CLAIRE FOX: Sex abuse is just an excuse to attack the Church

The Times ^ | November 26, 2002 | Claire Fox

[VOA]

The Church does have to be more aggressive in smashing the homosexual subculture and paedophilia, however.

Agreed, BUT...
the recent moves by the bishops of the USA (If I understand this correctly)
is a SAD, GIGANTIC step backwards for the Catholic church hierarchy to regain not
only the trust of their flock, but of the general USA public.

If the bishops proceed down this path...they will risk losing ALL the trust most of
America feels about Catholic institutions/charities/hospitals.
And make a lot of the USA think "hmmm.....now we understand why places like
Mexico put the kabosh on the Catholic Church."

Now I am admittedly shooting a bit from the hip...but I think I've probabl captured about
95% of the "zeitgeist" of the situation here in the USA.

And I freely say this as a Protestant who hopes the Catholic institutions
find their way again...
not that they become "protestant"...but that they live up to their original Catholic vision.

[ninenot]

Not to defend homosexual abusers of children---

but also please note that MOST of the cases now getting media attention are quite old. Not all--but most.

Of course, if the Bishops had acted with their spines engaged in the FIRST place, the perps would STILL be in jail, as housewives to some several nasty types...

[saradippity]

I believe your lack of confidence in the Church's dealing with the scandal is based on your impression that the Vatican overruled American bishops. If I am correct in reading you,and if you are really interested than you need to know that you are not correct.

The arrogant,American bishops many of whom lost their faith years ago,if they ever had any,contrived,with the help of the american media, this little fiasco,with the intent of destroying the Church in America. They,with their armies of canon lawyers,chancery staff and USCCB bureaucrats certainly knew that the stupid policy they submitted was not workable from any level.

To cite one example,the policy defined abuse as "not necessarily physical or verbal". When you juxtapose that with the fact that "everything' was to be reported to civil authorities,and there was to be zero tolerance of whatever this ill defined everything is,you get an idea of just how ludicrous and audaciously ugly and mean spirited these evil men are.The Vatican did what it had to do and eventually this may be the turning point,known as the critical event that saved Christendom and Westerm Civilization.

[VOA]

The arrogant,American bishops many of whom lost their faith years ago,if they ever
had any,contrived,with the help of the american media, this little fiasco,with the intent
of destroying the Church in America.

That's been the sad view I've developed.
I guess the real "trip wire" was the recent announcement that the policies
announced at the Dallas meeting earlier this year (June?) were about to tbe
overhauled.

Listen, I'm for fairness to the accussed priests.
But as an average citizen...I do get a bit disturbed at the American bishops
(OK, seemingly) trying to rig the game in their favor.

Hey, I've even read one case out here in Los Angeles in which the accussed priest
had his indiscretion with a teenage female (age 16?) years ago, owed up to it within
his church community, left the priesthood and moved on. Should he get the same punishment as some
priest who seduced 12-year-old boys...well, call me unfair, but I don't think so.


Seriously, I take C.S. Lewis' view about "greater Christendom".....I feel nothing
by sympathy for the problems that the Catholics are dealing with now...and know
similar things go on in all parts of Christendom.

[Jael]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/795778/posts?page=18#18

just wanted to bump you on a great post. I didn't write it, but it's good.

[Coleus]

Tell me more about this 1961 ban.

[Coleus]

Which saints were gay?

[NYer]

A poll by Newsweek this year found that most Americans think the celibacy rule should be scrapped.

Yet one more example of media"itis" - pumped up and proud. Can you imagine the reaction if Newsweek were to run a poll on whether or not Hassidic males should shave their beards? Or, should the Amish abandon their horse drawn buggies in favor of a motorized vehicle?

Attack the catholics ... they won't retaliate.

[WaveThatFlag]

The thing that annoys me is that Catholic priests have become the last politically correct target of stereotyping. Compared to Catholic priests who are pedophiles: Irish are much more likely to be drunks, Jews are much more likely to be cheap, Poles are much more likely to be stupid, Blacks are much more likely to be lazy, women are much more likely to be terrible drivers, French are much more likely to smell bad, etc.

Of course, none of the former descriptions has a shread of truth to it. The high figure I've heard on Catholic Priests is something like 2% of all priests have been accused of sexual misconduct (and may that 2% spend the rest of their days in a tiny prison cell with a big hairy guys named Ben Donver). But the overwhelming majority of Catholic priests are devout men of faith. So why is it ok or funny for Jay Leno to make that accusation once a week?

[ThomasMore]

1961 ban

I believe they're putting 'bones' into that ban right now in Rome!

[Chancellor Palpatine]

"If they were to eliminate all those who were homosexually oriented, the number would be so staggering that it would be like an atomic bomb; it would do the same damage to the church's operation...It would mean the resignation of at least a third of the bishops of the world. And it's very much against the tradition of the church; many saints had a gay orientation, and many popes had gay orientations. Discriminating against orientation is not going to solve the problem."

Reason #487 not to be Roman Catholic.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Hey, I've even read one case out here in Los Angeles in which the accussed priest had his indiscretion with a teenage female (age 16?) years ago, owed up to it within his church community, left the priesthood and moved on. Should he get the same punishment as some priest who seduced 12-year-old boys...well, call me unfair, but I don't think so.

There appears (anecdotally, at least) to be a huge disparity in the sanctioning of priests who have stumbled with women (either adults or those in their later teens) versus those who screw around with boys. The one's who played with boys got a pass, while those who stumbeled with women got tossed out on their ears.

[js1138]

there is no evidence that Catholic clergy offend at a higher rate than other clergy or non-clergy who deal with children. So why has the priesthood become society’s whipping boy?

Possibly because those who are caught are not removed from positions of authority.

[FormerLib]

"If they were to eliminate all those who were homosexually oriented, the number would be so staggering that it would be like an atomic bomb..."

Well I'm be darned, someone just made an excellent argument for letting the Vatican develop nuclear weapons.

Drop the Bomb, John Paul II! Drop the BOMB!

[FormerLib]

Discriminating against orientation is not going to solve the problem.

But it's a good start!

[RnMomof7]

excellent thanks

[Tantumergo]

"Drop the Bomb, John Paul II! Drop the BOMB!"

Amen to that - metaphorically speaking at any rate! :)