Pope Pius IX, was the church's longest reigning pope by far, 31.5 years to the runner up 26.5 years, the recent John Paul II for whom Pius IX was a personal idols.  "Pio Nono" -- as many in Italy call him --is the pope who declared that when popes speak in their special capacity as God's substitute on earth (that's what "Vicar of Christ" means) they speak infallibly.  And pious Roman Catholics believe that this man couldn't be wrong about this because, as he said, he was infallible!  The Vatican holds "Pio Nono" in such high esteem that they are well on their way to making him a "saint", i.e. a model for Catholics and especially popes to imitate.  In the light of recent developments, maybe they could make him "the patron saint of clerical pedophiles and / or kidnappers", as this is the example set by this "infallible saint" :

      In 1858, a six-year-old Jewish child, Edgardo Mortara, was kidnapped by papal police in Bolognia on the pretext that he had been baptized "in extremis" ( i.e. when in mortal danger) by a servant girl six years earlier.  Placed in the reopened House of Catacumens, the child was forcibly instructed in the Catholic faith.  Despite the pleas of Edgardo's parents, Pio Nono adopted the child and liked to play with him, hiding him under his soutane (cassock) and calling out, "where's the boy?"  The world was outraged; no less than 20 editorials on the subject were published in The New York Times and both Emperors Franz Joseph of Austria and Napoleon III of France begged the Pope to return the child to his rightful parents, all in vain.  Pio Nono kept Edgardo cloistered in a monastery, where he was eventually ordained as a priest." (p.11)
      . . . "The notion of Jewish obstinacy was a crucial element in the case of Edgardo Mortara (also spelled "Montara").  When the parents of the kidnapped Edgardo pleaded in person with the Pope for the return of their son, Pio Nono told them that they could have their son back at once if only they converted to Catholicism -- which, of course, they would do instantly if they opened their hearts to Christian revelation.  But they would not, and did not.  The Mortaras, in the view of Pio Nono, had brought all their suffering upon their own heads as a result of their obduracy.  (p. 27)
(from the book "Hitler's Pope, The Secret History of Pius XII", by the Catholic scholar, John Cornwell)         Pope Pius IX, whose lengthy ruled lasted from 1846 to 1878, restored most of the onerous restrictions of the past against the Jews within the Vatican state.  All Jews under Papal control were confined to Rome's ghetto -- the last one in Europe until the Nazis recreated ghettos in the 1930s.-- 
        Pope John Paul II thought so highly of Pius IX that in the year 2000 he had him beatified -- the last step before sainthood --.
        Pius IX was himself the Pope who decided in 1867 to raise to sainthood one of sixteenth-century Spain's notorious grand inquisitors, Don Pedro Arbues de Epilae.  He was considered a martyr (witness to the Catholic faith) after some of the family of his Jewish victims managed to assassinate him -- and then suffered grievously themselves.--  It was the conviction of the great liberal theologian of that time, Father Dollinger, that canonizing the inquisitor "served the pope's campaign of riding roughshod over liberal Catholics as well as Jews.  The pope was celebrating a man who had sanctioned compulsory baptism of Jews, then inflicted judicial torture to make sure these conversions were sincere. 
[ See http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1725&letter=A and the article below: ] 

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Another outstanding Catholic historian who offers some great insights on the ramifications of the claims of papal infallibility is James Carroll. In his monumental work "Constantine's Sword, The Church and the Jews", Carroll shows how Pope Pius IX's anti-modernism, anti-semitism and his famous battle with the German theologian, Dollinger were all intertwined:

"Holy See" ?     Isn't it amusing how English-speaking Catholic churchmen insist on translating the Latin "Sancta Sedes" into the meaningless "Holy See", instead of the correct, but silly–sounding "Holy Seat"? a papal throne

