Papers in Pedophile Case Show Church Effort to Avert Scandal

The New York Times | January 25, 2002

[st.smith]

Praying for someone is nice and all but wouldn't following the teachings of the Bible be better?

Good advice- why don't you follow it and give up your unscriptural sola scriptura based Bibliolatry.

[marajade]

First I've heard that the gospels are unscriptural.

[marajade]

Again, First Timothy is about leadership in the Church. Does the Catholic Church have deacons?

[onyx]

We pray for each other. I am NOT worried! All roads lead to Rome.

[riley1992]

No prayers for you! Bad Catholics!

That's quite alright. Her kind of prayers I can do without.

[stig]

Ending priestly celibacy for parish priests would go a long way toward fixing the problem the church now faces. The problem isn't just the pedophile priests it's the church hierarchy that has been protecting them. They protect them because there is a shortage of priests and a protect your own mentality in the upper levels of the priesthood. In the Boston case Cardinal Law himself. Some of the letters he wrote to the scum passing himself off as a priest were completely out of touch with the severity of the situation (and I'm putting this nicely). Law instead of stepping down has done the Clinton thing and decided to prolong this by trying to keep his office. Placing his own vanity and lust for power over the good of the church.

Now with a strong non-celibate community of priests these losers who are after their own sick gratification would be exposed sooner rather than later. With married priests who have another career to fall back on, they could easily put up with the kind of treatment whistle blowing usually incurs. Will it be perfect? No. But I can only see it as a major improvement over the way things are now.

[RaceBannon]

You need to stop thinking of it as an agenda. If a Protestant Minister was accused of pedophilia, both protestant and Catholic would condemn the guy, but whenever it is a Priest, only Protestants seem to condemn the guy, while the Cathoilics seem to say, "LEave Us Alone!"

It gives more than an impression that the RCC is covering up for the actions of these perverts. If the majority of RCC on this site would post something that said, "WE SHOULD HANG THIS PERVERT BEFORE HE MOLESTS AGAIN" typ response, maybe you wouldn't get spammed.

Instead, what do we read? "Every Pastor does it, All religions do it, Not as many as you think do it...", and that is the language of a coverup just like the Clinton's did it.

If there were 3 pedophile Pastors in the Baptist denomination GARBC in a 2 year period, there would be an outrage within the church, arrests made, and a public shaming of that pastor.

But why is it when a priest is accused of pedopilia, he isnt arrested, he is transferred?? Dont you see how the RCC is giving people a reason to condemn the RCC by their own actions?? Release the names of the pedophile priests and have them arrested just like the Baptists would, then I will believe in the sincerity of the RCC.

[RaceBannon]

The number of teachers/educators that are molesters is much higher than clergy.

That may be true, but when did you ever hear of a school board hiding the teacher from the public and then transferring the teacher to another school district so they can molest again?? That teacher would be arrested immediately, and probably fired before the charges were handed down in court, let alone wait for a trial. If that teacher was a Priest, he would be just transferred, not arrested.

If if that is wrong in history, show me, because I never heard of it.

[EODGUY]

You are confusing our request for the intersession of someone born without original sin and who has been assumed into heaven body and soul with praying to that person.

You are misinterpreting our love and respect for the innocence and perfection of Mary and call it direct prayer to her.

On the contrary, many Catholics who want to follow Mary's path to heaven ask her, as the loving matron she is, to help us formulate our prayers to God, in an attempt to thoroughly please the only entity to whom we pray, Jesus Christ.

[RaceBannon]

Last time I looked, the Catholic church is still the only church in Christianity where divorce isn't acceptable.

There's a sad point I have to agree with almost. In many fundamental churches, divorce is not considered when someone comes forward for membership. However, in Baptist churches, there is no such thing as annulment, either, so there are two sides to that coin. A Marriage is a marriage, period.

[riley1992]

You are misinterpreting our love and respect for the innocence and perfection of Mary and call it direct prayer to her.

I don't believe in this case it is a matter of misunderstanding. I believe in this case it is a matter of intentional twisting of the facts. Without her saying that we bypass Jesus and/or God in our prayers, she would have no argument to stand on.

[EODGUY]

"That teacher would be arrested immediately, and probably fired before the charges were handed down in court, let alone wait for a trial."

Not true. I had an associate who spent the majority of his time fighting (successfully) to ensure that teachers who molested their students were allowed to continue teaching.

Secondly, don't you recognize that the people most disgusted and mortified about molestation of any kind at the hands of priests are Catholics, who in many cases have children who could have been the objects of that molestation?

Please take the time to reflect on the number of times the subject of molestation by priests is mentioned on this site and the number of times any of the threads do NOT resort to bashing the Catholic Church.

I don't lie or play the cover-up game made so popular and effective by our perverted/impeached former president of our nation. But I am very sensitive to a blanket indictment against the Holy Catholic Church based on the criminal, immoral, despicable behavior of a few members of our hierarchy.

Why do you think JMJ333 made a sincere request for prayers for our Church to be more proactive in identifying and culling morally devoid "human beings" who also happen to be priests. And how was JMJ333's humble request answered.........with mockery and sarcasm, which provides more evidence that many seek not a solution, but a forum to spew their hatred of the Catholic Church.

[EODGUY]

Point well taken.

[RaceBannon]

I do have to admit, this thread has more RCC people talking against the priests and their actions concerning pedophilia than I remember before, I concede that!

[Lazamataz]

I do have to admit, this thread has more RCC people talking against the priests and their actions concerning pedophilia than I remember before, I concede that!

You also have to admit you'd have kicked the a&& of that guy I was setting you up in the boxing match with.

I'm just a Don King wannabee with no exclamation-point hair.

[EODGUY]

IMHO, I believe there is a simple explanation for more Catholics not speaking out on this subject, particularily on this forum.

1. The feeling of shame they feel when a member of the Catholic clergy commits such a horrendous act(s) and....

2. The knowledge that the thread turns rapidly from a discussion of the topic posted to a venemous tirade against the Catholic Church in general.

An analogy I offer is that honorable and honest members of the law enforcement community despise dishonest, corrupt, brutal cops more than anyone could ever imagine.

[RaceBannon]

Yes, but I am willing to bet that if more RCC came out and called an outrage an outrage, there would be mostly AMEN'S from the Fundamentalists!...Most of us anyways...

[RaceBannon]

The last fight I was in was the Pre-Olympic Trials in 88 for Tae Kwon Do, so, I am not too confident in my abilities, who was that guy again??

[EODGUY]

I know many of them do, but not on this forum for the reasons stated. A more effective means is personal contact with Church hierarchy to demand action and pursue this demand to desired fruition.

I would hope that Fundamentalists would say AMEN to this rational approach to the solution of this problem and pray for and with us that we Catholics prevail in our endeavor.

[Lazamataz]

The last fight I was in was the Pre-Olympic Trials in 88 for Tae Kwon Do,

Oh, sure, hype yourself after the main attraction is cancelled.

We got a lot to teach you about hyping a fight, son.