Bishops approve sex abuse policy

Associated Press - breaking on the wire | November 13, 2002 | RICHARD N. OSTLING

[Andy from Beaverton]

Boy, there is something very, very wrong with that headline.

[NYer]

The bishops voted 246-7 with six abstentions to approve the new plan, which stipulates that priests should be removed from public ministry _ saying Mass, teaching in Catholic schools, wearing a Roman collar _ after ``even one act of sexual abuse of a minor.''

It should be interesting to see who voted against or abstained.

[Diana Rose]

Could someone please explain the order of rank in the RCC? Bishop, Cardnial, Pope. Where do Archbishops fit in? Sheeesh... I know more about Islam than I know about the RCC! That is really bad.

[wideawake]

Their are two kinds of hierarchies - one is sacramental and the other is administrative.

The sacramental rank goes, from bottom to top: deacon, priest, bishop.

The administrative rank goes: pastor, bishop, archbishop, pope.

Cardinals are bishops or archbishops who have been given the privilege of being allowed to vote in the election of a pope.

[Siobhan]

The bishops approving a sex abuse policy is not news to me. The've always had a policy regarding sex abuse -- previously it was to cover it up, deny, deny, cover it up, move a priest, deny, deny, pay off someone, move a priest, deny, deny, attack a victim, attack another victim, attack a victim's parents, deny, deny, deny, lie like the devil......

[RonF]

Anyone accused of a crime deserves due process of law to defend themselves if they maintain that they are being falsely accused. But there has to be a process, and civil authority has to be involved. Removing a priest from his duties upon receipt of an accusation is fair if he continues to receive his salary until charges are proven, and if he is restored to his post if he's found not guilty. I don't buy that such a thing puts undue burden on a victim.

I don't know what to think about the statute of limitations issue. It's one thing for civil law to implement such a thing. It's entirely another for this to be done in canon law.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Boy, there is something very wrong with that headline.

You said it. That was my reaction, too. It reminds me of a recent South Park episode my kids had on. Maybe you've seen or heard of it. In that episode, the South Park priest was disturbed because many parents, worried about priestly child abuse, were pulling their kids from the church. So the priest decides to go to a regional meeting of clergy. It turns out he's the ONLY one who isn't abusing the congregation. Very funny....

[wideawake]

There are other ranks as well. In a religious order, like the Franciscans or Dominicans, there are brothers who are not priests and there are brothers who are. Each religious order has its own internal structure, with different ranks like prior, abbott, general, mother superior, etc.

And there are honorary titles which are given to priests - like the title of monsignor, which is usually given to a priest who has distinguished himself by long service or is the pastor of a prestigious parish.

[Alberta's Child]

I used to think that it was absolutely necessary to get the civil authorities involved, but then I learned a few things about how district attorneys have been covering up this crap as well. For years.

There was a particularly disgraceful case in New Orleans back in the 1980s, in which the local DA was alerted to a case of sexual abuse. He ended up sitting on the case until the statute of limitations expired, then announced that he couldn't move forward with it because the statute of limitations had expired.

Oh, and the district attorney's name was Harry Connick Sr. Yeah, the father of THAT Harry Connick Jr.

[Diana Rose]

Thank You!!!

You just explained to me something that (at least) six sites on the web could not. I was looking the subject up last night after reading some of the articles on FR and could not get a straight answer as clear and concise as your answer. Thanks, you are a sweetie! :) ;)

[fdcc]

Cardinals are bishops or archbishops who have been given the privilege of being allowed to vote in the election of a pope.

Actually, one doesn't have to be a bishop to be a cardinal. Avery Dulles is a priest and a cardinal but not a bishop.

[meema]

bump

[Andy from Beaverton]

Red Hot Catholic Love*
Originally aired 07/03/2002



The Catholic Church scandal is negatively impacting church attendance in South Park, Priest Maxi travels to Rome to confront religious leaders about a solution.

[RonF]

Who's Harry Connick Jr.?

[bmwcyle]

Acts 20:28

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.[ 20:28 Traditionally bishops] Be shepherds of the church of God,[ 20:28 Many manuscripts of the Lord] which he bought with his own blood.

The Bishops do not read their own book.

[wideawake]

You're welcome.

The main point of confusion is that very often sacramental and administrative duties combine in one person.

Sacramentally, John Paul II is a bishop.

Administratively he is (1) the pope of the entire Church; (2) the patriarch of the Latin Rite; (3) the primate of Italy; (4) the archbishop of Lazio (5) the bishop of Rome and (6) the pastor of St. Peter's Basilica.

[wideawake]

A cardinal can technically be any priest. However, the essence of the cardinal's privileges is to be a papal elector. A cardinal is no longer eligible to be a papal elector once he reaches the age of eighty, and his title thereafter is largely a ceremonial, honorary one.

Dulles was purposefully named a cardinal after he turned eighty, thus bestowing the purple on him without its attendant power.

Diana Rose is, I suspect, trying to get a general picture of what a cardinal is - Fr. Dulles is obviously a rare exception to a general rule.

[fdcc]

Thank you for the information.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Re your picture post #14:

All Right! Guess you've seen it.