Vatican comes under sharp criticism for sex abuse, UN committee

[pepipop]

hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_REL_UN_VATICAN_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-16-06-53-09

*GENEVA (AP) – The Vatican came under blistering criticism from a U.N. committee Thursday for its handling of the global priest sex abuse scandal, facing its most intense public grilling to date over allegations that it protected pedophile priests at the expense of victims.

The Vatican insisted it had little jurisdiction to sanction pedophile priests around the globe, saying it was for local law enforcement to do so. But officials conceded that it needs to do more, given the scale of the problem and the role the Holy See plays in the international community.*

 

[VeritasLuxMea]

Any time you claim to be a moral authority - in fact, the moral authority, and yet you are engaged in cover ups, conspiracies and various other shenanigans involving the sexual abuse of children then naturally, you’re going to come under fire. Let us pray for the healing of the victims and reform of our Church.

 

[RPRPsych]

Any time you claim to be a moral authority - in fact, the moral authority, and yet you are engaged in cover ups, conspiracies and various other shenanigans involving the sexual abuse of children then naturally, you’re going to come under fire. Let us pray for the healing of the victims and reform of our Church.

Agreed.

The U.N. doesn’t have too much moral authority on this issue, but that does not excuse the actions of those who are held to the highest standard of conduct. Let us pray, indeed. Never again. No more.

 

[Lochias]

I love how people will, on one hand, cry “SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE!!!” (and grievously outside of context, too boot), but then insist that the Church somehow keep complete and total track of all priests around the world outside of the countries’ law enforcement systems in which those priests live.

Total double standard.

The U.N. is also a useless relic, and what they have to say on any given matter carries about as much weight and authority as my left pinkie-finger.

 

[Lochias]

Also, this is an old, tired, dead horse. From 2010:

mercatornet.com/justb16/view/6899/

“From this report: The most recent “Child Maltreatment” report compiled by the Department of Health and Human Services indentified 60,253 different perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors in the U.S. during 2008. Statistics from all 50 states show 56% were parents or other relatives and 8.8% were a parent’s unmarried partner. The category “other professionals”, which includes “clergy, sports coach, camp counselor, etc.”, accounts for 349 perpetrators (0.6%). This group, being relatively tiny, is given no further attention. (For further perspective, an average of 18 Catholic priests a year were accused of paedofilia between 1950 and 2002, according to a study by John Jay College of Criminal Justice commissioned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. That would put priests’ portion of the US paedofile ranks at less than 0.03%.) - See more at: http://www.mercatornet.com/justb16/view/6899/#sthash.NndwZL42.dpuf”

That the U.N. is ignoring the actual core issue of abuse in the U.S. and focusing entirely on the Church for Reasons That Are Really Good and Real, We Promise! is laughable and sickening.

 

[aidanbradypop]

Lochias,

I am kind of with you. I do not believe it is a dead horse. We should always protect our children at any cost. I do believe the the UN is about as moral as a rock.

I guess the buck always stops at the top, as it should, but I believe the UN has a different motive behind such attacks.

 

[Lochias]

Lochias, I am kind of with you. I do not believe it is a dead horse.

Very specifically, the overblown accusations that continue to fly against the Church by people possessed of the common sense equivalent to that of an average fruit-fly is the dead horse.

We should always protect our children at any cost.

Naturally.

I do believe the the UN is about as moral as a rock.

Yup.

I guess the buck always stops at the top, as it should, but I believe the UN has a different motive behind such attacks.

Indeed.

 

[Country_Gal]

Any time you claim to be a moral authority - in fact, the moral authority, and yet you are engaged in cover ups, conspiracies and various other shenanigans involving the sexual abuse of children then naturally, you’re going to come under fire. Let us pray for the healing of the victims and reform of our Church.

Exactly. The Church needs to clean house.

 

[Country_Gal]

The UN is, indeed, more about symbolism. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic hierarchy failed innocent, vulnerable children. The hierarchy can’t do much about the UN’s uselessness, but it does need to do major housecleaning of itself.

The child abuse scandal is a symptom of a big problem that affects many people, not just children.

 

[davidv]

The UN is, indeed, more about symbolism. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic hierarchy failed innocent, vulnerable children. The hierarchy can’t do much about the UN’s uselessness, but it does need to do major housecleaning of itself.

The child abuse scandal is a symptom of a big problem that affects many people, not just children.

Every hierachy fails innocent vulnerble children, some of them do so deliberately.

 

[Country_Gal]

Every hierachy fails innocent vulnerble children, some of them do so deliberately.

Oh yeah, we shouldn’t expect anything special from ‘The one true church’ in terms of holiness, that’s right.

They’re just like any other organization, that’s right, I forgot. Other organizations fail children, why, the medical profession has a good old boys club. They cover for one another all the time. Why should the Catholic church be any different than them.

sarcasm

 

[oldcatholicguy]

Oh yeah, we shouldn’t expect anything special from ‘The one true church’ in terms of holiness, that’s right.

