Pennsylvania grand jury report on Catholic priests' alleged sexual abuses. (1 Viewer)

[Saint_Ward]

Legalize prostitution.

That may work for a few. But, it's beyond just not getting sex.

Some people just seem to get their jollies on sexually abusing, or injuring, children.

 

[kcirdor]

That may work for a few. But, it's beyond just not getting sex.

Some people just seem to get their jollies on sexually abusing, or injuring, children.

This is where capital punishment should be focused. Public humiliation by being hung by the balls until ripped off, then bleed to death.

 

[SystemShock]

The church would rather they relocate.

Fify

That may work for a few. But, it's beyond just not getting sex..

Cerainly those celibacy vows aren't helping.

 

[Domefan504]

This is sick and disturbing!

NSFW

Priests used gold crosses to ID kids as abuse targets and other horrors from Pennsylvania report

 

[coldseat]

I think this, along with what happened to USA gymnastics, Penn State, Married people, step parents, etc...

We have a major child abuse problem in this country. It's not just one area. It's everywhere.

The real problem is institutions not being transparent and covering it up. I know the Church is all about forgiveness, and I"m sure when they do know about these cases, many of those priests were abused themselves, so they are fulfilling the common pattern of abuse. The church would rather they seek help, get treatment, relocate, etc. While some of that is good and all, it's also a pattern of being an enabler, just like anyone who's known someone struggling with drug addiction.. they usually have a loved one (often a parent) who is an enabler, or at the least down plays the seriousness of the situation.

I've been saying that for years now. And it's not just in the US, it's world wide. The abuse of children seems to be the one thing we can't evolve out of.

Having said that, it goes much deeper. Reading some of the details in the Pennsylvania grand jury report, I don't feel like the church leaders cared at all about forgiveness and getting treatment/seeking help. They cared about themselves, about preserving power and influence, about not letting it get out. They knew the scope and magnitude of the abuse, they were the ones investigating them and taking the reports. But they continued to let it perpetuate and grow until it couldn't any longer. Since then it's all about "reform" and "healing" and "forgiveness" again, but of course... only after they get caught. As the Pope has finally said, "We showed no care for the little ones". I would go much further and say you purposefully made the little ones prime targets for abuse.

Sorry, but as a born, raised and formally devout Catholic, it's not enough. Not nearly enough. The whole stem of the church hierarchy needs to be addressed and changed. Bishops have to come off of their high horses and subject themselves to constant scrutiny by independent sources willing and able to name and point out their misdeeds. Accusations can no longer be swept aside or go unreported and end up in some vault that only the Bishop has access too. Priest need to be periodically evaluated and assessed psychologically and should never be given unfettered and unquestioned access to children . Women need to be brought into leadership and oversight positions. Lay members need to stop being directed and need to start leading.

 

[You]

It’s time for the church to come clean. Expose the offending priests. Keeping the names hidden Creates distrust. People don’t know that they just got a pedophile for a priest and the cycle continues.

They also need to face the fact that humans are.... human and are subject to physical needs that need not be denied to be holy. If they allow priests to marry, they can move away from these perverts that want the cover of the church.

 

[Saint_Ward]

It’s time for the church to come clean. Expose the offending priests. Keeping the names hidden Creates distrust. People don’t know that they just got a pedophile for a priest and the cycle continues.

They also need to face the fact that humans are.... human and are subject to physical needs that need not be denied to be holy. If they allow priests to marry, they can move away from these perverts that want the cover of the church.

You're missing the group that also molested girls, fathered children, were essentially married.

And being married doesn't stop rapes and child abuse. It's not about sex.

 

[Saint_Ward]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/europe/pope-francis-abuse-full-letter/index.html

Fracis' letter via CNN (I'm sure I could find a more official copy).

 

[SaintJ]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/europe/pope-francis-abuse-full-letter/index.html

Fracis' letter via CNN (I'm sure I could find a more official copy).

I like Pope Francis a lot. I would have liked this a lot better if he had said "First, we need to start calling the police immediately when there's a credible allegation of child sex abuse." We can forgive and heal later, but let's let objective fact finders help us understand who needs to be forever expelled from the priesthood.

 

[You]

You're missing the group that also molested girls, fathered children, were essentially married.

And being married doesn't stop rapes and child abuse. It's not about sex.

Of course it doesn’t but it opens the door wider for non predator priests.

As it stands, the priesthood has become a beacon for sexual predators.

Allow marriage and there will be accountability within the marriage and the priesthood

 

[Saint_Ward]

Of course it doesn’t but it opens the door wider for non predator priests.

As it stands, the priesthood has become a beacon for sexual predators.

Allow marriage and there will be accountability within the marriage and the priesthood

I got your point, I disagree.

Predators just find their way in any position of authority.

 

[You]

I got your point, I disagree.

Predators just find their way in any position of authority.

To be clear, I’m not saying that the predators would cease to exist. They’d just not be as prevalent in the priesthood.

Also, (and a big part of this), if the church would stop settling these matters by paying off the victims and hiding the names of the priests, the priesthood would be less attractive to sexual predators.

 

[coldseat]

To be clear, I’m not saying that the predators would cease to exist. They’d just not be as prevalent in the priesthood.

Also, (and a big part of this), if the church would stop settling these matters by paying off the victims and hiding the names of the priests, the priesthood would be less attractive to sexual predators.

The problem with church isn't whether is has celibate priest or not. Some people are able to be celibate and some aren't. People are very different in that nature.

The biggest problem is the unquestioned authority that many priest and bishops enjoy. It has allowed them for decades to keep this hidden and under wraps. The lay members of the church hold priest and bishops in such high regard and holiness because they've been "ordained by God" that they don't demand enough accountability from them on all matters. Many bishops and priest know and use this to their advantage.

The sexual teaching of the church is also a problem in this sense because it puts all of the fault on sin and doesn't recognize normal human behavior. Therefore normal human behavior and deviant behavior all get thrown into the same pot of sinful behavior. And the remedy for sinful behavior is to pray it away and be more devout. So it never address the deviant behavior as such and can't separate from normal human behavior.

 

[Saint_Ward]

Opinion | What Did Pope Francis Know?

A take by Douthat.

Basically, Francis needs to clean house, even if it's ideological allies.

 

[Booker]

So, asking as a non-believer, how do people reconcile the idea that the Catholic church is "ordained by God," yet has condoned and facilitated the systemic sexual abuse of children for generations?