Pope speaks out about sex abuse scandals

Associated Press ^ | March 21, 2002 | By VICTOR L. SIMPSON - Associated Press Writer

[MeekOneGOP]

	Posted on Thu, Mar. 21, 2002
	Pope speaks out about sex abuse scandals By VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press Writer VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul II on Thursday broke his silence on the sex abuse cases rocking the Roman Catholic Church, saying the "grave scandal" was casting a "dark shadow of suspicion" over all priests. In an annual message to priests worldwide, the pope said "as priests we are personally and profoundly afflicted by the sins of some of our brothers who have betrayed the grace of ordination." He said they had succumbed "to the most grievous forms" of what he called, using the Latin phrase, "mystery of evil." "Grave scandal is caused, with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice," the pope said. John Paul said the Church "shows her concern for the victims and strives to respond in truth and justice to each of these painful situations." It was the first time the pope publicly addressed the issue since widescale accusations of sexual misconduct by priests surfaced in the United States in recent months. The accusations have led to the resignation of one bishop, from Palm Beach, Fla., and tarnished the reputation of Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston for failing to take action against a child-molesting priest. The problem has worldwide implications for the Church. In January, the Catholic Church in Ireland agreed to a landmark $110 million payment to children abused by clergy over decades. More than 20 priests, brothers and nuns have been convicted of molesting children. Sexual abuse cases involving cover-ups have also been reported in England, France and Australia, among other countries. John Paul has been described as particularly saddened by sexual harassment allegations leveled against the archbishop of Poznan in the pope's native Poland. Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, who worked with John Paul at the Vatican and was sent by him to Poland in 1982, denied the allegations in a letter read in parishes last Sunday. For years, the Vatican viewed such reports as attempts to discredit the church or as part of an orchestrated campaign against celibacy. At a Vatican news conference to present the pope's letter, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos said John Paul was "supportive" of bishops and priests in dioceses shaken by the scandal. But he refused to answer specific questions about the sex scandal, reading a written statement that defended the Church's efforts to uphold morality and punish wrongdoers within their ranks. He cited a study showing that 3 percent of American clergymen had the "tendency" to abuse minors and that 0.3 percent were pedophiles. He said there were no comparative studies for other categories "including parents and relatives."

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© 2001 startelegram and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
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[redhead]

Amen!

[xzins]

Dear John Paul, I am not an RC, however, about 2 years ago I visited a friend's seminary in Poland... Wraclaw if I remember the spelling correctly. I was moved that they had set aside your place at their table from one of your recent visits to them. They had been deeply honored by your visit. I was honored to have been fed at that same table.

My friend is a former Polish citizen who is now a chaplain in the US military. His friends at the seminary consisted of former instructors, guides, and fellow students. There was such a reunion of young men who seriously cared about each other.

My friend is so clearly a solid priest and so clearly a true male and so clearly celibate because of a sincere marriage to the church he loves. His heart for his soldiers is known and believed and relied upon. And this despite struggles with the English language.

Don't you wish that all the priests were so dedicated and so clearly true males?

My Catholic friends so much want you to REMOVE from any parish ministry those whose status as true males is questioned. They want you to remove from the church those who have sexually betrayed their vows with those who are in their care. They want you to excommunicate those who have violated little children.

If anyone injures one of these little children who believes in me, it is better for a millstone to be tied around his neck and for him to be cast into the sea.

Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.

Take up your authority in your old age and use it. Lovingly stand with our abused and terrorized children.

[wideawake]

Eloquently put.

[sinkspur]

A limited role by parishioners could be created to expand communication within the Church, and could save the Church millions of dollars in settlement expenses in addition to protecting it from the worst of media innuendo.

Somebody's going to police these situations.

Either the bishops do it, or it will fall to the lay people by default.

[xzins]

Like you, I'm hoping that the Church has a bit higher expectation than does a secular university. A prof has a trust, but a priest is supposed to have a calling from God. Huge difference.

[redhead]

Fast and pray. While the Church in America grapples with the scandal of priests, bishops, and cardinals who can't keep their anatomy under control, discipline their lives, or be honest enough with themselves to resign their offices, Catholics are dying all over the world, martyred for their faith. There is great hope for the Church as long as souls are still willing to die for it. Fast and pray that this purging of the Church in America be THOROUGH, no matter how long it takes.

[fooman]

I agree that we should back on the collection plate, but gosh, I hope and doubt that the pope himself is that cynical. I know that some individual priests can be, and ven bishops, But I seriously doubt the pope. If the Catholic church falls, then it will be bad for all christianity. The rest of the religions will likely just splinter and fall like dominoes. There is too much cynicism in the world already and without our church, it will just run unchecked until we fall like the romans did. Only this time we all have nukes.

[redhead]

"if this leads to better screening of seminary candidates and more oversight by the Bishops of the Dioceses it will be a good thing."

The problem is that it is not just the CANDIDATES who are corrupt, it is the administrations of many of the major seminaries in the US. The schools need to be shut down, all their staff fired, the homosexual candidates weeded out, and new, CONSECRATED seminaries set up in their place. This perversion of the seminaries has been ongoing for many years, since the "modernizing" and "liberalizing" bishops and cardinals put their agenda into practice.

It's interesting to note, as an aside, that it appears that the seminaries in the most conservative, orthodox dioceses are overflowing with candidates, while the seminaries in dioceses with bishops like Rembert Weakland can only manage one or two ordinations a year. I pray to Almighty God that this trend continues!