        "Later, in articles and speeches, especially after Pius IX's campaign against modernism was in full swing, [The leading German Catholic theologian and professor of Church History at the U. of Munich Johann von Dollinger] condemned the ways that the modern errors against which the pope had set the Church were so cavalierly identified with Jews.  Dollinger shrewdly analyzed the long history of Church abuse of Jews, drawing the connection between antisemitism and a Christian pursuit of power.  'The fate of the Jewish people,' he wrote, 'is perhaps the most moving drama in the history of the world.' Reflecting on his own era, Dollinger set himself against the dominant twin motif of Church resistance to revolution defined as Jewish socialism and Church resistance to materialism defined as Jewish greed.
        Dollinger railed against Pius IX's decision in 1867 to raise to sainthood one of sixteenth-century Spain's notorious grand inquisitors, Don Pedro Arbues de Epilae.  According to Kornberg, it was Dollinger's conviction that canonizing the inquisitor 'served the pope's campaign of riding roughshod over liberal Catholics.  The pope was celebrating a man who had sanctioned compulsory baptism of Jews, then inflicted judicial torture to make sure these conversions were sincere.  [ See http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1725&letter=A ]  Dollinger saw the origins of the Inquisition in a drive to enhance the papacy's `worldly dominion and compulsory power over the lives and property of men. . .  In this sense, the decree on Papal Infallibility was the logical culminating point of the Inquisition' Not surprisingly, given such an attitude, Dollinger openly opposed the Vatican Council's decree on infallibility, and was promptly excommunicated (in 1871) for doing so.  His position, however, was clear.  As Kornberg sums it up, 'Dollinger had linked medieval anti-Jewish hostility to the papacy's coercive temporal and religious dominion as well, thus emphasizing that Jews and liberal Catholics had a common enemy.  Hatred of Jews was nourished by the same survivals of the Middle Ages that had produced the triumphs of Ultramontanism, the Syllabus of Errors (1864) and the decree on Papal Infallibility (1870), namely the belief that `we alone are in possession of the full saving truth,' coupled with a lack of respect for the `right of independent action' of others.'
        One of the things that makes the Dollinger episode another of those all too rare sanctuaries of a better way in this otherwise unrelieved narrative is the fact, as Kornberg puts it, that this German Catholic theologian 'considered nineteenth-century Catholic anti-Jewish hostility no inevitable outcome of Catholic doctrine, but rather the result of Ultramontanism's fortress mentality.  Not `essential' Catholicism, but those who wished to prevent Catholics from being contaminated by modern ideas, had made an unholy alliance with antisemitism.
        In 1881, Dollinger delivered an address to the 'festal meeting' of the Academy of Munich, a major convocation of German Catholic intellectuals.  His subject was 'The Jews in Europe,' and his purpose, as he said at the beginning of his remarks, was 'to show how the skein [of Jew hatred] was gradually twisted which none at the present day can hope to unravel.' But attempt to unravel it he did.  After a long description of the very history we have traced in this book, Dollinger returned to the baseline source of Christian antisemitism:  'The false and repulsive precept that mankind is perpetually called upon to avenge the sins and errors of the forefathers upon the innocent descendants, has ruled the world far too long, and has blotted the countries of Europe with shameful and abominable deeds, from which we turn away in horror.'  As a historian, he had set for himself a purpose I attempt to emulate here, to show 'how History, the guide of life, points to her mirror in which past errors are reflected as warnings against fresh mistakes which may be impending.  ' Little did he know.
        Dollinger was unusual.  Far more than from within the Church, opposition to Pius IX's absolutist claims came from outside, and nowhere more violently than in Germany, where the complaint had nothing to do with the Church's antisemitism."[p.484]

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    See much more on the horrendous role of the Roman Catholic Church not just during the holocaust, but leading up to it and following it at
The REAL Roman Catholic Scandal
    See also major Reviews of "Hitler's Pope", by John Cornwell. &
the entire book dedicated to The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, by David I. Kertzer

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        How can ANY Christian imagine that Jesus would men like Pius IX his personal representatives on earth ?

  According to Matthew, ch. 18: 1-7 :
        At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.  If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks!  Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

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        When the sex scandals erupted around the world at the turn of the millenium, the current Pope Benedict XVI 'obstructed' the criminal investigations.
Confidential letter reveals Ratzinger ordered bishops to keep allegations secret
by Jamie Doward, religious affairs correspondent (for The Observer of London, U.K. )
Sunday April 24, 2005

