By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY (AP) - In a strong message days before a summit of U.S. churchmen on a sex abuse scandal, Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II said Saturday that priests must live celibate lives and avoid scandalous behavior. Bishops, he said, must investigate such behavior and take action to end it.
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The scandals, in which several churchmen have been accused of abusing children and teen-agers, have shaken confidence in the American Church, cost it millions of dollars in settlements and raised questions about bishops' mishandling of the investigations.
The pope summoned American cardinals to a summit Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the matter an extraordinary measure that has underscored the urgency that the Vatican (news - web sites) now appears to feel is necessary to deal with the issue.
In his comments to the Nigerians, the pope didn't refer to sex offenders or pedophilia, focusing on the broader issue of the need for priests to live a life of poverty and celibacy.
The Vatican has spoken out about problems in the African Church of priests breaking their vow of celibacy and having relations with women.
"The value of celibacy as a complete gift of self to the Lord and his Church must be carefully safeguarded," John Paul told the Nigerians.
"Behavior which might give scandal must be carefully avoided, and you yourselves must diligently investigate accusations of any such behavior, taking firm steps to correct it where it is found to exist," he said.
John Paul's comments Saturday were his most extensive remarks about celibacy since the revelations of sex abuse began pouring out in the United States earlier this year. He broke his long silence in a pre-Easter letter to priests last month, decrying the scandal caused by some.
In the meetings this week, the cardinals will be looking to the Vatican for guidance and backing on a wide range of issues, foremost among them whether the church should ever consider reassigning sex offenders and creating a uniform American policy for reporting abuse claims to police.
In the United States, the Church is accused of covering up misconduct by priests, in some cases by moving known abusers from job to job.
Cardinal Bernard Law, head of the Boston archdiocese, has faced growing criticism since acknowledging he transferred a priest to another parish despite knowing of sexual misconduct allegations against the man. That defrocked priest later was sentenced to prison.
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The only way that I could do that is if somebody had me quick-frozen. I gotta hand it to anybody who does this and really sticks to the rules. There's no way I could.
He may be speaking to Nigerians. Violating celibacy with women is a systemic problem in Africa (with nuns) and in Latin America (priests live in open concubinage).
Celibacy will never be optional with John Paul II.
What value is this policy proving to be? It seems to me the only thing it is really accomplishing is drawing homosexuals to the priesthood.
Maybe someone with broader knowledge can explain it. I certainly don't recall in the Bible it being mentioned as a requirement to properly serve the Lord.
There have been occasional cases of sexual abuse by Jewish rabbis. The solution has been to fire them. Every synagogue is a law unto itself, as it might be a Baptist church.
The Roman Catholic church needs a similar solution.
All sarcasm aside: The higher authority that ignored the abuse of devoted Catholic boys who were abused by those they trusted most, is more evil (if such is possible) than the offending perverted Priest's.
I am not Catholic, but in the past I have respected Catholic's and Priests I have known-I still do. But I can no more ignore the evil these Priests have done to innocent children than I can ignore the satanic evil that the whole of Islam has crawled into bed with.
Christ calls upon us to forgive those (even as he does) who repent, confess and turn from their evil ways. Priests who'd rather cover their on @$$&S and continue to hide from humanity, facts God already knows, while leaving their young victims to wallow for A lifetime in the guilt that rightfully belongs to someone else, merit neither forgiveness nor mercy, and superiors who aid and abet those Priests are evil beyond contempt.
Chain the millstone around the necks of those who dare do evil to the little ones, either born and unborn, and toss their sorry @$$&$ into the dead sea!!!!!