Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandals

[RainDog]

Run time: 03:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbl--JbGGQ4   Posted on YouTube: March 12, 2010 By YouTube Member: france24english Views on YouTube: 1104   Posted on DU: March 13, 2010 By DU Member: RainDog Views on DU: 1791

 
a report from Europe

[SkyDaddy7]

1. I have become so use to hearing about this sick stuff...

is that a sign that sex abuse is a common practice for Catholics? Seriously, this shit is happening way to often in all parts of the globe for there not to be a larger reason. The excuse that it is isolated cases no longer holds up!

Catholics need to stop worrying about abortion and folks using condoms...SICK!!

[defendandprotect]

2. YES!!! ... Italians and Irish tell us that sexual abuse is historical throughout RCC....

for priests . . .

Agree, Catholics need to clean up tbeir own church . . .

and that IMMORALITY rather than morality has been taught by this church!!!

[SkyDaddy7]

4. What blows me away...

Is many of the victims still buy into this crap! Talk about a insanity!

[defendandprotect]

5. Once you're brainingwashing kids . . . even before the age of reason . . .it's hard

for them to let go of it, IMO --

Ask any recovering Catholic -- still crap that floats thru your mind.

But 5 and 6 year olds -- and even younger -- are exposed to this stuff and they

don't even at that point have an idea of their own consciences.

Like Hitler said . . . "get 'em while they're young!" -- and I think he learned that

in the Catholic Church!

[SkyDaddy7]

7. It really is sad!

There is one side of me that feels compassion for religious people as I know most were indoctrinated as a child...However, my compassion is short lived when I see them trying to rewrite American History and spend millions trying to take us all back to the 18th century.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

15. It's not intended to be

but the Catholic Church creates the conditions wherein these things happen:
- The Catholic Church is big on shame and guilt, and is intolerant (at least officially) of homosexuals.
- Homosexual Catholics often become priests. I suspect that many of them do this out of guilt- since priests are supposed to be celibate, they figure that priesthood will help them to suppress their "unnatural" sexual urges, and maybe help them get their heads right with God.
- This never works. In fact, it makes things worse, since they are now placed in a position of trust in a traditionally sexually segregated society, with easy access to young boys.
- On top of everything else, the Church has fostered this air of infallibility over the centuries (look how long it took them to admit they were wrong about Galileo) and this will never allow them to out priests who commit these kinds of crimes.

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

- Let's see if free speech prevails in this thread or not......

[Heathen57]

6. Another Rec.

The Vatican and the church hierarchy simply cannot or will not allow the blame to be placed where it belongs, and that is, IMO, directly on the arrogance that the church has built up within itself over the centuries. The RCC can do no wrong, so it must caused by something or someone else.

One of the exorcists is touting that the devil is loose in the Vatican and causing all these problems. Still others have stated that the "Catholic Haters" (whoever that is supposed to be) have infiltrated the church and are causing the bad things to be known. Some old time Catholics are blaming Vatican Council II for all the problems.

All of these are just allowing them to sidestep the issue. The reputation of the church must be protected at all costs. Intimidation and payoffs to shut the victims up and then move the priest. When he molests again, you start the cycle over again. Never once have the looked into the possibility of admitting that their own rules such as celibacy could be a problem. That having an all male population that is housed together along with the notion that the 'gayness' of a homosexual man could be somehow removed if they were celibate, would attract homosexuals and pedophiles trying to lose their leanings. This all contributes to the problem they have.

And if you would look closely, you will find that most of the world doesn't directly blame the institution for the abuse itself, but rather for the cover up and the arrogance that went along with it. Will the RCC as an institution survive this? I don't know, but I'll be willing to bet that if it does it will be from changes that they have to make and soon.

[Fight the Right]

8. The shrill Anti-Catholic screeds

Never music to my ears. This is something I learned in Catholic school: If anyone, even the Pope, touches you in an inappropriate way, CALL THE FUCKING POLICE. What does the Church have to do with criminal action in this country? NOTHING. While the clergy do owe a duty to the laypeople to screen their priests (something that has been put into place), ultimately, it is the state that prosecutes child molesters. If you are stupid enough to believe that the "big bad Catholic Church" runs the world, then, I can't convince you otherwise but I suggest you never voice your opinion around me.

Lastly, studies have been done that suggest that all churches (Protestant, whatever) have child abuse scandals. Here is a lovely little piece on that by the Christian Science Monitor (not Catholic for you idiots who may think otherwise):

http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0405/p01s01-ussc.html

Do a search for "sex scandal by church" and see what comes up. That was your introduction into the biased anti-Catholic media. I appreciate all of the posters here helping to push the vast majority of Catholic further to the right by parroting bigoted tripe. Thank you.

[Sanity Claws]

9. I never heard that in Catholic school

and I attended 12 years of Catholic school education.