        Pope Benedict XVI faced claims last night he had 'obstructed justice' after it emerged he issued an order ensuring the church's investigations into child sex abuse claims be carried out in secret.  The order was made in a confidential letter, obtained by The Observer, which was sent to every Catholic bishop in May 2001.  It asserted the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to 10 years after the victims reached adulthood.
       Lawyers acting for abuse victims claim it was designed to prevent the allegations from becoming public knowledge or being investigated by the police. They accuse Ratzinger of committing a 'clear obstruction of justice'.
        Ratzinger's letter states. . .  the church's jurisdiction 'begins to run from the day when the minor has completed the 18th year of age' and lasts for 10 years.  It orders that 'preliminary investigations' into any claims of abuse should be sent to Ratzinger's office, which has the option of referring them back to private tribunals in which the 'functions of judge, promoter of justice, notary and legal representative can validly be performed for these cases only by priests'.
        'Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret,' Ratzinger's letter concludes. Breaching the pontifical secret at any time while the 10-year jurisdiction order is operating carries penalties, including the threat of excommunication.

[from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1469055,00.html ]

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An Example of One Archdiocese :
        "The grand jury inquiry lead by Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly found the archdiocese's own records reveal that they received complaints from 789 alleged victims, involving more than 250 clergy and other workers. But he said, the number of victims, spanning a period from 1940 to today, probably exceeded 1000.
        Introducing the 91 page report, he said: 'What we have documented in the course of this investigation borders on the unbelievable. The duration of it, six decades of the sexual abuse of children by members of the Catholic clergy. The magnitude of it is simply staggering.'
        The attorney general said that Cardinal Bernard Law, bears ultimate responsibility for what he calls the 'tragic treatment of children.'  But, he added, the Cardinal does not bear sole responsibility, saying: 'With rare exception, none of his senior managers advised him to take any of the steps that might have ended the systemic abuse of children.' " http://www.cathnews.com/news/307/146.php

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        An article by ABC news has reported that
"Powerful Cardinal in Vatican Accused of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up
By Brian Ross
April 26 , 2002
        A trusted ally of Pope John Paul II has been accused of sexually abusing boys a half-century ago at an elite seminary for the Catholic Church.
        The alleged victims say the Vatican knew of the allegations against Father Maciel Degollado, the founder of the very conservative "Legion of Christ", a rapidly growing Roman Catholic order with 650 priests and 2,500 seminarians in 20 countries, and chose not to pursue them.  In fact, the pope has continued to praise 82-year-old Maciel, a Mexico native, as an effective leader of Catholic youth, despite detailed allegations sent to the Vatican four years ago saying the man was also a long-time pedophile."  After Benedict XVI took over, the investigation appears to have been shut down.  See washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200966.html .

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        Why does it take civil courts to force the Catholic Church to face the responsibilities that it doesn't have the conscience to assume willingly?  Instead of calling lawyers names like "shysters", perhaps Catholics should respect such lawyers more and remember that its clerics who got the brunt of most of Jesus' anger.  People we might call "men of God" Jesus often called "hypocrites," "vipers' offspring" and / or "whitened sepulchres".

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        When the pedophilia scandals were being uncovered in early 2002, Pope John Paul II's spokesperson, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, told the New York Times in a March 3 interview that the crisis had to do with homosexuality.  "People with these inclinations," he said, "cannot be ordained."  Here in America, that line was put forward by Msgr. Eugene Clark, filling in for Cardinal Egan in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral April 27, blamed America for being "very protective" of homosexuality.  Bishop came to New York from the Bridgeport diocese in neighboring Connecticut, leaving behind successful suits against the church for several protected pedophile priests.  Early in his career, Msgr. Eugene Clark was the secretary of New York's Francis Cardinal Spellman, who has been called "one of the most notorious, powerful, and sexually voracious homosexuals in the American Catholic Church's history".)
See trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol5No2/gay%20press.htm & http://nypress.com/print.cfm?content_id=6204 .

