[pIp83Uns]

Catholic sex abuse scandals: Three key cases facing Pope Benedict / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

At least 19 boys abused at St John’s School for the Deaf in Wisconsin were molested by the Rev. Lawrence Murphy from the 1950s until as late as 1974. Father Murphy, who died in 1998, avoided being defrocked by appealing to Cardinal Ratzinger. Ratzinger's deputy, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, accepted the petition on the basis of Murphy’s age and ill health. The two American bishops handling the case objected to this and had sought a criminal trial against Murphy. The diocese began mediation with victims in 2004, paying unspecified compensation.

This story, which originated in The New York Times last week, has been at the center of some confusion, with many news outlets saying 200 boys complained of abuse. Vincent Twomey, a Catholic theologian and friend of Pope Benedict, claims this figure is incorrect.

“It was a school of 200 students,” said Dr. Twomey in a Monitor interview. “Twenty-nine accusations were made and 19 he admitted. That’s 19 too many boys abused, but the story was misreported.”

[FrassyLap]

You heard Ratzinger...it's all just "gossip"

Ratzinger reminds me of the Renaissance popes....I think he's going to go down as among the most degenerate along the lines of Pope Innocent VIII ,Pope Alexander VI, and Pope Boniface VIII....


"To enjoy oneself and to lie carnally with women or with boys is no more of a sin than rubbing one's hands together."
- Pope Boniface VIII

RELATED: http://www.philadelphiaspeaks.com/fo...pedophile.html

[Ervins Dervish]

The Catholic Church (my church) is an embarassment on so many things-this being one instance of a long list of embarassing conduct.
While the Church does many good things-these abuse scandals disgust me in so many ways-I don't know how anyone can take guidance from the church when they behaved in such an un-Christian manner.

Exhibit A would be our own former cardinal Bevilacqua-who purposely delayed coming clean on abuse of Philadelphia priests so that the statute of limitations could run. Disgusting.

While so many of these priests have escaped justice-the reckoning will come in the form of decreased membership-and unfortunately closed schools.

[disappointment2]

Ratzinger/Benedict directly oversaw transfers of accused priests as Archbishop of Munich. In terms of policy at the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" Ratzinger wrote the policy pieces basically laying out and defending the "keep it out of the civil courts and shuffle the abusers around" policy that led to the whole mess.

Its hard to imagine it since he's supposed to be infallible but it may come to point where he's pressured to resign.

[pIp83Uns]

Ratzinger/Benedict directly oversaw transfers of accused priests as Archbishop of Munich. In terms of policy at the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" Ratzinger wrote the policy pieces basically laying out and defending the "keep it out of the civil courts and shuffle the abusers around" policy that led to the whole mess.

Its hard to imagine it since he's supposed to be infallible but it may come to point where he's pressured to resign.

As a man the Pope is fallible and always has been. The infallibility only pertains to Church doctrine.

The whole scandal is a starts with priests committing a crime and continues with cover-up by bishops and cardinal, and allowing the priest to commit the crimes again. Thus the crimes are compounded.

I understand the teaching of the church that believes that the priests can pray, reflect, do penance, and find forgiveness, and I think this applies very well to crimes against the church. However, crimes of a carnal nature against another human being also require justice and the perpetrators receiving real help with a problem outside of the church.

"Justice" seems to be something the church fears. I think officials within the church fear a mob that wants blood. When I say justice I only mean the collection of evidence, a fair trial, a juror of his peers, and if a priest is found guilty a fair sentence. However, a sentence might be more harsh for a priest only because of the trust society places in a priest, or a policeman, or a elected official.

[Saad Khan]

However, a sentence might be more harsh for a priest only because of the trust society places in a priest, or a policeman, or a elected official.

No longer. Sadly, I'm afraid we're well past the point where a priest engenders a great deal of trust.

[pIp83Uns]

No longer. Sadly, I'm afraid we're well past the point where a priest engenders a great deal of trust.

Well, we shouldn't prejudge individuals.

[Ervins Dervish]

A Vatican cardinal defended the Pope on Easter Sunday by stating that people should not pay attention to the "petty gossip of the moment"?

What???

