Australia: "Catholic Archbishop: 'Powerful Interests' Are Attacking Christians, 'Cast Us As Public Enemy No. 1'"

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Superluigi,

Confused baffled raised the issue of child abuse in the Catholic Church here in Australia.

The correct and only response to that is

Yes it happened. Yes it was horrendous, no it will never happen again if we can help it.
Yes those perps are in prison, or still on trial,

Yes my Bishop, who speaks to us regularly about this, about steps he is taking, is cleaning up the mess left in my Diocese and attempting to begin a journey of healing with everyone, including survivors and their families, or the families of those who did not survive, some of whom sit in Church at Mass daily.

If you want to discuss this, do so from a valid perspective. What happens in American political culture , or in other religions,

Has absolutely nothing to do with this.

Why do you think it would?

Would you say to a survivor sitting in the pew next to you ‘ oh well it happens in x religion too’
Seriously? Would you say that to a mother whose grown child just suicided because of this
 
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Okay, I mostly know about the American situation. I wasn’t trying to excuse anything. Just giving an explanation.
 
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I wonder how what has been said so far here make this remark without value.
“‘Powerful interests now seek to marginalize religious believers and beliefs, especially Christian ones, and exclude them from public life,’ said Archbishop Fisher. ‘They would end funding to faith-based schools, hospitals and welfare agencies, strip us of charitable status and protections,
 
Roseeurekacross said:
Would you say to a survivor sitting in the pew next to you ‘ oh well it happens in x religion too’

Seriously? Would you say that to a mother whose grown child just suicided because of this
Click to expand...
You’d be surprised what I’d say to people who think that getting hurt in life—even if its child sex abuse or getting shot in school—means they get extra moral authority over me.
 
That is a good point. While it is important to have empathy, being a victim does not make one an expert.
 
A previous poster said “Read this very carefully, In one school in my Diocese, in one grade,
Every single child was abused by clergy and laity associated with clergy.”

I wonder if you could provide a source for this. I am not saying it is or is not true, just would like to have a source–or your source for this.
 
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One Australian religious order was found by the Royal Commission on Institutional Abuse of Children to have had 40% of its members over the decades in question accused of abuse. So every child in a single class experiencing abuse is certainly within the bounds of possibility. However I think abusers are selective in choosing their victims, finding those least likely to reveal their abusers or be believed if they do. So 100% in one cohort would not fit with that picture.
 
mdgspencer said:
I wonder how what has been said so far here make this remark without value.

“‘Powerful interests now seek to marginalize religious believers and beliefs, especially Christian ones, and exclude them from public life,’ said Archbishop Fisher. ‘They would end funding to faith-based schools, hospitals and welfare agencies, strip us of charitable status and protections,
Click to expand...
  1. How do we know he actually said that
  2. What was the context.
  3. If it was said in a Homily, just who or what is being referred to.
Why not see if the Homily in its entirety is on the Australian Catholic website, or ask for it.
Because it’s all just hearsay.
 
SuperLuigi said:
You’d be surprised what I’d say to people who think that getting hurt in life—even if its child sex abuse or getting shot in school—means they get extra moral authority over me.
Click to expand...
Well you are quite welcome to walk your talk and come meet these people. And discuss your POV with our Bishop.
 
Mgd. You will find this in the documents of the Royal Commission. And the perps, who admitted to all they did, are either in jail for their crimes now or dead.

And that’s not the worst of this. Perhaps start reading a few of these stories. Because no one is denying anything.
It happened. It’s horrendous.
 
Unfortunately, in this case, it fits the picture. And one third of that class is now dead from suicide or complications of addiction.
It’s a really hard thing to get our heads around the extent of this. (Removed because I just can’t think of a few of these crimes. )
There was evil. Horrendous evil.
 
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I would like to know your take on the article,and why you posted it in Spirituality md.
 
A preceding poster asked: “I would like to know your take on the article, and why you posted it in Spirituality md.”

The opening article, which I posted, made me sad.
Australia is becoming a great arena of spiritual warfare. Such events must strike Catholics to the soul. How could they react as “‘Powerful interests now seek to marginalize religious believers and beliefs, especially Christian ones, and exclude them from public life,’ as Archbishop Fisher said. ‘They would cast cast us as ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’" How could they react at the move in Australia to require priests to report something they hear in confession to the police, something the archbishop specifically mentioned. Only a Catholic can fully understand what this would mean to the soul of a priest if he complied.
Of course spiritual warfare is not a warfare waged with guns and bombs, but a warfare waged against souls. This reminds me a bit of the move to severely punish Christians in the Roman Empire because they were enemies of mankind, since they would not worship the gods of the Roman Empire. They had to persevere or be lost. How many of the next generation after us will fail to survive as Christians?
I am particularly interested in Australia because I was there for awhile last year, and went to mass every day in Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral, where in fact Archbishop gave this sermon.
But think Australia epitomizes the growing situation Catholics find themselves in many countries, and throughout the West.
I may have put the opening post into a news site if it weren’t a blog, and so not allowed there. But I thought the spirituality forum as well is a suitable place for this post.
 
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The article is not hearsay, it is verbatim extracts from a homily which was published on the web as a video (which is in the article itself) hence it is perfectly fair reporting, and perfectly fair to post it for consideration.

As an Australian I concur with some of the archbishop’s observations but reserve judgement as to whether the situation is as threatening as he says. I personally wouldn’t have said all this, but he knows better than me. A lot will depend on whether the seal of the confessional is attacked, as per the recommendations of the royal commission.

There are certainly segments in Australian of society and media of which it can be said “Powerful interests now seek to marginalize religious believers and beliefs, especially Christian ones, and exclude them from public life. They would end funding to faith-based schools, hospitals and welfare agencies, strip us of charitable status and protections, cast us as ‘Public Enemy No. 1.’”, but they tend to be the same people saying the same things over and over. Against them Australia has a long tradition of freedom and anti-sectarianism.

I thought the archbishops comment on the seal of the confessional was beautiful and profound.

“For Confession is a privileged encounter between penitent and God; here the Christian enters the silence and secrecy of the Tomb, to be re-Eastered; and no earthly authority may enter there.”
 
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It doesn’t include the entire Homily, That’s a concern.
 
Satan ‘knows’ his and humanity’s 'time of reckoning {the Three Days of Darkness?] draws ever near and he is playing all his top cards for our souls. He is making frontal assaults, via errant clerics etc., in the Church, through the media, through our families and politics, through our schools, abortions and ‘gay marriage’, etc…
 
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