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Church sexual abuse may have been factor in Pope Benedict's resignation
Herald Sun, news.com.au ^ | February 12, 2013 | Jessica Evans

Posted on 02/11/2013 5:49:36 PM PST by Jyotishi

A Melbourne priest claims the extra strain placed on Pope Benedict from dealing with widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic Church may have been a factor in his resignation.

Father Max Vodola said the elderly Pope's shock exit from the role may be because he is too physically and emotionally weak to deal with the decades-old problem.

It comes as Archbishop Denis Hart leads Victorian tributes to the Pope, who he describes as gentle and loving.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: catholic; church; crime; pope; priest; sex; vatican
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To: GeronL
who will resign over public school sex abuse?

Considering how many freepers think it's cool("Not guilty"), if applied to the general population, I'd say "nobody much."

21 posted on 02/11/2013 6:32:25 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: TSgt; Art in Idaho; NewCenturions; Sioux-san; Youaskedforit; KirbDog; Teófilo; mojo114; malkee; ...
TSgt wrote (with classic hatefilled bigotry and rhetoric):
They don’t resign, they go to prison unlike Catholic clergy who flee to the conclave of pedophiles in Rome.
Except, "they" do not.

‘Passing the trash’


Too often, problem teachers are allowed to leave quietly. That can mean future abuse for another student and another school district.

“They might deal with it internally, suspending the person or having the person move on. So their license is never investigated,” says Charol Shakeshaft, a leading expert in teacher sex abuse who heads the educational leadership department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

It’s a dynamic so common it has its own nicknames—“passing the trash” or the “mobile molester.”

Laws in several states require that even an allegation of sexual misconduct be reported to the state departments that oversee teacher licenses. But there’s no consistent enforcement, so such laws are easy to ignore.

School officials fear public embarrassment as much as the perpetrators do, Shakeshaft says. They want to avoid the fallout from going up against a popular teacher. They also don’t want to get sued by teachers or victims, and they don’t want to face a challenge from a strong union.


22 posted on 02/11/2013 6:35:07 PM PST by narses
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To: TSgt; Art in Idaho; NewCenturions; Sioux-san; Youaskedforit; KirbDog; Teófilo; mojo114; malkee; ...
TSgt wrote (with classic hatefilled bigotry and rhetoric):
They don’t resign, they go to prison unlike Catholic clergy who flee to the conclave of pedophiles in Rome.
Except, "they" do not.

‘Passing the trash’


Too often, problem teachers are allowed to leave quietly. That can mean future abuse for another student and another school district.

“They might deal with it internally, suspending the person or having the person move on. So their license is never investigated,” says Charol Shakeshaft, a leading expert in teacher sex abuse who heads the educational leadership department at Virginia Commonwealth University.

It’s a dynamic so common it has its own nicknames—“passing the trash” or the “mobile molester.”

Laws in several states require that even an allegation of sexual misconduct be reported to the state departments that oversee teacher licenses. But there’s no consistent enforcement, so such laws are easy to ignore.

School officials fear public embarrassment as much as the perpetrators do, Shakeshaft says. They want to avoid the fallout from going up against a popular teacher. They also don’t want to get sued by teachers or victims, and they don’t want to face a challenge from a strong union.


23 posted on 02/11/2013 6:36:04 PM PST by narses
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To: Jyotishi

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584044,00.html


24 posted on 02/11/2013 6:36:38 PM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Star Traveler
Amazing there are ignorant paranoids who actually believe this diarrhea, and slurp it down like ice cream.
25 posted on 02/11/2013 6:37:38 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: narses
This abuse goes further back than this pope...Just awful that the church didn't nip it in the bud...but then...perhaps it has been around for much longer than we think (And I believe that is so).

Seems this pope wants to disappear...

26 posted on 02/11/2013 6:40:06 PM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Star Traveler

I may not be a Catholic, but I recognize unsubstantiated rubbish when I read it. Who knows why he resigned? And at this late date, what difference does it make?


27 posted on 02/11/2013 6:40:24 PM PST by Chaguito
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To: TSgt

“TSgt wrote: “You know, the guy Ratzinger ignored...”

You mean the guy who correctly asserted a statute of limitations defense? Or are you saying that such defenses should not apply? Or is it that your rabid anti-catholicism cannot allow for such an objective issue?


