There is no blind spot, what there is, is sincere mortification and squeamishness. Pope Francis is 80, all of this creates a terrible ache and a want to evade and ignore it as much as possible. John Paul II was deeply affected and engaged in absolute denial as did Pope Benedict 16, Talking about sexual abuse cuts deep in all of us, what greater devastation to a sense of 'Self' can there be? No one can justify or explain away sexual abuse, no one. Human dignity especially that of a child should be sacred, but we all know better. What is offensive here, is that Cardinal Pell willingly deceived friends who trusted him and gave him a place at the Vatican, a respected position at the top of Catholicism. Decent men humiliated by a friend who should have stayed away or at the least confided in them and sought a reasonable solution. All of this damages public respect for the Catholic Church. Perhaps Pope Francis can use this tragedy to nudge his church toward a more modern and responsible approach to sexuality and liberate the priesthood from a ruinous culture of celibacy?
9
As a Melbournian Australian (and yes, practicing Catholic at the time -- read no longer -- and involved in the Church to a significant degree at the time as well) around in the time of George's meteoric rise, this is indeed interesting to see. Alas, even though I may have my qualms about Cardinal Pell and his highly conservative positions with which I most certainly do not agree, he does, regardless of those positions he holds so dear, deserve the opportunity to defend himself in court and then let it be determined if he is guilty.
10
Until the Church allows married clergy, men and women, there will be many abuses such as these. It is is an inhuman demand. The Church wants no one to share in its wealth but the Church. Priests must die childless! No inheritance must be allowed! An old story. But for the Church to live as a spiritual institution, it needs to die as a temporal one. This Pope needs to dissolve the Papacy. He would be the greatest Pope, because he was the last.
14
As a retired Catolic, I just want to know how they say Mass? I would be terrified God would strike me dead. It seems Catholic guilt is a one way street.
8
It is the teaching of the church that the spiritual condition of the priest does not negate its function. Both the priest who consecrates the elements and those who receive it are not spiritually perfect. Perfection is received by the imperfect.
3
What always amazes me are people who complain about the abuses of the catholic church, the things the church won't allow, the rites and passages that are only allowed to members in good standing. The part that baffles me is that belonging to the church is voluntary. You can just walk away and say you don't follow their teachings or endorse their behavior. It might be liberating.
14
Unless you'd been indoctrinated as a child, as I'm sure most who have been abused, and most who try to hold the church accountable, were. Imagine how difficult it is to leave the belief system of your family and most of your friends. Imagine how difficult to tolerate abuse from someone near to God.
13
When I see "religious" organizations overlook the abuses of chidren by its male dominated structure, I usually think of a cult. Is the catholic church really so different?
23
Mercy for everyone but the victims.
18
I sincerely hope that all of these institutions that systematically cover up child abuse (the Catholic church, private schools, football) implode. At the root of the cover up is the prioritization of money over people (the Catholic church is a business just like any other business.) Why else would bishops against victim advocacy groups that want to extend the statute of limitations? I would love to see these evil institutions fall off the face of the planet and stop hurting people.
13
And these are the people who define what is moral and what is sinful? They betrayed their charge in the children of their own church.
Where is Cardinal Law? He's wanted in MA for aiding and abetting child rape. Cardinal Law ran to the Vatican where he was greeted with open arms. Cardinal Law sat on the committee that elected the pope. And THIS pope Awarded Law with a very significant sinecure.
To say that this pope is anymore likely to do anything about worldwide child rape is a fiction. How many more centuries will this be allowed to continue?
"God" is a distraction we can no longer afford. Name the atrocity and it has not been performed in the name of some god somewhere.
Of the thousands of gods people have worshipped we are all atheists (think Zeus, Odin, and Osiris) all we need accomplish is go one god further.
Where is Cardinal Law? He's wanted in MA for aiding and abetting child rape. Cardinal Law ran to the Vatican where he was greeted with open arms. Cardinal Law sat on the committee that elected the pope. And THIS pope Awarded Law with a very significant sinecure.
