Posted on 07/22/2006 7:06:59 AM PDT by NYer
The statute of limitation has run on most of these offenders -- since most of the molestations took place years ago. Many of the offenders being accused now are already dead or so old and frail that they could not stand trial anyway. The ones who were caught in time in fact did hard time -- this happened to a visiting priest in the Atlanta archdiocese years ago. The archbishop here stood no nonsense about "curing" anybody, the man fled but was apprehended and sent to prison.
The mistake that the church made in the first place was to follow the advice of the "psychiatric professionals" who thought these guys could be cured. They can't. The safest thing to do with them is to put them someplace that they cannot reoffend - i.e. in a remote monastery. Which is what the church used to do to them until the "professionals" thought better of it . . .
Interestingly enough, the worst offenders were in the more heterodox dioceses where bishops tended to water down the Catholic faith. Fuzzy thinking and disobedience and homosexual molestation go hand in hand in hand.
Paul was annointed by God through the holy spirit because he was persecuting jews. Maybe when you meet the maker you should ask God why. I'm not going to challenge God as why he chose Paul.
"Speaking of which, if you follow the Bible so closely, no offense, why are you pro-abortion and bragged on one thread that you don't have any kids and don't want any. Doesn't that go against Scripture "Thou Shall Not Kill" and go forth and multiply?"
Did it ever occur to you that because of medical reasons my husband and I can't produce children. And please post in reply to me where I "bragged" about it.
"The statute of limitation has run on most of these offenders..."
That maybe true now. But why didn't they follow scripture at the time?
I fear it will turn the thread toxic, but you asked for it.
That list is not comprehensive as it doesn't include all the offenses worldwide and neither is it up to date. It will at least give you the idea that we aren't the only ones that have this shame to contend with. It exists everywhere, sadly.
I will find it. Be right back.
Okay you found it. Some links to crimes that protestant ministers committed. If it wrong for them why isn't it wrong for Catholic priests too?
I've been here for quite a few years. Are you reading every post I've ever posted? Ain't that kinda obsessive?
No argument from me! It is very plain what Paul was speaking of. He knows more than I do! :>)
The liberal bishops who failed to follow the discipline of the Church at the time. They also were the ones who misinterpreted Vatican II, got rid of the Latin Mass, agitated for priests to marry, and otherwise tried to protestantize the church. All those abuses were based in the sin of disobedience - to scripture and to the authority of the Church.
Not a good idea, and the Church has paid dearly for it. But Benedict XVI is working hard to undo the damage and prevent a recurrence.
So only liberal priests in the Catholic Church were the ones who failed to follow Romans 13:1?
Just one example from the link provided in 64:
"An associate pastor of a San Fernando Valley chapel was sentenced to 32 months in prison on Tuesday for failing to register as a sex offender. Ilger, a former second-grade teacher, was convicted in 1988 of molesting four students in his San Luis Obispo classroom. After being released from jail, Ilger and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he took a position with Hope Chapel of the Valley in Canoga Park. "We've lived and learned a painful lesson," the Rev. Jeff Fischer of Hope Chapel said outside court. Fischer has said he and about 30 church elders knew that Ilger had molested young girls before he was hired."
Please, let's stop the cross-Tiber bashing and admit that this behavior isn't limited to any one group, that the behavior is wrong no matter who does it/who enables it, and that the offenders should be locked safely away from the rest of us.
Did you miss the post I made in #66 of this thread?
However, the vast majority of the most flagrant offenders were in dioceses where the bishops were disobedient to the leadership of the Church. The Canons of the Church and the Catechism are explicit that civil authority must be obeyed unless the law in question is absolutely contrary to divine law.
Your post was nearly simultaneous with mine. When I first replied to FJ290's post 64, there were no replies recorded.
At that point, I began composing my reply (which took a few minutes as I had to first visit the link he provided), and apparently while I was writing, you also posted your reply.
So, I suppose that may qualify as "missing" it, if you like ;-)
I believe the thrust of this article was to point out that there are fewer catholic priests entering the profession and are doing so at an older age. I believe the words contained in the Bible can help all of us know solutions to the problems.
That being said I'm sure there are more passages that deal with the other problems being discussed!!
Marajade, that isn't what this post reveals:
To: Howlin; TAdams8591; WomanBiologist
Agree. It took me 28 years to find Prince Charming and I was extrememly picky. I even thought at the time when I walked down the aisle that I wanted kids. After we had been married a few years we made a mutual decision to be childless.
Its not always about the white picket fence and the rest. Its about knowing oneself and each other and finding happiness.
227 posted on 07/27/2005 4:46:07 PM EDT by marajade (Yes, I'm a SW freak!) [ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 223 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]
Title of thread: With no Mr. Right in sight, time for Plan B, Sperm Donation
I rest my case. So... want to tell us Catholics again that our priests should be married and have kids when you don't want any yourself?
Dear AnAmericanMother,
Actually, in many cases, dealing with the abusive priests outside of the judicial systems wasn't quite illegal. In many dioceses, the civil authorities preferred that the Church handle these matters internally. I've read of cases where incidents were reported to the police, and where the police directly informed the local bishop, asking him to take care of it, or where the prosecutors referred the cases back to the bishop.
One thing that upsets me is when folks make the scandal out to be Catholic hierarchs acting in absolute dark secrecy to subvert the laws of land in order to protect molestor priests. The reality is more that folks didn't know how to handle these cases, and often DIDN'T WANT TO HANDLE these cases, from judges on down.
sitetest
Amen! Thank you for your fairness in this issue. The offenders should be punished for their crimes and we should also pray for all Christians of good faith to be protected from a menace like this.
" ...are explicit that civil authority must be obeyed unless the law in question is absolutely contrary to divine law."
What scripture supports this belief?
Well, I'm sure some bishops were acting with the best of intentions, believing that they were doing the right thing. On the other hand, there were homosexual or sympathizing clerics who wanted to cover for their buddies. In fact, the priest here who helped the offender I mentioned flee the country was prosecuted as an accessory after the fact or for aiding and abetting the escape of a fugitive, can't remember which. He was retired early . . . BTW he was a flaming queen, they should have gotten rid of him a LONG time before. But in the climate of the 70s when homosexuality was beginning to be fashionable, that was exactly contrary to the Spirit of the Age. It's even more contrary to it now, but the Church has belatedly realized that you can't give in to that, even a little . . .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.