28 posted on 02/11/2013 6:41:13 PM PST by narses
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Comment #29 Removed by Moderator

To: Star Traveler
The uncovered instruction ordering the protection of pedophile sex criminal priests and nuns at the expense of not protecting the little children they were molesting and threatening the little victims with hell if they did not keep their being raped secret…

What an outright lie. Obviously you have not read the document. The secrecy called for was only about the testimony given during the internal church investigation. If the priest were found guilty they were subject to the harshest penalties of the church, including excommunication. Such penalties would by their nature be public. This is the exact same standard used for the testimony given to a criminal grand jury. Outside this testimony anyone would be free to go to the civil authorities and report the crime independently. The attempt to characterize this in any other way is the most base calumny.

30 posted on 02/11/2013 6:43:54 PM PST by Petrosius
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To: Longbow1969

“Has the Catholic church even solved this problem?”

Solved? No one can “solve” the problem of evil, and wherever children are found, those who want to act with evil intent against them will find a way.

“I seem to still be reading about incidents of priests abusing little boys.”

And teachers, and scout leaders and politicians and media personalities, and boyfriends and.....

“Are they still welcoming gay priests so long as they claim not to act on their homosexuality?”

No, they forbid such ordinations.

“Does the church not understand that its clergy have a special responsibility to be upstanding and moral.”

Yep. That said, like any organization, they do their best, and sometimes find that the “bad apple” gets in, or the “good apple” goes bad.

“Having priests that are gay is a pretty terrible idea and it is difficult to understand how the church, from the Pope on down, can’t seem to figure this out.”

They have. And the Catholic Church has taken many positive steps to address both the issue of ordaining queers and protecting our kids from abuse. More than, say the government schools. Study the issue and you will find no organization has done more than the Church in this area.


31 posted on 02/11/2013 6:46:44 PM PST by narses
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To: GeronL; Gabz; SoftballMominVA; shag377
who will resign over public school sex abuse?

Johnny can you play more than one note on your guitar?

32 posted on 02/11/2013 6:51:59 PM PST by verga (A nation divided by Zero!)
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To: narses

What took you so long to reply with the classic, “Don’t blame us, everyone rapes children” defense?


33 posted on 02/11/2013 6:53:52 PM PST by TSgt (The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.)
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To: TSgt

You are a liar.

There are entire websites devoted to bad clergy who mostly all are charged and serve some time.

It is the public schools that has the market cornered on shunting pedophiles and the last time I checked public schools were not proclaiming to be the one universal church - but they do demand universal taxation as they protect pedophiles.


34 posted on 02/11/2013 6:54:18 PM PST by narses
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To: TSgt

Unlike you - I posted evidence. Your precious teachers get passed around just like their victims. And honest folks who study the issue know that clergy sex abuse is similar in almost all denominations. Your bigotry is on full display here. Be proudman, you are demonstrating right wing bigotry for all to see, in full living color.


35 posted on 02/11/2013 6:56:15 PM PST by narses
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To: TSgt

Unlike you - I posted evidence. Your precious teachers get passed around just like their victims. And honest folks who study the issue know that clergy sex abuse is similar in almost all denominations. Your bigotry is on full display here. Be proud man, you are demonstrating right wing bigotry for all to see, in full living color.


36 posted on 02/11/2013 6:56:35 PM PST by narses
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To: plain talk

Resigning like this is unprecedented. Popes have been imprisoned and murdered and don’t abandon their flock.


37 posted on 02/11/2013 6:56:35 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: narses

Well, at least we know which side you are on.

I bet you are also the president of the Jerry Sandusy fan club.

It was the evil children who seduced the priests! Poor guys!

Outrage at friar’s claims that it is often the teenage boys who seduce priests in religious sex abuse cases... and he calls Sandusky ‘a poor guy’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195670/Outrage-friars-claims-teenage-boys-seduce-priests-religious-sex-abuse-cases.html


38 posted on 02/11/2013 6:57:06 PM PST by TSgt (The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.)
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To: Jyotishi

Balderdash!


39 posted on 02/11/2013 6:58:30 PM PST by Bigg Red (Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved! -Ps80)
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To: Tzar

Actually the refuting of facts and resorting to childish name calling is a liberal trait that you just illustrated.

Let me know when you can form an intellectual argument.


40 posted on 02/11/2013 6:59:21 PM PST by TSgt (The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.)
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