It would be hard to envy the Vatican's current political position. As it is well known, the last several decades have seen a seemingly endless litany of abuse scandals rock the Church to its very core. Each successive blow has added to a growing global discontent against a Church that claims to know God yet in these affairs seems to lack even basic human decency.
There has been much suffering and pain at the hands of the Church against the most innocent and defenseless in human society, children. Indeed, the numbers speak for themselves: in the last 50 years some 30,000 people in 25 countries have reported abuse committed by the Church's many workers. Considering that rape is the most under-reported of violent crimes (only one-third of victims report), this statistic is nothing less than horrifying. Tragically, the odds are quite high that there are children in the world this very day who will be sexually abused by their priest.
Among the multitudes of difficult questions this raises, one that begs to be answered is whether or not child abuse is a new problem in the Church. If rampant crime against children by priests is a modern problem, then it follows that it might be clearly rectifiable. In other words, it would be possible to return to policies in place at a time when the Church was effective at preventing child abuse. As this essay discusses below, it does not appear that there was a time that the Church was effective at preventing child abuse -- this is a problem that reaches back to the earliest days of its formation and practice.
The current Pope, Joseph Ratzinger, has stated (in a letter to the much-abused citizenry of Ireland), that part of the blame for the abuse scandals and their handling by the Church of Ireland was due to "rapid transformation and secularization of Irish society." This statement is not just morally offensive, it is logically fallacious. It appears the Pope was trying to place at least partial blame onto the modern world for the crimes, thus deflecting the Holy See from full responsibility. Additionally, by attacking recent changes in "modern society" he made the scandal modern, implying that this is a new difficulty for the Church.
On this point, the Pope is clearly wrong. Religious documents dating back to before the writing of the New Testament highlight problems inside the Church regarding sexual rule-breaking and the abuse of boys. The Church has hung itself with its own paper trail and history.
One must only examine the Didache, a very early theological text which is usually dated around 70 A.D. Far from being some cheap forgery doctored to cast a negative light on the Church, this tract is foundational and has been accepted by Catholic Church into the collection of the Apostolic Fathers.
Children come up repeatedly in the Didache, usually for their protection. Actions against children that are banned in the document include their abortion in the womb, their murder after birth, their use in fornication, and their employment in rape and pederasty. While these commandments are only part of the document, their message is clear: leave the children alone. One has to wonder, why the special focus? One purpose for making a moral commandment is to amend behavior and set a better path forward; from this it is not hard to infer that some child abuse took place in the earliest Church. This is a good start for the Christians, to speak out against abuse, but sadly their first pronouncements did not stick.
By the Council (or Synod) of Elvira in 309, the problem of child abuse had become large enough for special punishments to be put in place. One particularly strong proclamation was as follows: "Those who sexually abuse boys may not commune, even when death approaches." In those times, this was fairly severe punishment. Unfortunately, the actual punishments didn't match the guidelines laid out.
As inferred above from the Didache, child abuse was a problem during the first days of Christendom. In the year 309 there were new punishments created to enforce previous edicts. This could suggest there were little or no punishments in force before 309. Furthermore, when the Council of Elvira did decide that punishment was required, a theological slap on the wrist was ordered. In the eyes of the Church, an appropriate punishment for raping a child was the legal equivalent of being disbarred. Note that there was no secular reporting or punishment required. The issue was seen in spiritual terms and treated as such. It is doubtful that the children who were molested found that to be a satisfactory reprisal. Further, and obviously, the punishment failed to mitigate the problem.
Leaving the earliest years of the Church, we move to Saint Peter Damian and his view of the very Church by which he was later sainted. Saint Peter described the Clergy of the Church at the time to be a veritable cesspool. He was so outraged by the Men of the Cloth that in the year 1049 he wrote the "Book of Gomorrah," and dedicated it to the Pope. In the tome, he railed against the Priesthood of his time, specifically condemning sodomy against both children and young priests. This is damning evidence from one of the Church's own saints indicting them for rampant abuses from as early as the advent of the second millennium.
By the year 1600, a familiar system had been developed: the quiet moving or promoting of priests out of locations where they had been abusing the local children. This system continues to this very day.
Clearly, two patterns emerge: the Catholic Church has been struggling with the abuse of minors (usually boys) by members of the Priesthood since the earliest days of the church; and the Church tended to deal with the problem both internally and ineffectively.
To bring the discussion to our current day, we must revisit Ratzinger, the current Pope and Vicar of Christ on Earth. In 2001 he made it plain in Church doctrine that child sex abuse cases should not only be kept internal, but should be dealt with under the deepest cover that the Church has, Pontifical Secret. Ratzinger advocated, and one can only suspect still wishes, to keep abuse in the dark. This is a continuation of Catholic policy for nearly the extent of the Church's history.
