# Oh for God's Sake!!! There's more abuse by priests??



## fuzzybuddy (Feb 6, 2019)

Aboard the papal plane (CNN)For the first time, Pope Francis  has acknowledged the ****** abuse of nuns by priests and bishops as a  "problem" in the Catholic Church, saying that "we've been working on  this for some time." 
And in the Philadelphia area, there is the  24/7 "Clergy Abuse Hotline".
We've dealt with this issue many times, but it will not go away. And these were the same people, who claimed divorce was a mortal sin, and condemned the divorced to hell????


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## Sunny (Feb 6, 2019)

I just heard a discussion about this on the news.  Why does nothing surprise me any more?


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## applecruncher (Feb 6, 2019)

Hypocrisy is rampant in organized religion.


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## Keesha (Feb 6, 2019)

applecruncher said:


> Hypocrisy is rampant in organized religion.


An understatement if there ever was one


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## rgp (Feb 6, 2019)

Keesha said:


> An understatement if there ever was one





 Agree here!


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## gennie (Feb 6, 2019)

rgp said:


> Agree here!



Agree here too


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## C'est Moi (Feb 6, 2019)

Sadly, these monsters disguised as "men of God" will never criminally pay for their actions.   The statute of limitations has run out on many of the crimes, so when the truth finally is revealed nothing is done.   I have read that the Catholic church actually has a "fund" specifically to pay off abuse victims, and they have paid MILLIONS of dollars to insure the victims keep quiet.   Just a disgusting coverup.

Recently the dioceses in Texas have been publishing the names of priests accused of ****** misconduct with children and the lists are STAGGERING.   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/priests-abuse-texas.html


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## RadishRose (Feb 6, 2019)

It's all over and has been since organizations began. Priests, rabbis, ministers, TV evangelists, scout leaders, teachers, etc. There's more to the iceberg than we can imagine. Disgusting!!!


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## rgp (Feb 6, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> Sadly, these monsters disguised as "men of God" will never criminally pay for their actions.   The statute of limitations has run out on many of the crimes, so when the truth finally is revealed nothing is done.   I have read that the Catholic church actually has a "fund" specifically to pay off abuse victims, and they have paid MILLIONS of dollars to insure the victims keep quiet.   Just a disgusting coverup.
> 
> Recently the dioceses in Texas have been publishing the names of priests accused of ****** misconduct with children and the lists are STAGGERING.   https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/priests-abuse-
> texas.html




  "and they have paid MILLIONS of dollars to insure the victims keep quiet. Just a disgusting coverup."

      So what exactly does that say about the "victims" ? That just makes them part [of] the cover-up.
 If it were me being the victim in any way......*No* amount of money would keep me quiet.


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## Sassycakes (Feb 6, 2019)

Can it get any worse . I was born and raised Catholic and hearing these things make me sick. I haven't gone to church in years because of all the things the Church has allowed to happen. Using Nuns as ****** slaves really shocked me. I was taught by Nun's and they were so hard on us in class. I can't imagine the power the Church must have had over them. Sick just Sick !


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## Falcon (Feb 6, 2019)

Most   Clergy  people  give me a pain in the rear !


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## C'est Moi (Feb 6, 2019)

rgp said:


> "and they have paid MILLIONS of dollars to insure the victims keep quiet. Just a disgusting coverup."
> 
> So what exactly does that say about the "victims" ? That just makes them part [of] the cover-up.
> If it were me being the victim in any way......*No* amount of money would keep me quiet.



It says that the victims were children and their PARENTS looked the other way for money.


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## RadishRose (Feb 6, 2019)

Good point, CM.


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## Keesha (Feb 6, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> It says that the victims were children and their PARENTS looked the other way for money.


Which makes it even more pathetic and disgusting but not surprising


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## Keesha (Feb 6, 2019)

rgp said:


> "and they have paid MILLIONS of dollars to insure the victims keep quiet. Just a disgusting coverup."
> 
> So what exactly does that say about the "victims" ? That just makes them part [of] the cover-up.
> If it were me being the victim in any way......*No* amount of money would keep me quiet.


I agree completely. Me neither.


