Pope Benedict Reportedly Defrocked 400 Priests in 2 Years

[ProVobis]

abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/apnewsbreak-pope-defrocks-400-priests-years-21576293

The statistics for 2011 and 2012 show a dramatic increase over the 171 priests removed in 2008 and 2009, when the Vatican first provided details on the number of priests who have been defrocked. Prior to that, it had only publicly revealed the number of alleged cases of sexual abuse it had received and the number of trials it had authorized.

While it’s not clear why the numbers spiked in 2011, it could be because 2010 saw a new explosion in the number of cases reported in the media in Europe and beyond.

The document was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting and was compiled to help the Holy See defend itself before a U.N. committee this week in Geneva.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the statistics in the course of eight hours of oftentimes pointed criticism and questioning from the U.N. human rights committee.

The statistics were compiled from the Vatican’s own annual reports about the activities of its various offices, including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which handles sex abuse cases. Although public, the annual reports are not readily available or sold outside Rome and are usually found in Vatican offices or Catholic university libraries.

(more)

 

[glendab]

I just got done reading all about it. It makes your head spin. No wonder he left. He couldn’t take any more.

Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced for so many sins, have mercy on Your poorest priests who have most need of Your mercy.

Thank God Himself all your days if you are blessed to have a good priest in your parish.

Glenda

 

[ProVobis]

Sara Oviedo, the committee’s main human rights investigator, challenged the Vatican on why offending priests had been transferred to other dioceses, rather than having their crimes reported to authorities.

What was behind the church’s “efforts to cover up and obscure these types of cases?” she asked.

The Vatican attempted to explain its inaction by claiming it had limited personal control over the Church’s more than 400,000 priests worldwide, explaining that criminal cases were a job for local law enforcement.

“Priests are not functionaries of the Vatican. Priests are citizens of their own states, and they fall under the jurisdiction of their own country,” Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, told the committee.

Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s former sex crimes prosecutor, said that he believes the Church now “gets it” and realizes that “there are certain things that need to be done differently.”

The U.N. committee was composed of victim groups, human rights organizations and the U.N. partnering together to confront the Church on its abuse record, based on reports from victims and evidence detailing the sex abuse scandal’s global scope. Among the countries of the parishes that had been affected were Ireland, Mexico, Britain, the U.S., Canada, the Dominican Republic and Australia.

christianpost.com/news/pope-benedict-defrocked-almost-400-priests-in-2-years-new-documents-make-astonishing-revelation-112877/

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I just got done reading all about it. It makes your head spin. No wonder he left. He couldn’t take any more.

Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced for so many sins, have mercy on Your poorest priests who have most need of Your mercy.

Thank God Himself all your days if you are blessed to have a good priest in your parish.

Glenda

Amen! We have good and holy priests and I do thank God!

 

[tawny]

I just got done reading all about it. It makes your head spin. No wonder he left. He couldn’t take any more.

Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced for so many sins, have mercy on Your poorest priests who have most need of Your mercy.

Thank God Himself all your days if you are blessed to have a good priest in your parish.

Glenda

Thank God my parish has been blessed with many truly good priests and deacons. Pray for all priests and deacons.

 

[thequietsinger]

All I can say is wow. I definitely agree with another poster about him having enough of it. Definitely praying for all of our beloved Priests and Deacons.

 

[NeedsMercy]

Wow, indeed. I had no idea that the numbers of the defrocked–as a result of child abuse–were so high. I, too, can see why Pope Benedict was “mortified” and ultimately decided to step down. There are, I think, two things that were mentioned that the Church really has to address and correct. One is who the Church thinks victims should report abuse to first. Now, the Church wants them to go to the Church hierarchy, instead of criminal authorities. IMHO, the law must be notified first. The second is the punishment and prosecution of those Church authorities who have covered up these crimes. I have a feeling that we will be horrified to see how far up the ladder such cover-ups go. Lord, have mercy on us all…

 

[GraceSofia]

No secular institution has done as much as the Church has done to combat this.
Think of public/gov’t schools …

 

[ProVobis]

Wow, indeed. I had no idea that the numbers of the defrocked–as a result of child abuse–were so high. I, too, can see why Pope Benedict was “mortified” and ultimately decided to step down. There are, I think, two things that were mentioned that the Church really has to address and correct. One is who the Church thinks victims should report abuse to first. Now, the Church wants them to go to the Church hierarchy, instead of criminal authorities. IMHO, the law must be notified first. The second is the punishment and prosecution of those Church authorities who have covered up these crimes. I have a feeling that we will be horrified to see how far up the ladder such cover-ups go. Lord, have mercy on us all…

The other question I would have is how far the Vatican is willing to go to decentralize the matter. I would think they’d want to play more of overseers of bishops rather than give them more powers. But I could be wrong. 5000 bishops might be too many to control. OTOH, if 400 defrocked priests are just the tip of the iceberg, the Vatican may need to expand its jurisdiction or not grant so many bishops dual citizenships.

 

[polki]

Part of the outrage is that while the defrocked priests may lose retirement benefits, housing, etc, they are still out in society and able to molest again. The Church needs to see this flaw in their system and fix it. The media’s love affair with Pope Francis is going to come to a short halt if he continues to be relatively silent about the matter.

