My reaction is Eeew.

My second reaction is: keep these people the hell away from my siblings.

Histor
Histor | Homepage | 07.31.07 - 9:47 pm | #

This is one of the few things I have ever read in St. Blog's that actually made me feel sick.

This morning I read it at Gerald's, and had to go for a walk to calm down.

St. Maria Goretti, pray for us!

Our Lady, Queen of Virgins, pray for us!
Gary Keith Chesterton | 07.31.07 - 10:50 pm | #

On a cynical note: this would be the best defense in a [clergy] pedophilia case in Germany, if they are having issues. If the government mandates educating parents and teachers to sexually interact with and encourage young children, why not others who also love the child?

Harumph.
kentuckyliz | Homepage | 08.01.07 - 7:45 am | #

Oh.My.God.

Socialized medicine anyone?
Catholic39 | 08.01.07 - 8:02 am | #

Hey, I live in New Zealand which has socialised medicine, don't blame that for this kind of revolting rubbish.

This is not an economic thing, this is a clear love of sheer sick immorality.
muerk | 08.01.07 - 8:16 am | #

how are people who don't know what SMACTDVAISYACTDC stands for meant to find out?
SDG | Homepage | 08.01.07 - 10:14 am | #

show me a culture that despises virginity and i'll show you a culture that despises children
Altar Guild | 08.01.07 - 10:21 am | #

Well, Mark, on the upside the Germans do absolutely loathe Scientology. You should learn to take the good with the bad....
Michael | Homepage | 08.01.07 - 10:47 am | #

Oh. Duh. Me are stoopid. Thx AG.
SDG | Homepage | 08.01.07 - 10:57 am | #

I guess I would like to see some more news sources on this. After all, this is Germany. Given it's track record, I can't believe it would ever go down such a dark and sinister path.
Dave G. | 08.01.07 - 12:30 pm | #

I think I'm gonna vomit.

And . . . "the good with the bad," Michael? Since your site has (at least in the past) liked to pro-masturbation sites & I recall that you've espoused the virtues of same both on your site & on this website in the past . . . between masturbation & Scientology, which would you be considering "the good" & which "the bad"?

Just wondering . . .
Gene Branaman | 08.01.07 - 12:30 pm | #

The booklets have been withdrawn from distribution now, pending revision, and a new, hopefully less objectionable, version will be out in the autumn. (Apparently, some of the things it said were "subject to misinterpretation, and ambiguous", according to a government spokeswoman.) This was prompted by someone with children actually reading the thing and reported its author & department to the Cologne criminal prosecution authorities for sexual abuse of children.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ de...,497527,00.html (in german, alas)
James A. | 08.01.07 - 1:06 pm | #

After all, this is Germany. Given it's track record, I can't believe it would ever go down such a dark and sinister path.

Dave, this isn't "Germany". This is Fallen Humanity. All of us are fighting it out with sin and death, every day. It isn't the good Us as opposed to the evil They.

Given our -- yes, OUR -- track record, I can't believe we won't choose that dark dark and sinister path -- again and again.

St. Michael the archangel, pray for us.
Romulus | 08.01.07 - 1:07 pm | #

Actually, I think this is a German thing. I remember Tom Haessler (I think) commenting about how he was shocked to find that sexual contact between parents and children was common enough to require preset penances in German penance guides back in the Medieval or pre-Medieval times (or something to that effect).
Publius | Homepage | 08.01.07 - 1:18 pm | #

True, the broschures have since been withdrawn by the Ministry for Family Affairs. But they have already been distributed about 6,500 times and downloaded numerous times online.

It's taken the Minister for Family Affairs, Ursula von der Leyen, long enough to take action. She herself is a medical doctor and mother of seven (!) so you'd think she'd know better. Her party is also called the "Christian Democratic Union", but hardly anyone in Germany takes the "Christian" bit seriously anymore.
Brian T. | 08.01.07 - 1:21 pm | #

Romulus.

I'm aware of the sin nature of things. My jest was at Germany, and those who look at places in Europe with a 'sure, they did bad things then, but they're much better now' perspective.

By the way, never underestimate a culture's ability to help that sinful nature along because of some inherent characteristics within said culture. Just look at post-BB America. Wow. And remember, I grew up after the 60s. The faults and failings of America is what I was taught most of all. Reminding me that US is capable of bad things is like convincing a Protestant that bad things happened in Catholic history. It’s the good things nowadays most often ignored.
Dave G. | 08.01.07 - 1:37 pm | #

The Russians appear to be firing up Strength Through Joy camps as well.

To be fair, they are seriously intending to avoid depopulation. But still.
Ed the Roman | 08.01.07 - 10:11 pm | #