Up to 40% of Catholic Priests & Brothers Sexually Abusing Children in Australia

[Equinox Moon]

New reports are in after 4 year investigation.

1,000 Churches have abusive clergy, subsequently 1,000's of victims.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/06/4444-victims-extent-of-abuse-in-catholic-church-in-australia-revealed


Victims say data of child sexual abuse underestimates scale of abuse.

https://www.theguardian.com/au?INTCMP=CE_AU

[Calculating]

1. WTF

Does the catholic church turn priests into pedophiles, or do lots of pedophiles just sign up to be a priest? I sometimes wonder....

[SoCalDem]

4. Think about the job description

and what types of men would even be interested

No sex with women ..ever (of course many priests do not honor that vow either)

Priests (as part of their jobs) always have "access" to children (mostly boys)

[uponit7771]

7. +1

[madokie]

8. Boys don't get pregnant

I'm just happy that I wasn't a Catholic and was being abused because I'd be in jail today due to killing the sob who did the act

[Equinox Moon]

10. It is said they are psychologically/emotionally stunted to that of a 12 year old.

It is considered a psychological phenomenon that this is happening with clergy all over the world.

50% of Catholic clergy have sex with adults and are not celibate.
I wonder what percentage of these are assaulting children or is it the other 50%?

[Skittles]

16. because the organization was tailor-made for perverts

and very unlikely to do anything about it

[tblue37]

19. Abusers go where there are opportunities to act out their obsession.

People who sexually abuse those who are vulnerable often consciously or subconsciously seek out positions where they have access to and some sort of power over those they are inclined to abuse.

Even if the offender originally did not intend to act on his impulses, if he ends up in a position in which he is surrounded by opportunities, he is going to be inclined to take advantage of those opportunities.

[csziggy]

2. Did the Catholic Church ship pedophiles there when they were identified here?

It's clear to me that the coverup of pedophilia by priests is an international conspiracy. And it's been happening for decades. I remember an article in the Reader's Digest in the late 1960s about Catholic priests being accused and the church simply transferring them to other places, often out of the country where they could not be prosecuted. The Catholic Church needs to be charged for it's complicity in this scheme to aid and abet child molesters.

[scscholar]

3. This is the same reason multi-national corporations...

need to be banned. They can just move their criminals around.

[Equinox Moon]

11. In my state there has been a multi-million dollar settlement for the victims.

The multiple suites were turned into a class-action and is still not fully resolved after years of process. They keep finding more money the HUGE Catholic church system has. The church down-played how much they could pay to the victims and filed bankruptcy only to find out they had more money and properties to liquidate.

Hmmmm... sounds like the GOP to me!

[Initech]

5. Holy shit! I really wonder how they have any members left!

[Equinox Moon]

13. I agree. Plus, how could any parent ever trust letting their children be at the church?

Sexual abuse is devastating to the child, during childhood and as an adult. Some commit suicide.

[Initech]

15. I'm not a parent but if I was, I wouldn't allow my kids to go anywhere near that religion.

[MineralMan]

6. For Pity's Sake. Arrest All of the Offenders, Try Them

and, if found guilty, throw them in prison. Governments need to stop turning their eyes away when crap like this happens. Religion is no defense against crimes like these, which affect children.

Of course, some will act as apologists for the RCC in this matter. We'll hear all the regular arguments, like "It's just a few priests doing this." "The Church didn't know." As we learned, the church does know and protects the offenders.

Try them! Convict them! Jail them! And do the same to those who cover this crap up. Stop making excuses for not enforcing the laws, for pity's sake.

[Equinox Moon]

12. It's a wonder why we don't hear about them going to jail.

This is a global phenomenon. Thousands of clergy and only money pay out is the penalty. I guess they have treatment centers for them too.

But non of them are listed on national sexual predator lists, as far as I know.

[hunter]

9. 7% overall, 40% in one order.

Still horrifying.

"By far the worst was the order of the St John of God Brothers, where a staggering 40% of religious brothers are believed to have abused children."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38877158

These St John of God Brothers were abusing "intellectually disabled" boys, shades of Jimmy Savile, a British television celebrity who would often find his victims in hospitals he was volunteering in for "charity."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-06/ex-nun-speaks-out-about-catholic-order/4413736

My mom wanted to be a nun until she met a hard drinking, chain smoking, and worst of all, leering priest. I guess I got lucky, instead my mom married my dad and had a mess of kids.

My mom later went to war with the Church after a local pedophile priest was spirited off to Ireland just ahead of an arrest warrant. She ghost wrote a book with someone who had suffered abuse as a child.

Horrible abuse like this really make a person wary of anyone who wants to work with children and that's a terrible thing because so many children need adults who are dependable and treat them with respect. That's why this is such a vile crime. The predator takes advantage of this need.

You've also got to wonder how many of these predators were abused themselves. No doubt it could be traced back centuries.

Secrets are toxic.

[Equinox Moon]

14. "Secrets are toxic"

Yes, they are!

[AngryAmish]

17. Those numbers seem to be about right.

The priest that buggered me they imported from the Philippines.

About one third of the priests in my parish were active homosexual child molesters.

[Equinox Moon]

18. Hope you reported it.

Hope you found healing.

It is a severe tragedy.

[roamer65]

20. Ugh. Hearing this makes me heartsick for the victims.

Just really sad stuff. My heart goes out it them.

[Equinox Moon]

21. I agree.