I believe the abuse scandal has done more harm to the Church and society than poor catechesis which people often quote. From my experience, unless someone has been personally effected by the scandal or know someone who has, they sometimes don’t really understand, and often seem to defend or deemphasize the Church’s errors. Comparing what percentage of priests vs. secular leaders have molested children is a ridiculous defense for an indefensible crime.

 

[Seamus_L]

Let us pray that Pope Francis will vigorously pursue this matter.

 

[irishpatrick]

I just got done reading all about it. It makes your head spin. No wonder he left. He couldn’t take any more.

Oh Sacred Heart of Jesus pierced for so many sins, have mercy on Your poorest priests who have most need of Your mercy.
**
Thank God Himself all your days if you are blessed to have a good priest in your parish.**

Glenda

Priests bring us Jesus in the Eucharist.

Priests bring us Jesus’s forgiveness in Confession,

Priests bring us the Lord’s washing away of original sin through baptism.

Priests bring us the Grace of Christ in Confirmation.

Priests bring us Our Lady, and the Saints…all of whom point us to Jesus.

Priests bring us the Mass (both daily and Sunday).

Priests bring us the authentic Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

Priests bring us the Scriptures.

Priests bring us Sacred Tradition.

Priests bring us programs to help clothe and feed the poor.

Priests bring us the Anointing of the Sick.

Priests give their lives in the service to the Lord.

Thank God for Jesus, and thank God for His Church, and thank God for the Pope, and thank God for Our Lady, and thank God for the Saints, and thank God for Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and thank God for Priests–and may God bless and guide all Priests.
**
The overwhelming majority of Parishes have GOOD Priests, at the 99% and above level!** (perhaps it is time for all Catholics to remember that fact!)

If we attack the Lord’s Priesthood, why should men ever aspire to become Priests? If we cannot see that nearly all Priests are trying to be “good,” than why would any man want to be a Priest? If we do not have Priests, where would the world be then?

We can acknowledge the wrong, while praising the good–we can do both, and we should do both. Imagine how difficult it is today for those 99% who work hard every day, and have nothing but bashing and arrows coming there way…why do we Catholics insist on making it even more difficult for them? The world will always be against Jesus, His Church, and His Priesthood…we Catholics should not join the world in that practice. Our Priests need our prayers, they need our encouragement, they need our love, they need our friendship, they need to know they are appreciated for what they do.

 

[CNormal]

Geez. Let’s get this into perspective, people. Were all of them dismissed for sexual abuse of minors? More importantly, considering the fact that there are over 400,000 priests in the world, this number is less than one tenth of one percent. Do you think that is a bad statistic in any REAL world. Give me a break. How about your profession? How about your vocation as a married person? Do you think you could match that percentage? Not a chance. And don’t give me that baloney about, “If it is only one priest, that is one too many”. Sure. But if that is the standard, we should all just quit every profession and throw everyone under the bus. Let’s get back into the REAL world, people!! We are supposed to be loyal Catholics and that doesn’t mean running scared every time the Associated Press or some other agent of lies prints a distorted news story. Leave that hysteria for the weak minded and the multitude who are clueless in this life.

 

[ProVobis]

Geez. Let’s get this into perspective, people. Were all of them dismissed for sexual abuse of minors? More importantly, considering the fact that there are over 400,000 priests in the world, this number is less than one tenth of one percent. Do you think that is a bad statistic in any REAL world.

I guess the fact that ten (out of 200) dioceses in the U.S. have already declared bankruptcy because of the lawsuits is something to be brushed off as well?

 

[GraceSofia]

Part of the outrage is that while the defrocked priests may lose retirement benefits, housing, etc, they are still out in society and able to molest again.

We don’t know their status. Many of them may be in jail.

Comparing what percentage of priests vs. secular leaders have molested children is a ridiculous defense for an indefensible crime.

I suppose this is in response to my statement that “No secular institution has done as much as the Church has done to combat this.” It is not a defense for crimes. It is more a criticism of the media and they way they have constantly hammered the Catholic Church, while downplaying and ignoring the molestation by other groups, even when other groups have higher percentages. THAT doesn’t keep children safer; it puts them at risk because of the false narrative that it’s only Catholic priests that molest children.

 

[ProVobis]

It is more a criticism of the media and they way they have constantly hammered the Catholic Church, while downplaying and ignoring the molestation by other groups…

I suppose one can always blame the media for a lot of things, but AFAIK, that same media has promoted the Church over other religions all these years as well.

 

[kelvinf]

I find it hard to believe this!

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I wonder if the “job was done” or if there is more to do.

 

[Magdalen2013]

In addition to defrocking them, the abusers should have been made into anchorites, and bricked into cells to atone for the rest of their lives. Surely, the church has properties enough that this could be done – and it would guarantee the abusers would never get their hands on another child.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

In addition to defrocking them, the abusers should have been made into anchorites, and bricked into cells to atone for the rest of their lives. Surely, the church has properties enough that this could be done – and it would guarantee the abusers would never get their hands on another child.

In an irony of sorts it is BenedictXVI who is walled away. Albeit by his own choice.

I pray for him and Pope Francis Every DAY!