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 6, 2019)

My dad got divorced in the late 30s. His first wife had alcohol problems. He remarried and was awarded custody of his first son, my step brother. At that time, fathers were never granted custody. Both my parents were practicing Catholics. According to the Church, my parents were "living in sin", and were denied the Sacraments of the Church. Yes, the same Church that turned a hypocritical blind eye to a pedophile, raping clergy told my parents they were "living in sin".


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## rgp (Feb 6, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> It says that the victims were children and their PARENTS looked the other way for money.




 Exactly!....unless they were the ones that remained quiet , until [they] were adult.


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## chic (Feb 6, 2019)

You have no idea the control the Catholic church had over people in the old days. I was raised Catholic and forced to attend Parochial school because my parents thought I'd be better educated. The nuns were completely sadistic. I cried everyday for months to be allowed to go back to public school, but my parents wouldn't let me. When I finished elementary school I insisted on going to a public junior high. My parents didn't like it but I won and finally I could breathe and enjoy school like a normal person. In parochial school I used to get sick all the time and I think, psychologically, it was just because I wanted to stay home from school and get away from the abuse.


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## applecruncher (Feb 6, 2019)

There's an interesting movie - "Doubt" with Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. IIRC it's setting is in 1964.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 6, 2019)

I went to a Catholic grade school like Chic, once I got into a public high school, I stopped being involved with the church completely.  There were rumors like this going around in the early 60s, before I even understood what might really be happening with the nuns and priests.  Luckily nobody I knew was ever sexually abused by either.  Today I don't belong to any organized religion.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 6, 2019)

rgp said:


> Exactly!....unless they were the ones that remained quiet , until [they] were adult.



Yes, and sadly by the time they grew up the statute of limitations had expired.


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## Keesha (Feb 6, 2019)

My parents forced us to go to Sunday School when we were kids but it wasn’t Catholic , my friend however went . She had to wear a uniform everyday and they were strict. Luckily her parents weren’t so it was at least balanced. I’ve never understood the saddistic pleasure some people get out of abusing others. The sad thing is that the church is a perfect place for pedophiles to flock to. They instantly get trusted because they’re in the house of God. 

My father worked with a man who volunteered at the Church as a Sunday School teacher. We knew the entire family and used to go over to visit them. He was a very sick man and his wife hadn’t a clue. They adopted a daughter and she was really messed up. I think it’s the most disgusting thing to get children to trust you in order to abuse them to pleasure yourself. 
This man got away with it like most others. The power these people have to do damage is mind boggling.


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 7, 2019)

I've come to distrust anyone, who makes a living from religion.


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## rgp (Feb 7, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> Yes, and sadly by the time they grew up the statute of limitations had expired.




 I knew a guy [now deceased] that went through the beginnings of that crap. I say beginnings because he told me that he was 'touched' inappropriately by a priest. He was 10 @ the time. He told his mother, she dismissed it ! About a month later he told her he wanted to quit being an alter boy. She said OK. 

He said it never went past a few touches with him. But we had a mutual friend [which I knew @ about driving age, 16-17] that it went much farther with @ about the same time. [He] committed suicide in his late teens/early twenties. I lost track of him by then. He left no note, but I suspect ????


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## fmdog44 (Feb 7, 2019)

Falcon said:


> Most   Clergy  people  give me a pain in the rear !



:thumbsup1:


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## Knight (Feb 7, 2019)

Being sarcastic.  Wouldn't they all go to heaven anyway since God's son asked for forgiveness for them ? Or maybe not since they knew what they were doing was wrong.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 7, 2019)

Knight said:


> Being sarcastic.  Wouldn't they all go to heaven anyway since God's son asked for forgiveness for them ? Or maybe not since they knew what they were doing was wrong.



Heaven notwithstanding, they should have gone to JAIL.


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## Keesha (Feb 7, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> Heaven notwithstanding, they should have gone to JAIL.


Yes!


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## rgp (Feb 7, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> Heaven notwithstanding, they should have gone to JAIL.




 Perhaps [under] the jail?


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## Invictus (Feb 7, 2019)

All religions are just silly in my honest opinion, and religious people who preach the loudest always seem to be the ones getting busted for sick stuff like child rapes and molestation, or other sick acts.


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## Invictus (Feb 7, 2019)

Knight said:


> Being sarcastic.  Wouldn't they all go to heaven anyway since God's son asked for forgiveness for them ? Or maybe not since they knew what they were doing was wrong.


