Palm Beach, Fla., Bishop Resigns After Admitting Sexual Misconduct

TBO.com ^ | 3/8/02 | Ken Thomas

[jrherreid]

You are now outnumbered on this board, and the general consensus of late is that those who defend these wretched men are just as bad as they are.

Defense of the priesthood in general makes you as bad as a pedophile?

[uncbob]

One thing has occurred to me
You really don't see a lot of leftwing bashing of the Catholic Church over this ( their favorite target along with the Fundamentalists ) at least not to the degree that would be expected

I think the reason is because it is their favorite group , HOMOSEXUALS , that is causing the biggest problem

[jrherreid]

How many people do you think the Catholic church loses because they are unable to maintain that vow?

That's kind of like saying "How many people do you think the police force loses because they are unable to uphold the law?"

[uncbob]

the Catholic churh committed a felony and has admitted such. Put them in prison.

I agree . They broke the law
More importantly the POPE creates Cardinals. How come he isn't defrocking these abetters of sexual abuse of minors

[jrherreid]

The Catholic church is a criminal enterprise. It should be shut down and its property forfeited, just like any other mob front business. In the last few days, it has been confirmed that at least 10% of its priests are homosexual predators--that is what has been publicly revealed. Given that about 90% of these crimes go unreported, there is no reason for believing that 9 out of 10 aren't the same or similar.

Somebody isn't thinking with his head. Should we have shut down the US Government permanently because of the crimes of Bill Clinton?

[DLfromthedesert]

How does this fall under Federal statutes?

Oh, I forgot; the Constitution is irrelevant.

[joathome]

"The Catholic Church is a HUGE target because it is so outspoken about sexual sin; folks looking to beat up on the Church latch on to scandals like this to point out hypocrisy."

Sorry, but the church is a HUGE target because it transfers these sorry bastards so they can commit their depravity against young boys again. If they'd all been FIRED afaer each first episode, the Catholic Church wouldn't be having to borrow money and sell property to pay off the judgements against it.

[joathome]

Furthermore, except for a few loyal, conservative bishops and priests, the priesthood is QUITE silent on the sin of homosexual behavior.

[Joe Boucher]

This buggerer took over from another buggerer, and the catholic church pays to have it coverred up? What the hell is wrong with the Catholic church? Has this been a historical type of thing?

[uncbob]

If they'd all been FIRED afaer each first episode, the Catholic Church wouldn't be having to borrow money and sell property to pay off the judgements against it.

If they had all been turned into the police would be more like it. These people are committing CRIMES

[joathome]

Agreed. They hide under the cover of the confessional, as if the victim's family comes forward in the confessional.

[saradippity]

You have hit on one of the truths of this scandal.I am not sure if you are Catholic or not but whatever you are write to the Catholic bishop of the diocese where you live and tell him what you said here.The good bishops,of which there are many,need to be armed with the knowledge that they are supported by all good Christians. I have seen them at their conferences and the Queen bishops have them intimidated. If they all knew the game they have played is being called the good could be bolder and the Queens might be silent,for a change.

[SamAdams76]

The Catholic Church is a HUGE target because it is so outspoken about sexual sin; folks looking to beat up on the Church latch on to scandals like this to point out hypocrisy.

The gall in that statement is just stunning. It is similar to the tactics the Clinton defenders used to employ all those years. "It's just about sex," they would say, "You Clinton-bashers are just using the sex scandals as a tool to beat up on our hero, Bill Clinton." Never mind that any office manager in the nation would be tossed out on his arse if he was caught receiving oral sex in his office from one of his workers. But if we dared raise our voice about what Clinton did with Monica Lewinsky in the Oval Office, we were attacked as Clinton-bashers.

Pedophiles are the scum of the earth in our society. Even hardened criminals are disgusted by them and want nothing to do with them. We find out that the Catholic Church not only protected pedophiles but knowingly shuffled them around so that they could abuse other children, and we are Catholic-bashers for having a problem with that?

Please get your head out of the sand. The Catholic Church has been engaging in criminal activity. They have been harboring and enabling known pedophiles to prey upon the children of their own parishes. Parents bring their children into the Catholic Church and put their full trust in the church to help raise them as good Christians. The abuse of trust here is incalculable. Unspeakable. There are many priests, bishops and even a cardinal or two who deserve to spend the rest of their lives behind bars for what they have done. Cardinal Law of Boston, who shuffled known pedophiles from parish to parish, should spend the rest of his life in a maximum security prison. It's not Catholic bashing. It's simply a matter of enforcing the laws against pedophilia and child abuse that we have on the books here in America.

The Catholic Church has by their actions, forfeited all the moral authority they ever had and have done irreparible harm to organized religion and Christianity. That is why I am so angry with them. They can begin to regain their moral authority by casting out the perverts, freaks and pedophiles and giving full cooperation to law enforcment so that the U.S. criminal justice system can put these sick bastards in jail where they belong.

[uncbob]

If they all knew the game they have played is being called the good could be bolder and the Queens might be silent,for a change.

And if the Pope would clean house they would know that management was behimd them

[uncbob]

There have probably been just as many, if not more instances of abuse among married clergy all over the country as among Catholic priests, but they are not publicized near as much. The Catholic Church is a HUGE target because it is

You have numbers to back this up ?

I would venture to say ALL non progressive religions are a HUGE target . The Fundamentalists catch as much flack as the Catholics and if this were true the left would have a field day, especially if it involved women or girls as the victims
The reason they aren't really jumping on this is because these priests are their favorite type HOMOSEXUALS

[jwalsh07]

Don't confuse pedophiles with homosexuals. This particular piece of human effluence "seduced" a 14 year old boy. Thats not pedophilia, its homsexuals recruiting by using and abusing their position in the church.

[power2]

I am sick and tired of you defending gay and pedophile priests. We all know that your brother is a priest and that you have an agenda here. You are now outnumbered on this board, and the general consensus of late is that those who defend these wretched men are just as bad as they are.

Uh, I didn't see any of her post defending anything the Bishop did, only defending the Catholic Church--which clearly does not condone, and in fact condemns, that type of activity (anymore than the Assembly of God condoned what Jimmy Baker or Jimmy Swaggert did). And I don't have an agenda.

[uncbob]

Parents bring their children into the Catholic Church and put their full trust in the church to help raise them as good Christians. The abuse of trust here is incalculable. Unspeakable.

Not to speak of the financial sacrifices these parents must make to send these children to Catholic schools and now they have to help pay for lawsuits

[SamAdams76]

Exactly. If the Catholic Church had a policy of simply turning over to law enforcement any accusations of child abuse and then defrocking any priests thus convicted, they wouldn't be in the fix they are in now. In fact, they would have sent a clear message that child abusers would not be tolerated in the church and the number of pedophiles trying to become priests would have dropped to about zero. But by protecting and enabling these pedophiles, the Catholic Church apparently attracted them in droves and now they are reaping the whirlwind, so to speak.