[Hugin]

As I understand it, in this case the perpetrator priest had already been convicted in court of tying up and raping children, so confidentiality doesn't really apply. For some reason Pope Benedict (then a Cardinal) waited four years to defrock him, and in the meantime let him serve as a youth minster. As far as the confidentiality and state “traditions”, what is that but the powerful covering up abuses of power? Finally, as for the forgiveness argument, nobody has any right to forgive someone of a heinous crime but the victim. If the pope wants to forgive someone who attacked him, fine. Forgiving someone who attacked others isn't. And forgiveness is supposed to come after penance. What is proper penance for tying up and raping children? It seems to me it should at least include losing the privelige of being a priest.

Worst of all, the attempt by church spokesmen to dismiss the issue as “gossip” shows that nothing has changed. The people running the church appear to be just another corrupt arrogant elite.

[IbJensen]

In further defense of the current pope, perverted homosexuals in the clergy is something dreamed about in the Kremlin.

Stalin and his successors wanted a method to topple the Roman Catholic Church so they hit upon the scheme of infiltration. Not by homosexuals at first, but by agents of the USSR. Those agents were to embed themselves in the Church, then worm their way into the decision-making jobs that would allow them to knowingly recruit homosexuals: send them to the seminaries and release them into the parishes to do their dirty work with most not knowing why there were being given this 'opportunity'.

The scheme began to work very well subsequent to Vatican II where anything was considered appropriate. It made it much easier to latch on to innocent children, use them then seek cover behind the cassocks of the corrupt bishops.

Changing the church back to the days of pre-Vatican II was the answer, and unfortunately the successors of Pope Pius XII knew that, vacillated, then continued down the road towards the damaging or destruction of the Church.

Each of these popes owe our Maker an explanation. That explanation will be difficult indeed!

[montag813]

Thank you, Mr Dershowitz.

[goodwithagun]

I would love for the church to explain these “traditions” to me if it were my child that was abused. I would then explain one of my “traditions”: cutting off body parts of those who harm my children.

[livius]

Good words from Dershowitz. He can be a raving leftist flake at times, but just when I start to mentally dismiss him, then he stuns me with a really good article showing genuine respect for the law and the Constitution.

[fatboy]

Fifth, the Catholic Church has long had a tradition of internal due process. Cannon Law provides for scrupulous methods of proof. The concept of the “devil’s advocate” derives from the Church’s effort to be certain that every “t” is crossed and every “I” is dotted, even when it comes to selecting saints.

This tradition was of great comfort to the early reformers of the 15th through 17th centuries such as Jan Hus and William Tyndale and to an extent Martin Luther and his friends.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
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[Ransomed]

“at least five important traditions that make it difficult to move quickly and aggressively in response to complaints of abuse.”

Then how did the number of abuse cases decrease so sharply in the late 70’s early 80’s?

Freegards

[Melian]

{{Sigh}}

So many feel free to weigh in with an opinion despite a lack of knowledge.

Once you are a priest, you are a priest for life. The vow is permanent. You can choose to break your vow and stop performing priestly duties, or the Church can forbid you from performing priestly duties and representing the Church. Either way, you are still a priest. This is why it is a long, long process to “defrock” a priest; it’s passing a judgement on a covenant between a priest and God.

Secondly, the era of these abuses was a time when the psychiatrists were telling everyone that pedophiles could be cured. Church leadership thought these priests could be salvaged. Only 20 years of experience has taught us that pedophiles cannot be cured.

Thirdly, there is an element of militant homosexuality in the priesthood. Most were ordained in the 50’s and 60’s. Thankfully, they are retiring and will not be around much longer to protect their fellow deviants.

This is a great time of cleansing for the Church. We Catholics will be better off once we are tempered by fire.

[Salvation]

Thanks.