Sadly I have religious friends who tell me this...They say all anyone has to do is ask God or Jesus for forgiveness and they go to heaven...That's such a convenient ideology for bad people...They can do evil nasty stuff for their entire lives and then just ask for forgiveness on their death beds and all is forgiven?...Religious insanity!


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## Sunny (Feb 8, 2019)

How often are religions ever in the news for having done something good?  As compared with the opposite?

As John Lennon wrote, imagine a world with no religion. What a relief it would be.


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## 911 (Feb 8, 2019)

One of the most worrisome things that I ever did as a young Trooper was to arrest a Priest for shoplifting. Of all things to shoplift, he was found with a 3-Musketeers candy bar and a copy of Playboy magazine. 

I was afraid that I would somehow be punished. I was only on the job for a few months when I got a call to go to a mom & pop convenience store out in the country and investigate the owner’s complaint about having caught a shoplifter. I thought for sure that it was going to be a kid. 

Luckily for the Priest, I was able to talk the owner out of filing a charge.


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## Invictus (Feb 8, 2019)

Sunny said:


> How often are religions ever in the news for having done something good?  As compared with the opposite?
> 
> As John Lennon wrote, imagine a world with no religion. What a relief it would be.


Amen!...Pun intended.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 8, 2019)

911 said:


> One of the most worrisome things that I ever did as a young Trooper was to arrest a Priest for shoplifting. Of all things to shoplift, he was found with a 3-Musketeers candy bar and a copy of Playboy magazine.
> 
> *I was afraid that I would somehow be punished.* I was only on the job for a few months when I got a call to go to a mom & pop convenience store out in the country and investigate the owner’s complaint about having caught a shoplifter. I thought for sure that it was going to be a kid.
> 
> Luckily for the Priest, I was able to talk the owner out of filing a charge.



That reminds me of a recurrent theme in the excellent movie, "Spotlight", based on the Pulitzer Prize winning true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of  child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese.   Apparently the Church in Boston wields so much power that the police went to great lengths to help with the cover up.   Totally appalling and disgusting.

I HIGHLY recommend this movie, starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachael McAdams and Liev Schreiber.   The film won many awards, including Best Picture in 2016.


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## treeguy64 (Feb 8, 2019)

In ANY organization, be it governmental or religious or ???, there will always be those who have power over the underlings in that organization.  From the time our species became what it now is, those in power have exploited/manipulated/controlled those not in power.  This, sadly, is part of human nature.  I don't believe it will ever change, until our species is gone from the face of this planet.


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## jujube (Feb 8, 2019)

My late husband always believed, and this belief is shared by several members of his family, that his oldest sister was molested by one of their parish priests.
She always had a love/hate relationship with the clergy....hated them but couldn't stay away from them.  I won't go into any details, but he presented a very convincing argument for this and from information gleaned from younger male members of the family who have memories of her that involve behavior very close to molestation, I think this is true.  

Everyone involved is dead now and we'll ever know.  I know she lived a very constricted man-hating life, but gave no indication that she was lesbian.  I met her a few times and I don't believe she was.


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## Knight (Feb 9, 2019)

911 said:


> One of the most worrisome things that I ever did as a young Trooper was to arrest a Priest for shoplifting. Of all things to shoplift, he was found with a 3-Musketeers candy bar and a copy of Playboy magazine.
> 
> I was afraid that I would somehow be punished. I was only on the job for a few months when I got a call to go to a mom & pop convenience store out in the country and investigate the owner’s complaint about having caught a shoplifter. I thought for sure that it was going to be a kid.
> 
> Luckily for the Priest, I was able to talk the owner out of filing a charge.


What do you attribute the thought that somehow you would be punished. What punishment?


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## Camper6 (Feb 9, 2019)

Sassycakes said:


> Can it get any worse . I was born and raised Catholic and hearing these things make me sick. I haven't gone to church in years because of all the things the Church has allowed to happen. Using Nuns as ****** slaves really shocked me. I was taught by Nun's and they were so hard on us in class. I can't imagine the power the Church must have had over them. Sick just Sick !



Same boat for me.  I'm amazed at how many still go to church.

One thing that I have learned from all this is that they don't believe in heaven or hell or they wouldn't be doing it.

