Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI published a scathing letter about society in the 1960s and 1970s, blaming the recent controversies over pedophile priests on the the rampant sexual freedom of the era.
The former pope, who was the first to resign from the post in more than 600 years, said in the nearly 6,000-word letter that the sexual revolution caused otherwise calm and innocent individuals to commit acts of violence, compelling them to engage in behaviors that would be out of character.
“The mental collapse was also linked to a propensity for violence. That is why sex films were no longer allowed on airplanes because violence would break out among the small community of passengers. And since the clothing of that time equally provoked aggression, school principals also made attempts at introducing school uniforms with a view to facilitating a climate of learning,” he wrote.
“Why did pedophilia reach such proportions? Ultimately, the reason is the absence of God. We Christians and priests also prefer not to talk about God, because this speech does not seem to be practical.”
In addition to rampant pedophilia, he also blamed the “mental collapse” of sexual liberalization for bolstering and normalizing homosexuality within the church. He lamented, “Catholic moral theology suffered a collapse that rendered the Church defenceless against these changes in society.”
Benedict has been accused by members of the Catholic Church of covering up the sexual assaults perpetrated by priests. He has extensively denied those allegations.
