In German Catholic Churches, Child Sex Abuse Victims Top 3,600, Study Finds

Prayers are not the answer and the church knows it. Will they make the required steps?

Think about this. 1 in 10 children in the United States will be sexually abused before they are 18. Most of those will be abused by a family, family friend or step family member. And that’s only sex abuse, not violence such as beating and neglect. Looks like I have to leave the Catholic church AND the United States if I want to disassociate from such behavior. What a beautiful world we live in.

To Catholics everywhere. Quit tithing and send your priest a letter stating why they will get no more money until the sex abuse scandal is completely investigated and all involved directly and in covering it up are punished by law. That’s what I did and it feels good to not subsidize the lawsuit payouts and legal fees.

You really wonder why people still want belong to the Church and accept being lectured and told what to do by the priests who either have been involved in sexual abuse or knew about it and covered it up. I see not much of a difference to the case of the yoga guru who sexually abused hundreds of women in Thailand - same moral and spiritual credibility in light of the personal conduct. It seems if you send your child to a church institution, you highly increase the risk of abuse. The majority of these criminals will go unpunished, because their gang misled and covered up the crimes until the statute of limitations expired. And guess what: due to a unique situation, most of the offenders are civil servants in Germany, paid by taxes. The German state additionally collects a compulsory church tax in Germany for the institution that has so utterly failed. This is the point in time the state should put an end to that and vigorously screen and fire sexual offenders in the church (and elsewhere).

Meanwhile, back here in the good old USA, why is it that pedophile priests get a pass on the criminal law front. Why are bishops allowed to discipline (or simply transfer) pedophile priests within the Church. Seems to me that that sort of behavior in the secular world would amount to "aiding and abetting" and/or criminal conspiracy (possibly under RICO). Sure, there have been plenty of law suits but I don't see a lot of jail time for these criminal clerics. It is time to LOCK THEM UP!!!!

The Catholic Church should be outlawed for being a criminal cult. The vastness of the problem is horrific. 4.4% of the clergy are child rapists? And the rest are ennablers. The organization itself has been covering up and facilitating this for generations. Enough is enough. Shut down the ring of pedophiles.

The core of the problem here was the Catholic belief that priestly ordination set a man apart. A man set apart, allegedly by God (not agreeing with the concept, just explaining it...), could not be turned over to the authorities - unlike a non-ordained member of the congregation - but had to instead be brought back into the light. Also, the authority and reputation of "the one holy catholic and apostolic church" had to be protected - evidently at all costs. Let this be an object lesson in the perils of subscribing to any ideology that pretends to reveal, and control access to, the ultimate truths of the universe. There are beautiful boons to be gained though the study and practice of human spiritual traditions - but only if you view these traditions critically, in perspective, alongside all the others, and never confuse the uncritical hype surrounding that tradition for the ultimate truth of a vast universe that remains far beyond human comprehension.

At this point this shouldn't be shocking, when the original allegations came forth Catholic apologists said "oh, it is the fault of lax moral standards in the US, it is the fault of the sexual revolution, it is Catholic Bashers, this isn't a big deal". When the scandal started happening around the world, we got from the apologists "Why are you going after the church? Why are you assuming this is the work of the church and its holy fathers, rather than bad apples in a very big organization", it was the same tired old story or, as we read in other stories "why aren't you going after all the other groups that cover this up". The thing the apologists don't understand is that when you search for a needle in a haystack (for example, the original accounts of abuse in the Boston archdiocese), and you touch the pile and 10 needles come up, it is likely the haystack is riddled with needles. Using this analogy, when each new instance of abuse came out on a global scale (the haystack being the world), and cases just seemed to pop out all over, the odds are that any investigation into these incidents will likely miss as many cases as they find. The report in Pennsylvania, the report in Germans, the ones soon to come, likely will be a fraction of the real size, in no small part that the church itself is likely witholding a ton of information, and a lot of victims still can't come forward, or have been bribed by lawyers not to come forward.