So that's one more thing I don't have to worry about and can die in peace.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 9, 2019)

Camper6 said:


> Same boat for me.  I'm amazed at how many still go to church.
> 
> *One thing that I have learned from all this is that they don't believe in heaven or hell or they wouldn't be doing it.
> *
> So that's one more thing I don't have to worry about and can die in peace.



More likely they think they can go to confession and be absolved of their sins.


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 9, 2019)

Religion is great at finding that line in the sand, which is a sin or forbidden for the flock, and routinely crossed by the clergy.


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 13, 2019)

News release 2;34 PM Feb. 13, 2019
New Jersey's five Roman Catholic dioceses have released the names  of more than 180 priests they say have been credibly accused of sexually  abusing minors.
Oh, for God's sake!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Olivia (Feb 13, 2019)

I find the way to best to live life is to be skeptical about everything, that and includes when people are lumped into one kind of category. One person says some bad about one kind of person and then bingo--they're all the same. That kind of thinking has what has turned into the most monstrous type of behavior ever on this planet. So, please, people use skepticism and understand that everybody in whatever situation aren't all the same.  I complained when I first got here that religion along with politics is something that is always very controversial. But religion here terribly has been smeared and is accepted as such and in my estimation is therefore in some ways actually encouraged. I find that really hard to take. And I really like SF and I don't want to leave ever. However, it really gets me upset at times. though, when I see as what I see as very tiny type of thinking here at times.


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## Sunny (Feb 13, 2019)

Olivia, I don't think anybody has said that "they're all alike," whoever "they" are supposed to me. I imagine in this case, you are suggesting that anyone is saying that all members of the clergy are committing ****** abuse?  Where has anyone ever said that?

You are setting up a straw enemy to knock down.  If people do something as sickening as using their clergy status to abuse children (and other adults lower than them in the chain of command), and there is an official cover-up, this has to be exposed, even if it is painful for the followers of that religion to learn about it. But you are making a giant leap by saying that we are implying that "they're all the same" and heading into "the most monstrous type of behavior ever on this planet."  

Sorry, but I think the monstrous behavior is what SOME members of the clergy have done to children (and are probably continuing to do, even as we speak).  Calling them out on this behavior and demanding that it stop right now is not "monstrous;"  it is responsible adult behavior.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 13, 2019)

Olivia said:


> I find the way to best to live life is to be skeptical about everything, that and includes when people are lumped into one kind of category. One person says some bad about one kind of person and then bingo--they're all the same. That kind of thinking has what has turned into the most monstrous type of behavior ever on this planet. So, please, people use skepticism and understand that everybody in whatever situation aren't all the same.  I complained when I first got here that religion along with politics is something that is always very controversial. But religion here terribly has been smeared and is accepted as such and in my estimation is therefore in some ways actually encouraged. I find that really hard to take. And I really like SF and I don't want to leave ever. However, it really gets me upset at times. though, when I see as what I see as very tiny type of thinking here at times.



I don't believe anyone here believes all Catholic priests are pedophiles.  But many of us have a HUGE problem with the Church turning a blind eye to the ones who are.


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## Olivia (Feb 13, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> I don't believe anyone here believes all Catholic priests are pedophiles.  But many of us have a HUGE problem with the Church turning a blind eye to the ones who are.



Well, it sure sounds like it. Where is one opinion that says otherwise? That is what my post was all about.

And I am NOT Catholic nor religious! And I hope it is okay to have differing opinions.


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 19, 2019)

*NEWS Flash. Vatican, Rome. 11:17 AM *The Vatican has revealed that it maintains secret guidelines for priests who father children despite their vows of celibacy.
This is never ending.

As far as "celibacy" is concerned_. I_t depends on the vows a priest makes. Celibacy has two meanings. One is total ****** abstinence The other is a vow not to marry.  So, what a priest is allowed to do depends on the type of "celibacy" his order requires.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 19, 2019)

fuzzybuddy said:


> *NEWS Flash. Vatican, Rome. 11:17 AM *The Vatican has revealed that it maintains secret guidelines for priests who father children despite their vows of celibacy.
> This is never ending.
> 
> As far as "celibacy" is concerned_. I_t depends on the vows a priest makes. Celibacy has two meanings. One is total ****** abstinence The other is a vow not to marry.  So, what a priest is allowed to do depends on the type of "celibacy" his order requires.



I couldn't care less about a priest's celibacy.   I do care that there are monstrous pedophiles masquerading as men of God, and their perversions are shielded from prosecution by the Church.


