Tim Hayes:
Cat, those Nephites are the people and all the people in the Church. Most people are not willing to speak up and take a proper stand.
“…the bishops who continued to cover up the priestly sex crimes against Children, Those Bishops will more than likely spend their eternity in hell…”
Christ does not talk about it being better for those such person to hang a big stone around their neck and drown, for nothing.
“…what it always requires is for people to take a reasoned approach and expose those who are evil…” .
In Christ
Tim
Dear Cat and Tim , and everybody,
First, as a cradle Catholic, I’d like to mention that the Catholic Church is not in the business of exposing to the public the sins peopel confess to them. They tried it during the Inquisition and they are still being blamed for the Inquisition.
I DO agree that the pedofile priests should have been handled in a much different way. But I laso know I am not qualified as to decide what way.
BUT i also know that when I go to confess my sins, I do not want it taken out of the confessional and told to anybody let alone broadcast to the world.
Recently I went to confession and the priest told me to leave, because he felt that I was not prepared for confession. I was acting more like i was laying blame elsewhere than recognizing my own part in the happenngs. I was shocked by what the priest did, but he was right.
Comfession is about relaying out loud MY part in MY sin in any situation; confession is about MY part for which I, will be held accountable before God.
The Bishops are responsible for their part in the sins of the pedofiles against the children, by not making sure other children were protected.
But can you see how they were in a “damned if you do” and “damned if you don’t” situation? They are held bound to never reveal what is said in a confession, OR ELSE the rest of us will not trust them to hold secret our confessions.
The pedofile, by confessing his sins, effectively holds the Church hostage, and makes the church another victim to the sin…
This is what “increase of sin” is all about. The pedofile is the SOURCE of the problem taking advantage of the rules and efforts of the Church. That is the nature of their predator mindset.
Such a predatory mindset is not unique to any religion, but it is started in immature spiritual formation.
I have been embroiled in lawsuit in which a supposedly ‘Catholic’ priest is travelling all over the USA, after purchasing 3 of my Mom’s original artworks. He’s been telling people that HE was the CREATOR of HER artworks. He claims he had some “vision” and “heard the voice of the Holy Spirit” and then told my Mom what to paint.
He never told US that story BEFORE he bought her paintings.
He’s even made those claims about my Mom’s painting which he did not purchase, a painting which was conceived and created 20 years before we even knew he existed. He had prints made of my Mom’s artworks on which he put that HE was "creator and co-
What is the last thing any conartist ever wants to have happen to themselves? Exposure. Yet the law says if you expose people you can get sued for slander and libel, and if you can’t afford to get a lawyer willing to take you on, too bad.
I had to take a leap of faith. I had to decide to push back, begin to ask questions everywhere.
Do I live my faith according to what my faith teaches? Or do I let this con-artist scare me with threats and even filing a false police report upon me? I was scared, but then my confessor asked me if I wanted to allow the “priest” to perpetrate a crime like this on the Church, and other artists.
If Mom dies before this is starightened out or before we get legal statements down, it’s my word against his.
And after all, he’s a “priest”.
The Church gives a sinner every chance to make amends, and can ask him to obey God’s laws, but they cannot
Make him obey God’s laws. It’s his own choice, but everybody
else gets to suffer for his reputation, don’t they?
The only way the truth is going to be told is if somebody takes the leap of courage to tell it. My confessor told me one other thing “Never fear the devil more than you trust in Jesus.” It has become my motto.
Theresa
Heading off to Confession now…
