I agree. Our local school teacher ran an escort service that apparently slipped by the vetting procress.
We have women teachers sending lewd photos of themselves to teens and men using the classrooms as hunting grounds.
In the past, teachers were to be exemplary models of decorum and intellectual rigor.
Who can watch television or movies? I’m embarrassed by the clothes people wear and the language they use.
As Benedict said in his homily today, we must witness better.
That goes for everyone, not just Catholic christians, but all people of faith.
Funny. All this time I thought it might just be the "moral breakdown" of those pedophile priest, you know, those under the control of the Vatican. What a warped sense of responsibility I have. Blackbird.
But he urged efforts "to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores" as well as a reassessment of "the values underpinning society."
"What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" the pontiff said on the first full day of his US visit.
"Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today."
Describing clerics who sexually abuse children as "gravely immoral," the octogenarian pope warned that the scourge of pedophilia "is found not only in your dioceses but in every sector of society."
He's factually correct. The rate of abuse among Catholic clergy is comparable to that of other clergy, and teachers. What was newsworthy about the priestly scandal, however, was the cover-up of this abuse by several bishops.
I'm glad to see Pope Benedict address the "pornification" of America, but I'm afraid that his message will be lost in the MSM's "has he said enough about the abuse crisis?" approach to this visit.
The premise is FALSE; the breakdown in society did not lead or motivate multitudes of priests, bishops and church leaders to homosexual perversion and pedophilia. It was the lusts of their own heart and their own perverted desires that led to the raping of boys and girls for DECADES and the RC chuch did everything in it's power to cover up the scandal (including "pope" John Paul spiriting away Cardinal Bernard Law to a cushy safe from prosecution retirement in Rome.) for years and years until it could no longer be covered up. The book "The Faithful Departed" documents the facts and "the breakdown in society" excuse doesn’t cut it.
By the way, the last time I checked, the new "pope" is the same as the old “pope”, he has done everything in his power to continue to protect Bernard Law in cushy retirement from prosecution and from having to deal with any of those nasty questions about his part in protecting homosexual, pedophile, priests and church leaders throughout his so-called ministry.
It is the Marxist/Anarchist Teacher's Union and the Democrat party. Does Brother Benedict understand that he has been part of and is now Brother Benedict does not display leadership nor Shepherding of the flock Brother Benedict needs to seek the face of G-d and He also needs to address Roman Catholics in leadership positionsWe all know the origin of pedophilia in American society.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
in charge and responsible for the Pedophilia in the Roman church.
or he would take personal responsibility and fix the the problem.
take responsibly for the pedophilia in the Roman church.
who promote the murder of the most innocent.
Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God's people throughout the world. Rightly, you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims. It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.
Responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the President of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was "sometimes very badly handled". Now that the scale and gravity of the problem is more clearly understood, you have been able to adopt more focused remedial and disciplinary measures and to promote a safe environment that gives greater protection to young people. While it must be remembered that the overwhelming majority of clergy and religious in America do outstanding work in bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the people entrusted to their care, it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm. In this regard, your efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care, but for all of society.
If they are to achieve their full purpose, however, the policies and programs you have adopted need to be placed in a wider context. Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person. This brings us back to our consideration of the centrality of the family and the need to promote the Gospel of life. What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today? We need to reassess urgently the values underpinning society, so that a sound moral formation can be offered to young people and adults alike. All have a part to play in this task - not only parents, religious leaders, teachers and catechists, but the media and entertainment industries as well. Indeed, every member of society can contribute to this moral renewal and benefit from it. Truly caring about young people and the future of our civilization means recognizing our responsibility to promote and live by the authentic moral values which alone enable the human person to flourish. It falls to you, as pastors modelled upon Christ, the Good Shepherd, to proclaim this message loud and clear, and thus to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores. Moreover, by acknowledging and confronting the problem when it occurs in an ecclesial setting, you can give a lead to others, since this scourge is found not only within your Dioceses, but in every sector of society. It calls for a determined, collective response.
-A8
I agree to a point. Priests who prey on children could also be part of the problem, not a result of society.
Cardinal Law who unsuccessfully tried to cover up the crimes is being protected from the American justice system by Pope by having him work in the Vatican.
That's a misleading title. The first paragraph says that he stated that it fueled the scandal. Cause and fuel are two different things, IMO.
The headline is an outright lie. Before people start criticizing the Pope, read the transcript of the entire speech. Then you have the right to discuss what you think of his intentions. His comments on the plane, and during this speech, and his private, unpublicized meeting today with actual abuse victims, all have shown in word and deed he puts clear responsibility where it is due.
In his speech most of the words about the pedophilia situation were extremely harsh on the bishops, and as soon as I heard the Pope make this ONE statement about the larger problems in society, I thought “Oh no, this is the line the MSM will pull out of context.”
Sure enough, they have, but I would not expect Freepers to be so gullible and jump to conclusions based on a biased and quite limited interpretation of a very lengthy and complex address.
“Aw, everybody does it”
bumpus ad summum
The gay subculture in the American seminaries, the breakdown of American society. They both have the same root cause and we all know what it is.
The pope is correct.