There is only one way to stop this history of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church: allow all priests and nuns (be they straight or gay) to marry. Celibacy is an unnatural state, and while many of the people who have answered a vocational calling to become priests and nuns are inherently good people, the majority of them cannot reasonably be expected to live a celibate life. Instead, and in desperation, they sexually abuse those least able to defend themselves - the children. If the Catholic Church wants to survive, it must allow for marriage amongst its clergy.

I just assume anyone in upper management of this organization at least knows about the sexual abuse of children and possibly has committed those acts himself.

Will these pedophiles be arrested and put in jail, or will the degeneracy of the Catholic Church prevail?

More uplifting news from the pew. If Starbucks or any other corporation had this never ending parade of horrific headlines they would soon be out of business. Boycott and find another place to worship.

If the abusers confess in the confessional booth to other priests and they are forgiven, what about the priest-penitent privilege? In particular, Catholics are required to confess sins to priests, who are unconditionally forbidden by Church canon law from making any disclosure. So this allows the bishops to just reassign these abusers with the instructions “go forward and sin no more”. And how long has this been going on?

In six months there is to be a Great Assembly in Rome. Priests, Bishops and laity are to come from all over the world. At this Great Convocation "Something Big" is supposed to happen that will solve all problems, assure us that the Church is back on the Right Road and prove to us all that the Adults are back in charge and the Boyz Sex Clubs are over and done. Which makes me wonder: What will happen in six months? Will all complicit members be excommunicated? Expelled? Will all records, worldwide, be turned over to the police? Have the members been ordered to bring all records with them? Will a whole new "body" of priests be brought in? Now, here's the problem: These "reports" are rolling in, giving a face to those who have been so savagely used. I recall that last year there was a "report" on the prior pope's brother, the one who was supposed to come live with him after the pope "retired". It turned out that the pope's brother had overseen decades of sexual, physical and emotional abuse of the members of the choir. His own brother. How did that happen? Now, in six months something BIG is going to happen..... Or, is it? Well, I'll tell you now - it had better! In six months the present pope had better have this solved: The names of the abusers handed over to the local cops, all records turned over, no more secrets of the confessionals on crimes.... Six months. And if no solution, then all tax-exemptions go, all property is taxed, all contracts cancelled, all......

The abuse is leaked out on diocese at a time and everyone moralizes and shakes their head slowly as if they have blinders on and only see what’s in front of them. The entire clergy and administration of the Catholic Church is guilty. It is a pervasive problem and has been going on for centuries. I often ask myself, “Why am I still a practicing Catholic?” Does that make me part of the problem?

“while the Catholic Church regrets the sexual abuse by clergymen, they have yet to see a sign of true remorse and an authentic admission of guilt.” Oh, now here's a surprise. For all of it's moralizing, pretentiousness, and judgement of others, this awful institution has been, is now and always will be incapable of admitting it's own guilt. It owns up to nothing. It refuses the course of the sacraments it prescribes like confession. It is an institution that should be dismantled and the guilty prosecuted and thrown in jail as would be any of it's parishioners who were guilty of these crimes.

How many more stories of not only pervasive depravity but also the massive and consistent institutional cover-up, plus, even now, consistent and sustained institutional efforts to thwart, downplay, and conceal, including effective gagging of victims, are needed before these holy men, in costumes that signify their holiness, are seen as being not holy? That in fact the Catholic Church is rotten to the core? Does anyone notice any disjuncture between the pose of holiness, and aggressive posturing as moral authority, and the utterly vile reality? Brazen frauds does not begin to describe these holy people.

We shouldn't imagine that this abuse began 70 years ago, or that it is not going on elsewhere in the world even as we read this. If it happens so routinely in developed countries, imagine the scale of it in places with even looser laws? The very places where the church is expanding? There may be a small percentage of criminal priests, but the cover up tars the majority of the hierarchy, and compromises every priest. Years ago I attended a Christmas concert at St. Charles Seminary near Philadelphia. There is a large pair of glass-and-brass doors that separates the public lobby from the private hall and beyond. Returning from the restroom, approaching the doors from the private side, there was a discrete sign taped to the door: "Remember the Silence"...