Allegations of sexual abuse and rape, and the church's cover up of them-is "petty gossip"?

This is why enlightened catholics are leaving the church. The sheer arrogance.

[Crilosajsamq]

Believe me, I'm not making excuses for the Church, the Vatican, or the Pope. But this kind of thing is going to happen any place you've got impenetrable secrecy, no accountability, unchecked power, and dysfunctional, repressive attitudes about sexuality, and a total absence of meaningful inclusion and participation of women. We aren't hearing similar stories about imams in fundamentalist Islam, but you can bet these kinds of things are going on there, too. And I don't think it's unique to organized religion. I'll bet these kinds of things went on in the USSR during the worst years of that regime.

That said, it doesn't make the utter arrogance and medieval mindset of these Church officials any less of an outrage. It's a slap in the face to these victims and their families.

[tomspoumn]

A Vatican cardinal defended the Pope on Easter Sunday by stating that people should not pay attention to the "petty gossip of the moment"?

What???

Allegations of sexual abuse and rape, and the church's cover up of them-is "petty gossip"?

When I first heard that, I was floored.
I'm still trying to get over the "Hitler Youth thing."

[pIp83Uns]

When I first heard that, I was floored.
I'm still trying to get over the "Hitler Youth thing."

Hitler Youth? Any child that went to school in Germany was taught a NAZI curriculum by NAZI teachers. All teachers were approved by the Party and belonged to NAZI teacher unions. All children were under the Party anyway, joining the Hitler Youth was like joining the Boys Scout which were abolished in Germany by Hitler.

[tomspoumn]

Here's more.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican heatedly defended Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, claiming accusations that he helped cover up the actions of pedophile priests are part of an anti-Catholic "hate" campaign targeting the pope for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Vatican blasts anti-Catholic 'hate' campaign - Yahoo! News

[duribass]

Pope Vows To Get Church Pedophilia Down To Acceptable Levels

[pIp83Uns]

This isn't funny. There were real victims and they should be treated with respect.

Pope Vows To Get Church Pedophilia Down To Acceptable Levels

[duribass]

This isn't funny. There were real victims and they should be treated with respect.

It's about the pope, not the victims.

[errolurberozy]

Hitler Youth? Any child that went to school in Germany was taught a NAZI curriculum by NAZI teachers. All teachers were approved by the Party and belonged to NAZI teacher unions. All children were under the Party anyway, joining the Hitler Youth was like joining the Boys Scout which were abolished in Germany by Hitler.

Logically I know this, but there is still something uncomfortable about being able to use the word Nazi while describing a pope, and not in a hyperbolic "OMG Barack Obama is a Nazi" kind of way.

[Ervins Dervish]

Here's more.

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican heatedly defended Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday, claiming accusations that he helped cover up the actions of pedophile priests are part of an anti-Catholic "hate" campaign targeting the pope for his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

Vatican blasts anti-Catholic 'hate' campaign - Yahoo! News

Saw that. What a bunch of tone-deaf aristocratic a**holes.

[Zwnkkvle]

We aren't hearing similar stories about imams in fundamentalist Islam, but you can bet these kinds of things are going on there, too.

It happens with the same frequency throughout all Christian denominations as well as Jewish congregations. It's almost certainly higher amongst imams, due to the over-representation of arabs in their ranks who are notorious for homosexual pederasty ("Women for breeding, boys for pleasure.")

In fact, anywhere people have unfettered access to children, child predators will be drawn. You only need to look at our public schools are experiencing an epidemic of pederasty.

That being said, The Church did exactly what so called "experts" recommended at the time: "Therapy" which would "cure" predators.

[disappointment2]

That being said, The Church did exactly what so called "experts" recommended at the time: "Therapy" which would "cure" predators.

Except for the whole "just transfer the predator to another parish to get access to a whole new batch of kids" bit. Thats unique and especially a problem with the opaque church hierachy's approach.

Find me an example of a school where the history teacher fondles a kid and the principle says "Never mind we'll try him teaching English" and then you have an apt analogy.

[disappointment2]

This isn't funny. There were real victims and they should be treated with respect.

I saw it and thought it was darkly funny. Funny because its not that far from the arguments being put forward by some church leaders.