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Saint_wannabe
Guest
Why don’t you just come out and say that you wish to ignore that question?
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Windfish
Guest
I think it was Patrick Coffin who said that God’s decision in selecting a pope reflects a lot about the state of the world today. If Islam really were a threat, like many other people think, we would have gotten a pope that aggressively opposed it. Instead, we got a pope who sees secularism in Europe and in other parts of the world as the greatest evil in our time. God made the right choice (duh!).
And they usually come in pairs - one pope lays the groundwork for his successor. Pope Benedict, I think, is preparing the way for a more aggressive and charismatic successor.
And they usually come in pairs - one pope lays the groundwork for his successor. Pope Benedict, I think, is preparing the way for a more aggressive and charismatic successor.
K
Kearney
Guest
IMHO, this Pope did a great job in England and he has apoligzed countless times for the troubles in the Church and has seriously tried to make amends. I don’t know what else people think he can do? As Cardinal Ratzinger, he was at the forefront of tackling these types of issues and was sounding alarm bells over priest like Marcel in Mexico when nobody else in the Vatican seemed to want to touch these problems. He is a great man and I’m sure God has a good reward stored for him for all the help and protection he has tried to give our Church.
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JReducation
Guest
The Pope is a human being too. He has no magical wand that can stop people from commiting sins. He can make rules to avoid these sins. He can make rules to filter out as many of these sick people as possible. He can make rules to discipline these persons. He can offer ideas to bishops and religious superiors on what to do if this happens again. He can offer to pay for the damages done to the victims. What else is there? The Church has done all of this.
My suggestion to people is very simple. If the stories in the media upset you, stay away from them. If it’s any help, I can assure people that what the Holy Father said is true. There is much good being done to prevent this problem. A lot of it takes place behind closed doors for many resons. The most important reason of all is to protect innocent people. In my own community we have an annual training program on sexual abuse. We cover everything from how to spot potential abusers and potential victims too, how to manage our space so that we can reduce the places where such abuse can happen, how to manage people so that no one is ever in a near occassion of sin, how to file a report that is useful to both Church and civil authorities and when to file it, the canonical rights of all persons involved, the psychology of the abuser and the different kinds of abusers, how to allocate human and financial resources in such a way that we can filter out people who have such problems, how to offer support to victims and their families, how to support the families of the perpetrators (yes these men have parents, siblings, nephews and nieces who also suffer), and whatever else the experts tell us that we should know and do, we study and we discuss and we plan.
The Holy Father has made all of this possible by allocating resources and time for this. He has personally spent thousands of hours with experts on these matters in order to come up with guidelines to prevent abuse and guidelines to deal with the crimes of the past. All of this is shared around the world. Right now the USA is the leading country in implementing all of this. It’s working for us.
I ask again, what does the world want from this man? Everyone says that he has to do more, but no one says what the more should be. The few suggestions that have been made are either in place already or cannot be adopted, because they are in conflict with Canon Law, Doctrine or Sacramental Theology.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
My suggestion to people is very simple. If the stories in the media upset you, stay away from them. If it’s any help, I can assure people that what the Holy Father said is true. There is much good being done to prevent this problem. A lot of it takes place behind closed doors for many resons. The most important reason of all is to protect innocent people. In my own community we have an annual training program on sexual abuse. We cover everything from how to spot potential abusers and potential victims too, how to manage our space so that we can reduce the places where such abuse can happen, how to manage people so that no one is ever in a near occassion of sin, how to file a report that is useful to both Church and civil authorities and when to file it, the canonical rights of all persons involved, the psychology of the abuser and the different kinds of abusers, how to allocate human and financial resources in such a way that we can filter out people who have such problems, how to offer support to victims and their families, how to support the families of the perpetrators (yes these men have parents, siblings, nephews and nieces who also suffer), and whatever else the experts tell us that we should know and do, we study and we discuss and we plan.
The Holy Father has made all of this possible by allocating resources and time for this. He has personally spent thousands of hours with experts on these matters in order to come up with guidelines to prevent abuse and guidelines to deal with the crimes of the past. All of this is shared around the world. Right now the USA is the leading country in implementing all of this. It’s working for us.
I ask again, what does the world want from this man? Everyone says that he has to do more, but no one says what the more should be. The few suggestions that have been made are either in place already or cannot be adopted, because they are in conflict with Canon Law, Doctrine or Sacramental Theology.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
C
ConstantineTG
Guest
I can attest to that. As a PREP/CCD teacher, I had to submit a copy of my police report to the parish which will keep it for the diocese. It has to be renewed every 3 years.The Pope is a human being too. He has no magical wand that can stop people from commiting sins. He can make rules to avoid these sins. He can make rules to filter out as many of these sick people as possible. He can make rules to discipline these persons. He can offer ideas to bishops and religious superiors on what to do if this happens again. He can offer to pay for the damages done to the victims. What else is there? The Church has done all of this.