To say that this pope is anymore likely to do anything about worldwide child rape is a fiction. How many more centuries will this be allowed to continue?
"God" is a distraction we can no longer afford. Name the atrocity and it has not been performed in the name of some god somewhere.
Of the thousands of gods people have worshipped we are all atheists (think Zeus, Odin, and Osiris) all we need accomplish is go one god further.
16
The BLIND SPOT is, has been, and shall be where the Vatican remains on the subject BECAUSE so many clerics are guilty THEMSELVES now and historically.
15
This pope talks a good game but no real change has been forthcoming. He is too blind to see that an opportunity to make a start in a new direction is being wasted. Like most people in power he is insulated from reality. Washing a beggars feet once in a while and sleeping in a single bed is not nearly enough!
19
While I remain a devout Roman Catholic I do so always with trepidation. For me the sacramental life of the catholic tradition and richness of its liturgy provides me the self-awareness of the message of Jesus Christ. But make no mistake I have great disdain for the Catholic hierarchy. In many ways the modern corruption and kleptocracy of the Roman church parallels the situation in today's US government. The only difference is that mullahs who chose the darkness are a bit different. The single parallel that has led to these situations is staunch conservative orthodoxy on all matters related to human sexuality and human genitalia. From 1978-2013 the Roman Church, like the fundamentalists in the US, and the US Conference of Bishops, and Ronald Reagan, among other US political figures made a pact so as to forward their agenda. The pact was to go 'all in' against abortion, gay rights, feminism, among other items. Most priests I knew when I came out were gay. Many have left the church. We had a priest in the family who we suspect had fathered a child. Women in the church have been treated poorly. The consequences of denying human sexuality in the clergy has resulted in a steep-decline in enrollees into the priesthood in the West. Western woman becoming nuns is anathema today! Until the Roman Church makes celibacy optional, ordains woman as deacons and priests, and acknowledges the beauty and God-given pleasure of human sexuality, the decline of this institution will continue. Amen!
27
The Catholic Church, like the Republican Party, has to purge itself of entrenched fossils who believe in their own infallibility before they can heal and become relevant again. The process is painful and long, many will suffer and real change may come after a collapse, but is it too late for either?
11
The Vatican has a history of protecting its own and continues to do so in the case of Cardinal Pell. The church will continue its decline in the face of such actions. Moreover, Catholics are deserting at rates not seen before.
11
Good on the reporters for insistence on/frustration with Church accountability, but there's a tone of assumption here that I find counterproductive. Cardinal Pell deserves his day in court, period, and is innocent until demonstrated otherwise.
8
This is a man's organization. "Catholic" means "universal," and "all-embracing," but this church isn't. It exists to serve men, to the point of criminal acts that escape the law. If we continue to look the other way, and pretend that children and women have a place here, other than to serve men, we're part of the problem.
24
So, to recap, a church where only men are allowed to be priests, and celibate, to boot. A church where, for some reason, parishioners allow their children to be alone with these trusted men. A church where gay men and pedophiles are welcomed to enter the priesthood, no questions asked. A church where, if caught, others of your own kind have your back, and will make it go away by transferring you to new, fertile grounds, where they don't know you yet.
What could possibly go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
28
Pope Francis has used his own example of piety, poverty and kindness to demonstrate the church he wants. People across the world admire him for it. And sleeping in a twin bed in a plain room and washing the feet of the poor will not change the church, or cure pedophilia, cause the guilty to change, or the powerful to willingly give up power. It will take a very different kind of pope to fix what is wrong, and that kind of pope would never get elected. Who would elevate someone they know would expose and defrock them for their crimes?
So it remains for this pope to change- himself and the church.
So it remains for this pope to change- himself and the church.
14
Just like the garbage in Athens --- what a nightmare. Don't we have enough to worry and be anxious about.
Another just terrific Alert - Breaking News.
My cynicism just jumped another ten points on the Wall Street Cynicism Chart.
Another just terrific Alert - Breaking News.
My cynicism just jumped another ten points on the Wall Street Cynicism Chart.
4
Pope Francis showed his true colors early on when he allowed Jozef Wesolowski, the papal nuncio to Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, to escape the Dominican Republic and return to Rome. Wesolowski was then seen walking the streets, and public pressure finally forced the Vatican to put him under house arrest. He was supposed to be put on his trial, but the night before the opening of his trial, he suffered a heart attacked, ended up in ICU, and was released two days later (a remarkably speedy recovery). The trial was then postponed, and Wesolowski died "in his sleep" in the night. Since Wesolowski had about half a million photos of nude boys on his computer / laptop, there was never much doubt about his guilt. Nor, for me, was there much doubt about how sincere Pope Francis was about curbing sex abuse in the clergy....
27
"Advocates of sex abuse victims were affronted once again in February when, in keeping with his vision for a more merciful church, he reduced sanctions against some priests convicted of pedophilia."
Therein lies the problem. The Catholic Church does not view sexual abuse by its clergy as an important issue to be dealt with, it is mere inconvenience. Sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy has been a major problem for centuries.
How can the Pope bury his head in the sand and continually look away. How godly is that?
Therein lies the problem. The Catholic Church does not view sexual abuse by its clergy as an important issue to be dealt with, it is mere inconvenience. Sexual abuse by the Catholic clergy has been a major problem for centuries.
How can the Pope bury his head in the sand and continually look away. How godly is that?
19
Hans Kung should have been elected papa a long time ago and the church would not have been in this mess. He believed in marryed priests, a dialogue with other religions, women priests...a very liberal and enlighten man!
8
Of all the rimes committed by the roman catholic church and it's adherents, child abuse is the worst.
16
What else would one expect from blind faith wearing 2000-year-old blinders ?
There are none so blind as those Catholics who will not see the Institute For Advanced Pederasty Arts that their sick church has transmogrified itself into.
There are none so blind as those Catholics who will not see the Institute For Advanced Pederasty Arts that their sick church has transmogrified itself into.
16
"She (Marie Collins) said Cardinal Pell should have stepped down from his Vatican position long ago, even BEFORE (emphasis mine) he faced charges of sexual offenses."
As someone who lived in Chicago during the time when the late Joseph Cardinal Bernadin was accused of molestation, a charge later recanted by the accuser, I still believe that in America, clergy or otherwise, people have the right to due process. But that due process, which appears to be at work with the Australians, definitely needs to be handled by the courts and not the Church, the conflicts of interest, and frankly the history of inaction on the part of the Church) are too obvious to even debate.
I trust the Pope that he means what he says regarding mercy, and personally I don't object to his appointment of Cardinal Pell. Similarly, I think it's right that Pell steps down and faces the accusations. Due process to me means that he's still innocent until proven guilty, and that that determination will be made legally, and as a byproduct of the facts, not some preconceived verdict.
As someone who lived in Chicago during the time when the late Joseph Cardinal Bernadin was accused of molestation, a charge later recanted by the accuser, I still believe that in America, clergy or otherwise, people have the right to due process. But that due process, which appears to be at work with the Australians, definitely needs to be handled by the courts and not the Church, the conflicts of interest, and frankly the history of inaction on the part of the Church) are too obvious to even debate.
I trust the Pope that he means what he says regarding mercy, and personally I don't object to his appointment of Cardinal Pell. Similarly, I think it's right that Pell steps down and faces the accusations. Due process to me means that he's still innocent until proven guilty, and that that determination will be made legally, and as a byproduct of the facts, not some preconceived verdict.
8
Perhaps the 'deep state' in the Vatican have considerably more power than the Pope himself politically. It would appear that the 'status quo' will be maintained at almost any price regardless of the official pronouncements. As such, outside intervention, including extreme vetting and oversight would be necessary for children to be safe. It has simply never, ever, been adequate for the Catholic Church to oversee and discipline its own members, perhaps because the overseers themselves have much to hide.
27
If you hand over your spirituality to an authority the outcome is highly uncertain. Best to look within and struggle.
12
Sex-Offense Charges for Cardinal Reveal Blind Spot for Pope - THAT and everything else about the catholic church.
8
Pope Francis -Please do the right thing--or Church becomes more irrelevant.......
8
These are the kinds of people New York State Senate Republicans are protecting. By refusing to even allow a vote on a bill that would extend the statute of limitations on child abuse, they showed that they don't have the courage to have their votes recorded.
12
Having just finished "The Keepers" on Netflix, I continue to be upset and shocked at the church I once belonged to. I feel so sorry for anyone who has been impacted by those who are supposed to be "role models" and for those who continue to put their head in the sand and remain loyal to a church that no longer deserves it. I am so grateful for the religious in the church who continue to fight for all those who have suffered. They are the true heroes, along with those abused who have bravely come forward. The abused have lost a life they were entitled to and which they will never get back. I now follow my own spiritual path devoid of any organized religion which has led me to "see" with very different eyes.
13
Loved the keepers too! Horrified to see the unrighteous dominion of catholic religious priesthood. Happy it was finally unmasked for all to see the ugly!
2
Meet the new boss..
6
I'm glad the pope is sending him back to Australia to face Justice.
Now, about Cardinal Law... Will he be sent back to Boston?
The Pope has a lot on his plate. Let's pray he gets most things right.
Abusers never cop to their crimes. I bet the Cardinal will not be found innocent.
Now, about Cardinal Law... Will he be sent back to Boston?
The Pope has a lot on his plate. Let's pray he gets most things right.
Abusers never cop to their crimes. I bet the Cardinal will not be found innocent.
18
Just remember - innocent until proven guilty. Yes, there has been horrific abuse by clergy. There have also been some falsely accused, as I know from my personal experience.
6
Today's news is beyond disappointing, but one pope cannot possibly overturn centuries of backward attitudes all at once with a single stroke of the pen.
Pope Francis must be mindful of the fate of Pope John Paul I (not II), the "smiling pope" who was poisoned from within his inner circle and died after just 21 days as pope, as well documented in David Yallop's book In God's Name. While I doubt he lets the fear of assassination bother him, Francis does to seem to be pushing the boundaries within the church further than any of us could have imagined possible. I pray he lives and serves long enough to populate the Curia with people who are younger and less like the ironically-named Benedict.
Pope Francis must be mindful of the fate of Pope John Paul I (not II), the "smiling pope" who was poisoned from within his inner circle and died after just 21 days as pope, as well documented in David Yallop's book In God's Name. While I doubt he lets the fear of assassination bother him, Francis does to seem to be pushing the boundaries within the church further than any of us could have imagined possible. I pray he lives and serves long enough to populate the Curia with people who are younger and less like the ironically-named Benedict.
11
Hopefully, Pope Francis will address this issue. If not, he should stop lecturing the rest of us on Muslim migrants, climate change and income inequality. Something is not right here. Shouldn't these people be in jail?
19
Sexual abuse of minors and of the powerless occur in the Catholic Church because the Church attempts to deny a basic human need, sexuality. Hence, priests prey on those who are least likely to denounce them. The Church might as well deny hunger or sleep.
It is high time that the Catholic Church honestly assess its expectation of celibacy and acknowledge that this policy was adopted to protect the Church's property, not people's souls. By keeping priests from having progeny, at their deaths, property would not be contested. We now have so many examples of religions that have successfully managed to allow for sexuality among its clergy. Be honest! Get real!
It is high time that the Catholic Church honestly assess its expectation of celibacy and acknowledge that this policy was adopted to protect the Church's property, not people's souls. By keeping priests from having progeny, at their deaths, property would not be contested. We now have so many examples of religions that have successfully managed to allow for sexuality among its clergy. Be honest! Get real!
24
Permit priests to marry.