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"Fr. Porter Confessed to Pope (Paul VI):
Ex-North priest told Vatican of abuse in 1973",
Staff and Wire Reports, The Sun Chronicle (of Attleboro, MA), May 16, 2002.
""NORTH ATTLEBORO, Massachusetts -- Former North Attleboro priest James Porter told Pope Paul VI in 1973 that he had been sexually molesting children, nearly 20 years before victims stepped forward to reveal the abuse they had suffered.
        Porter's confession is among newly released records which show that Catholic church officials -- including the late Cardinal Humberto Medeiros -- knew of child molestation allegations against Porter as far back as the 1960s. The court document is among hundreds of pages obtained by the Boston Herald and reported today.
        Porter's personnel file included a 17-page letter he wrote to Pope Paul VI in which he asked to be removed from the priesthood. The file was forwarded to the Vatican in 1973. In the letter addressed to `Most Holy Father,' Porter, who was a priest at St. Mary's Church in North Attleboro during the early 1960s, recounts that Fall River Bishop James Connolly knew he had been caught molesting a boy, and Connolly sent him home to be with his family until the scandal died down. " 'A short time later Bishop Connolly gave me another chance and assigned me to Sacred Heart Parish in Fall River', Porter wrote. 'I can't recollect much about my stay there except after a short time I again fell into the same situation that plagued me in North Attleboro'."
        Porter has admitted to molesting at least 50 children while he was a priest in the Diocese of Fall River in the 1960's. He pleaded guilty to molesting 28 children in 1993 after victims formed a group in 1992 and detailed the abuse against them."

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The Dallas Morning News, (TX) Dallas Morning News, The (TX) June 27, 2004
Column: EDITORIALS, Page: 2H
Runaway Priests:
Church pays horrific price for clerical indifference
        " It is suicidal folly for the hierarchy to think ordinary Catholics will trust the church indefinitely when its leaders are revealed time and time again to coddle clerical child molesters. Catholic leaders are courting a disaster of historical proportions. They have got to understand that, even if Pope John Paul II does not.
        Last week's four-part Dallas Morning News series revealing the existence of an international church-run ratline that helps accused and even convicted priest sex abusers escape justice struck a devastating blow to the façade of normality that church leaders like to project.  It showed that for some powerful churchmen, nothing - not the safety of Catholic children, not the law, not fear of divine justice, not even the survival of the institution they lead - is more important than protecting their brother priests. . .
        the stories implicated three of the most powerful churchmen in the world. Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles and Mexico City Cardinal Norberto Rivera shuttlecocked a serial molester between them, and stonewalled attempts to bring him to justice.  Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez, a papal contender who once publicly likened American press coverage of the 2002 sex scandals to Hitlerian and Stalinist persecution, turns out to have helped shield a fugitive member of his Salesian religious order. (Founder St. John Bosco, a dear friend to needy boys, must be turning in his grave.) "
from Dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/ stories/062704dnedirunawaypriest.6ad29.html

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Lawyer to Post List of Accused Priests         Dallas - A lawyer has compiled a list of 2,600 Roman Catholic priests nationwide who have been accused of sexual misconduct against children and plans to post it online by early next year.  Sylvia Demarest, a Dallas lawyer, and her staff spent 11 years on the list, which a victims' rights advocate says may encourage those who were abused to come forward.

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Pope gives top position
to disgraced Boston Cardinal ( Bernard Law)
Guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,12272,1226651,00.html

        One of Pope Ratzinger's first public positions is
objection to Spain's efforts to treat its gay citizens fairly.

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Rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York
forced to resign over sex scandal

NEW YORK (AP) 08/11/05 -   "Cardinal Edward Egan accepted Msgr. Eugene Clark's resignation from the key church position despite the 79-year-old Clark's denials that he has been carrying on an affair with his 46-year-old private secretary, the church said.
        Clark has been rector of St. Patrick's in midtown Manhattan since 2001 and has often celebrated Mass there when the cardinal was away. A strong proponent of traditional morality, he blamed the church's sex-abuse scandal in 2002 on 'the campaign of liberal America against celibacy.'
        (Msgr.)Clark was named in divorce papers filed last week in Family Court in White Plains by Philip DeFilippo, 46, who claimed that a private investigator taped his wife, Laura, and the monsignor entering and leaving a Long Island hotel last month. The videotape was shown Monday to New York City newspapers.  DeFilippo also claimed that the DeFilippos' teenage daughter was exposed to the relationship.

from http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0001/20050811/1659348838.htm

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        In 2005 a book was published which linked clergy sexual abuse to mandatory celibacy.  See "The Bingo Report"

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        Although the Society of St. Pius X is not a perfect reflection of either Pope Pius X or the Roman Catholic Church - which is demonstrated by the fact that the Catholic Church has officially distanced itself from that renegade group (which claims to have 30,000 members) -, the fact that this group claims to represent the authentic Catholic tradition cannot be overlooked. See this excellent artilce on the Society of St. Pius X .