From the “when you’re in a hole, stop digging” department:
WTF?? The story of Jesus being accused of covering up Apostolic boy-diddling must be in one of those apocryphal books I’ve heard about, because I’m pretty sure it’s not in any of the canonical Gospels.
(I figure I might as well post this in the Pit to begin with.)
Well, Jesus did once say, “Let the little children come on me…”
Oh for fuck’s sake. I wish I was a Catholic just so I could walk out in the middle of mass or something. How can anyone stand by as their faith persists in being complicit in this type of corruption? This is a hierarchical faith that essentially demands that you trust in having sane leadership. It isn’t like being a Unitarian where you can brush it off as having nothing to do with your particular church.
I just don’t get how anyone can believe the Pope speaks with any moral or religious authority. It isn’t like the repeated fucking of little kids is a controversial issue with two sides like abortion or even contraception. I am just shocked that the church itself isn’t crumbling under the weight of the worst handled scandal I have ever seen. I am looking forward to seeing the chuch sued into oblivion from diocese to diocese and country to country.
God but this made me laugh. thanks!
I had heard this on NPR and could only roll my eyes at it. Oh, pity poor Pope Benedict! First the Hitler Youth, now this. Truly he is as persecuted as Jesus…
Damn, I miss JP2.
From The Onion:
Pope Forgives Molested Children
Were his hands clean? I can’t really see how they could be.
I’m glad my mom quit the church before I came along.
He was a hell of a lot better than this guy. And considering that Ratzinger was the one who was cardinal and directly responsible for dismissing these claims when they were shown to him, I’d say that makes him more directly involved.
I hardly think the Catholic church is unique in this regard.
I’m with other Dopers, the coverup is more egregious than the crime itself, but the Catholic church is a HUGE organization, and as such, is peopled by folks with all manner of good or ill intent, real or imagined.
That said, I just wish the goddamn Pope would come out and castigate those whom perpetrate sexual crimes against ANYONE and commit the resources of the Church to HELP the secular authorities with prosecuting those that are responsible within their ranks. Cast them out!
I was raised Catholic, and I don’t practice my faith, which has morphed into a very strange belief system. But, there is no place in our society for a protectionist racket for criminals under the guise of a tax shelter/religion.
I’d be happy if the goddamn Church would just pick up the ball in their court, admit responsibility and pledge to purge pedophiles from within their hierarchy.
I respect Catholicism, and wish it were so much different than it is, which has zero to do with its shell game with it’s pedo priests.
I have relatives that are Catholic and all I can say is how can anyone who sees themself as a good person still attend services and call themselves Catholic.
I realize they have a hard choice to make:
Stop attending service and giving the church money to show you don’t approve of the way the church is handling things.
Keep attending service and giving the church money to show you do approve of the way the church is handling things.
Hmmm, actuallly, the choice is fucking easy!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gD3iONUcktH-05Q8K4ykmcZvMbUAD9EOMU000
If Michael Steele were found to have covered for an RNC operative who used party resources to attend nightclubs featuring simulated-lesbian-sex-bondage not once but 200 times, he’d be in serious trouble. The pope needs to be held to at least the same ethical standards that we apply to our political leaders.
Well, keep dreaming. The Church is a multinational organization that still thinks national laws don’t apply to them. Unless some country stands up and starts a criminal investigation against the Church itself for real (probably pissing off a hell of a lot of Catholics), I think the Church is only going to pretend to be helpful.
Moral Accountability in Action:
RNC fires staffer behind controversy
It’s part of the pope’s job to keep the child predators under control.
He hasn’t done it, nor apparently have any of his predecessors back to pope Paul VI and earlier.
There’s forgiveness, and then there’s excess slack-cutting. We’re definitely well into the later territory here.
I was shocked one day to find myself looking back fondly at George H. W. Bush, too.
Hell, I started missing Nixon a few short years ago.
Bill Donohue has chimed in with an “everybody does it” defense:
Yeah, because relying on internal employee disciplinary procedures to punish sexual harassment of adult coworkers is exactly the same as not calling the cops on child rapists. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
I believe a great man once said of the Catholic Church hierarchy You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Naive, Guin. Very naive. Mr. Wojtyla had as much responsibility for this stuff as Joe the Rat does. For that matter, it was Mr. Wojtyla who stuffed the College of Cardinals with reactionaries and sclerotic ancients who haven’t allowed a new idea to enter their brains since 1954, and that College of Cardinals is the one that elected Joe the Rat to the Holy (HA!) See.
Quite a few of these cases that are coming out now happened under Chuck’s watch. If Joe the Rat is considered responsible because he was the Grand Inquisitor, then Mr. Wojtyla is responsible because he was the Man with the Fanciest Hat.
They continually trot out the excuse that “Everyone was doing it” and try to fool people into thinking that this is something that happened decades ago when no one knew any better. But, they were doing this at least up until 1997 which is WAY past the time people ‘didn’t know any better’.
Not to mention the fact that’s its a bullshit excuse from the start. Is this or is this not THE ONE TRUE CHURCH who’s moral teachings stem from God Himself and are unchanging and stand the test of time? Is that not why they will never allow contraception, no matter how many die of AIDS? Is that not why they will never condone homosexuality, no matter how much we know that it isn’t a mental disorder? Is that not why they will never allow equality between the sexes, no matter how much the secular world sees it as fundamental?
Are you telling me that CHILD RAPE somehow ended up in the grey area!? God wasn’t sure about that one, huh? Didn’t have any advice for ol’ Ratzi about what to do about kiddie rapists? No, he had to rely on the ‘mores of the time’ and only later (when? when do the allegations stop? will they ever?) could the Church leaders see their mistake.
*If you cannot see that the rape and abuse of children is wrong you have NO moral authority. *NONE. There is no excuse, there is no explanation; your “Church” is spiritually bankrupt. They deserve as much suffering as their imaginary god could dish out, and they will receive none. Its sick.
Oh, good Christ. Why won’t they just do the Right Thing (like they keep telling other people to do), own up (like they keep telling other people to do) and FIX THE PROBLEM (like they keep telling other people to do)? How about a little backbone, accountability, responsibility?
Holy shit. Fucking cowardly hypocritical sanctimonious bastards. As a no longer practicing Catholic, I say TO HELL WITH THEM if they can’t do what is right, and instead keep sweeping shit under the rug.
Ya know what? Fuck it. The cops better start investigating and arresting. Fuck the “institutional whatever” and the “sanctity of whatever”. Start throwing fuckers in prison.