It is my understanding that writers of opinion /editorials cannot be held liable for defamation or libel if they are giving their fair opinion and not making *provably *false statements. They can’t just “make stuff up.”
Fair enough…I know a couple of Masons…completely normal guys…except when their plotting to take over the world, then I keep my distance.
I’ve said it on other threads…the paper wouldn’t publish it, if the people didn’t want to read it.
This is a dangerously misleading half-truth.
Seriously, Catholics do have reasons for saying such things. Here’s two sources for you to consider when you hear someone suspect masonic influences at work.Fair enough…I know a couple of Masons…completely normal guys…except when their plotting to take over the world, then I keep my distance.
These are just two sources. Examples are more abundant concerning the European lodges, but less frequent in the U.S. and Britain. This is mainly because the European lodges tend to be more openly politically active and more esoteric.
We all know why they attack the Church. Because 2% of child abuse cases have been found committed by clergy.
Just order a copy of The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita by Tan Books. It’s all there.
The facts are clear, a Catholic priest sexually abused many young boys. This man died a Catholic Priest, he was not defrocked.
Freemasons have nothing to do with the story. The story concerns a Catholic priest who sexually abused many children.
Yes, that is an example of horrible things in the past.
You asked, now you deny.
Yes - why let the facts get in the way of your opinion. Here is what the article referenced above has to say:
I’m not going to deny absurd conspiracy theories of Masonic world domination.
It’s just Maureen again, being outrageous and getting people to read her column.
I think we really do need to examine what went wrong. Introspection holds no fears for a Catholic who is sure of his/her faith. As a child, I once heard a priest say that the Church has endured bad congregations, bad clergy… and has endured despite it all. That made a deep and lasting impression on me. Unflattering articles about our Church in the secular media are just like so many buzzing flies to be brushed away or ignored.There are two articles that I’m linking here. The first is written by the judge in the Fr. Murphy case. It’s rather interesting that he says that the NYT never called him, but quoted him. He also says that some of the notes allegedly written by him are not his handwriting. He can’t figure out how the came to be called his notes. He also speaks of his contact with the Vatican during those years.
catholicanchor.org/wordpress/?p=601
The second link is to a similar situation that occurred at about the same time with the Boy Scouts in Oregon, but the media on the east coast has ignored it. Which makes one suspicious, not about the veracity of the abuse, but about the integrity of those reporting it.
It also raises a very serious question about what was going on in society between 1950 and 2000 which seems to be the years during which sexual abuse of boys was at its peak. I can’t believe that it’s just celibacy, Catholicism, or homosexuality, not with reports like the one from the Boy Scouts.
kval.com/internal?st=print&id=88554962&path=/news/local
From where I’m sitting, not only the Church, but society has to examine what went wrong? There are too many people from different walks of life involved in this crime and there seem to be a peak during the second half of the 20th century, which coincides with the advancement of secularism.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF