Vatican: Pope was 'completely extraneous' to Munich sex abuse decision [CNA]

[Elrandir]

Dear Emperor Napoleon

As for the fact that there is inaction, that is not excusable, definatley not.
But then again you say that the Bishops and archbishops are ignorant of what is happening in their dioceses and I think this accusation is a bit harsh and unfair.
Everybody who has some knowledge about sexual abuse knows that a lot of secrecy is involved. Only if the abuse victim decides to talk the secrecy is gone. And precisely this is very hard for a lot of victims.
It took me more than 16 years before I told even a single person about it.
There is also no profile for perpetrators and it can be basically anyone. If no allegations are made, some people get away with it, because absolutely noone know. Therefor I think it is unfair to accuse our leaders of ignorance of what is going on.
Sexual Abuse is a disease spread out through our society and is mostly found in families. Is our society ignorant? Where is the action from the part of the society to stop that?

regards
Elrandir

 

[Zoe_Brain]

Had there not been many, many, many examples brought to light of such cover-ups, I wouldn’t put much credence in any rumours if the Holy Father’s involvement.

There is this though:

On November 25, 1981, J-P II made Ratzinger the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, i.e. the head of the Inquisition. He held this office for almost 24 years, leaving only when he was elected Pope on April 19, 2005.

As Prefect of the Inquisition, Ratzinger had the supreme charge of investigating violations of Church doctrine, including sex abuse by clergy. Any and all allegations of sexual misconduct, anywhere in the world, would have passed through his office. In 2001, as Prefect, Ratzinger issued a formal statement, Crimen Sollicitationis (“The Crime of Solicitation”) which mandated “confidentiality” of any and all allegations of clerical pedophilia. Ratzinger also sought – successfully – to obtain diplomatic immunity for high-ranking church authorities accused of sex abuse, facilitation and conspiracy.

That much I believe is objectively true and provable. Perhaps he thought that the Church was under malicious and mendacious attack - as has been known to happen. Perhaps, even despite his position, the truth was kept hidden from him.

But what do I say when someone says “Yes, and Perhaps pigs have wings”.

Until more evidence comes in, I will suspend judgement - and give little credence to rumour. That I have to suspend judgement, rather than give a vehement declaration of innocence, is disturbing to me. I still find it difficult to believe that there’s even a remote possibility his Holiness may be involved in the cover-up.

 

[baylee]

All I can muster is that all of this is excruciatingly exhausting. I have been known to defend the Church over and over again, but even I’m getting to the point of : Enough already.

 

[judechild]

I’ve read through the articles Theophorus has provided, and agree that they damage the attempt to connect the Pope to the scandel. Particularly:

“The accused was not a priest of the Munich archdiocese, but a priest from the Diocese of Essen, who had been sent to a facility in Munich for counseling. So the then-Cardinal Ratzinger was not responsible for his treatment; his only connection with the case was his decision to let the priest stay in a rectory in the Munich archdiocese while he was undergoing treatment there. There is no evidence that the Pope was aware the accused priest was an accused pedophile; he was evidently informed only that the priest had been guilty of sexual improprieties, and probably concluded that he was engaged in homosexual activities with young men.”

If this is the only priest that has any connection between Pope Benedict and this horrible nightmare, then it seems that he is not directly at fault during his time as Archbishop. This is good for him, though it doesn’t change the terrible pain caused by the offending priest - let’s please pray for the victims.

However, provided nothing else comes up, I now wonder what the future Pope did as Prefect for the Congragation of the Doctrine of the Faith. So far, the accusation that he participated in cover-up while in that capacity is muted, but it needs to be examined as well. The only other point I have at this time is that I still don’t quite buy that “the Pope was [not] aware the accused priest was an accused pedophile”; it seems rather forced to say that he was totally ignorant.

Oh dear, I find I cannot even trust the Pope anymore… what’s to do? Catholics, and especially the victims, have been betrayed by our own heirarchy, it seems.

 

[tweetymom]

Harry S Truman had a sign in his office saying

               THE BUCK STOPS HERE

Who was in charge of the Archodiocese?

Amen to that.

 

[Adeodatus]

All I can muster is that all of this is excruciatingly exhausting. I have been known to defend the Church over and over again, but even I’m getting to the point of : Enough already.

That’s the point of the continual assault. To eventually wear you down.

 

[Ecoclimber]

What’s so sad is that secular society has to bring this to the attention of the Church, Murphy Report i.e., whereas the bastion of Moral Authority, the Church, in order to protect itself and her priests, failed in her ecclesiastical authority to protect the innocence of her children. This is not my opinion but a statement from Pope Benedict XVI addressing the abuse of children in her institutions in Ireland.