Finally it is argued that although tragic, rape and abuse are merely parts of human society, and that it is therefore unfair to point a finger at Catholic Church. After all, to err is human and so forth. This would be fair criticism if the Church claimed to be no more than merely a collection of persons, but this is not the case. The Church claims to occupy a moral high ground, own the answers to life's largest questions, and know the only pathway to Heaven. Systematic direct and indirect sexual abuse of children is one of the many symptoms of a diseased Church that should no longer be allowed to claim moral superiority.
When a priest rapes a child entrusted to him, he not only shatters a life but becomes a felon and a hypocrite. It is high time that we begin treating abusive priests and those who enable them as exactly what they are -- criminals.
The Catholic Church is in trouble today, but they should be prosecuted in the public mind for millennia of wrongdoings against children. It is a long scandal, a heartbreaking history of abuse. "There is nothing new under the sun," the Bible tells us, and the Catholic Church has confirmed it.
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Kim Michele Richardson: NUN ABUSE: A Survivor's Message for the Vatican
Of course, the differentiator between the Catholich Church and virtually any other religious institution is the capacity of the Church to "enable" the continuation of sexual abuse by creating an enviornment of protection, in a host of ways, for the predator.
In my own search for healing from the effects of incest and childhood sexual abuse, I once turned to a book about abuse and healing titled "Soul Murder". For many of us, seeking to regain a sense of self after repeated violations in youth, this is an apt title. Translate that title into abuse by a priest (or nun) and understand the exponential emotional impacts
US numbers can be easily verified by the John Jay Report, which was commissioned by some Catholic authorities, and so forth.. This is not an area that there is much wiggle room to fight over.
Where do the other 20,000 come from? Among the numbers in the other countries, the larger numbers are supposed to come from Philippines (hundreds), Ireland (unclear, hundreds) and Canada (hundreds). I don't think they tally up.
to protect their own living situation. Better the devil you know than the one
you may invoke by speaking up. This can be extrapolated to the entire catholic
church, which presents itself as one big family, joined 'by the body of christ'.
'But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.
And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that can never be put out.
And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell
where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out.’
Castrate pederast priests.
Jesus (Matthew19:12):
“There are eunuchs born so from their mother's womb, there are eunuchs made so by human agency and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can."
A priest who rapes believing children in Jesus’s name, probably commits an unforgivable blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!
Jesus (Mark3:29):
‘...but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin.'
Temporary hormonal castrations untill guilt is established?
Stop quoting the scripture like Mr S.A.Tan.
Surely if someone wishes to claim moral authority, as does Ratzinger, he would have been on the side of the forthcoming in reagards to child rape. To the contrary, sir.
Only 2-4 percent of the priests in the USA are child sex abusers. There were misdeeds by a number of the bishops. But there's no evidence that's this is a systematic problem.
Treating people with disordered behavior patterns as morally defective and requiring a change in moral commitments has a long history (Siegler & Osmond, 1974). Furby, Weinrott, and Blackshaw (1989) note that for those convicted of sexual crimes, probation with mandated treatment and perhaps some jail time is the most common disposition. Also, a person accused of sexual abuse may be offered a choice of therapy in place of punishment. The offer may be made in criminal court or in juvenile and family court.
The National Library of Medicine in the US said the same in its Overview of the Criminal Justice System:
"Until the mid-1970s, rehabilitation was the dominant goal of American corrections. Indeterminate sentencing structures, with their emphasis on "corrections" centers and institutions, and reliance on parole boards to determine when an individual was "ready" to be released (that is, cured) were at least partially based on a rehabilitative model of sentencing."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=hssamhsatip&part=A33880
"Systematic abuse" I would say really stretches the imagination a lot if you consider the totality of the activities and concerns of the RCC. And the "organization" did not and does not abuse children. Some members (less than .0001% by my reckoning) committed transgressions for which the "organization" has apologized and promised to institute better safeguards.
Your research is really just an attempt to blow up some bits of historical information and report them as representative of the entire system of the RCC. One has to be impressive with your intense focus on finding a small grain to condemn the whole crop.
Perhaps one of the most significant things about the RCC that must die is the ubiquitous use of "Father" and "Papa". Words mean things and those words are clearly power mechanisms, designed to make the average members of the church feel like children who must be instructed and condescended to while making the Priests, Nuns and hierarchy feel like well, Fathers and Mothers and Masters. The self aggrandizing titles of Father, Mother, Lord, Excellency, Holiness (god, what a joke), Papa have the effect, perhaps the design of making the average catholic feel "less than" while making the leadership feel "more than". The development of hubris and arrogance among the "more than" is self-fulfilling in such a power structured system. And the hubris leads to blind self-righteousness, and the law-unto-themselves the hierarchy has become. The "simple, humble and poor....like Jesus" church that Rev Martin hopes to see cannot and will not happen until the words are changed.
Of course, then it would no longer be the RCC. The Roman hierarchy is caught in a trap of it's own making.
