R
Rascalking
Guest
It’s a nice thought, but this is NOTHING compared to the end times.
- Status
L
Lycorth
Guest
Ridiculous. Only a tiny percent of Germans overall have lost faith in the Church. They have allowed worldly scandals to affect how they view the eternal truths that only the Church teaches. That is pathetic and typical of worldly human beings, who judge vast groups based on the sins of a few.
Child abuse is vastly more prevalent in secular, non-clergy society than it is in the Church. Might as well start screaming that every non-clergyman should scourge himself every day for the sins of his fellow non-clergymen.
Child abuse is vastly more prevalent in secular, non-clergy society than it is in the Church. Might as well start screaming that every non-clergyman should scourge himself every day for the sins of his fellow non-clergymen.
B
BLeev
Guest
Honestly I do not think there is. Article I read says that there’s not - at least for his sake. I think we a Pope that is Holy enough that, like you said ‘if’, that if he was guilty he would come out and say it.
Someone who has had the role that he has before he was Holy Father you would think that if he were guilty of anything that those who did not care for him in the CDF would have brought anything they could have to light to discredit him.
B
benedictgal
Guest
With all due respect, you are Lutheran and perhaps do not have an idea about the One True Church founded by no less than Jesus Christ, Himself. You do not have the promise of Christ to St. Peter, the Rock upon whom Jesus founded the Church. Naturally, you speak from the perspective of your own ecclesial community, but, not from the Church’s.
Pope Benedict XVI is one of the finest theological minds to ever occupy the See of St. Peter. As Prefect, he handled these situations rather well. The Vatican has already stated what the facts were. However, the media are not ones to let go of a bone, no matter how dry it is.
Instead of calling for his resignation (in a similar manner to how the crowds behaved on Good Friday), we should pray that the Lord preserve and protect Pope Benedict XVI. Those who would call for his resignation really do not know anything at all about the Church and should be ashamed of themselves if they claim to be Catholic.
The fact that someone would start a thread like this is both apalling and insulting to the Church, and a disservice to Catholic Answers…
B
BernadetteM
Guest
What is the exact proof all you naysayers have who have judged and convicted the Pope of a crime?
I watched EWTN, World Over and the police did not prosecute the priest in the US. He was very ill and asked if Rome would let him die a priest and that he did 4 months later. I guess the Church showed a little mercy on this man. I pray God has more mercy on me than you have given to Pope Benedict.
In Germany it was another Bishop who re-assigned the priest and it was at that time that society, including the police and churches were told that these men could be helped.
So it appears all you great Christians are casting the first stone. I pray that none of you has ever committed any sexual sin. In today’s world that would be almost impossible.
I don’t believe that Pope Benedict did anything wrong. Rome was not aware of any problems in Germany until 1996 or 1998.
Why don’t you all start investigating other denominations, they can hide abuse, as they are not accountable to anyone. They don’t keep records either. If you go on the web you can find lists of pastors who abuse children and those are just the ones who have been caught. You can then condemn their churches and if they have any leadership include them. The Catholic Church has over one million members, try keeping track of everything that is happening throughout the Church and see if you can micro manage it.
I am getting tired of this type of smears many Catholics and other Christians are saying against the Holy Father.
Actually I wonder if you all enjoy scandal, that is all that is on the TV today. Whether it’s actors, policticians or clergy. Many people get a high from gossip and that is what your all doing as there is no proof except what the media claims.
And before anyone accuses me of justifying abuse please read my other post. I supose I thought at least Catholics on CAF were less judgemental and waited to crucify someone until there were real facts and legitimate proof of wrong doing, guess I was wrong.
Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Bernadette
I watched EWTN, World Over and the police did not prosecute the priest in the US. He was very ill and asked if Rome would let him die a priest and that he did 4 months later. I guess the Church showed a little mercy on this man. I pray God has more mercy on me than you have given to Pope Benedict.
In Germany it was another Bishop who re-assigned the priest and it was at that time that society, including the police and churches were told that these men could be helped.