The cloak of silence still exists within the Church and undermines its moral authority especially when secular society seems to exhibit a higher moral code when the church refuses to acknowledge, covers up or stonewalls any investigation. This cloak of secrecy allows the perpetrators to move from one ecclesiastic jurisdiction to another under the approval and direction of those in authority. By undermining the moral authority and integrity of the church, secular society accuses it of a double standard or hypocrisy when the Magisterium of the church speaks out against abortion and remains silent on sexual exploitation of children. Matt: 18:6 " But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Unfortunately, the Church still obfuscates, stonewalls and uses legal means to continue the abuse of it’s victims as reported by BishopAccountability.org bishop-accountability.org/. This whole situation will cause many to leave the church and will impact the Gospel in reaching the lost. Much prayer and repentance is needed within the Church as indeed as mentioned in other threads the smoke of Satan is indeed in the Vatican.

I wonder if the Eastern Rite Churches which allow priests to marry, have the same problem? If the Eastern Rite Churches have no problem with priest performing their duties and responsibilities as priests, then doesn’t the argument for celibacy instituted in the 1100’s become moot?

I believe this problem will only get worse when the Latin American churches report in.

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

Good Lord! I posted that link as a an example of very bad press.

You are correct. I was never roughed up by 3 girls for wearing a Catholic School uniform.

Nope!! As a Catholic I’ve read enough of that sort of garbage. Hints of this & smidgens of that. I’ve been Catholic since birth & have seen & read enough criticism that some of the leaders in my Church actually deserved & more that they didn’t.

I’ve had it much easier than my Father, though. He was born in 1914 & spent his childhood in a small town in Kansas, with a large Mexican population brought in to break a railroad strike. Of course, the Mexicans were Catholic…so the Klan burned a cross on the Church lawn. Almost burned the Church down while they were at it.

Myself, in the 50’s I was roughed up by 3 girls while I waited at a bus stop. Their reason?? I had a Catholic school uniform on.

You Episcopalians are probably not used to that kind of thing. Many of us older Catholics are. God’s opinion is what really matters to me, & I know that God wanted Pope Benedict for our Holy Father. He will give him the strength to survive it, & the daily prayers of so many Catholics
will help carry him through.

 

[Another_Mary]

I wonder if the Eastern Rite Churches which allow priests to marry, have the same problem?

And the Protestants, too…don’t forget them.

 

[unafraid]

The sheer volume and repetition of the garish accusations and accompanying sensationalized headlines can lead one into a state of anger and confusion. So, for my own peace of mind, I decided to break things down fundamentally and utilize the catechism to help refresh my understanding as to ,“What, in essence, is the church?”, and, “What is my role within it?”

The catechism states regarding the true nature of our Church: "Our redeemer has shown himself to be one person with the holy Church whom he has taken to himself.

Head and members form as it were one and the same mystical person."

St. Joan of Arc summed it up for her judges, stating: “About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.”

I take solace in remembering that it is the glorified Christ himself who stands with us during these trials as a unified, sanctified Church.

And we all must remember to stay strong and dignified during this period. We must remain confident in what St. Peter told us that Our Lord won for us on Calvary: “You are a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own people” (1 Pet 2:14).

To turn away from the Church would be to turn away from the very person of Jesus Christ.
Unthinkable.

 

[ChestnutTree]

That’s the point of the continual assault. To eventually wear you down.

Until the Pope, Bishops and all people in leadership position clean house the attacks will keep coming. They feed the hunger of people and movements that want to see the church destroyed, not institutionally, but morally. If they can undermine the church’s moral authority they will win at every turn. They will cast the cc as hypocritical, criminal, morally corrupt, etc…

 

[dekutrash]

Is it just me or are more and more Catholics getting PO’d at the **** going on in our faith?

 

[tweetymom]

Is it just me or are more and more Catholics getting PO’d at the **** going on in our faith?

No not just you

 

[Adeodatus]

Until the Pope, Bishops and all people in leadership position clean house the attacks will keep coming. They feed the hunger of people and movements that want to see the church destroyed, not institutionally, but morally. If they can undermine the church’s moral authority they will win at every turn. They will cast the cc as hypocritical, criminal, morally corrupt, etc…

It is a difficulty. In my own opinion, the Church has been very deeply infiltrated by Communists and homosexuals (many of the abuses are not properly speaking acts of pedophilia, but acts of pederasty; both are crimes but the latter is specifically homosexual in origin). There seems to have been, and perhaps still is, an attempt by certain such “opposing forces” to change the practices of the Church to suit their own social agendas. If this was a concerted effort, I do not know.

