Conclusion

One in four women have been sexually molested as children, one in nine boys.  The devastation that molestation causes in a person’s life is difficult to comprehend, but a recent statistic put forth by a doctor in Vancouver, B.C. who runs a drug rehabilitation program for homeless persons, is at once horrifying and sobering: every single one of his patients was molested as a child. All possible victims need to be protected from their abuser, and all incidents need to be reported to the police for proper investigation to provide the foundation for that protection.

Facing the possibility that one’s spiritual leader, whether it be a priest or a new-age guru, is a fraud (or worse) is never easy. The immediate and most common reaction is denial, with subsequent fanatical clinging to ones’ previous beliefs. It can be akin to a life and death struggle to face disillusionment. Many will not go down that path, and prefer the feelings generated (or should I say, denied) by ignorance equalling bliss.

Being deceived or defrauded by one’s spiritual leader does not equate to one’s spiritual experiences being invalidated. The common misapprehension is that if one’s teacher is revealed to be false, then everything one has ever believed in must also be false, and hence, the looming realization one’s life is also meaningless. Although proving eventually to be unfounded (in fact it is often the sign of the real birth of meaningfulness in one’s life) for the more fortunate (many cannot take this step), this very real fear, in addition to the shame associated with every type of abuse, accounts for why people feel they cannot come forward, why they cannot seek justice, and why they may have difficulty terminating an abusive relationship.

Forgiveness or confession of a sin is not the same as ensuring it will not happen again. Just as one would neither give matches to a pyromaniac, nor whiskey to an alcoholic, one should not give a sex offender access to more victims.

Regarding the Vatican and the Pope – this time represents the opportunity to make sweeping, radical and necessary changes. In common parlance, “What would Jesus do?” He would protect the innocent and help them recover from their abuse. He would not lie to protect his reputation or that of others, and he would ensure abusers never harm anyone ever again. Change is happening within the Catholic church; the challenge  for the Pope is to ride the wave or be drowned in it.

Further Reflections

When Pluto transited the sign of Sagittarius, the child sex abuse scandals first became widely known by the public. Pluto, as was mentioned earlier, reveals that which has been hidden, and Sagittarius is the sign of religion. A fund was established by the church during that transit that has paid money to a staggering 15,000 victims of child sexual abuse by priests. 

Now Pluto is transiting the sign of Capricorn. We have seen in the past couple of years how the things associated with Capricorn (big business and corporations), are having all of their secrets revealed and that their unjust power is being taken away. Another way to see the Catholic Church is as a corporation – perhaps one of the largest and most powerful in the world. That is also why the sex scandals and abuse of power issues keep surfacing and are likely to continue to haunt that organization for years to come as Pluto transits Capricorn. With internal church documents revealing the coverups of cases of abuse worldwide all for the sake of the church’s image, this most gravely indicates that the foundation of the church as a business was more important than the protection of the innocent.

Whatever sign Pluto transits indicates that which is likely to face major damage, possible devastation, but the real invitation for those within any organization, such as the Pope within the Catholic Church, is to take the initiative, to transform themselves like the Phoenix, and rise reborn from the destruction.

The Pope vowed in 2008 to kick pedophiles out of the church, but will he really do it? Does that include those who physically and mentally abused children (his own brother)? Does it include himself and every other co-conspirator?

Election Chart of Pope Benedict XVI

At the time of Joseph Ratzinger’s election to the Papacy, the sign Libra was on the First House representing the Church on the whole. The ruler of Libra is Venus and is found in the sign of Taurus, which it rules (normally considered to mean that the Church should be strongly represented). However, this is negated by Venus being located in the Eighth House of sex, death, and hidden forces – a very unfortunate placement for any planet that is to represent an organization or business. In electional astrology (the astrology of choosing the most opportune moment to begin something) this is one of the big “no-no’s” to avoid.