So it appears all you great Christians are casting the first stone. I pray that none of you has ever committed any sexual sin. In today’s world that would be almost impossible.
I don’t believe that Pope Benedict did anything wrong. Rome was not aware of any problems in Germany until 1996 or 1998.
Why don’t you all start investigating other denominations, they can hide abuse, as they are not accountable to anyone. They don’t keep records either. If you go on the web you can find lists of pastors who abuse children and those are just the ones who have been caught. You can then condemn their churches and if they have any leadership include them. The Catholic Church has over one million members, try keeping track of everything that is happening throughout the Church and see if you can micro manage it.
I am getting tired of this type of smears many Catholics and other Christians are saying against the Holy Father.
Actually I wonder if you all enjoy scandal, that is all that is on the TV today. Whether it’s actors, policticians or clergy. Many people get a high from gossip and that is what your all doing as there is no proof except what the media claims.
And before anyone accuses me of justifying abuse please read my other post. I supose I thought at least Catholics on CAF were less judgemental and waited to crucify someone until there were real facts and legitimate proof of wrong doing, guess I was wrong.
Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Bernadette
R
Rascalking
Guest
There may not be. I don’t know. I try give people, in particular the holy father, every benefit of the doubt. You don’t know either-keep that in mind. Your entitlted to innocent until proven guilty, but if all the evidence points to guilt-no one, no matter who you are-is above divine and secular law.
However, if there was solid evidence that he did cover up a crime, he should be held accountable. The credibility and moral authority that the leaders in our church have earned is being sapped. No, the church teachings are still the same-they won’t be effected. But the moral authority of our leaders IS being effected. I do care how the Church is viewed. I want people to see them as the moral and ethical men they are.
C
Corki
Guest
He was removed from one of the most prestigious diocese in the US and sent into seculsion. Then he was put in place as pastor of a historically significant but largely unknown Church in Rome. If Pope John Paul had not died and one of his memorial Masses been said in that Church, no one would have heard anythng about him at all.
The Church can’t make him an un-Cardinal. He may as well work. This was an appropriate course of action.
C
Canto
Guest
Jen on another thread posted the following…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6450846&postcount=103
UN shame over sex scandal
The international organisation says that almost 200 of its peacekeepers around the world have been disciplined for sex offences - including rape and child abuse - but not one seems to have been prosecuted
…Prosecutions of peacekeepers are rare. Under UN regulations, servicemen and women can only be prosecuted in their home countries, not in the country where they are serving…
independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/un-shame-over-sex-scandal-431121.html
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6450846&postcount=103
UN shame over sex scandal
The international organisation says that almost 200 of its peacekeepers around the world have been disciplined for sex offences - including rape and child abuse - but not one seems to have been prosecuted
…Prosecutions of peacekeepers are rare. Under UN regulations, servicemen and women can only be prosecuted in their home countries, not in the country where they are serving…
independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/un-shame-over-sex-scandal-431121.html
C
crazzeto
Guest
No no uncertain terms should he resign, he’s a terrific pontiff!
G
Guyonthestreet
Guest
G
glenconnor
Guest
Read his book Jesus of Nazareth. No one who has read that can tell me that he is not a learned and dedicated follower of Christ. I think he is fine where he is. When God wants him out of the papacy, He will call him home.
L
Lutheranteach
Guest
Read what I wrote. I never called for his resignation. I gave a scenario where it may be a necessity — or for the best. As for your first paragraph. I totally disagree as you would expect.
J
JReducation
Guest
We have to sort out two things here. First, there is no clear evidence that Cardinal Ratzinger committed a crime. There is a lot of conjecture, thus far.
Second, the Pope is selected by the Holy Spirit, not by man. His selection is not dependent on his goodness. The Holy Spirit selects the pope that is best for the Church. That pope can be good for the Church during his reign or he may plant seeds that are good for the Church in the future. But the point is that the papacy has nothing to do with what a man may or may not have done before he was pope. The Holy Spirit does not make mistakes. Benedict is a validly elected pope.
