Fascism in the Church: Ex-Priest On "The Pope's War," Clergy Abuse and Quelling Liberation Theology . The clock is ticking down on Pope Benedict's leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. And the outgoing Pontiff has given final instructions to Cardinals in The Vatican, as they prepare to elect the next leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
As Pope Benedict XVI steps down today, we turn to a former Catholic priest who was silenced and expelled by the Pope, then Cardinal Ratzinger, in the 1980s. Matthew Fox chronicles his story in the book, "The Pope's War: Why Ratzinger's Secret Crusade Has Imperiled the Church and How It Can Be Saved." Pope Benedict's tenure was marked by several scandals -- most notably his handling of the widening sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, including allegations that he ignored at least one case of abuse while serving as a cardinal. Documents show that in 1985, he delayed efforts to defrock a priest convicted of molesting children. "I will take the Pope at his word here when he says he is tired. I would also be tired, too, if I had left as much devastation in my wake as he has," Fox says. "I think that the Catholic Church as we know it, the structure of the Vatican, is passé. We are moving beyond it, it has become a viper's nest. It is really sick what is going on -- obviously to cover up the pedophile priests."
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