The Sun, which represents the Pope himself, was at 29 Aries. The twenty-ninth degree of any sign is called the Anaretic degree and is associated with crisis, and difficulty making clear decisions without jumping into things recklessly. The planet has more power than usual in a chart when it is at that degree – for better or for worse.

Saturn, representing the foundation and structure of the church under the new Pope, is peregrine in the 10th house in the sign of Cancer, its detriment. Any planet which is not receiving any traditional aspects is peregrine and is considered to have very little strength to act. Being in a sign where it is in its detriment, Saturn in Cancer indicates the church has deep security issues, problems with defensiveness, and has excessive attachment to material assets.

The Moon in a mundane chart represents the people, and here it is in the critical observing sign of Virgo indicating that little will pass by the public’s eye that is not scrutinized thoroughly. The Moon in the Eleventh House (of social movements) being in opposition to the planet Uranus in the Fifth House (of children) indicates the likelihood of sudden, upsetting incidents with children being revealed that the public is highly disapproving of.

Transits during the Selection of the Pope

After Pope John Paul II’s death, while the Papal Enclave was deciding who would next lead the church, Joseph Ratzinger commented to reporters that he preferred to retire to his hometown in Bavaria and that he did not want to become Pope. The Holy See’s birth chart makes the validity of this statement seem unlikely; no one who has ascended to the heights of power within the Catholic Church has done so through a retiring personality. 

At the time of his election to the Papacy, Joseph Ratzinger was having one of the most powerful transits one can have in one’s lifetime: Pluto conjunct the Midheaven. Pluto takes approximately 248 years to complete the zodiac, therefore it will not conjunct everyone’s Midheaven in their lifetime. Pluto’s energy can be described as ruthless power – the drive to succeed – and is often associated with the revealing of secrets (including those involving sex, criminality, and subversive elements of society). The Midheaven represents a person’s career; their life’s ambition and their reputation. When Pluto conjuncts the Midheaven it is a time to reevaluate what life has been about and where it is going. It should also be a time when a person reflects on the means by which they have gained their success and whether or not those means were just and appropriate. If the native’s status was not gained properly, the slow transit of Pluto through the native’s Tenth House over the next 12-15 years will reveal their abuse of power and ofttimes result in a devastating crash, destroying what was once considered infallible and unbreakable (this mechanism is painfully evident in all of the child molestation and sex abuse scandals which have surfaced over the past few years).

We can also see the effects of transiting Uranus conjuncting his Ascendant and Jupiter from May 2007 through January 2009 (Uranus also began to square his Midheaven through March of 2010). Uranus conjunct the Ascendant and squaring the Midheaven is a time in a person’s life when one feels impatient with limitation; behavior becomes unpredictable and may be upsetting to those in proximity. A person may suddenly begin to associate with people radically different from those whom they used to be with. It is typically a time of sudden and major disruptions in all relationships and with a person’s career. Sources of hidden tension will come into the light and have to be dealt with. This once again (see Pluto above) forces a person to reconsider whether their life’s direction has been after all appropriate for them. A person desires great personal freedom at this time and is likely to do whatever they want to express themselves.

Uranus’ energy is especially evident in the Popes behavior towards the Anglican Church  and its leader (the Pope did not reveal his intentions to either prior to the Vatican’s announcement). Uranus’ influence is also clear in the Pope’s sudden reinstatement of the priests who were Holocaust deniers.

Uranus’ is not done with the Pope just yet as it has begun to conjunct his natal Mercury from March 2010 through February 2011, then squaring his natal Mars. When Uranus conjuncts a person’s natal Mercury it can be a very positive transit providing the native’s thinking is not inflexible or rigid. People can have radical ideas and new insights, but the caveat is that it is more likely that the natives will have difficulty organizing their thoughts. They will be prone to acting impulsively and without thinking things through. This is especially true for the Pope (considering his birth chart), and will be further intensified with transiting Uranus squaring natal Mars.