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## C'est Moi (Feb 20, 2019)

And the latest... _Cardinals blame 'homosexual agenda' for abuse crisis_
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cardinals-blame-homosexual-agenda-abuse-crisis-142923961.html

_"The plague of the homosexual agenda has been spread within the church,  promoted by organised networks and protected by a climate of complicity  and a conspiracy of silence," claimed the cardinals, who belong to the  church's conservative wing."_


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## Sunny (Feb 20, 2019)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...62b712e8fc2_story.html?utm_term=.7974a14b75a1

And it gets more and more disgusting and horrifying.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 20, 2019)

Sunny said:


> https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...62b712e8fc2_story.html?utm_term=.7974a14b75a1
> 
> And it gets more and more disgusting and horrifying.



I refuse to acknowledge the WP anymore, since I can't ever finish (or start) reading one of their articles without paying money.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 20, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> I couldn't care less about a priest's celibacy.   I do care that there are monstrous pedophiles masquerading as men of God, and their perversions are shielded from prosecution by the Church.



Well said, I agree, when children are involved it's intensified, IMO.


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## Sunny (Feb 20, 2019)

> I refuse to acknowledge the WP anymore, since I can't ever finish (or  start) reading one of their articles without paying money.



I don't understand that, SeaBreeze. If you click on the link I gave you about the priests abusing deaf children, are they asking you for money?  Isn't it just a news article?


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## C'est Moi (Feb 20, 2019)

Sunny said:


> I don't understand that, SeaBreeze. If you click on the link I gave you about the priests abusing deaf children, are they asking you for money?  Isn't it just a news article?



I got a popup, asking me to subscribe, Sunny.   So I clicked away because it covered the article and I couldn't read it without paying.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 20, 2019)

Sunny said:


> I don't understand that, SeaBreeze. If you click on the link I gave you about the priests abusing deaf children, are they asking you for money?  Isn't it just a news article?



No, you can't read the article without paying for it, I've gotten this popup around a half dozen times already from WP articles linked here that I could not read because I refuse to pay this website.  Next time I see a WP link, I will not click on it, it's a waste of my time.


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## Butterfly (Feb 21, 2019)

I get those popups too, and don't click on them, either.


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## Sunny (Feb 21, 2019)

Wow, that's interesting. I don't subscribe to their website, but I do get the regular paper delivered to my home every day. So maybe that counts as a subscription.


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## Sunny (Feb 21, 2019)

[h=1]Students abused at Catholic school for deaf boys in Verona seek closure at Pope's summit[/h][h=2]Social Sharing[/h]     

                    [h=3]Facebook[/h]                
                    [h=3]Twitter[/h]                
                    [h=3]Reddit[/h]                
                    [h=3]LinkedIn[/h]                
 



[h=2]WARNING: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some readers[/h]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




Thomas Daigle · CBC News · Posted: Feb 21, 2019 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 11 hours ago





Alessandro  Vantini, second from right, wearing glasses, with some of his  schoolmates at the Antonio Provolo Institute for deaf boys. Dozens of  students at the school suffered ****** and physical abuse by priests  between the 1950s and 1980s. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)Alessandro  Vantini uses crude gestures to illustrate the way three priests abused  him throughout his entire childhood at a school for deaf boys in the  northern Italian city of Verona.
He said one clergyman regularly  hit him with a stick and sodomized him. "For me, it was like dying," he  said through an interpreter.
He said he yelled but "no one could hear me because everyone around was deaf."
At  least dozens of boys who attended Verona's Antonio Provolo Institute  are believed to have suffered similarly horrific experiences. Between  the 1950s and 1980s, staff at the Catholic Church-run school physically  and sexually abused deaf students entrusted in their care. The scandal  only came to light decades later.




Vantini attended the school from age six to 18. Now 68, He has lived with the horrific memories for decades. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)
That  the Provolo scandal is considered by some observers to be the biggest  known case in Italy's history underscores the size of the task facing  Pope Francis as he convenes senior Catholic clerics for an unprecedented  global summit.
The meeting, which gets underway Thursday at the  Vatican, is aimed at preventing the future abuse of minors after decades  of widespread ****** abuse by clergy and its systematic coverup has  undermined the faith of many of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.


