Posted on 03/20/2010 9:35:25 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Irish victims of clerical child sexual abuse are deeply disappointed by Pope Benedict's letter of apology as it fails to address the role of senior church leaders, a group representing victims said.
"My first response was deep disappointment in the letter," said Maeve Lewis, executive director of victims group One in Four.
"We feel the letter falls far short of addressing the concerns of the victims."
She said the Pope's letter focused too narrowly on lower-rank Irish priests without recognising the responsibility of the Vatican and senior Irish clerics for protecting offenders and dealing with victims.
"There is nothing in this letter to suggest that any new vision of leadership in the Catholic church exists," she said.
The letter also does not refer to the resignation of the head of the church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, which victims groups have demanded, she said.
Pope Benedict expressed his "shame and remorse" for episodes of child sex abuse, saying "serious mistakes" were made by Irish bishops in responding to allegations.
"You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry," the Pope said in the letter signed on Friday.
He said priests and religious workers guilty of child abuse "must answer" for their crimes "before properly constituted tribunals".
"Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God's mercy," he said, addressing himself to offenders.
The Pope announced a mission to Irish dioceses rocked by sex scandals to assist "the local church on her path to renewal" and said he was ready to meet again with victims of child abuse.
Predominantly Catholic Ireland has been shocked by three judicial reports in the past five years that revealed ill-treatment, abuse and cruelty by clerics and a cover-up of their activities by church authorities.
New abuse scandals have also come to light in the Pope's native Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
“God forbid you have a child sexually abused by a “man of the cloth” - ANY cloth - whose superiors know and chose to transfer the child predator to a new venue where he has a new flock of innocents to feed upon.”
“man of the cloth” - ANY cloth
Even under color of the state
Totally agree.
And the idea that catholicism has cornered the market on pederasty is as naive as believing that homosexuals are very rarely involved in child molestation.
The shepherd is responsible for the welfare of the flock.
The Scriptures say “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves”. (1 Cor. 5:13).
The shepherd is not the victim when wolves are allowed to enter (and remain) into the flock
I actually read in an article posted to this forum earlier this week that the stats for child abuse in public schools are MUCH worse than for the Catholic Church. Does this mean that we should blame or even prosecute the Secretary of Education or the President? Sheesh. I am all for rooting out and punishing evil, but blaming the person at the top for everything that happens thousands of miles away and many levels below is irresponsible.
Amen
Yup
“Catholic child abuse in proportion.”
" Catholic church: it’s no worse than other child abusers"
OK?
The Catholic Church claims to be the body of Christ, it’s priests called by God to their vocation, etc.
So shall the Catholic Church be treated like a secular organization? Maybe apply the RICO laws to the cover up of felonies?
You haven't, have you?
Makes one wonder if you're a public education employee.
Trying to engage in a little CYA by posting that duplicate aren’t you?
To carry your argument to its extreme, you personally should be prosecuted under RICO statutes for allowing a Communist thug to be elected President by 56% of the voting electorate.
By the way, have you distanced yourself from these people by renouncing your citizenship and leaving the country?
I am reaffirming that you have chosen the same side in this struggle as the German Nazi Party.
Your statements and lack of fact in this clearly show that you are not motivated out of empathy or compassion for the victims, or even outrage at the individual perpetrators, but at the Catholic Church. If that were not the case you would be equally engaged and outraged at the even more prevalent abuses committed within your own church denominations and communities.
By the way, will your posting history reflect any "I'd hit it" or "Not guilty" comments?
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Since the pink mafia was allowed to take over the seminaries in the sixties the Church, seeding parishes throughout America with sexual predators, who, when exposed were proteted, has had no moral authority.
= "Them stinking letters didn't come with checks in them."
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