Beginning in March 2011, Uranus returns to its position in his natal chart. A Uranus return happens typically at the age of eighty-four and can be seen as a terminus of sorts. At this age many decide they do not want to be burdened with mundane affairs. It is experienced by many as a time when their life is put into perspective, and their understanding can be greatly deepened. I see this upcoming time after his Uranus return as one in which the Pope could slowly withdraw from his duties and the chaos around him. Let us hope that the Pope attains this marker in life with the wisdom and objective detachment that can be associated with it.

These transits, involving Pluto and Uranus are part of the current T-square of planets which includes Saturn. These planets are powerful and slow moving with their effects lasting for years. When they line up on a person’s birth chart, the energies of transformation are particularly strong as can be seen in my February 2010 newsletter which discusses how this trio of planets aligns with the Toyota Motor Corporation’s chart signaling crisis within that organization as well.

For the Pope, Saturn is transiting his Seventh House of relationships, and it is a time of increasing demands by others on him with some endings of relationships which no longer serve him. Saturn is also going to conjunct his natal Moon in late 2010 through 2011, stressing his relations with the public in general, increasing the likelihood of depression and a feeling of isolation. This year is mid-way through a seven and a half year period that Vedic Astrologers call a Sade Sati. It is considered a long period of hardship in which a person experiences many difficulties including possible character assassination, loss of honor and prestige, illness, and financial problems. As an example, Bill Clinton had his Sade Sati when the Monica Lewinsky scandal happened.

The Pope’s Birthchart

Pope Benedict XVI wanted to be a cardinal ever since he was a boy when he met one who was visiting his local church (his first comment was reportedly how much he liked the cardinal’s outfit). He is described as ambitious and authoritarian, while charming and quick-witted, especially towards visitors and guests. He is fluent in several different languages and was personal assistant to the late Pope John Paul II.

His Sun is in the sign of Aries which accounts for his leadership ability and authoritarianism. It also accounts for the impulsive side of his personality, more of which I will discuss later. He also has natal Mars squaring his natal Uranus, doubling the  likelihood of these inclinations to manifest.

His ascendent or First House is Pisces which describes a person who is spiritually minded and keen to help relieve the suffering of others, easily influenced by others; the key phrase is “I believe”. Natives often need to learn to stand on their own and think for themselves. Piscean-type people can become lost in a dream world where they do not see things clearly, but rather idealistically, as they wish they were.

Conjunct his ascendent is Jupiter, exalted in the sign of Pisces. This placement has the same type of influence as a Pisces ascendent. Additionally, a person is likely to have strong mystical and religious convictions, a deep emotional drive to have status within a spiritual movement. It indicates someone who identifies with a religion and its leader, unconsciously seeking a father figure who will direct their life.

His natal Mercury is in Pisces flavoring how he thinks (as described above for his ascendant). Mercury is conjunct Uranus and indicates a person whose thinking and communication is likely sudden, unexpected, upsetting to others, and seemingly chaotic; a person very intelligent, with mechanical and mathematical abilities, lightning-quick and witty. They can have difficult personalities because of their independence, similar to an Aries Sun.

His natal Moon is in Libra, conferring social grace and a tendency to be influenced by others. Natives dislike conflict and their emotional wellbeing is tied to the approval of others. His Moon is in a close square to his natal Pluto, indicating intense emotions and the likelihood of having a way about him which might make women uneasy. This placement indicates someone who is impatient if things are not moving at the speed they would like. Furthermore, it is likely the native forces relationships and drastic change due to their emotional intensity.

His natal Venus is in Taurus in the Second House. Here Venus is in its own sign and is considered quite strong. It bestows a love of beautiful surroundings, comfort and luxury. It confers steadfast loyalty to those the native loves. Venus represents how well a person can accept love and how well they can demonstrate it. It also tells how a person functions in relationship to women (along with the Moon). His Venus is opposed by his natal Saturn in the sign of Sagittarius in the Ninth House; this is a difficult placement. Saturn is restriction, depression, repression, control and hardship. With a natal Venus in opposition to Saturn one expects the native to have difficulty with women, difficulty relating to women, and a mindset that women are less than he is.