My suggestion to people is very simple. If the stories in the media upset you, stay away from them. If it’s any help, I can assure people that what the Holy Father said is true. There is much good being done to prevent this problem. A lot of it takes place behind closed doors for many resons. The most important reason of all is to protect innocent people. In my own community we have an annual training program on sexual abuse. We cover everything from how to spot potential abusers and potential victims too, how to manage our space so that we can reduce the places where such abuse can happen, how to manage people so that no one is ever in a near occassion of sin, how to file a report that is useful to both Church and civil authorities and when to file it, the canonical rights of all persons involved, the psychology of the abuser and the different kinds of abusers, how to allocate human and financial resources in such a way that we can filter out people who have such problems, how to offer support to victims and their families, how to support the families of the perpetrators (yes these men have parents, siblings, nephews and nieces who also suffer), and whatever else the experts tell us that we should know and do, we study and we discuss and we plan.
The Holy Father has made all of this possible by allocating resources and time for this. He has personally spent thousands of hours with experts on these matters in order to come up with guidelines to prevent abuse and guidelines to deal with the crimes of the past. All of this is shared around the world. Right now the USA is the leading country in implementing all of this. It’s working for us.
I ask again, what does the world want from this man? Everyone says that he has to do more, but no one says what the more should be. The few suggestions that have been made are either in place already or cannot be adopted, because they are in conflict with Canon Law, Doctrine or Sacramental Theology.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Also, other practice changes such as you can never be alone in a room with a student. There should be at least be 3 always. Either more teachers, more students, a helper, etc. As long as there are three or more. There are guidelines on what can and cannot be done and physical contact is strongly encouraged to be avoided at all times.
T
Tybourne
Guest
Constantine- I like your tag- not modernist or traditionalist, just Catholic!
All of the focus on the mainstream media’s coverage and on the abuse scandal (though the suffering of the innocents and the “castigation” of the Church should never be taken lightly) takes away from the remarkable thing that God has done in His Son, through the visit to Britain of Pope Benedict and the prayers of Blessed John Henry Newman. What is God doing here? We need to reflect on that, surely.
Here’s a link to a Wordle I created from all of Pappa Benny’s addresses in the U.K.
Ad multos annos, Holy Father! Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us!
All of the focus on the mainstream media’s coverage and on the abuse scandal (though the suffering of the innocents and the “castigation” of the Church should never be taken lightly) takes away from the remarkable thing that God has done in His Son, through the visit to Britain of Pope Benedict and the prayers of Blessed John Henry Newman. What is God doing here? We need to reflect on that, surely.
Here’s a link to a Wordle I created from all of Pappa Benny’s addresses in the U.K.
Ad multos annos, Holy Father! Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us!
F
FMLJoliecouer
Guest
The only thing I am thankful for when it comes to the stories I read about the sex abuse scandal…is Thank God that the horrible effects of childhood sex abuse are now becoming known and that some constructive ways to deal with the issue on our society are being sought and implemented. I just have to laugh though that its the Catholic church that seems to be the only institution apologizing. Lets face it…the problem of childhood sex abuse is right in our own families…myself included…a victim of incest of a brother 7 years my senior who has passed away (but I still pray for him).
Healing is possible, but it has to happen everywhere…not just those affected by Catholic Priests but all the perpetrators…
Keep the discussions going…but be part of the solution…not the problem…
Oh, by the way Satan…yeah you…you coward! Your plan is back firing because…this sex abuse scandal in the church just made me want to join the church more and I will be a full member this Oct 10…so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Why do you ask? Because I have never felt a better time than to come home…to the faith of my baptism…and I’m 43.
Praise the Lord for bringing me home
Healing is possible, but it has to happen everywhere…not just those affected by Catholic Priests but all the perpetrators…
Keep the discussions going…but be part of the solution…not the problem…
Oh, by the way Satan…yeah you…you coward! Your plan is back firing because…this sex abuse scandal in the church just made me want to join the church more and I will be a full member this Oct 10…so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Why do you ask? Because I have never felt a better time than to come home…to the faith of my baptism…and I’m 43.
Praise the Lord for bringing me home
C
Charlotte408
Guest
Me too! Amen!! Starting RCIA soon and I’m so nervous!!Oh, by the way Satan…yeah you…you coward! ** Your plan is back firing because…this sex abuse scandal in the church just made me want to join the church more** and I will be a full member this Oct 10…so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Why do you ask? Because I have never felt a better time than to come home…to the faith of my baptism…and I’m 43.
Praise the Lord for bringing me home
C
Charlotte408
Guest
My parish has sent home these packets, for us to go over with our kids. They have this basic, formula, ‘No - Go - Tell’
Say ‘No’ words, stop that, dont touch me, NO
Go- to where a parent or teacher or police officer is
Tell- them what happened.