[beckett]

I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul
Where I'll end up well I think only God really knows
I've sat upon the setting Sun
But never, never, never, never
I never wanted water once
No, never, never, never.

I listen to my words, but they fall far below
I let my music take me where my heart wants to go
I swam upon the Devil's Lake
But never, never, never, never
I'll never make the same mistake
No, never, never, never.

The Wind, Cat Stevens

Then Peter came to him and asked, 'Lord, how often am I to forgive my brother if he goes on wronging me? As many as seven times?' Jesus replied, 'I do not say seven times, but seventy times seven.'

Matt 18:21-22

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"...that this trend continues."

It will. No one is flocking and breaking down doors to join the liberal church.

[SuziQ]

Protestants typically fire the offending minister on the spot.

But do THEY turn him over to the proper authorities or let him move on to another 'calling'? If is the latter, that is just as bad as trying to move an offending priest from one parish to another in hopes he'll stop what he's doing.

[Bogie]

This Pope is a good Pope.

[SuziQ]

He said this could be grounds to possibly annul the ordination. I don't know what this really means theologically, but you know the Vatican is looking into something.

I assume he means the same thing as the annulment of the Sacrament of Matrimony. In either case, if the party has not entered into the Sacrament with the FULL INTENTION of living out the Sacrament, then the Sacrament was not valid to begin with.

In other words, if a man who is a pedophile or actively homosexual is ordained, but he has no intention of ever giving up that activity it would be as if the Sacrament had never taken place because God's grace would not be forthcoming to him. Same thing with a man or woman who marries, but has no intention of ever being faithful to his or her spouse; the vows that are taken are meaningless and therefore the Sacrament is not valid.

[ex-snook]

"Being a pastor isn't about smiling and shaking hands and giving sermons. It's about defending the flock from the wolves. The Church's pastors have become fat and complacent, that's the problem. "

Maybe. You might also consider that pastors first objective is to keep the parish financially sound (not necessarily morally sound). They want to be 'pastoral' which in their interpretation means don't rock any boats.

I wonder if this is just a problem in the Am-Church or are other countries affected. If is throughout the Church, then it reflects on JP II. Pope JP II is a good and holy man but seems to have let Church administration slip.

It didn't all start with this gay thing. Infrasturcture is in free fall - dissent is rampant, Catholic colleges are hardly that, annulments up, religious vocations are down, a blind eye to abortion first politicians, teaching dogma beliefs has vanished. But PR is up for hierarchy apologizing for history, condeming racism or getting some inter-faith face award recognition which places a premium on being politically correct.

So-called 'reform' has left the Church in shambles. What is needed now is counter-reformation. Open the windows again and let the stink out.

[Salvation]

He cited a study showing that 3 percent of American clergymen had the "tendency" to abuse minors and that 0.3 percent were pedophiles.

Not only priests abuse -- notice the words American clergymen.

[american colleen]

"...Cawcutt of South Africa, an openly active gay, said that if Ratzinger puts the hammer down, he will begin an exposition that will rock the church."

I say GO FOR IT! Nothing will rock the Church, since we are the Church. None of this evil negates or changes our faith in God.

[saradippity]

,expositon that will rock the Church

I have read a book by Bella Dodd,who was a former member of CPUSA.I believe she had testified before a House or Senate committee regarding the Communist Party in the United States. Her testimony was that at that time(appx)1948)the Party had infiltrated 1000 young men into the seminaries of the Western Church.

They were not planted to baptize,teach the Truth,preach the Faith and administer the Sacraments. No,they were planted to eventually destroy the Church from within in order to ensure that the enemy could have a clear path to rule mankind. Men who believed in God could not be enslaved. These infiltrators did not believe in God they believed that man is but an animal,content to be satisfied with worldly pleasures such as sex,any kind,with any body.And so they set out to inculcate a culture that would achieve these ends.

Turning Truth upside down is a sure way to do that. And they have been very successful,homosexuality is not according to nature,it is contrary to nature and involves one of the basic needs. You really don't think all this "Spirit" blowin thru the church stuff had anything to do with the "Holy Spirit".Anyway its even deeper than this but all Catholics and ex-Catholics need to withhold money and go back to the pews in droves;they would be furious if everybody who left because of their discomfort would just go back and "watch" them. One of their goals has been to get all of the orthodox,conservative and traditional Catholics out of the pews and out of the Church so they could step in and take over. You don't think these "temples of wisdom" they have been building were for us faithful Catholics,or do you?The Church is going to end up poorer,purer,stronger and truly reflect the Body of Christ" as He wished.

[wideawake]

This I know. But as a Catholic I want us to clean up our own mess.

Let those of other faiths sling stones at us from the walls of their glass houses. They'll get their reward.

In the meantime, I want the filth in the Church to be excised.

[wideawake]

There were similar plants made by continental Masonic organizations.

[meandog]

Couldn't help yourself, could you? Any opportunity to attack Catholicism, huh?
Your attack on all priests based on the misdeeds of a few is offensive, just like referring to Catholics as "mackeral snappers" as you did on another thread.
What an *sshole...

How "Christian" of you to call me an *sshole! What's a matter, LouD, can't face up to the fact that the Church needs some house cleaning? Go bury your head in the sand...or, better yet, get a mackeral to snap!