For centuries, the seminaries were full of second, third and fourth sons of landowners. Good positions, highly respected in communities, with room, board and meal service. Heterosexuals could find girlfriends on the side. Not perfect, but it worked, more or less.
When second, third and fourth sons had other options for making a living, the priesthood became attractive mostly to those not wanting to marry and not wanting to upset families by not marrying. Vocations fell. Rectories that were full of life became nearly empty. Priests with drinking and sexuality problems did not have the restraining influence of living among more balanced others. Those problems reached epidemic proportions. As a child, I myself witnessed homosexual priests preying on 7th graders (I didn't know it at the time) and dead drunk priests in confessionals (I also didn't know this at the time).
Many capable Catholics I met through the years would have liked to be priests, but were not willing to sacrifice married and family life.
This is only going to be solved going forward when priests are allowed to marry and the priesthood (and those spooky rectories and convents) are once again populated by productive human beings dedicated to both God and their families. (Of course, women should be eligible for ordination and also permitted to marry.)
As for the past, accounts do need to be settled. I hope it brings some peace to the individuals harmed.
For centuries, the seminaries were full of second, third and fourth sons of landowners. Good positions, highly respected in communities, with room, board and meal service. Heterosexuals could find girlfriends on the side. Not perfect, but it worked, more or less.
When second, third and fourth sons had other options for making a living, the priesthood became attractive mostly to those not wanting to marry and not wanting to upset families by not marrying. Vocations fell. Rectories that were full of life became nearly empty. Priests with drinking and sexuality problems did not have the restraining influence of living among more balanced others. Those problems reached epidemic proportions. As a child, I myself witnessed homosexual priests preying on 7th graders (I didn't know it at the time) and dead drunk priests in confessionals (I also didn't know this at the time).
Many capable Catholics I met through the years would have liked to be priests, but were not willing to sacrifice married and family life.
This is only going to be solved going forward when priests are allowed to marry and the priesthood (and those spooky rectories and convents) are once again populated by productive human beings dedicated to both God and their families. (Of course, women should be eligible for ordination and also permitted to marry.)
As for the past, accounts do need to be settled. I hope it brings some peace to the individuals harmed.
35
I do not disagree that priest should be allowed to marry. I agree that women need to be brought into all parts of the church structure. Neither of these events will eliminate pedophiles. There are cases of married female teachers who have involved them selves with students. There are evangelist preachers who do the same.
Pedophiles are mentally ill people who need psychiatric help. Kids need to know they can speak up about incidents. The community needs to be open about the problem and take action before this happens. Churches need to stop avoiding the topic. How can so much money go into right to life causes when the children who are actually in this world suffer abuse, starvation, and poverty.
Pedophiles are mentally ill people who need psychiatric help. Kids need to know they can speak up about incidents. The community needs to be open about the problem and take action before this happens. Churches need to stop avoiding the topic. How can so much money go into right to life causes when the children who are actually in this world suffer abuse, starvation, and poverty.
8
Allowing priests to marry is not the Answer. These are pedophiles who are not interested in sexual relations with other adults. For centuries they have used this organization to hide and to give them access to their young victims. The very sexual repression and spiritual perversion this religion promotes creates these broken men in the first place.
5
People everywhere really need to learn that all organized religious bodies separate you from rather than lead you to a greater understanding of God. You don't need anyone's imprimatur to consider yourself and act as a person of faith--whatever your culture, whatever your heritage, whatever your personal beliefs.
Why do people knock their heads against the wall to get a body like the Catholic Church to convey legitimacy to their unions? Why do people try to find some feminist justification for a bunch of retrograde guys telling you to wrap your heads in schmattes--Jewish or Muslim ones?
If God has reached your heart, you'll know. You have the human capacity to recognize what cannot be denied as spiritual truth, and what is just nonsense. God is bigger than all this. Don't let other human beings diminish the concept of God for you.
Why do people knock their heads against the wall to get a body like the Catholic Church to convey legitimacy to their unions? Why do people try to find some feminist justification for a bunch of retrograde guys telling you to wrap your heads in schmattes--Jewish or Muslim ones?
If God has reached your heart, you'll know. You have the human capacity to recognize what cannot be denied as spiritual truth, and what is just nonsense. God is bigger than all this. Don't let other human beings diminish the concept of God for you.
24
If Australia can bring back a priest to face charges, why can't the US bring back Bernerd Law, also a priest now at the Vatican, to face the charges against him? So far he has been able to avoid being held to answer for what he is accused of doing.
59
in all likelihood if Law had charges against him that he personally committed abuse , undoubtedly the US authorities would extradite him , but , since his charges consist of following misguided protocols (for example , that predators put through a regime of psychological treatment and declared rehabilitated were in fact so ) its unlikely they will , so the cases of Law and Pell have fundamental divergences and so have incurred diverse reactions from federal law enforcement agencies
1
Back in 1958, when I first came out, I met several young men who told me they were abused by their priest, and many times since. The Catholic Church often transferred pedophile priests from one location to another, only to make the problem worse. It's time to put all law breaking priest in Jail, and also those who allowed it to happen.
40
My work has brought me near a number of cases in which sexual abuse of women or children has occurred. In nearly all, those around the offender as friends or co-workers cannot imagine (or sometimes accept) the abuses that occurred, or that this "fine" person could have committed them. That's because offenders do not offend in public, of course, and because we tend to see those who look like us, talk like us, go the same places, espouse the same ideas, as being as unlikely or unable to commit sexual offenses as we are. If we saw them during commission of these acts, we would see and hear a very different person from the one we "know". This is one reason, this and the in-group identification that runs so strongly, that men have trouble believing in the guilt of other men in these matters. It's a built-in blindness--but having learned what we know, having seen the need to hear those who look less "like us", the victims--that is no excuse for failing to act swiftly and strongly to put an end to the abuse and work to heal its victims.
28
Jb: Don't put it all on men. Women have been highly complicit in the exploitation of other women, girls, and boys by those who desire to harm them.
Everywhere in the world, women have exactly as much power as they choose to use, for good or ill. The man who mistreats his wife and daughters often does so with the explicit or implicit approval of his mother.
Even in the poorest, most education-deprived areas of what we term third-world countries, when women join together to redress a wrong or thwart bad behavior by men, change happens quite swiftly and dramatically. Several recent NY Times stories document that.
The Catholic Church in Ireland could not have destroyed the lives of untold numbers of women without the vicious collaboration of nuns. Decade after decade of child sexual abuse in all the "civilized" countries could not have occurred if mothers were willing to believe their own children, or to take notice of their unexpressed but still visible distress.
Step up, women, and straighten the guys out. After you straighten out each other.
Everywhere in the world, women have exactly as much power as they choose to use, for good or ill. The man who mistreats his wife and daughters often does so with the explicit or implicit approval of his mother.
Even in the poorest, most education-deprived areas of what we term third-world countries, when women join together to redress a wrong or thwart bad behavior by men, change happens quite swiftly and dramatically. Several recent NY Times stories document that.
The Catholic Church in Ireland could not have destroyed the lives of untold numbers of women without the vicious collaboration of nuns. Decade after decade of child sexual abuse in all the "civilized" countries could not have occurred if mothers were willing to believe their own children, or to take notice of their unexpressed but still visible distress.
Step up, women, and straighten the guys out. After you straighten out each other.
6
SCA, you have a point there; one of the most vicious abusers I have encountered was female, in fact. That said, most abusers are men, and the idea that women have "as much power as they care to use" is false. People have the power they have, no more or less, and that does not include the ability to cause predation in others to cease, unfortunately. Nor is it women's purview to make men behave, nor in their power. They are not mighty mothers, but in general, in the role of victims of abuse more often than offenders. So while you do have a point, abuse and its tolerance does in fact implicate women in some cases, women do not bear the responsibility for men's acts, nor can women make abuse stop. It takes all of us, and often we can only act after the abuse occurs, most unfortunately.