Actually the material is really well put together. My 6 yr old and I went over it and she thought it was fun…I get really animated and she just soaked it in. She starts her catchesism this Sunday and they also have a mandatory class they have to attend once during the program where its all about abuse prevention and stuff like that.
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Saint_wannabe
Guest
I wanted to share a quote from a Catholic saint with you all here and ask all of you to meditate on it. I think it ties in nicely with comments on this thread that Iv’e previously made, and ties in nicely with this thread in general. I also don’t think that its just some strange coincidence that I found this quote today, and I wasn’t even deliberately looking for it.
“Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, but I’m here among you to prevent something much worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the equivalent of murder, those who take scandal - who allow scandals to destroy faith - are guilty of spiritual suicide.”
Francis De Sales
angelfire.com/nb/defendthefaith/quotes.html
“Those who commit these types of scandals are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of murder, but I’m here among you to prevent something much worse for you. While those who give scandal are guilty of the equivalent of murder, those who take scandal - who allow scandals to destroy faith - are guilty of spiritual suicide.”
Francis De Sales
angelfire.com/nb/defendthefaith/quotes.html
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wisdomseeker
Guest
God does work in mysterious, doesnt He? Alleluia!!! One more soldier in the Kingdom of God.The only thing I am thankful for when it comes to the stories I read about the sex abuse scandal…is Thank God that the horrible effects of childhood sex abuse are now becoming known and that some constructive ways to deal with the issue on our society are being sought and implemented. I just have to laugh though that its the Catholic church that seems to be the only institution apologizing. Lets face it…the problem of childhood sex abuse is right in our own families…myself included…a victim of incest of a brother 7 years my senior who has passed away (but I still pray for him).
Healing is possible, but it has to happen everywhere…not just those affected by Catholic Priests but all the perpetrators…
Keep the discussions going…but be part of the solution…not the problem…
Oh, by the way Satan…yeah you…you coward! Your plan is back firing because…this sex abuse scandal in the church just made me want to join the church more and I will be a full member this Oct 10…so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Why do you ask? Because I have never felt a better time than to come home…to the faith of my baptism…and I’m 43.
Praise the Lord for bringing me home
C
Charlotte408
Guest
My friend, I think it is you who actually need to meditate on this quote.
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fitzyjr
Guest
the pope called atheists nazis!!! he has lost the plot
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Charlotte408
Guest
Really? That’s what he said? Verbatim? I’m sure than that you have a clip or audio or transcript quoting this?
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JReducation
Guest
Actually, he said it the other way around. Nazism is rooted in the absence of God. I wish people would get it right.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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fitzyjr
Guest
fine, so he didnt put it exactly as i wrote it, but none the less the statement he made was a disgrace. if we are to get technical, hitler was raised a catholic, and never left the church. so there is more catholicism in naziism. but this is of course an absurd statement to make. im an atheist, so i took offence to the popes statement. within a vile empire such as that under hitler, im afraid religion or lack of religion plays no part. the twisted nature behind the actions of the nazis is void of morality, or even common human decency. it was not a case that they did not believe in god. just like muslim extremists, they believed they were acting in his name. truly the nazi story is a tale of one man twisting the ideals of a nation to suit his own evil nature. to link a religion to this, whether it be atheism, catholicism, or even mormen, is ridiculous. it was simply a time when one man manipulated a nation, and millions suffered as a resultActually, he said it the other way around. Nazism is rooted in the absence of God. I wish people would get it right.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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unafraid
Guest
The absence of God was not only patently true of Nazism, but of Communism as well. And the twentieth century bore witness to the bitter fruit produced by these godless regimes. Millions upon millions of lives were lost as the forces of God battled these evil entities to their just demises. The “New Atheists” are careful to sidestep those recent historical truths, as they shriek and shout about the “atheistic utopia” they will forge once they rid the earth of all religion.
What the twentieth century taught us is that atheism is never a banal thing. And, as these “New Atheists” become more shrill and strident in their hysterics, we must not just dismiss them as being harmless contrarians. Atheism not only destroys souls, but when gathered into the collective, it leads to ruinous destruction. There is no neutral vacuum which drives mankind’s destiny: there is good and evil. Remove God and you invite the devil into your midst. It is the cosmic reality of existence.
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Sailor_Kenshin
Guest
LIES! Proven thousands of times to be lies, but still believed by far too many people.
As I’ve said before—blind faith in an agenda-driven media trumps blind faith in anything else. Shame on those who fall for this.
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GaryTaylor
Guest
Even Pagans attribute the vacuum in western society to atheism.
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Fatima_Vision
Guest
Thanks for sharing this quote. I’m sorry that you’ve taken such a verbal beating for just voicing your displeasure over this whole thing. I also think its sad that you shared this quote with what appears to be no ill intentions, and you were called out for that as well. Your thoughts are welcomed here, just as everybody else’s are. God bless friend.
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