To conclude, there is a third rule of the Church that cannot change. The Pope is never subject to any civil authority or law. It is impossible for the Vicar of Christ to take a position that is subordinate to any human government, because Christ cannot be subordinate to civil authorities. Unless the pope commits heresy the Chair of Peter is occupied.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
Second, the Pope is selected by the Holy Spirit, not by man. His selection is not dependent on his goodness. The Holy Spirit selects the pope that is best for the Church. That pope can be good for the Church during his reign or he may plant seeds that are good for the Church in the future. But the point is that the papacy has nothing to do with what a man may or may not have done before he was pope. The Holy Spirit does not make mistakes. Benedict is a validly elected pope.
To conclude, there is a third rule of the Church that cannot change. The Pope is never subject to any civil authority or law. It is impossible for the Vicar of Christ to take a position that is subordinate to any human government, because Christ cannot be subordinate to civil authorities. Unless the pope commits heresy the Chair of Peter is occupied.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
J
Jermosh
Guest
Just to clarify, this was an actual PROMOTION, he is the Arch-priest of the most prestigious parish in the WORLD and lives in a papal apartment that is valued in the millions. This also gave him the most prestigious American role in the Vatican. He is also not the only Cardinal that held this role at this parish either. If they really wanted to just put him at work, they should made him a pastor at a abbot or some other religous group out in the middle of the boonies.
J
Jermosh
Guest
Geoghan was killed by a mentally insane inmate who hated pedophiles, it happens in jail all the time.
This makes no sense, the actions where done by priests with full knowledge of the hiarchy. Attempting to link to NAMBLA is pretty wierd actually.
K
kepha1
Guest
NEW YORK TIMES GIVES WRONG IMPRESSION
March 19, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a front-page article in today’s New York Times on a sex abuse incident that took place in Germany 30 years ago:
“For decades it was common practice in the church not to involve law enforcement in sexual abuse cases.” Thus does the Times give the impression that outside the Catholic Church, secular and religious organizations typically called the cops when they learned of abuse cases by employees. This is pure, unadulterated bunk. The rule, not the exception, was to deal with such matters internally.
Only recently have there been any laws mandating that the authorities be notified. What really takes chutzpah is the fact that the New York Times did not endorse a bill last year in New York State which would have treated public institutions the same way it would have treated private institutions in dealing with sex abuse.
In the 1960s, 70s and 80s—the very period when the vast majority of cases of priestly sexual molestation took place—the prevailing zeitgeist was to rehabilitate and renew. Had the Church dealt punitively right off the bat with alleged offenders, it would have been branded heartless and un-Christian at the time. How perverse it is, then, that those who sold us the idea that every malady could be cured by rehabilitation are now the very ones condemning the Catholic Church for following their prescription. That they are selectively doing so is all the more infuriating.
Anyone who thinks this twisted thinking is confined to the New York Times isn’t keeping up with liberal sentiment on this issue. It’s the norm.
*Contact NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt: **public@nytimes.com*
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1802
March 19, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a front-page article in today’s New York Times on a sex abuse incident that took place in Germany 30 years ago:
“For decades it was common practice in the church not to involve law enforcement in sexual abuse cases.” Thus does the Times give the impression that outside the Catholic Church, secular and religious organizations typically called the cops when they learned of abuse cases by employees. This is pure, unadulterated bunk. The rule, not the exception, was to deal with such matters internally.
Only recently have there been any laws mandating that the authorities be notified. What really takes chutzpah is the fact that the New York Times did not endorse a bill last year in New York State which would have treated public institutions the same way it would have treated private institutions in dealing with sex abuse.
