16 Priests Face Probe in Detroit

(AP) ^

[Dallas]

DETROIT --

The Wayne County prosecutor said Thursday that his office was opening investigations into 16 priests suspected of sexual misconduct.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit last week gave prosecutor Mike Duggan's office files containing allegations by 50 people against 37 priests.

Duggan said the statute of limitations was expected to be an obstacle in most of the cases. The cases go as far back as 1943, and all but two involved incidents that took place at least 10 years ago.

At least 14 Catholic priests in Michigan -- including five in the Detroit archdiocese -- have been removed, been suspended or left their duties since Jan. 1 amid sexual abuse allegations.

In addition to the 37 priests identified in archdiocese files, three other priests have been named by people who directly called the prosecutor's office to make accusations.

Duggan said he informed the archdiocese earlier Thursday of his intention to open the investigations. Archdiocese officials were cooperating, Duggan said.

The fallout stems from a case in Boston, where documents revealed church officials had long ignored complaints against a now-defrocked priest. Dozens of priests nationwide have been suspended or forced to resign.

* __

On the Net:

Archdiocese of Detroit, http://www.archdioceseofdetroit.org

Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press

[Willie Green]

Duggan is a leftwing political zealot on a witchhunt.

[swarthyguy]

Ambiguos headline; guess the tables have turned:)

[Robe]

Great minds think alike (:^)

[eno_]

So I guess he and a bunch of buggering priests deserve each other? Are you suggesting the charges are trumped up? That this is a frame-up? Or is the church going to deal with this problem more effectively than the prosecutor, and the evidence that this will happen is...?

[Dallas]

LOL---behave yourself

[AdA$tra]

The cases go as far back as 1943, and all but two involved incidents that took place at least 10 years ago.

As usual, the headline would lead someone to beleive we are talking about 16 priests in parishes today. Also, once again, the "real" number eventually revealed in the article is two priests.

[Willie Green]

Are you suggesting the charges are trumped up? That this is a frame-up?

I'm suggesting that Duggan is lax in prosecution of actual crime in Detroit while squandering his office's resources on media-grabbing cases that advocate left-wing political agenda.

[eno_]

lax in prosecution of actual crime in Detroit

OK, so he should take the great plank out of his own eye before he pulls the you-know-what from the altar boy's behind? This is rape and sex abuse of minors. Not to excuse the prosucutor, who is probably as bad as you say, but this does rank above street crime in priority.

[eno_]

You want to bet it is only two currently employed priests? The odds are not with you on that one for the reason that this is not pedophilia. It is serial and habitual rape of minors with the knowledge and complicity of a fairly large group of homosexual priests. The odds of the scandal staying within any limits anyone has ever suggested are very very low.

[Willie Green]

but this does rank above street crime in priority.

"Duggan said the statute of limitations was expected to be an obstacle in most of the cases. The cases go as far back as 1943, and all but two involved incidents that took place at least 10 years ago."

Prosecuting cases based on flimsy allegations that are between 10 and 59 years old is a high priority?

In Detroit???

Detroit needs more protection from the criminals, burglers, rapists, thugs, drug dealers, etc. etc. who are committing crimes TODAY rather than worrying about what happened back in 1943!!!

[yendu bwam]

You're right, Detroit does need that. But if there are priests (and there obviously are) who have homosexually raped and molested kids and teenage boys in the last ten or twenty years, do their victims not deserve to see these creeps put behind bars? And further, since the church has not seen fit to do anything about them, then we can only hope the criminal justice system will, or the inevitable result will be even more boys raped.

[AdA$tra]

Even the most liberal estimates show maybe 2% of priests guilty of this stuff. Turn 'em over to the cops and get on with life. This vast conspiracy just doesn't exist. The largest estimate is that 1500 American priests may be guilty of this abuse. That is out of around 60,000 active priests since 1984. That works out to about 2.5% bad apples. That is the same or actually less than that of teachers, scout leaders, step parents or society as a whole. Judas, selected by Jesus himself accounted for more than 8% of the apostles. This isn't about the children anymore, it is now about BIGOTRY against Catholics.

[eno_]

Either your numbers are wrong, or the admittedly anecdotal evidence of a fourth to a half the priests being homosexual is wrong. I have an open mind on this. Convince me. I happen to think the RC Church has a bigger than typical problem due to it not following its own doctrine on homosexual priests.

[Willie Green]

But if there are priests (and there obviously are) who have homosexually raped and molested kids and teenage boys in the last ten or twenty years, do their victims not deserve to see these creeps put behind bars?

I have absolutely no sympathy for rapists or pedophiles, and in fact advocate the harshest of penalties for those proven to commit these heinous crimes. By the same token, I also have little sympathy for so-called "victims" who dawdle for 10-15-20-30 years before coming forth with their flimsy, unsubstantiated allegations.

[AdA$tra]

not following its own doctrine on homosexual priests.

I do think too many homosexuals have sought refuge from their "dilema" in the priesthood. As far as Church doctrine is concerned, sexual orientation does not matter as much as upholding the vows. The liberals in the Church, many of whom run the seminaries, are somewhat responsible for these problems as they have provided a sanctuary for gays who do not want to live a gay lifestyle, but then cannot keep their vows. These things are changing though. Background checks, psych testing and other methods are being employed. All that said, it is still a larger problem in society than in the Church. I was abused by a scout leader. He wasn't a priest or even Catholic.
Read some of these articles by Diane Alden for good numbers on this stuff.
This article by Ann coulter is good as well.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I also have little sympathy for so-called "victims" who dawdle for 10-15-20-30 years before coming forth with their flimsy, unsubstantiated allegations.

I believe these people have been ashamed to be the only one to come forward, and now there is safety in numbers. Also, they probably were afraid of being called gay. Maybe they've been questioning their own sexuality over these many years. Obviously, they've been haunted by what happened to them by a person who held authority and the power of God.

[Willie Green]

I believe these people have been ashamed to be the only one to come forward, and now there is safety in numbers

If true, tough luck. The only thing that they have to be ashamed of is that they permitted their abuser to roam free for so many years.

I honestly don't know what the statute of limitions is in such cases, it probably varies from state to state. But IMHO, 5-7-10 years oughta be plenty for a "victim" to recuperate sufficiently from emotional trauma to file appropriate allegations.

Frankly, the testimony of "victims" who suffer such long-term incapacitating emotional disturbance is questionable anyway, and that's reasonable doubt. Who's to say whether their memories are real, or simply vivid recollections conjured up by their disturbed imaginations?

It may seem "unfair", but you have to draw the line somewhere. If a victim doesn't file a complaint within a reasonable time period, that's their own fault.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Frankly, the testimony of "victims" who suffer such long-term incapacitating emotional disturbance is questionable anyway, and that's reasonable doubt.

You may not have been vulnerable to rape by a priest, but some kids were and are tormented by it as adults.

[eno_]

Look at the hardball the Church's lawyers are playing even now. Back in the day, the Church could break your family. You are being pretty harsh on victims who have highly credible claims of multiple instances of rape under color of authority. Would you be as harsh to the Waco survivors, or the kid who had his face shot off by an incompetent FBI agent?