The Saddest Story Ever Told, poem by Vinnie Nauheimer, written for the papal visit

Click picture to enlarge. Illustration by Vinnie Nauheimer also.

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Think of City of Angels Blog as a platform, for webcasting of videos and music, performance of art and humor, and publishing the work of victims of Sex Crimes in the Catholic Church. This poem came in tonight, written by Vinnie Nauheimer "For the Pope's Visit," entitled: The Saddest Story Ever Told -- ke

An injured child lies in the street and cries.
A passerby ignores the cries; the child dies.
Depraved indifference in anyone's eyes.
In the face of reason, this indifference flies!

Is there any excuse for the gravity of this depravity?

A pedophile priest children enslaves
Seeking the illicit sex he craves.
Creating wounds children take to their graves
He's a sexual predator, that's how he behaves.

They never see the gravity of their depravity.

Bishops had knowledge of these horrific acts;
They chose to ignore all the grotesque facts.
To contain the damage, they shuffled priests
Sacrificing more children to feed these beasts.

They never accepted the gravity of the depravity.

Predator priests left children bloodied and gored
The plight of their victims completely ignored
How could they deny a sexually abused child?
These violations should have driven the laity wild.

They never understood the gravity of their depravity.

The depth of their depravity knew no bounds.
It sprang forth straight from hell's hounds.
Not satisfied with leaving children strewn about;
Bishops crucified any who tried to speak out.

They hid well the gravity of their depravity.

Abusive tactics, gag orders and even shame
Were all gambits employed in an ugly game
To keep wounded children alone and at bay
So no one would notice a church full of decay.

They knew well the gravity of their depravity.

In two thousand two the whole scandal blew.
Bishops and cardinals denied all they knew
About abusive clergy they'd shuffled about
As the media and church used their clout.

Forsaking truth defines the gravity of their depravity

It was all about them; they didn't know!
Bishops and cardinals, what a convincing show!
Now they recoil at being called depraved
Still making excuses for the way they behaved.

Thus they denied the gravity of their depravity

The pope called the cardinals to his home.
Old men in red dresses gathered in Rome
To hear the cause: "mysterium iniquitous!"
The pontiff feigned ignorance too, fortuitous!

A mystery, the gravity of their depravity!

"There is no room in the priesthood," he said,
"For those who abuse children," his face red.
Hollow words rang hollow under St. Peter's dome
After which, the cardinals solemnly headed home.

Let's declare an end to the gravity of this depravity.

The bishops drew up the Dallas Charter
To the man, they played the martyr
Furiously debating one strike or two
As if one wouldn't give the devil his due!

We must protect all our priests, even the beasts!

Bernie Law elevated priests above his God
And with a vulgar smile gave them a nod.
Depraved indifference was the essence of Law
How many children had he sent to hell's door?

Victims cried out with a roar, "Up yours Bernie Law!"

He resigned steeped in humiliating disgrace,
But good old J.P. found him an honored place;
The reward for cardinal sins: a Basilica in Rome.
Out of the court's reach, his lavish new home!

Christ was betrayed in this remarkable charade,
Hierarchal duplicity soared to new heights
Stomping on victims in the name of priest's rights.
There wasn't a legal venue they didn't thwart
In their Herculean efforts to stay out of court.

Fighting tooth and nail to keep molesters out of jail!

Monstrous was their deft use of deceit
Making the carnage of children complete.
Doing nothing while a child's soul dies
Is Depraved Indifference in anyone's eyes!

Who could imagine the hypocrisy of this theocracy?

Feigning concern, they commissioned a survey
>From an honorable institution called John Jay
On the numbers of priests gone sexually astray
And then paraded the findings like a bad toupee!

So much dung flung from many a forked tongue.

The bishops created a National Review Board
Whose every request was then patently ignored
By a hierarchy who only answered to the Lord
Ask Frank Keating, who struck the wrong chord.

What a disgrace; it backfired in the bishop's face.

"The hierarchy used mafia tactics," said Keating.
Speaking the truth, earned him a verbal beating.
Cardinals and bishops demanded his resignation,
Which he gladly tendered out of sheer frustration.

If the truth is spoken aloud; put the speaker in a shroud.

Grand Juries all reached the same conclusion
Honesty from church leaders was just an illusion
They came away with the same recommendations
There must be changes to the Statute of Limitations.

They will have to address the flaws if we change the laws!

Victims come to terms with abuse later on in life.
The Statutes deny justice, creating more strife.
Bishops used the statutes as a legal solution
Whereby criminal priests escaped prosecution.

How could this be? Policy from the Holy See!
They spoke of sorrow, forgiveness, and grace
While hiring legions of lawyers without a face
To forestall any changes from taking place
To the Statutes of Limitations and further disgrace.

Sons of the Pharisee, they have nothing on thee!

And what of the priests sworn to God's law
The majority, it seems, were made out of straw.
Never speaking out against the evil they saw
Child abuse, hypocrisy and breaking the law.

Serving their human boss, not Christ on the cross.

All the spin about prayerful healing;
Just a sham to cover their double dealing.
They're full of contrition for getting caught;
Not for the untold damage they've wrought.

The children's plight was never in their sight.

The pope speaks often of human rights,
Evoking peals of laughter as we recall the fights
To conceal the scandal of their own making
Which left countless children alone and aching.

Limitless is the hypocrisy of this theocracy.

Illusions of their grandeur fill their eyes
Blind to the truth, they can't see their lies.
>From which side of their mouth have they spoken?
The side giving the impression nothing's broken.

The men in red have the devil wed.

Years from now they will speak of the day
When a corrupt hierarchy had their way.
A once mighty edifice flew out of control
Because the bricks and mortar lacked a soul.

Our children became toys for grownup boys.

We can't say if this is the church's demise
That's for future generations to surmise.
But the beginning of the end is no surprise
For the church that lies eventually dies!

The price of the gravity of their depravity

By Vinnie Nauheimer © April, 2008

Onward. . .