How to trust priests post: crisis revelations

  • Thread starter Thread starter gracepoole
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Why can’t you take statements at face value.

You assume I will deprive my parish. Not so. Did you know that a parish is the people who live within it? It’s not just an office with bills to pay.

Our parish has drug addiction problems, Hispanic children that just lost their parents to immigration, fatherless children in need of mentors, and Catholic school that needs support.
The needs in the parish are endless. Our treasure is at the service of Christ. And we try to be prudent with it.
 
Last edited:
Well then help the drug addicted and the homeless directly. That is what Jesus would do. He wouldn’t give his money to the church to help cover up sexual abuse.
 
There’s nothing “the matter” with me.

It’s good to support a parish in “other ways” than paying, which is what you suggested in your original post, but paying the light bill and the water bill and the heating bill and the A/C bill and the building maintenance and the parish staff (who are unlikely to all be volunteers) cost $$$$ money.

Withholding money from a parish hurts that parish.

Fact.
 
Last edited:
I am one of those volunteers.
We will support the parish as it is instituted: as the people who live in it.
We will not send any money that goes to the diocese until the diocese discovers responsibility.
 
Withholding support from sexual abuse victims also hurts the parish.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
That’s great. Hopefully other people in your parish will contribute actual money so Father can keep the lights on for Mass.
Click to expand...
Right. Because the faithful don’t give actual money if it’s not going to the diocese. Right?
That’s fake money, right?
Maybe the hard work and sweat it takes to provide those resources is also fake.
Right?
Only the money that touches the bishop’s hands is real. Is that right?
 
Brendan_64 said:
40.png
gracepoole:
Is this rumor and gossip?
Click to expand...
I’m not saying that it is, but you cannot then extrapolate things onto all (or most) priests and accuse them of actively turning a blind eye. And what if a priest did report things to his superiors and his superiors failed to act (or even turned it against him) is that the seminarian’s fault?
Click to expand...
No. Perhaps if you’d take a step back from being so defensive, you wouldn’t need to pose such scenarios. I never said abuse was the seminarians’ fault. Far from it. I asked what else priests might know about that isn’t being spoken.
 
gracepoole said:
No. Perhaps if you’d take a step back from being so defensive, you wouldn’t need to pose such scenarios.
Click to expand...
I’m not being defensive, but nor will I blame priests in general for the evil actions of some of their peers and superiors. You see to be implying some sort of conspiracy of silence (over sexual abuse) amongst the clergy in general. This would seem to be very unfair on good, faithful priests.
 
Last edited:
Tis_Bearself said:
Sorry, but your posts are making less and less sense to me. I’ll be muting the thread now.
Have a good day.
Click to expand...
That’s ok. You don’t have to understand in order for my family to do what we believe is right and just.
You have a good day as well.
 
Brendan_64 said:
40.png
gracepoole:
No. Perhaps if you’d take a step back from being so defensive, you wouldn’t need to pose such scenarios.
Click to expand...
I’m not being defensive, but nor will I blame priests in general for the evil actions of some of their peers and superiors. You see to be implying some sort of conspiracy of silence amongst the clergy in general. This would seem to be very unfair on good, faithful priests.
Click to expand...
Have you read about the problems that exist in seminaries? Because there are many, many priests and ex-priests who are openly speaking about them. To believe they’re some kind of anomaly is naive.
 
gracepoole said:
Have you read about the problems that exist in seminaries? Because there are many, many priests and ex-priests who are openly speaking about them. To believe they’re some kind of anomaly is naive.
Click to expand...
Yes, I am aware of such things, but blaming priests in general, including good priests, of being complicit in cover-up is unfair.
 
You can’t get past the guilt part of this. I’m more interested in whether there’s a culture of silence that requires priests not to speak about such things.
 
gracepoole said:
Yet even these men most likely knew about the debauchery occurring in seminaries if what I’ve read is correct.
Click to expand...
Did you go to college? Did you know the intimate details of every other person with your major or in your dorm? To bring it down to a smaller subset, do you think that every physician in a teaching hospital residency program knows the intimate details of every other resident (real life is not like Grey’s Anatomy TV show)?

I think that it would be a good idea for a documentarian to make a film about Seminary. Bring what seems to be a mysterious place out and dispel the mythical ideas.
 
gracepoole said:
You can’t get past the guilt part of this. I’m more interested in whether there’s a culture of silence that requires priests not to speak about such things.
Click to expand...
To answer your question generally: yes there is a culture of authoritarian silence that self protects it’s own abusive authority. Documented. The abuse of the authority of the faith is what allows it to continue, coupled with money and power.

This culture needs to be shattered and reformed in servant leadership.
 
Nichole said:
I would call it an ethical reason not to support my parish. Until they stop pretending I wasn’t raped by a priest and blaming me for it, they aren’t getting my money.
Click to expand...
I know this is none of my business, and you can totally feel free to ignore me, but if you have previously been brushed aside, I would encourage you to prayerfully consider bringing this to the attention of the diocese again, even if you have already done so in the past. With everything going on, surely now would be the time where your story would be taken quite seriously.

Again, I know it’s none of my business. I just hate to think that your concerns aren’t being heard by those that need to hear them. And I also hate to think that the man who did this to you could still be serving as a priest (which you haven’t specified whether or not that is the case—which is fine, you don’t need to do that here).
 
Exactly. A small “tax” is collected by the Diocese on parishes and the US Dioceses have an annual campaign where they ask for giving. That keeps the lights on at the Diocese, helps pay for the Tribunal Staff, Catholic Charities offices, the Safe Environment office and programs in every Parish, etc. You can ask for a financial disclosure statement.

The Seminarians are supported by special collections (in our Diocese the Holy Thursday collection goes to Seminarian Fund) and specific fundraisers.
 
Last edited:
If someone remains vague, no details, no names, I would take it to be hyperbole at best and fear mongering at worst.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top