They’re just like any other organization, that’s right, I forgot. Other organizations fail children, why, the medical profession has a good old boys club. They cover for one another all the time. Why should the Catholic church be any different than them.

sarcasm

The holiness applies to the Church, not the members of it. The hierarchy are members, not the actual Church. Being a priest, Bishop, or even the Holy Father does not equate to being a sinless saint free of human failures. Perhaps less eyerolling and more studying on basic concepts of the faith would help?

 

[Country_Gal]

The holiness applies to the Church, not the members of it. The hierarchy are members, not the actual Church. Being a priest, Bishop, or even the Holy Father does not equate to being a sinless saint free of human failures. Perhaps less eyerolling and more studying on basic concepts of the faith would help?

That’s an old, tired excuse.

This is continuing, the protection of those who shielded abusers. It’s happening in my diocese still. It’s disgusting.

The church, here, has been rampant with homosexuality in the priesthood, with priests leading double lives. The priesthood being the biggest Cafeteria Catholics of all.

I think the church needs to face up to the fact that the celibacy requirement attracts the wrong people into the priesthood. Celibacy, in and of itself is not a bad thing. I’m a celibate myself after being widowed many years ago. But, requiring young men to take a vow of celibacy for life attracts a certain percentage of men with confused sexuality.

 

[Lochias]

The UN is, indeed, more about symbolism. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Catholic hierarchy failed innocent, vulnerable children. The hierarchy can’t do much about the UN’s uselessness, but it does need to do major housecleaning of itself.

The child abuse scandal is a symptom of a big problem that affects many people, not just children.

And the Church has taken appropriate steps to stop it.

Let’s talk about the other 99.7% of abuse cases in the U.S…where’s your outrage for them?

 

[Lochias]

That’s an old, tired excuse.

This is continuing, the protection of those who shielded abusers. It’s happening in my diocese still. It’s disgusting.

Prove what you say is true, and not just a knee-jerk response that the media has trained you to.

The church, here, has been rampant with homosexuality in the priesthood, with priests leading double lives.

Complete and utter speculation. Unbecoming.

The priesthood being the biggest Cafeteria Catholics of all.

Slander. Prove it.

I think the church needs to face up to the fact that the celibacy requirement attracts the wrong people into the priesthood.

Because clearly, you’ve got more wisdom that 2000+ years’ worth of people before you do.

Celibacy, in and of itself is not a bad thing. I’m a celibate myself after being widowed many years ago. But, requiring young men to take a vow of celibacy for life attracts a certain percentage of men with confused sexuality.

Prove it. Let’s see less baseless, groundless accusation and more actual substance to what you claim.

 

[Thorns]

The holiness applies to the Church, not the members of it. The hierarchy are members, not the actual Church. Being a priest, Bishop, or even the Holy Father does not equate to being a sinless saint free of human failures. Perhaps less eyerolling and more studying on basic concepts of the faith would help?

I thought the members were considered the Body which make the Church?

 

[Thorns]

And the Church has taken appropriate steps to stop it.

Let’s talk about the other 99.7% of abuse cases in the U.S…where’s your outrage for them?

The other 99.7% havent been abused by people who claim to be The Moral Authority. The Church is held to a higher standard.

 

[oldcatholicguy]

That’s an old, tired excuse.

This is continuing, the protection of those who shielded abusers. It’s happening in my diocese still. It’s disgusting.

The church, here, has been rampant with homosexuality in the priesthood, with priests leading double lives. The priesthood being the biggest Cafeteria Catholics of all.

I think the church needs to face up to the fact that the celibacy requirement attracts the wrong people into the priesthood. Celibacy, in and of itself is not a bad thing. I’m a celibate myself after being widowed many years ago. But, requiring young men to take a vow of celibacy for life attracts a certain percentage of men with confused sexuality.

-It’s not an excuse if it’s true.
-Celibacy attracts the “wrong people” to the priesthood? You do understand that the abuse rate among our celibate clergy is actually far lower than the abuse rate among our non-celibate male population right? Fact of the matter is, linking celibacy to child abuse paints a rather bad picture for not being celibate.

 

[Lochias]

The other 99.7% havent been abused by people who claim to be The Moral Authority. The Church is held to a higher standard.

Hogwash and tripe. The Church is the Church, not the people in the Church. The Church is a hospital for sinners, not an exclusive club for the perfect.

And I think it’s interesting indeed that you don’t expect the family members of those abused, who account for over half of all abusers, to be held to that same standard.

Interesting, indeed.

 

[Lochias]

I thought the members were considered the Body which make the Church?

Only partially true. God heads the Church, and the Church is more than just people, or else we’d have no need for an actual Church at all.