# The RCC takes a break from playing 'pass the paedophile' **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 24, 2010, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272 "2010-08-24T11:20:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/1 "2010-08-24T11:20:32Z")
To try a quick hand of [Hide The Terrorist](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11061296) > [@](#): > > The police, the Catholic Church and the government conspired to cover up a priest’s role in one of the worst atrocities of the Northern Ireland Troubles, an investigation has found. > > \ > > Mr Hutchinson said some detectives’ attempts to pursue Fr Chesney were frustrated ahead of a meeting between Northern Ireland Secretary William Whitelaw and the leader of Ireland’s Catholics, Cardinal Conway. > > There, it was agreed that the priest would be moved to a parish in the Irish Republic. > > The Ombudsman found that the Chief Constable, Sir Graham Shillington, was made aware of this decision. And a big ‘Frack You’ to the Thatcher Govt for their leading role in the conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/2 "2010-08-24T11:39:51Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > And a big ‘Frack You’ to the Thatcher Govt for their leading role in the conspiracy. While not devaluing your justifiable outrage, what does the Thatcher Government (elected 1979) have to do with this clusterfuck in 1972? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/3 "2010-08-24T11:59:57Z")
We would all like to live in a world where simple choices are possible, but this is perhaps not as clear cut as it may seem. Remember this was at the hight of the troubles, can anyone imagine what the effect of arresting a catholic priest would be? Without doubt there would have been an escalation of violence and many more dead. Perhaps those involved thought that putting him out of the way and under surveillance was the best way of avoiding extra bloodshed. It is a valid if rather stomach-churning appraisal. Note- I am very much _not_ a sympathiser for any paramilitary organisation, nor a fan of the UK government of that era. I think my natural instinct in this case would be to bang him up and let him rot and let justice be served. But I can’t shake the feeling that far more innocent people would’ve died as a result of such a decision. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/4 "2010-08-24T12:03:48Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > > [@tagos](#): > > > > And a big ‘Frack You’ to the Thatcher Govt for their leading role in the conspiracy. > > While not devaluing your justifiable outrage, what does the Thatcher Government (elected 1979) have to do with this clusterfuck in 1972? You are right - it was in the previous gutless Tory administration he was N.I. Secretary (not that I’d expect any political party to have any guts). He slithered his way to Home Secretary with Thatcher. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/5 "2010-08-24T12:10:45Z")
They were worried about the, what seemed at the time, very real possibility of civil war. Yes it’s an outrage but you have to consider it in the historical context. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/6 "2010-08-24T13:22:57Z")
Yes, the historical context is very important, but what I see as the point of this thread is that once again, the RCC shows itself to morally and ethically well beneath the sewer. They are supposed to be gods representatives on earth, yet they are as an institution a very sad and pathetic lot. Fuck the RCC and all their apologists. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/7 "2010-08-24T13:38:07Z")
The cover up was ordered by the UK Government. We don’t know for certain but it looks like the RCC had this presented as a _fait accompli_ by Willy Whitelaw. So while the RCC deserve to be bashed on many many issues I don’t think this is one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/8 "2010-08-24T14:26:45Z")
Just, BTW, is the priest still alive? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/9 "2010-08-24T14:30:59Z")
> [@Galanthus](#): > > We don’t know for certain but it looks like the RCC had this presented as a _fait accompli_ by Willy Whitelaw. I confess that I don’t see that in the linked article. > [@](#): > > So while the RCC deserve to be bashed on many many issues I don’t think this is one of them. But regardless of that, the RCC believes it’s answerable to God rather than to the principalities and powers of this world. It had choices it could have made, it had agency, and it deserves to be judged by the standards and values inherent in its purported worldview. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/10 "2010-08-24T15:09:13Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > Just, BTW, is the priest still alive? No, he died in 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/11 "2010-08-24T15:49:32Z")
Is time for another “The RCC is Evil” thread already? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/12 "2010-08-24T15:53:32Z")
It is all a plot by BP to distract us from the Libyan who did not die of cancer. (I swear just when you think it could not get any worse.) ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/13 "2010-08-24T16:05:29Z")