6
Pope Francis shows extremely poor judgment.
He obviously is going to continue to stand in the way of justice .
Wife is dying of cancer and we both were thinking about returning to Catholic Church . But now I think our own prayers and thoughts of God is better served by practicing at home .
He obviously is going to continue to stand in the way of justice .
Wife is dying of cancer and we both were thinking about returning to Catholic Church . But now I think our own prayers and thoughts of God is better served by practicing at home .
18
Ed--I implore you to find a church you can embrace and will support you. The fact that there is this terrible problem within the Catholic church doesn't mean there are not great priests who will support both of you as you go through this. Please don't give up! When my husband died, it was the church, my faith, and my Christian friends who got me through.
4
Well said. Or choose a different denomination. So sorry for your pain.
2
The shame continues, and very little is done to alleviate the suffering of the victims. I look forward to a day when we have married priest and bishops with families and when my sisters can fully participate in the church. These offenders hide amongst decent men who are trying to do good, but there are too many and they are insidious. Pope Francis, we hold much hope for you, but you must be brave and you must act with strength. Root out the offenders and all who covered up for them. You have the power and it is your mandate. Do not fail us for the church may not survive much more of this. Some cardinals and bishops are willing to cut lose America and western Europe with an eye towards growth in Africa and South America. Don't be fooled. You and the curia cant rule over a peasant church forever. The people in Africa wont tolerate this horrendous conduct anymore that we will in the west.
32
Don't think a marriage beard is going to stop a pedophile priest from preying on those children in his purview. It's just another layer of camouflage and will add another 500 years of evasion to this church's evil agenda.
6
You simply cannot expect an institution run entirely by men who have never been married or had and reared children to understand on a visceral level the human devastation caused by the sexual abuse of children.
Pope Francis is the very pleasant, appealing face of a Church that is essentially deaf and blind to the needs of women and children, despite some pretty rhetoric.
For example, with the stroke of a pen Francis could have overturned the Church ban on scientific modes of contraception, just as his predecessor Paul VI personally made the decision to continue the ban, overriding the recommendation of a 72-member papal commission.
Had Francis done so, the wonderful Catholic charities who serve the poorest parents in the developing world would be able to help these men and women limit the size of their families. As the situation stands, the lack of access to birth control means that people who can least afford it have more children than they can feed.
The result, of course, is terrible suffering, starvation and death.
In the story of the Last Judgment in the gospel of Matthew Jesus warns that God will judge human beings by how they have treated the most vulnerable people: the poor, the sick, the imprisoned.
'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matt 25:40
These are words the Catholic prelates need to ponder as they decide how to deal with the sexual predators among them.
Pope Francis is the very pleasant, appealing face of a Church that is essentially deaf and blind to the needs of women and children, despite some pretty rhetoric.
For example, with the stroke of a pen Francis could have overturned the Church ban on scientific modes of contraception, just as his predecessor Paul VI personally made the decision to continue the ban, overriding the recommendation of a 72-member papal commission.
Had Francis done so, the wonderful Catholic charities who serve the poorest parents in the developing world would be able to help these men and women limit the size of their families. As the situation stands, the lack of access to birth control means that people who can least afford it have more children than they can feed.
The result, of course, is terrible suffering, starvation and death.
In the story of the Last Judgment in the gospel of Matthew Jesus warns that God will judge human beings by how they have treated the most vulnerable people: the poor, the sick, the imprisoned.
'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!' Matt 25:40
These are words the Catholic prelates need to ponder as they decide how to deal with the sexual predators among them.
109
The Catholic church has no interest in decreasing the production of new Catholics via birth control or any other method despite the terrible suffering, starvation and death that results from their medieval policies. People are just pawns to be played and used. The more the better, no matter how they may suffer. Sexual abuse is built into the system. Many priests see it as a perk that comes with the position.
7
Jesus has even harsher words: "It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." Luke 17:2
10
To Samsara,
Wonderfully said! I couldn't agree more.
