In the wake of the announcement by Pope Benedict XVI that he will step down as of the end of this month, numerous hate-filled messages have been posted on the social media site Twitter, as reposted by conservative writer Michelle Malkin's Twitter watchdog site Twitchy on Feb. 11, 2013.
The man born Joseph Ratzinger in 1927 Germany was falsely accused on-line of being a Nazi during the Second World War.
Like all German children at the time, Ratzinger was enrolled by law in the Hitler Youth when he was 14, but reportedly refused to attend meetings.
He was also drafted in the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) when he was 16-yrs-old, but soon thereafter deserted rather than fight against the liberating American Army.
Who Needs Facts...?
Yet factual information regarding the Pope's WWII past didn't stem accusations to the contrary: (self censored)
"Darren@MetalOllie- So, Pope Benedict XVI has resigned. Good f*****g riddance, you hate-filled, homophobic, divisive, antediluvian little Nazi."
Other tweets were less specific, but just as hate filled, ranging from the generic to wishing his death. Examples include: (self censored)
"Morally Bankrupt @snaisy - Resignation via slitting your wrists in a bathtub please"
"Church Of F**k @churchoff**k666 - I HOPE YOU GET SHOT ANYWAY YOU F**K"
"Pietie Steyn @pietiegroen - Hey hope you die soon. C**t"
"Anup the S'eair@MatthuMiller - F**k the pope and every practicing Chatholic. Evil people"
"Steele Saunders@SteeleSaunders - "Oh he didn't die" - Billions of disappointed people."
"Kieran Morris@hipsterscumbag - Hahahaha yes, congrats on the retirement, now DIE"
An unidentified member of the Twitchy staff editorialized at the end of the article:
"Indeed. What the morally bankrupt and hate-filled don’t understand is that the pope will pray for them and hold them in his heart. True tolerance and love is beyond them."
On A Lighter Note...
Despite the crude public statements made by some, Barack Obama did tweet his best wishes to Pope Benedict.
But what some describe as another example of what many consider Obama's rather large ego, he mentioned the pope three times, but referred to himself four:
"On behalf of Americans everywhere, Michelle and I wish to extend our appreciation and prayers to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Michelle and I warmly remember our meeting with the Holy Father in 2009, and I have appreciated our work together over these last four years. The Church plays a critical role in the United States and the world, and I wish the best to those who will soon gather to choose His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's successor."
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