The Catholic Church has no problem with reporting theft of church money to the police but they don't turn over priest pedophiles to the police. Why do you think the Church treats the two crimes differently?

These reports are not the result of an anti-Catholic bias. The reports are true.

[RainDog]

12. exactly. what a crock to defend the pedophiles by claiming others do it too

first they were saying the German (female) prosecutor was a pedophile, now this person is saying protestants are pedophiles too, so, see, it's not the fault of this organization that it has chosen to treat pedophiles as protected classes of citizens.

[RainDog]

11. the catholic church is my enemy

because I am a female who believes she has a right to privacy and to make birth control decisions based upon medical advice, not religious bigots.

when the church is content to expound this notion among its congregants, then it's their business. However, when these beliefs leech into the politics of my nation, then it's an attack on my rights. It's a religious intrusion and, for that reason, this organization must not be held up as one with any value or any moral authority.

there is no question that this organization is an enemy of women based upon their doctrinal screeds.

the same goes for homosexuals.

I've begun to think that hatred of homosexuals stems from the deep hatred of women in patriarchal religions. the stereotype of the male homosexual as "feminized" revels in this sort of appropriation of hatred toward females.

I know what the Christian Science Monitor is. You are an idiot if you think that those who are opposed to this church are not educated. But you go ahead and tell yourself that if it allows you to support an organization that has been committed, for more than a decade, to denying the systemic abuse of children in their organization...including the current pope who wrote the rules on how to re-victimize the victims.

I'm all for calling the fucking police. In fact, I'd like to call Interpol to have a multi-national investigation of this organization when it KNOWINGLY put pedophiles in positions that would expose children to their actions in other nations - the transfers from one European nation to a South American one, for example.

however, the church has insisted it handle these cases. Its handling of these cases also seems to be criminal, since its way of handling it was to deny and attack those who object as "haters."

As a sister wrote on comments to the Is the Pope Toast blog - this organization should be charged with crimes against humanity.

You are mistaken in your belief that this outrage is just against the Catholic Church. If Protestants have engaged in such systemic abuse, let them be held accountable as well. Isn't it interesting that religion seems to attract pedophiles and that religion does not seem to have the wherewithal to deal with the problem.

maybe that's because the religion itself is the problem.

[slamthecrank]

16. I totally agree - and I am a male.

As you can tell from my post-count, I hardly ever respond at D.U. - however, I would like to applaud your well-written posts here.

As a former Catholic, who grew up in a church unfortunate enough to have an abusive priest (who was, incidentally, "retired" then "relocated", and the victim(s) paid off by the diocese), I firmly agree with everything you have written. If I could add one thing, it would be: you aren't the only one wondering why Interpol hasn't convened on the Vatican.

Cheers.
stc.

[olegramps]

13. You don't seem to be able to grasp the real problem.

The strongest criticism that I have heard voiced is that the Catholic Church hierarchy systematically attempted to cover-up sexual abuse by some of their clergy. This resulted in enabling these offenders to be transferred to other churches where unsuspecting parents put their under their direction resulting in additional victims. I noted in the article that it stated that the most cases involved a single incident. That was not the case in regard to abuse by Catholic priests in which they abused numerous children simple because of the cover-up of their crimes by their superiors who were motivated by their determination to protect the church's image. To compound matters the Catholic Church refused to cooperate with authorities when they attempted to prevent their extensive files that documented the extent of the abuse being made public. Sorry, but the Catholic Church brought on much of the subsequent bashing through their attempts to minimize the extent of the problem. It is not a case of it being solely the problem with Catholic institutions, but how the those in authority handle the problem.

[Angry Dragon]

10. It is my belief

that the cover-up is worse than the initial wrong. All people have demons inside of themselves but it is worse for the church to cover it up and do nothing about it.

[AlbertCat]

14. All people have demons inside of themselves

No they don't. There are no such things as demons, or angels, or gods and goddesses or infallible popes.

Priests....and religious leaders... just want to have some kind of authority over others. They have nothing to substantiate their claims of authority but myths and superstitions.

[Angry Dragon]

20. I used the word demon

not in the demonic sense but to state that we all fight the negatives that we have inside of us. Such as our looks, negative emotions, etc.

[olegramps]

17. Many people oppose mandatory celibacy for these people.

I believe that it is beneficial. Would you want these people to multiply like rabbits since they even consider contraception to be evil? Just consider what type of people they would create with their brainwashing crap. More than likely they would molest their own kids.

[vaberella]

19. AS a Catholic the no. 1 cure all is to end abstinence in the church.

Further more to allow marriage and if gay, gays to become priests. However that would be sacriligious and I can tell you now that I know many will equate this change in the church to blasphemy and it turning into Sodom & Gomorrah.

[vaberella]

18. This is all over the news in Paris. I'm not surprised and used to it. n/t