It’s high time the Catholic Church move out of medieval ages and ordain their clergy to marriage. This would solve 99% of the issues the Church is currently facing.

Maybe enforced celibacy isn't such a great idea after all.

I know someone who attended a Catholic school in Europe as a boy. He never spoke of details, but he said that the priests were the meanest people he ever knew. He was young during WWII, so he saw a lot of horrible things and a lot of mean people. To him the priests were the worst. All these stories coming out now are just the tip of the iceberg. We are talking about a religion that has surely been abusing children and ruining their lives for nearly two thousand years, all the while acting as if they are ordained by some omnipotent god. Into the ears of these very same priests many confessions were whispered in the hopes that through that a god would forgive transgressions. Did these priests ever confess their sins? What kind of god would you believe in that would allow this to happen? What kind of god would you believe in who would let the leaders of a religion abuse the most beautiful, innocent, and vulnerable among us? It is only a terribly cruel or impotent god that would allow this. If he is cruel, why do people want to follow him? If he is impotent you might as well save your prayers. Is it our fault because Eve ate an apple, and for that children are tortured? Or is it that he allowed “free will” and has permitted people to be this evil, including his priests, and is testing your faith by using small children as pawns? Cruel.

While priests were sexually abusing children, nuns were psychologically and physically abusing children in their schools. The inquisition was alive and well.

Praisefully Pope Frank has seen the light and is calling a meeting in February to consider the matter. At the meeting committees will be formed, and in turn subcommittees set up, to explore and study the issues. They will investigate, cogitate, and write reports which will be sent up the chain of command for review, reflection and revision. We all know what will happen then. Problem solved!

Why does the church get a pass on these crimes? I mean, are these men exempt from the laws of the countries they inhabit? A private men's club where members can do anything they want? It seems to me this sort of thing has been known and documented for a long time, so what's up with this? No real investigation by law enforcement, no criminal charges, no jail, nothing. It's time to put an end to this charade; men who claim a higher moral stand should be held to at least a common moral and legal standard. This isn't medieval Europe. Somebody needs to DO SOMETHING!

The whole thing is rotten to its roots and the soil, air and water besides. Time for the church to pack it in and call it a millennium.

Time for a worldwide criminal court investigation. No more papal "conferences." We want subpoenas and indictments.

The Intrnational Criminal Court probably would not have jurisdiction. There would have to be some degree of involvement by a government, and that does not appear to be the case.

Will no one rid us of this meddlesome criminal conspiracy church ??

The Catholic Church is apparently incapable of discerning who, among its ranks, is moral and who is not -- which begs the question of its value as a church.

Add “not surprising” to the Bishops quote.

As a former Catholic I'm very disturbed. It's not just the scandal of priests touching young boys that made me leave, though that should be enough, it was also their views on women. Women need to also be allowed to say mass and birth control is a right. Science should be a part of the religion allowing it to change teachings and gays in the church should be welcomed. There is just too many things that are wrong and this could be the end of Catholicism. It need desperately to be modernized.

It is far past time to refer the Catholic Church to the International Criminal Court for Crimes Against Humanity. The abuse of children was global in scale, clearly known by Church leaders, and by all evidence systematic. The last shred of decency was lost when the Pope, during his Ireland trip, begged God for forgiveness. For these sins against your flock, Francis, you must beg forgiveness from the victims. They cry out to you in the words of Jesus: “Why have you forsaken me?”

Let the high-collared crowd face empty pews and empty collection baskets for a few years and watch things change in a hurry.

It is clear at this point that these are not isolated incidents; child abuse is a horrific constant that pervades the entire Catholic church. Talk is no longer enough. If Francis does not open up the church to outside, independent investigation, then he is complicit in this abuse.