> [@Galanthus](#): > > The cover up was ordered by the UK Government. > > We don’t know for certain but it looks like the RCC had this presented as a _fait accompli_ by Willy Whitelaw. So while the RCC deserve to be bashed on many many issues I don’t think this is one of them. Did they defrock him? No. Did they punish him? No. Same old, same old. And we have no idea if it was a ‘fait accompli’ or not. And the arrest of 1 catholic priest would not have caused a ‘civil war’. (What did they think was going on anyway?). ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/14 "2010-08-24T16:06:52Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Is time for another “The RCC is Evil” thread already? I tell you what - when the RCC stops being evil we’ll stop the threads. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/15 "2010-08-24T16:11:05Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Is time for another “The RCC is Evil” thread already? Well they do keep pulling this kind of shit, so it’s pretty much low hangin’ fruit all the way. ---
**Author:** ![Galanthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Galanthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galanthus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/16 "2010-08-24T18:24:17Z")
> [@tagos](#): > > > [@Galanthus](#): > > > > The cover up was ordered by the UK Government. > > > > We don’t know for certain but it looks like the RCC had this presented as a _fait accompli_ by Willy Whitelaw. So while the RCC deserve to be bashed on many many issues I don’t think this is one of them. > > Did they defrock him? No. Did they punish him? No. Same old, same old. > > And we have no idea if it was a ‘fait accompli’ or not. > > And the arrest of 1 catholic priest would not have caused a ‘civil war’. (What did they think was going on anyway?). Aahh so you think that the conservative government of Edward Heath conspired with the catholic church to cover up the fact that one of thier priests was a high ranking member of the IRA in Londonderry. Perhaps, maybe Whitelaw and Heath passed over the chance to show that they where beating the IRA becuase the church asked them nicely maybe? This being the pit, bollocks, they did it because they where scared of the alternative. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/17 "2010-08-24T22:53:20Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > > [@tagos](#): > > > > And a big ‘Frack You’ to the Thatcher Govt for their leading role in the conspiracy. > > While not devaluing your justifiable outrage, what does the Thatcher Government (elected 1979) have to do with this clusterfuck in 1972? Nothing. **tagos** is apparently a moron. If he actually understood the article that he linked to, he would also grasp that this isn’t a ccover up by the church, either. The report the story is describing was written by Al Hutchinson who… > [@](#): > > said he had found no evidence of criminal intent by anyone in the government or the Catholic Church. As important as that detail is, I suppose it got in the way of **tagos** ’s moronic recreational outrage so he conveniently left it out. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/18 "2010-08-25T02:40:09Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The report the story is describing was written by Al Hutchinson who… > > > [@](#): > > > > said he had found no evidence of criminal intent by anyone in the government or the Catholic Church. > > As important as that detail is, I suppose it got in the way of **tagos** ’s moronic recreational outrage so he conveniently left it out. He’s demonstrated a pattern of pretty damned suspicious activity, clearly said that if the participants were still alive, “their actions would have demanded explanation, which would have been the subject of further investigation,” but that he didn’t actually have evidence that their intent matched the clear implications of their actions. Your post looks like a variant on **Bricker** ’s old, tired game of “you can’t personally nail them in a court of law, so shut up already.” ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/19 "2010-08-25T02:52:35Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > He’s demonstrated a pattern of pretty damned suspicious activity, clearly said that if the participants were still alive, “their actions would have demanded explanation, which would have been the subject of further investigation,” but that he didn’t actually have evidence that their intent matched the clear implications of their actions. > > Your post looks like a variant on **Bricker** ’s old, tired game of “you can’t personally nail them in a court of law, so shut up already.” You didn’t read the article either, did you? Let me break it down: A guy researches a cold case, writes a report, concludes mistakes but no criminal wrongdoing, and **tagos** links it to pedophilia. And who has “demonstrated a pattern of pretty damned suspicious activity”? Hutchinson, who wrote the report? The same guy whose words **tagos** is using to criticize the RCC? You are reaching here. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272/20 "2010-08-25T02:59:44Z")
Was it Chesney, who died thirty fucking years ago? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-takes-a-break-from-playing-pass-the-paedophile/551272.md?page=2)