Church's credibility hangs in balance ahead of sex abuse summit

Vantini  is one of about 25 abuse survivors and their supporters making the  500-kilometre train journey from Verona to Rome to demand a monetary  settlement for historical abuse suffered at the Provolo Institute.
"I'm  fed up with this story," said Vantini, 68. "I want compensation." He  said he has lost faith in the Church and no longer prays.
[h=2]'I believed them'[/h]The  Provolo scandal has put a stain on a Unesco World Heritage city  famously known for its medieval architecture and as the setting for two  of Shakespeare's plays.
The Provolo scandal was first reported in  Italy's L'Espresso news magazine in 2009. Under the headline "We, the  victims of pedophile priests," the article revealed 67 people had signed  a document alleging historical abuse at the institute.




Verona's  Antonio Provolo Institute made national headlines 10 years ago, when  allegations of ****** abuse committed by priests against deaf boys first  surfaced publicly. (Stephanie Jenzer/CBC)
The writer, Paolo Tessadri, said he was "stunned."
"But when I looked them in the eyes and heard their words, I believed them," he said in a recent interview.
Some  400 local deaf people now regularly congregate at the Provolo  Association, a community centre of sorts across town from the site where  the school for the deaf used to operate. The interior is decorated with  skulls, dolls resembling unborn fetuses and newspaper clippings about  clerical abuse — a striking symbol of the level of anger still felt here  toward the Catholic Church.


Residential school survivor calls Pope's absence from meeting with sex abuse victims 'disrespectful'

Not all members of the association attended the school, but everyone is aware of the horrors that occurred there.
"Physical  violence, oral sex, sodomization and everything in between," Provolo  Association president Giorgio Della Bernardina explained bluntly. He  says he didn't personally experience ****** abuse at the institute but  regularly suffered physical assaults by clergymen.
And misconduct  extended beyond the boys' school. Girls who attended another institution  two doors down — separated only by a church — complained of secretive  abuse, as well.


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## Keesha (Feb 21, 2019)

How horrible. Being abused by clergymen; men of God that should be trusted and knowing yelling won’t do any good because everyone around was deaf. It’s disgusting and inexcusable.


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## hiraeth2018 (Feb 21, 2019)

RadishRose said:


> It's all over and has been since organizations began. Priests, rabbis, ministers, TV evangelists, scout leaders, teachers, etc. There's more to the iceberg than we can imagine. Disgusting!!!



I agree RadishRose... if we are really honest here this subject needs to start at home at a very early age. Pedophile (man, woman or child) behavior of any kind should never be accepted for any reason.


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## Butterfly (Feb 21, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> And the latest... _Cardinals blame 'homosexual agenda' for abuse crisis_
> https://www.yahoo.com/news/cardinals-blame-homosexual-agenda-abuse-crisis-142923961.html
> 
> _"The plague of the homosexual agenda has been spread within the church,  promoted by organised networks and protected by a climate of complicity  and a conspiracy of silence," claimed the cardinals, who belong to the  church's conservative wing."_



Geez!  I wonder what the alleged "homosexual agenda" is supposed to be anyway.  Someone should tell those cardinals that homosexuality had been around longer than the Catholic church, with or without "organized networks."  And just who participated in said climate of complicity?  Oh, yeah that would be the cardinals, et al. -- the very ones complaining about the conspiracy of silence.  

Who do these people think they area kidding??


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## fuzzybuddy (Feb 25, 2019)

*February 25, 2019
*Melbourne, Australia (CNN)One  of the most powerful men in the Roman Catholic Church was found guilty  of multiple historical child sex offenses at a secret trial in Melbourne  in December, the existence of which can only now be revealed. 

Australian  Cardinal George Pell, 77, is almost certain to face prison after a jury  found him guilty of one charge of ****** penetration of a child and  four charges of an indecent act with or in the presence of a child in  the late 1990s.


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## Nihil (Feb 25, 2019)

fuzzybuddy said:


> Australian  Cardinal George Pell



He was part of the inner circle.

I wonder why the pope hasn't just exclaimed, "Stop touching the children!"


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## Warrigal (Feb 25, 2019)

Pell has been convicted but an appeal is pending.

News of his conviction was suppressed because there were other charges and they didn't want to taint a possible jury.
Those charges are not going ahead now so the suppression order is lifted.