This presents a double problem. On the one hand, infiltrators who gain positions of power are able to subvert the conduct of the Church. Then, on the other hand, the political allies of those infiltrators are able to use the very acts of the infiltrators to defame the Church.

This isn’t a new problem, inasmuch as people of ill will have been able throughout history to sneak into the Church in order to pursue their own corrupt ends. In the Middle Ages there were even sorcerers who infiltrated the Church, which offerred ready access to literacy and books.

And really, if a person were a true enemy of the Church and completely cynical, where would be a better place to attack it than from within?

Our enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. And they like to gang up on us. Hold fast to the Cross of Christ.

 

[Alethiaphile]

It is a difficulty. In my own opinion, the Church has been very deeply infiltrated by Communists and homosexuals (

Give an example of Communist infiltration.

 

[Adeodatus]

Give an example of Communist infiltration.

I suppose I should have said “my suspicion”… it’s only that. There are a lot of people who spout off Left Wing ideology though. But there’s no individual I could point at and say “he or she is definitely a Communist.” Even with a guy like Teilhard de Chardin… maybe he’s just nuts?

I find it helpful to think in terms of what the opposition would do. Say you’re the head of the KGB and you want to take down the Catholic Church. How would you go about it?

 

[Zoe_Brain]

The cloak of silence still exists within the Church and undermines its moral authority especially when secular society seems to exhibit a higher moral code when the church refuses to acknowledge, covers up or stonewalls any investigation. This cloak of secrecy allows the perpetrators to move from one ecclesiastic jurisdiction to another under the approval and direction of those in authority. By undermining the moral authority and integrity of the church, secular society accuses it of a double standard or hypocrisy when the Magisterium of the church speaks out against abortion and remains silent on sexual exploitation of children.

It’s not just in cases of the rape of children where this appears to be the norm…

Father Richard Abourjaily has been reassigned from Sydney to Perth after being caught defrauding his congregants by claiming he had prostate cancer and desperately needed money in order to visit the miraculous healing waters of Lourdes, France. Abourjaily was previously dismissed from a seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska for pulling the same scam.

From smh.com.au/national/priest-who-faked-cancer-resurfaces-20100206-njwj.html

Father Flader was confident Father Abourjaily would not lie a third time. “We can never be sure and we are all human but I think in any serious matter he knows the serious consequences and he will not lie about anything serious again,” Father Flader said.

The move infuriated a fellow priest who, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "What other victims will he now seduce?

"Why does the church just cover up scandal and just move priests about? Have we learnt nothing from the sex abuse scandals?

“Why wasn’t he dismissed from the clerical state and sacked from the priesthood altogether?”

Father Brian O’Loughlin confirmed the priest was in Perth with the permission of Cardinal Pell and had been helping out in a local parish.

Father Abourjaily could not be contacted because was away on a “pilgrimage”.

Move on, nothing to see…

One thing : I’m not a Christian, let alone a Catholic. But if He did really give the keys to the Kingdom to Peter, if the Catholic Faith is the One True Church… then any misbehaviour by those in Authority is irrelevant. If every single priest was corrupt, something not even the most rabid anti-clerics believe (for the evidence of individual saintliness is far too great to be ignored)… it wouldn’t matter one jot or tittle.

I’ve often had to shore up the Faith of priests who have talked to me. In fact, I can’t think of any who I haven’t had to. God must move in mysterious ways if He can make use of such a flawed and imperfect vessel as myself. But I’ve done this because they are Good people, exposed to Evils I can’t comprehend. It is their path. Not mine, but my own belief is that that’s what is right for them.

So yes, I will continue to expose such things when they happen. I will continue to give credit when I think the Church is right, but criticise it when I think it’s wrong. But if I were to destroy someone’s faith as the result, that would truly be a Sin.

 

[unafraid]

The power wielded by all forms of media in this “information age” to shape thought and influence events is immense, and not yet fully comprehended. I believe we have seen a glimpse of this power and influence in our last presidential election, and in its aftermath. Personally, I do not believe a man named Barack Hussein Obama would have ever been elected had it not been for the coordinated propaganda campaign unleashed by the left-wing media to saturate the airwaves with unabashed proselytizing on behalf of the man. They basically glorified him. They became an activist media in hard pursuit of an agenda, rather than an organ reporting passively on events as news.