In the 1960s, 70s and 80s—the very period when the vast majority of cases of priestly sexual molestation took place—the prevailing zeitgeist was to rehabilitate and renew. Had the Church dealt punitively right off the bat with alleged offenders, it would have been branded heartless and un-Christian at the time. How perverse it is, then, that those who sold us the idea that every malady could be cured by rehabilitation are now the very ones condemning the Catholic Church for following their prescription. That they are selectively doing so is all the more infuriating.
Anyone who thinks this twisted thinking is confined to the New York Times isn’t keeping up with liberal sentiment on this issue. It’s the norm.
*Contact NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt: **public@nytimes.com*
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1802
J
JReducation
Guest
Let’s go slowly and gently here, because there are some misunderstandings here.
Levada, Burke, O’Malley, and George all have positions of power in the Roman Curia. Law does not.
We have to be gentle here in our comments. Because sometimes we say things that are not exactly the way they look.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
But he has no jurisdiction. That’s the most important point here. An arch-priest has not jurisdiction. He is a caretaker of a very prestegious church.
I don’t know how you know this and I don’t know where he lives. I do know that the Holy Father’s apartment is modest by comparison to the residences of other heads of state. I doubt that the Cardinal has a better apartment.
How is his role the most prestigious American role? We have other American Cardinals who hold very prestigious and powerful roles in the Vatican.
Levada, Burke, O’Malley, and George all have positions of power in the Roman Curia. Law does not.
That role is rarely given to a Cardinal, but it does not give the individual any power within the Church, just a pretty place to work. You cannot make a bishop a pastor. That’s against canon law. You cannot make a secular man an abbot. Only a monk can be an abbot. Law is not a religious. He cannot be assigned to a religious community, he is a secular priest. That too is against canon law. The only person who can make those choices is he. None of those can be imposed on any Catholic.
We have to be gentle here in our comments. Because sometimes we say things that are not exactly the way they look.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
K
kepha1
Guest
MEDIA MOSTLY IGNORE SEX ABUSE DATA
March 24, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the way the media are reacting to the 2009 annual report on priestly sexual abuse that was just released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
There was a 36 percent decline in allegations of clergy sexual abuse between 2008 and 2009. As usual, most of the alleged offenders are either dead and buried, have already been thrown out of the priesthood, or are missing. There were six allegations made in 2009 involving minors. Six. As always, males are the preferred target. The report gave an age breakdown but did not mention the significant role played by homosexuals. Media reports never mentioned it either.
**Here’s how the media responded. AP ran a story of 864 words, but most newspapers ignored it: only two—the Asbury Park Press and the News Journal (Wilmington)—decided to run it. The *Washington Post *did a responsible job by covering it in 505 words. The St. Paul Pioneer Press also offered a decent summary. By contrast, the *New York Times *ran a 92-word article. The Chicago Tribune did much the same. None of the other big dailies—from the Catholic-bashing Boston Globe to the reliably anti-Catholic Los Angeles Times—even bothered to mention it. NPR gave it short mention, but the broadcast and cable stations ignored it.
It’s all so predictable. Bad news about the Catholic Church is front-page news, but good news goes largely ignored. To those who say it’s no different with any other group, consider this. The AP reports today that a rabbi accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in New York a decade ago was arrested yesterday outside his Arizona synagogue. Aside from a very brief article in the New York Daily News, not a single newspaper in New York or Arizona—
or anywhere else—bothered to print it.
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1809
March 24, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the way the media are reacting to the 2009 annual report on priestly sexual abuse that was just released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
There was a 36 percent decline in allegations of clergy sexual abuse between 2008 and 2009. As usual, most of the alleged offenders are either dead and buried, have already been thrown out of the priesthood, or are missing. There were six allegations made in 2009 involving minors. Six. As always, males are the preferred target. The report gave an age breakdown but did not mention the significant role played by homosexuals. Media reports never mentioned it either.