Wonderfully said! I couldn't agree more.
2
Pell was charged two days ago and is awaiting his time in court. The assumption here is that he is guilty. Fair enough. The additional assumption that the Pope knew about the incidents from decades ago that Pell is being charged with is a larger leap. If Pell is a skilled liar why isn't it possible that the Pope did not know? And why not add that it is possible that Pell is not guilty. Without denying the legitimacy of most claims of abuse there have also been some incidents where alleged victims were coerced to testify when the prospect of a large financial settlement loomed.
12
Coerced to testify? For money?
Those abused generally do not come forward for decades. And Do NOT want to testify publicly.
No amount of money can undo the sexual, mental and physical HARM done to a child - which haunts the life of an adult. (And some of it can even haunt their therapists.)
Please do some reading about this. And then regret your words.
Those abused generally do not come forward for decades. And Do NOT want to testify publicly.
No amount of money can undo the sexual, mental and physical HARM done to a child - which haunts the life of an adult. (And some of it can even haunt their therapists.)
Please do some reading about this. And then regret your words.
8
how many known child rapists does this guy need under his roof before he does something? forever
3
"Blind spot?" Seriously?
Pope Francis is a new wrapping on the same old product. The Church is a corporation and run as such; sort of the Monsanto or GE of religion.
People of faith who believe in the message of Christ do not need the organized church to guide them. They've got the manual, and should use it according to their own good consciences, as did the Scots when they instituted free public education on the village level for men and women, to be able to read the Scriptures for themselves, in the vernacular.
Pope Francis is a new wrapping on the same old product. The Church is a corporation and run as such; sort of the Monsanto or GE of religion.
People of faith who believe in the message of Christ do not need the organized church to guide them. They've got the manual, and should use it according to their own good consciences, as did the Scots when they instituted free public education on the village level for men and women, to be able to read the Scriptures for themselves, in the vernacular.
52
Somehow, the Catholic Church continues their active, vocal campaign against my right to be married to my husband (we have been together for 26+ years) while condoning the abuse of children and hiding the perpetrators.
That the Church pretends to assume any moral authority on matters of human sexuality is both laughable and reprehensible.
That the Church pretends to assume any moral authority on matters of human sexuality is both laughable and reprehensible.
96
The Catholic Church will protect the right of a pederast to remain a priest, but will never allow me to be a priest. Faulty chromosomes. At some point you just have to walk away, just like being in an abusive relationship.
12
The Church as institution has no longer any moral authority. Individual men and women, ordained and non ordained, who do great work among the most vulnerable have. But they are rarely, if at all, listened to. Maybe the Church's structures will shatter just as the boat on which Paul was traveling to Rome when it shattered on the coast of Malta (Acts 27:27-28:5). The people live to reach land, while the structures they relied on are gone. Still: it is, to say the least, disheartening that pope Francis has not undertaken, in fact failed to undertake, decisive action against abusers - including those still hiding in the Vatican. If he does not act, or continues to chose not to make this a top priority, he himself will risk losing his moral authority. In a world in which there is no leader left with moral authority, this would be a disaster. I hope Pope Francis takes the cue before it is too late.
4
Disappointing to say the least.
8
When is this vile archaic organization going to be made accountable for the damage they have instilled on the human race? The world needs to wake up to the fact that this "Religion" has zero resemblance nor does it promote the true character of Jesus Christ.
43
While the prelates consider all of us as "children of god" they must understand children grow and we don't all continue to worship the god who forgives their sins.
4
His Holiness Pope Francis did the right thing. He followed due process. A person is innocent until proven guilty.
4
if these charges are proven then the whole world will possibly be convinced that some top leaders of this church are criminals and possibly the church has been covering up this kind of conduct for purposes of power and money. i think many members of this church are horrified by such conduct and i do not blame them. maybe ole Henry VIII was correct in leaving the church(even not for the best of reasons), but then his daughter(bloody mary) seemed to disagree. nice folks.
5