Conversely, as soon as Obama took the oath, the right wing media appendages set about smearing the president to the point that he has been made impotent, and suspected of everything from being a muslim to an agent of Satan himself. The man will never regain the false luster created by the liberal wing of the media. American presidential politics is now dangled from strings being pulled by the new activist media. We are in a new era of sophisticated propaganda.

There is frightening power here and they are accutely aware of it…and ready to use it.

The Roman Catholic Church is now in the crosshairs of this phenomenon, and it is a dangerous place to be. I am not condoning sin, nor denying that the abuse scandals are grave, but I am stating that this activist media will push this anti-Catholic (anti-Christian) message as far as they can. The Church needs to become far more sophisticated in their understanding of this new reality and find ways to combat it.

No earthly thing is sacrosanct. Ugliness can be found in all things. This abuse crisis is real, and it must be corrected, openly and humbly, by the hierachy of the Church. But we must all understand that the media is hostile to our Church, and is aggressively engaged in trying to do severe damage to both the Faith, and the larger body of the faithful. They are engaged in a heinous propaganda war. We must always remember at Whom all of this hatred is trully aimed…Jesus Christ himself.

 

[tweetymom]

The power wielded by all forms of media in this “information age” to shape thought and influence events is immense, and not yet fully comprehended. I believe we have seen a glimpse of this power and influence in our last presidential election, and in its aftermath. Personally, I do not believe a man named Barack Hussein Obama would have ever been elected had it not been for the coordinated propaganda campaign unleashed by the left-wing media to saturate the airwaves with unabashed proselytizing on behalf of the man. They basically glorified him. They became an activist media in hard pursuit of an agenda, rather than an organ reporting passively on events as news.

Conversely, as soon as Obama took the oath, the right wing media appendages set about smearing the president to the point that he has been made impotent, and suspected of everything from being a muslim to an agent of Satan himself. The man will never regain the false luster created by the liberal wing of the media. American presidential politics is now dangled from strings being pulled by the new activist media. We are in a new era of sophisticated propaganda.

There is frightening power here and they are accutely aware of it…and ready to use it.

The Roman Catholic Church is now in the crosshairs of this phenomenon, and it is a dangerous place to be. I am not condoning sin, nor denying that the abuse scandals are grave, but I am stating that this activist media will push this anti-Catholic (anti-Christian) message as far as they can. The Church needs to become far more sophisticated in their understanding of this new reality and find ways to combat it.

No earthly thing is sacrosanct. Ugliness can be found in all things. This abuse crisis is real, and it must be corrected, openly and humbly, by the hierachy of the Church. But we must all understand that the media is hostile to our Church, and is aggressively engaged in trying to do severe damage to both the Faith, and the larger body of the faithful. They are engaged in a heinous propaganda war. We must always remember at Whom all of this hatred is trully aimed…Jesus Christ himself.

What the church needs to do is clean house and be honest about what happens. Instead they cover up, move the abusers, etc. That is what fuels the fire. If there wasn’t a fire there would be no need to report anything.

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

This is strange. Communists and homosexuals? You are lumping two rather different categories into one. Communists, no matter what you may think of them, have made an intellectual decision that that particular ideology is beneficial for humankind. Communism, as an ideology, is not a moral failing.

Homosexuality is either a disorded inclination, a moral failing, a lifestyle choice, the result of psychological disturbances in childhood, or a genetically predermined disposition (I am not arguing that it is any of these things). It is not an intellectual decision.

In fact, communist countries have often been quite brutal towards homosexuals.

It is a difficulty. In my own opinion, the Church has been very deeply infiltrated by Communists and homosexuals (many of the abuses are not properly speaking acts of pedophilia, but acts of pederasty; both are crimes but the latter is specifically homosexual in origin). There seems to have been, and perhaps still is, an attempt by certain such “opposing forces” to change the practices of the Church to suit their own social agendas. If this was a concerted effort, I do not know.

This presents a double problem. On the one hand, infiltrators who gain positions of power are able to subvert the conduct of the Church. Then, on the other hand, the political allies of those infiltrators are able to use the very acts of the infiltrators to defame the Church.

This isn’t a new problem, inasmuch as people of ill will have been able throughout history to sneak into the Church in order to pursue their own corrupt ends. In the Middle Ages there were even sorcerers who infiltrated the Church, which offerred ready access to literacy and books.

And really, if a person were a true enemy of the Church and completely cynical, where would be a better place to attack it than from within?

Our enemies are the world, the flesh and the devil. And they like to gang up on us. Hold fast to the Cross of Christ.