**Here’s how the media responded. AP ran a story of 864 words, but most newspapers ignored it: only two—the Asbury Park Press and the News Journal (Wilmington)—decided to run it. The *Washington Post *did a responsible job by covering it in 505 words. The St. Paul Pioneer Press also offered a decent summary. By contrast, the *New York Times *ran a 92-word article. The Chicago Tribune did much the same. None of the other big dailies—from the Catholic-bashing Boston Globe to the reliably anti-Catholic Los Angeles Times—even bothered to mention it. NPR gave it short mention, but the broadcast and cable stations ignored it.
It’s all so predictable. Bad news about the Catholic Church is front-page news, but good news goes largely ignored. To those who say it’s no different with any other group, consider this. The AP reports today that a rabbi accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in New York a decade ago was arrested yesterday outside his Arizona synagogue. Aside from a very brief article in the New York Daily News, not a single newspaper in New York or Arizona—
or anywhere else—bothered to print it.
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1809
L
lemonbeam
Guest
I asked the question, ‘‘Should Pope Benedict resign’’ after reading the New York times story about Fr. Murphy and the Wisconsin case and Pope Benedict. I now know this story was based on suspicion, not on fact. Pope Benedict did not cover up any sex abuse.
Sources:
The Pope and the Murphy case: what the New York Times story didn’t tell you:
catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=629
Pope Benedict Transferred Paedophile?:
ncregister.com/blog/pope_benedict_transferred_paedophile/
VATICAN NOTES “MERE SPECULATION” IN NEW YORK TIMES:
zenit.org/article-28761?l=english
Keeping the record straight on Benedict and the crisis:
ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/keeping-record-straight-benedict-and-crisis
The Pope and the Wisconsin sex abuse scandal: I smell a stitch-up:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100031495/the-pope-and-the-wisconsin-sex-abuse-scandal-i-smell-a-stitch-up/
The Church is not trying to cover anything up:
timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7076344.ece
VATICAN SPOKESMAN REFUTES MURPHY CASE ACCUSATIONS
zenit.org/article-28750?l=english
NY Archdiocese Demands Retraction from NYTimes:
archny.org/news-events/news-press-releases/index.cfm?i=15964
NEW YORK TIMES TRIES TO KEEP FLAME ALIVE
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1811
The pope is innocent of any wrong doing. Every attempted smear story they throw at him falls short. All you have to do is read the details. For example; in Munich we’re talking about one case, wherein somebody beneath him transferred an accused priest without his knowledge or consent. Then in the case of Milwaukee, again we are talking about one accused priest, who could not be prosecuted by civil authorities and the charges were dropped. Then while the Archbishop was the one and only man who could have done anything, he decided to punt the case to the Vatican instead, where it was delayed for months. Finally, when a response was given, it was given not by Cardinal Ratzinger (currently Pope Benedict XVI), but by somebody completely different, recommending the trial be canceled since the accused priest was dying. He died four months later. Once again, the responsibility lay at the Archbishop of Milwaukee’s feet, because he alone was the only one who had evidence to defrock the accused priest, and yet he tried to pass the buck instead.
That’s it! That’s all the liberal mainstream media has! That is their whole case! Yet with that, they are trying to implicate the pope in some sort of trial by newspaper in which they alone play the judge, jury and executioner.
Since the mainstream news media refuses to do their jobs, let us in the blogosphere once again do it for them. Here are the facts…
FACT #1
The Catholic Church has ALWAYS taught that sexual abuse of minors is a damnable sin, of the worst kind, in which Jesus Christ himself said it would be better for someone who does this to tie a millstone around his neck and be thrown into the deepest part of the sea. Catholics involved in sexual abuse have not only failed in morality, but they have also failed in Catholicism, in that they are not practicing the Catholic Christian faith at all.
FACT #2
The total number of all priests accused of sexual abuse of minors is less than 5% of all Catholic clergy. That means more than 95% of Catholic clergy have never been accused and are doing their jobs correctly, living quiet and holy lives in service to their parishes.