Saturn in Sagittarius in the Ninth House also confers a drive towards traditional old-time religions and philosophy, as well as higher education. Natives are drawn to seek power and status inside a religion or through a teaching position, perhaps at a university. It indicates a native who is likely to have been brought up in a home with strict religious values, conservative and traditional, sometimes narrow-minded and authoritarian (in addition to his positions within the church, the Pope is a noted international scholar and theologian, and has taught at several German Universities).

A Recent History of the Pope

Child sex abuse scandals involving Catholic priests have been emerging in countries around the world, with over 250 victims coming forward in recent months in the Pope’s native Germany. Calls for the leader of the Catholic diocese in Ireland to resign because of his involvement in a cover up of sex abuse by priests so far have been deflected.

During the twenty years prior to Joseph Ratzinger becoming Pope Benedict XVI, he was in charge of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith which was the office of the church responsible for dealing with child molestation cases. Yet now, the Pope himself has been accused of helping pedophile priests. In one case in Germany the future Pope authorized a known pedophile priest’s reassignment to another parish where he continued to molest children for years. Initially the Pope admitted he had been aware of the pedophile, but he has since recanted. Now a priest under him claims that the Pope had no idea of what was happening and that the Pope was not involved in the reassignment of the pedophile.

Secondly, even more damning evidence has emerged as Vatican documents clearly show that the future Pope ignored personal letters from the Archdiocese in Wisconsin to deal with a Priest who molested over 200 deaf boys at a Catholic school. Even the Pope’s brother has been accused of hitting children when he was in charge of a choir back in the early 70’s.

On top of the child abuse scandals there was also an incident in early March, 2010 when a Vatican priest was arrested by the Italian police for running a male prostitution ring inside the Vatican, bringing in young men for a Vatican chorister to have sex with, and, in at least one instance, arranging to pimp out a young man from a seminary to the chorister. This subsequently arrested vatican official was a papal Gentleman-in-Waiting – he was a personal assistant to the Holy See himself.

There were other incidents that began to pique my curiosity about the Pope’s birth chart and transits, such as the Pope’s behavior with the Anglican Church. This has been touted by the Vatican as a reunification of the faithful, but it is seen by others to be a thinly veiled coup: letting Anglicans join the Catholic Church as long as they denounce gay and female clergy, and reject same sex marriages. The Pope will allow married heterosexual Anglican priests to become Catholic priests. This has caused confusion and outrage among many in the Catholic church, including priests.

Additionally, the Pope reinstated four formerly excommunicated priests who are Holocaust deniers. One of the reinstated priests was on television denying the holocaust on the eve of his reinstatement. The Pope has said that he did not know they were in fact Holocaust deniers.

This is not the first holocaust related incident involving the Pope. Joseph Ratzinger was a member of the Hitler Youth in WWII. Papal spokesmen have tried to deny he ever went to meetings  , but it is known participation was compulsory for all boys. Families faced strong retribution and punishment for non-compliance. There are photos of the Pope as a boy in his uniform, and even one of him doing the Nazi salute published in the San Francisco Sentinel. It has also been confirmed that the Pope was enlisted in a Nazi anti-aircraft gunnery unit. Papal spokesmen have tried to deny that he was part of the Nazi army.

Pope Benedict XVII is also trying to canonize Pope Pius XII as a saint, causing great controversy; that Pope is accused of doing little to nothing to stop Hitler from murdering Jews in Rome, and never excommunicating Adolf Hitler from the Catholic Church in spite of the fact that over 2000 priests were killed at Dachau. Advocacy groups have asked the Vatican for supporting documents showing that Pope Pius XII tried to save Jews from being deported to concentration camps. So far, the Vatican has said the documents are confidential, but critics counter that the Vatican cannot produce what does not exist.