Paul referred to Timothy as his child: 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:2 and as his son: 1 Tim 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:1; "But Timothy’s worth you know, how as a son with a FATHER he has served with me in the gospel" (Phil. 2:22). And of his converts: "To Titus, my true child..." (Titus 1:4); "I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment" (Philem. 10). None of these men were his biological sons.
He also wrote: "I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your FATHER in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:14–15). More egs: 2 Cor. 12:14, Gal. 4:19.
Peter wrote: "She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark" (1 Pet. 5:13).
John wrote, "My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1); "No greater joy can I have than this, to hear that my children follow the truth" (3 John 4). He addresses men in his congregations as "fathers" (1 John 2:13–14).
what they want etc
Child safety and protection.
Universal policies that ensure compliance with the law.
The removal of references to civil matter from church canons.
Recognize church as a corporation with no tax benefit or preferential treatment by governments.
Rule of law.
Statute of limitations laws and the use of the court systems to block and out cost victims. The use of the statute of limitations laws in regards personal crimes.
The practice of the church of emotionally blackmailing the population based on failed religious dogma
The habit of declaring victims insane or mentally disturbed. The habit of police forces of placing sexual abuse and in particular clergy sexual abuse survivors in mental facilities as a means of silencing them.
Provision of services which are not religion/dogma based or religion/dogma tested or conditional.
The lack of research from those who have survived re techniques of benefit to other survivors. The lack of information to assist in tracking down other survivors. Knowing that collaborating and coming together is the most positive step in the healing process why are there no ventures to connect up survivors by the church. Why must services through there charities be refused to survivors through the practice of referring all to the local bishop - who in turn refers on to the same process complaints are attempted to be lodged about.
Where and how to get answers to their questions.
In short, apply the law without regard to the person in question. That is, apply it fairly.
In 2001, the "Guide to Understanding Basic CDF Procedures concerning Sexual Abuse Allegations" put in place the procedures derived from the 1983 Code of Canon Law. Every clerical sexual abuse allegation is investigated locally, if there is a “semblance of truth” the case is referred to the Vatican CDF. The local bishop retains power to restrict the activities of any priest in his diocese. If a priest is found guilty, he could be dismissed from the clerical state. The 2001 Lord Nolan recommendations, accepted in full by the bishops, became model guidelines for other bishops' conferences around the world, and a model for other institutions in Britain.
In 2002, the Vatican instituted reforms that require background checks for all church employees who have contact with children. In the USA alone, over 2 million volunteers and employees have been evaluated. The "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People", a comprehensive set of procedures, addresses sexual abuse allegations.
Researchers have reported that abuse cases had "steeply declined" after 1985. Until the mid-1970s though, rehabilitation was the dominant goal of American corrections. Furby, et al (1989) noted that a person accused of sexual abuse may be offered a choice of therapy in place of punishment. This is unfortunate but no longer the case.
I also note that the Catholic Church maintained a retreat side in Jimenez New Mexico that attempted, and failed, to deal with "rehabilitating" pedophiles, although rather falsly curing them and then dispatching them to parishes in New Mexico, which MAY be why the Diocese of Albuquerque was threatened with bankruptcy due to the overwhelming number of cases facing it. The Paracletes were shut down in the early '90's.
Sadly, the bulk of the controls embedded in the Guide to Understanding, implemented in 2002, were actually in place well before then, but were simply not enforced. The particular effecacy of these guidelines will begin to be felt about five to ten years from now. Calling them a success until then risks naievete.
The more unwanted children are allowed or forced to happen, the more potential victims, some of whom will go on to perpetuate the very system that robbed them of their joie-de-vivre, as well as of their raison d'etre . . . wow! that just came out like that!
And in the meanwhile, dealing with unwanted pregnancies and children will do (has done) quite nicely to keep women too busy, not to say powerless, to notice the cruelties and protest, much less do much of anything effective about it.* Yet mothers often bear the brunt for society's ills.
Just curious: are there many, or even any, similar histories describing the same abuses by nuns?
*Actually, for quite a while there, the women and men that did notice and threatened the church's hegemony were quite cruelly disposed of, leaving much of Europe denuded of its wisest and most progressive, not to say courageous. No doubt the persecution and execution of progressive leaders has served the RCC well, extending their reign of terror a few more centuries.
I hope this is it for them, though.
I did not look directly into abuse by Nuns, but it does not seem hard to find evidence of it: http://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/dozens_allege_nuns.htm
In 300 years the Roman Catholic Church will refer to these times as one in which the church was falsely and malignantly attacked by atheists, non-believers, government and Satanic enemies of Christianity.
They will say:
"Against a massive effort to discredit the piety and chasteness of the clergy with accusations of heinous crimes, the church and her followers fought a protracted battle against this evil... eventually triumphing in the name of Jesus and to the greater glory of the mother church."
History, according to and rdlated to Catholicism is a continuing LIE.
The unbelievable arrogance of his "You must come to ME" position is a crime in and of itself.