com/
Elaine M.
Egad! A Christian militia group
“Led by a man named David Grisham, a security guard at a nuclear-bomb facility called Pantex.”
Surely you just made that up! If not, I hope you notified Homeland Security.
mespo–
Thanks for the response. I was just checking! 🙂
BTW, let me know if you want to buy some indulgences. I can get you a good deal. If you have enough of them in your possession when the Grim Reaper comes a knockin’ at your door, you can bypass Purgatory and go straight to Heaven.
Mespo,
I agree re: Hamas, there is some social welfare good they do and that was what I was referring to in the RCC. While the RCC gets better press we can’t forget though they they have about a 1,650 year head start and were once the official religion of the world’s most powerful empire, not to mention all of Europe until Luther.
Elaine M:
I had the priests in mind, but who am I to deny women anything they desire?
seamus:
Pardon the interruption, but I added a little edit to your cogent phraseology:
“Some are called to the Church, others just get sucked [on].”
Mike S:
“There is some good done by the RCC, but it is destroyed by the overwhelming hypocrisy of its operations.”
********************
Agreed. The same might be said about Hamas by virtue of its welfare and social services programs, yet it enjoys neither the funding nor the world-wide respect the Pope enjoys.
There is some good done by the RCC, but it is destroyed by the overwhelming hypocrisy of its operations. Then again what religious establishment isn’t rife with hypocrisy? Believing in a God and/or religion is one thing, but when someone takes money to facilitate worship with the tacit or stated suggestion that it will increase your favor with the Deity, it’s a con game. That the creator of the entire universe needs tangible proof of belief from an individual is to me blasphemy. To suggest for instance that the individual prayers of a Christian to Jesus gets less attention than someone getting communion, is to diminish Jesus. A Muslim can pray to Allah five times a day without ever walking into a mosque and so can a Jew. This has to be the case if anyone’s notion of god is real. The institutions and the individuals supported by them need to convince people otherwise, even though their own religious texts don’t support them.
To Dredd:
If you are serious about your comment: “I mean, at least they are leaving the kids alone now,” I suggest that this story only attests to the breadth of the depravity but certainly NOT assurance that now the “kids are all right”!!
Some are called to the Church, others just get sucked in.
JoshOnPC…My comment was totally tongue-in-cheek. I think you and I are on the same page.
Former Federal LEO…Exactly. I’m tired of the hypocrisy, particularly from those who claim to offer God’s clemency.
“The young men reportedly include one who is studying for the priesthood”
Is that what saying”variety is the spice of life”means?