The latest revelations about sexual abuse against children by Roman Catholic priests are nothing short of revolting. The story of Father Lawrence Murphy, who abused more than 200 deaf boys in Milwaukee over decades, despite the boys' speaking out and calling for help, should outrage us all. The new revelations from Germany and other European countries add to the understanding that the prevalence of pedophile priests are, in the words of my colleague, Dan Maguire, "a global Catholic Church pandemic."
"It went up to the Pope," a formerly Roman Catholic friend said to me yesterday, with tears in her eyes. "How is it possible that people knew and didn't stop it?" Unfortunately, the answer is that the Catholic hierarchy did know, and chose to transfer the priests rather than address the crimes they were committing against children.
Yes, crimes. In the secular world, the offending priests and their superiors would be held criminally accountable for their behavior. It is not enough for the Pope to apologize, as he did to victims last week. It is unconscionable when Catholic apologists try to explain away the church's inaction as a relic of another time, when people didn't talk as much about sexual abuse. We are talking now - and learning, to our dismay, how widespread sexual abuse in faith communities really is.
A national research study from Baylor University last year revealed that three percent of adult women, across a range of Christian and Jewish traditions, were involved in instances of clergy sexual misconduct. Most of this occurs between adults; sexual abuse of children and youth by Roman Catholic clergy is of a different magnitude altogether. Still, we must not deceive ourselves that other houses of worship are safe havens from abuse and harassment - or that clergy are prepared to address sexuality issues in a healthy and responsible way. Indeed, many religious leaders are complicit in the silence that has shrouded sexuality concerns in congregations for decades.
Last month, the Religious Institute published a report - Sexuality and Religion 2020: Goals for the Next Decade - that envisions a future when all faith communities will be "sexually healthy, just and prophetic." In practical terms, this would require:
The Pope now has an urgent responsibility -- and an extraordinary opportunity. He must not only move beyond apologies to action, but could also use his influence to urge all religious institutions to address sexuality in healthier, more open and responsible ways.
Pope Benedict, the world is watching and waiting.
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The parents cannot avoid punishment for harboring a murderous child, nor can a Church protect pedophiles, sexual or physical abusers, and avoid the penalties. Now you come to the crux of what is going to happen in Caesars' court in the future: the members are going to be held responsible as well. Is it not true that a person who defends and protects and continues support of a pedophile is complicit in any future acts of the perverted? Were not the followers of Charles Manson as guilty as he? Are the followers of bin Laden not as guilty as he, are the Imams of Islam not responsible for inciting their followers? Are not the people who send money to the Imams just as guilty? The members, the tithers are the enablers of the evil...yet they deny culpability.
Catholics must ask themselves this, "Are you willing to be thought an accomplice to pedophilia? To sexual predation? To physical and emotional abuse? Are you willing to face Caesar and put your home, and families security on the line?
End the subsidies and tax exemptions that have supported child rape. Liquidate the assets and use the money to set up secular programs to help those in need. Many of those who work in Catholic Charities have learned to provide services under 501 (c) 3's. Rehire them for the new agencies.
Prosecute everyone who committed or covered up the felonies. Including in other religious bodies that weren't quite as organized in perpetuating the criminality but allowed it to go on. And hire a gazillion psychologists and teachers to heal the terrible wounds and unteach all the crap the church has taught through the ages.
Most of the popes, bishops, and priests have been perverting the teachings of Jesus for nearly 2,000 years and using their heresies for their own personal power. Most of the other religions, Christian and otherwise, have done much the same; they just didn't have the organizational skills of the Catholic empire builders.
And actually the Catholics were one group that had always used separate 501 (c) 3 organizations to provide social services, long before Bush. Catholic Charities has done a lot of good through the years. The real problem under Bush was all the conservative religious groups who got the go-ahead to violate church-state separation and hiring discrimination laws, and to teach abstinence only programs and other programs with religious underpinnings.
But all these programs should be operated by government agencies, not religious organizations, even with the separate 501 (c) 3 designations.
In nature there is a prohibition against having sex with underage off springs. No life type began to mate until puberty, adulthood according to nature, and is done for reproduction only. Therefore, if those priests were to break their celibacy, it's would have to be with a ovulating girl in order to be in accord with the divine order established in nature.
It is equally important to not to forget that survivors of clerical abuse suffer life long trauma from their abuse and the church must be held financially responsible for their care.
Further, I fail to understand the need to invoke the law of nature when the issue is about grown men raping and sodomiziing young boys and girls under the guise of representing GOD.
Sexual abuse of children is akin to murder. Sexual abuse of hundreds and thousands of children is akin to mass murder. Over the millennium, as the childhood victims perpetuate the abuse and become abusers, the perversion, pain and self hatred spreads and grows geometrically to the point where we are talking about a holocaust. You totally get it.
Since victims are hyper sexualized and half or more of them become pederasts, what is the affect when one Priest abuses 200 blind children? This one rapist Priest in Milwaukee over four generations leaves the moral wreckage of over 38,400 sexually molested children.
Name me one, just one, elected official who has the political will to enforce child abuse laws.
Most all of those others that the Catholic Church tortured into confessing, and then burned alive at the stake were (probably) totally innocent of the accusations.
This could be a deterrent to any other priests that might be contemplating similar pedophile activities.
The executions could take place in St. Peters Square, with tickets to the event sold to benefit the victims.
Most amusing. Thinking about it makes me feel just a little bit better.
But I hope you are only joking and that we can all learn from their mistakes and not be stupid enough to repeat them.
I would prefer those monsters to be treated with the human dignity they have always denied me and continue to deny me, and not be burned alive at the stake, tempting as the image is.
I've yet to hear a psychologist say celibacy is sexually healthy.
"The Pope now has an urgent responsibility -- and an extraordinary opportunity. He must not only move beyond apologies to action, but could also use his influence to urge all religious institutions to address sexuality in healthier, more open and responsible ways."
No Reverend, if the Pope is complicit in a cover up and adding those who committed such crimes, his urgen responsibility is to go to jail.
So the whole problem is now laid at the feet of the hierarchy of the church when little is being spoken of in regards the effects this prolonged coverup has had on society through the years of influence of the church upon society and our political systems.
Yes I agree the hierarchy should go as their actions are nothing less than psychopathic and inhumane, however what will replace them - the next layer of psychopaths?
The real horrors that victims encounter can be found in everyday life where 'good' Christians and 'good' Catholics infest not only political positions but also health, education and more and it is their daily 'work' which is a major cause of suicide and discrimination against those who do not think as they do or believe as they do.
When an agnostic clergy abuse survivor is assessed by 'Christian/Catholic' psychiatrists/psychologists are almost exclusively deemed to have mental illnesses and are deemed insane by these practitioners. Is this as a result of the corrupted thinking of the examiner or is it as a result of an individual not thinking/believing in the same mythical gods or supreme beings as their assessors?
Many of the readers of this article will find following video by the prince of comedy, Pat Condell’s, about the plague of pedophilia in the Catholic church very enlightening and entertaining.
This is one of his finest!
A masterpiece!
Enjoy!
http://www.patcondell.net/
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http://holocausthagaddah.com/
Yet many seem to think it their calling to assure impenitent sinners and carnal professors that their sins are absolved based on whispers and chants. Priests would better serve the Lord if they would challenge people to question their salvation rather than giving assurance of salvation.
Although few others are getting saved and not many show true evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, we are experiencing many signs, miracles and wonders and the righteous are encouraged.
Fact: Without true repentance there is only eternal damnation and torment in the lake of fire.
God is love