He is due for sentencing next week and may soon be taken into custody.
I really hope he goes to a real prison and not house arrest where he will be treated with all reverence by the other priests.

I'll let you know how this develops.


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## Nihil (Feb 25, 2019)

Catholicism has been involved in abuse throughout history.



> The Doctrine of Discovery established a spiritual, political, and legal justification for colonization and seizure of land not inhabited by Christians. It has been invoked since Pope Alexander VI issued the Papal Bull “Inter Caetera” in 1493.



https://upstanderproject.org/firstlight/doctrine


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## Warrigal (Feb 25, 2019)

hiraeth2018 said:


> I agree RadishRose... if we are really honest here this subject needs to start at home at a very early age. Pedophile (man, woman or child) behavior of any kind should never be accepted for any reason.



The trouble can also exist within the home - grandad, uncle, father, cousin or brother.
I have taught a course in protective behaviours to teenage girls but it can be adapted for much younger children.
Such course should be part of every school curriculum, and from an early age.


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 8, 2019)

And yet another case here:

*French cardinal convicted of covering up sex abuse allegations ~*






PARIS (Reuters) - A high-ranking French Catholic cleric, Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, was convicted on Thursday of failing to report allegations of ****** abuse in his diocese and said he would submit his resignation to Pope Francis.
Barbarin, archbishop of Lyon and the highest-profile cleric to be caught up in the child sex abuse scandal inside the French Catholic Church, was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence.

The court in Lyon ruled that between July 2014 and June 2015 Barbarin covered up allegations of ****** abuse of boy scouts in the 1980s and early 1990s by a priest who is due to go on trial later this year.
Barbarin was not present for the verdict but his lawyer, Jean-Felix Luciani, told reporters he would appeal the ruling.

Barbarin denied concealing allegations that Father Bernard Preynat abused dozens of boys more than a decade before he arrived in the Lyon diocese in 2002.
Barbarin told a brief news conference he would travel to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis in the next few days and resign. The victims and their families were in his prayers, he added.
Preynat has admitted ****** abuse, according to his lawyer.
There was no immediate word from the Vatican on whether Francis would accept the resignation, which could remove Barbarin from his post as archbishop but leave him with the rank of cardinal.

Prosecutors in Lyon had previously investigated Barbarin but dropped the probe in mid-2016 without a detailed explanation. However, an association of alleged victims called Parole Liberee (Freed Word) used a provision of French law to compel the cardinal to stand trial.

"This will send a strong message to the Church and to the pope," said abuse victim Francois Devaux, applauding the verdict.
Barbarin's trial put Europe's senior clergy in the spotlight at a time when the pope is grappling with criticism over the Church's response to a ****** abuse crisis that has gravely damaged its standing around the globe.

(There's more, read on if you wish)

news.yahoo.com/french-cardinal-found-gui...abuse-092538150.html


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 8, 2019)

*Texas Catholic dioceses reveal names of nearly 300 clergy accused of child abuse....it's never ending 



*

www.cnn.com/2019/01/31/us/texas-catholic...sex-abuse/index.html


*Another disgrace....the Pope finally admits it....*

Pope Acknowledges Priests and Bishops Have Sexually Abused Nuns....the first time he has publicly acknowledged the issue.
Even though the abuse of nuns gets less attention than the abuse of children and young men, it is not new. In the 1990s, as the child sex abuse crisis was starting to emerge in the United States, leaders of women’s religious orders wrote several reports calling attention to cases of priests abusing nuns.....read on....

www.nytimes.com/2019/02/05/world/europe/...ns-******-abuse.html


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 8, 2019)

Yes, more allegations....we'll never see an end to this in our lifetime....
*
French bishops agree to compensation for sex abuse victims....*

Still struggling to come to terms with their share of responsibility in the clerical sex abuse scandal rocking the Catholic Church, France's bishops have agreed to award financial compensation to victims whose cases fall outside of France's statute of limitations.

"We have agreed in principle to make a financial gesture," Vincent Neymon, head of communications for the French bishops'conference, told The Associated Press in an interview this week. He said he hoped to have a system for paying victims in place in less than a year.

France has not been immune to the scandal that has prompted a credibility crisis for the Catholic hierarchy, and that is the topic of a summit at the Vatican this week on preventing sex abuse and prosecuting pedophile priests.

