Catholic priest Pennsylvania scandal

[pnewton]

Is there nothing that the church could do at this point that would make it’s members force it to change?

An error in the beginning is an error indeed. So no, of course there is nothing the Church could do to cause me to leave because I do not stay because of what the Church does or doesn’t do. While I think your view of the pedophilia scandals is way off, that is a whole other issue. You diverge in thinking at the most basic level.

 

[Gorgias]

Our complaint about the pedophile scandal is what the organization of the church does in response to a discovered pedophile

Typically, remove him from the situation, get him to counseling, and follow the advice of professional counselors. What this advice might actually recommend has changed over the decades. Sometimes, that advice was “he can go back into ministry.” Sometimes, bishops placed men in ministries in which he would not come in contact with children. Whether or not that was a naive response can be debated. And, of course, sometimes, some bishops acted foolishly and simply moved a man from one assignment to another. That action, if it was merely an attempt to get him away from one environment and into another in which he was unknown, is indefensible. However, what you’ll find is that there wasn’t a grand, coordinated cover-up across the Church in the way that it’s been spun.

and what is it about this organization that attracts pedophiles to it

There are children present in it. Just as there are children present in schools, and Boy Scouts, and Big Brothers. That should be patently obvious, no?

and what about the organization allows for repressed pedophilia to come out and manifest when being apart of this organization.

You’re already placing your answer inside of your question; that’s hardly fair. Who says that they’re “repressed pedophiles”? Who says that they’re only manifesting this behavior as a result of “being a part of this organization”? Who says that the Church “allows them … to manifest”? If you want to ask the question fairly, it might be more reasonable to ask “why and how do pedophiles manifest abusive behaviors?” (Of course, that’s a question that’s less about the environment and more about the individual pedophile, don’t you think?)

That the organization of the church fosters this and safeguards this behavior instead of destroying it when a pedophile is found.

Thirty or fifty years ago? Yes. Then again, that mirrors societal responses to the problem in that time frame. In other words, it’s not a Catholic response, so much as a mid-to-late 20th century response.

is what fosters these sick men to come to this organization because they know they’ll have the access and the protection.

You’ll have to substantiate that; otherwise, it’s just conjecture.

Is there nothing that the church could do at this point that would make it’s members force it to change?

The Church in America has changed. At the very least, since the Boston scandal has broken, the Church in America has implemented procedures and policies to ensure proper response to new allegations, and to attempt to minimize new occurrences of abuse.

(continued…)

 

[Gorgias]

(continuing…)

The Boston priest that was found guilty of shuffling pedophile priests around for decades is sitting in the Vatican now

Cardinal Law? Umm… you know he’s been dead almost a year now, right?

Show the world that the members care even if the church will not and that will help bring solidarity to the members who are catholic

The world wants to do what you’ve done in your post: mischaracterize the problem, ignore the Church’s response, and throw a one-minute-hate for the current situation. Do you really think that society wants anything more than its pound of flesh from the Catholic Church right now?

 

[CatholicGirl1]

Let me clear things up because I think what I meant in my first comment in the matter had gotten construed:

A priest is a teacher of a school. He hears through confession a child is being molested. (A teacher - at least when my mom taught school many, many years ago- could see grades of most students in the school) if he personally knows the child who is being harmed (knowing his attitude changed/grades) would it be wrong to suggest the child move to a different class because he might do better personally as well as grade wise? My stance is still no. The conditions I have stated I thought were implied in my first comment about the matter ( I thought they were, but maybe it only appeared to be for me what the conditions were, my bad if that is the case). Should this be encouraged and taught to priests- I don’t think so. Would it be breaking a rule if the priest did what I said- no it would not.

I never said that was the only solution or even a definite solution to the problem- just a situation that very possibly well could arise. We do need to root these evil people out- but please don’t state that I’m implying it is a solution to this much bigger problem.

Have a good day.

 

[Gorgias]

Let me clear things up because I think what I meant in my first comment in the matter had gotten construed:

Ahh… this clarification helps! I’m still not sure whether it would be effective – and I’m certain that it runs contrary to canon law! – but it helps!

A priest is a teacher of a school.

So… generally, the numbers of abuse reports have been in the context of parish priestly ministry, and not priestly ministry as teachers. Still… your case is that a priest hears of anyone abusing, right?

would it be wrong to suggest the child move to a different class because he might do better personally as well as grade wise?

If a fellow teacher came to me, saying “I think John Smith would do better in Ms Doe’s homeroom than Mr Roe’s”, my suspicions would immediately be raised. Why? Especially if the child isn’t the priest’s teacher, I would wonder why he is making the suggestion… and we would have a discussion about it. This would force the priest either to reveal explicitly his reasons or to lie. Neither course is moral for the priest.

Would it be breaking a rule if the priest did what I said- no it would not.

It really would. I’m sorry you don’t see this, but it’s true.

I never said that was the only solution or even a definite solution to the problem- just a situation that very possibly well could arise. We do need to root these evil people out- but please don’t state that I’m implying it is a solution to this much bigger problem.

No problems. I misunderstood what you were asserting.

Nevertheless, a confessor may never give away the identity of a penitent by word or deed. Your suggestion runs counter to what priests are taught. The seal of the confessional is inviolate.

 

[PennyinCanada]

I would ask them… If it was revealed that coaches in baseball saw that as a coach they could have access to teenage boys, so they came in and became coaches, would you want baseball to be shut down?

If men who wanted access to boys became teachers, and they used their position of trust to gain access to vulnerable boys, would you say that men could no longer be teachers?