FACT #3
In spite of what people say about clerical celibacy being a “cause” of these problems, actual statistics indicate that the majority of sex-abuse of minors is perpetrated by married men; step-fathers, uncles, cousins and live-in boyfriends. Statistically speaking, being a celibate man in the Catholic priesthood actually REDUCES your odds of sexually abusing minors. That’s just a matter of statistical FACT.
FACT #4
In the overwhelming vast majority of cases where sexual abuse was reported in the Catholic Church, the alleged victim was a male between the ages of 12 and 18. Victims younger than 12 were almost never reported, and sexual abuse of females was also rare. This is not the clinical definition of pedophilia. It is however a type of predatory homosexuality that seeks to take advantage of underage young men. Therefore the term “pedophile priests” is a misnomer and not based on hard statistical data. A more accurate term should be “predatory homosexual priests.”
FACT #5
Homosexual men are not allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. In order for a homosexual to become a priest he must lie about his homosexuality just to get into seminary and remain “in the closet” indefinitely. If he is ever discovered to be gay, he would be fired and laicized (defrocked).
FACT #6
Sexual abuse of minors is slightly higher in Protestant churches according to data released by insurance agencies that underwrite them.
FACT #7
Sexual abuse of minors is significantly higher in non-religious institutions that deal with children, particularly public schools, where according to a U.S. government report, a child is literally over 100 times more likely to be molested in a public school than in a Catholic church.
FACT #8
The reforms implemented in the US Catholic Church after the sex-abuse scandal of 2002-2003 have been hailed by child protective services as the most comprehensive ever seen in a public institution and have been cited as a model for other institutions to follow.
catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/03/pope-to-be-crucified-this-easter.html
Sources:
The Pope and the Murphy case: what the New York Times story didn’t tell you:
catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=629
Pope Benedict Transferred Paedophile?:
ncregister.com/blog/pope_benedict_transferred_paedophile/
VATICAN NOTES “MERE SPECULATION” IN NEW YORK TIMES:
zenit.org/article-28761?l=english
Keeping the record straight on Benedict and the crisis:
ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/keeping-record-straight-benedict-and-crisis
The Pope and the Wisconsin sex abuse scandal: I smell a stitch-up:
blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100031495/the-pope-and-the-wisconsin-sex-abuse-scandal-i-smell-a-stitch-up/
The Church is not trying to cover anything up:
timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7076344.ece
VATICAN SPOKESMAN REFUTES MURPHY CASE ACCUSATIONS
zenit.org/article-28750?l=english
NY Archdiocese Demands Retraction from NYTimes:
archny.org/news-events/news-press-releases/index.cfm?i=15964
NEW YORK TIMES TRIES TO KEEP FLAME ALIVE
catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1811
The pope is innocent of any wrong doing. Every attempted smear story they throw at him falls short. All you have to do is read the details. For example; in Munich we’re talking about one case, wherein somebody beneath him transferred an accused priest without his knowledge or consent. Then in the case of Milwaukee, again we are talking about one accused priest, who could not be prosecuted by civil authorities and the charges were dropped. Then while the Archbishop was the one and only man who could have done anything, he decided to punt the case to the Vatican instead, where it was delayed for months. Finally, when a response was given, it was given not by Cardinal Ratzinger (currently Pope Benedict XVI), but by somebody completely different, recommending the trial be canceled since the accused priest was dying. He died four months later. Once again, the responsibility lay at the Archbishop of Milwaukee’s feet, because he alone was the only one who had evidence to defrock the accused priest, and yet he tried to pass the buck instead.
That’s it! That’s all the liberal mainstream media has! That is their whole case! Yet with that, they are trying to implicate the pope in some sort of trial by newspaper in which they alone play the judge, jury and executioner.
Since the mainstream news media refuses to do their jobs, let us in the blogosphere once again do it for them. Here are the facts…
FACT #1
The Catholic Church has ALWAYS taught that sexual abuse of minors is a damnable sin, of the worst kind, in which Jesus Christ himself said it would be better for someone who does this to tie a millstone around his neck and be thrown into the deepest part of the sea. Catholics involved in sexual abuse have not only failed in morality, but they have also failed in Catholicism, in that they are not practicing the Catholic Christian faith at all.
FACT #2
The total number of all priests accused of sexual abuse of minors is less than 5% of all Catholic clergy. That means more than 95% of Catholic clergy have never been accused and are doing their jobs correctly, living quiet and holy lives in service to their parishes.
FACT #3
In spite of what people say about clerical celibacy being a “cause” of these problems, actual statistics indicate that the majority of sex-abuse of minors is perpetrated by married men; step-fathers, uncles, cousins and live-in boyfriends. Statistically speaking, being a celibate man in the Catholic priesthood actually REDUCES your odds of sexually abusing minors. That’s just a matter of statistical FACT.
FACT #4
In the overwhelming vast majority of cases where sexual abuse was reported in the Catholic Church, the alleged victim was a male between the ages of 12 and 18. Victims younger than 12 were almost never reported, and sexual abuse of females was also rare. This is not the clinical definition of pedophilia. It is however a type of predatory homosexuality that seeks to take advantage of underage young men. Therefore the term “pedophile priests” is a misnomer and not based on hard statistical data. A more accurate term should be “predatory homosexual priests.”
FACT #5
Homosexual men are not allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. In order for a homosexual to become a priest he must lie about his homosexuality just to get into seminary and remain “in the closet” indefinitely. If he is ever discovered to be gay, he would be fired and laicized (defrocked).
FACT #6
Sexual abuse of minors is slightly higher in Protestant churches according to data released by insurance agencies that underwrite them.
FACT #7
Sexual abuse of minors is significantly higher in non-religious institutions that deal with children, particularly public schools, where according to a U.S. government report, a child is literally over 100 times more likely to be molested in a public school than in a Catholic church.
FACT #8
The reforms implemented in the US Catholic Church after the sex-abuse scandal of 2002-2003 have been hailed by child protective services as the most comprehensive ever seen in a public institution and have been cited as a model for other institutions to follow.
catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/03/pope-to-be-crucified-this-easter.html
L
lemonbeam
Guest
The Pope was not implicit in covering up. I’ve done some more search on this Murphy case. Church and Vatican documents showed that in the mid-1990s, two Wisconsin bishops urged the Vatican office led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - now the pope - to let them hold a church trial against Murphy. The bishops admitted the trial was coming years after the alleged abuse, but argued that the deaf community in Milwaukee was demanding justice from the church.
Ratzinger was not a member of the Congregation for Clergy (which is directly responsible for priests in the overall sense), nor the Congregation for Bishops. He was head of Congregation for Doctrine. So the first question is “Why did Weakland write to Cong. Doctrine rather than Clergy or Bishops?” (The answer is below, in the CNS News story.) It is very important to note that Ratzinger’s Congregation did NOT have full control of priest-pedophile issues until 2002, by the way.
But this particular instance shows the failure of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and of the local civil authorities; it does not indicate what the enemies of the Church are determined to find–some evidence that the Catholic Church at the highest levels winks at child abuse and covers it up as some sort of institutional policy, or that the pope himself cares nothing for abused children.
redcardigan.blogspot.com/2010/03/incendiary-journalism.html
Ratzinger was not a member of the Congregation for Clergy (which is directly responsible for priests in the overall sense), nor the Congregation for Bishops. He was head of Congregation for Doctrine. So the first question is “Why did Weakland write to Cong. Doctrine rather than Clergy or Bishops?” (The answer is below, in the CNS News story.) It is very important to note that Ratzinger’s Congregation did NOT have full control of priest-pedophile issues until 2002, by the way.
But this particular instance shows the failure of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and of the local civil authorities; it does not indicate what the enemies of the Church are determined to find–some evidence that the Catholic Church at the highest levels winks at child abuse and covers it up as some sort of institutional policy, or that the pope himself cares nothing for abused children.
redcardigan.blogspot.com/2010/03/incendiary-journalism.html
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