Two years ago, an investigation by online publication Mediapart unearthed 342 cases of abuse over 50 years that French bishops were accused of covering up in France and abroad, involving at least 34 priests. Some were convicted, most were at least investigated. But some escaped punishment because the statute of limitations on sex crimes against minors, which was recently extended from 20 to 30 years after a victim turns 18, had run out.

"Even after 20 or 30 years, one must be entitled to accuse the priests who might have committed such acts," Neymon said. "The faith of many has been damaged."

www.yahoo.com/news/french-bishops-agree-...ctims-072446507.html


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 8, 2019)

What a bunch of creeps .....

Cardinal says Catholic Church 'destroyed' documentation of sex abuse
"This is abuse of power by the administration," Cardinal Reinhard Marx told bishops at a Vatican summit on preventing ****** abuse....

www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cardinal-says...on-sex-abuse-n974941


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 8, 2019)

*700 cases of ****** abuse perpetrated by nearly 400 baptist church leaders of ****** abuse perpetrated by nearly 400 baptist church leaders....*

An investigation of the Southern Baptist Convention by the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News reported more than 700 cases of ****** abuse perpetrated by nearly 400 church leaders going back to 1998.

After being accused, many perpetrators found new congregations where they could repeat their offenses against new victims.
For more than a decade, denominational leaders have ignored Southern Baptists’ pleas for an SBC ******-offender registry.

The 15-million-member Southern Baptist Convention has been plagued in recent years by numerous public controversies and, by its own account, has suffered “a downward trend in both church membership and baptisms” for at least a decade.

Fortunately, the Catholic Church has provided the SBC with a case study in how not to respond to such revelations. Baptist leaders have an opportunity to learn from those missteps and respond differently.

The true threat to Southern Baptists is not what we know; it’s what has yet to be revealed.

Critics claim that the church’s theology creates an environment where women and children have limited agency and that there is often a culture of silence where challenging (all-male) leadership is seen as inappropriate and disrespectful. Ideas have consequences, and Southern Baptists must honestly explore whether their theological roots are bearing rotten fruit.

The question facing the SBC now is whether its leaders are prepared to do what it takes to start the process of reform.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/0...buse-scandal/583111/


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 9, 2019)

*Catholic Archbishop, on His Hands and Knees, Begged for Forgiveness Over Abuse
The Archdiocese of Hartford released a list identifying 48 priests accused of ****** abuse, five of whom had served at St. George’s in Guilford, Connecticut.





*

*
GUILFORD, Conn. — When the Archdiocese of Hartford released a list this year identifying 48 priests accused of ****** abuse, five of them had served at the same church: St. George’s, in the small coastal town of Guilford. One had been a pastor there for more than a decade, baptizing children and hearing confessions.
Some in the large congregation were deeply hurt. Some fumed, saying they held onto Catholic teachings, but saw their faith in the men leading the church disintegrating amid a cascade of allegations.

*_https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/nyregion/reparation-masses.html_*

*(So glad to see they're all getting nailed (pun intended) with full exposure to the public, one by one) read on there's more....*



*
*
​

*


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## fuzzybuddy (Mar 20, 2019)

I'm updating this thread for another time. Another State revelation about the Church's clergy involved with pedophilia. There are more hundreds of clergy. When combined with the known cases of pedophilia clergy around the world is well into the tens of thousands. This is not just a few errant clergy, but a culture of pedophilia The latest state is Illinois..
CHICAGO — Nearly 400 Catholic clergy members in Illinois have been  accused of ****** misconduct, according to attorneys who have  represented clergy sex abuse victims across the U.S.

A 182-page report,  published Wednesday by the Minnesota-based law firm Jeff Anderson and  Associates, includes background information, photos and assignment  histories of each accused clergy member. 
“The danger of ******  abuse in Illinois is clearly a problem of today, not just the past,” the  report concludes. “This will continue to be a danger until the  identities and histories of sexually abusive clerics, religious  employees and seminarians are made public.”
Anderson  said he hopes the report will help push church leaders to publicly  identify hundreds of more clergy who have faced allegations.


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 23, 2019)

What kills me about this sh*t is that people are up in arms and don't want mosques built in their towns but a Catholic church, they have no  problem with.  Wonder if they'll reconsider their prejudices now.  Massive amounts of little boys were abused by these priest who got away with it !  Imagine, people were asking pedophiles, who were committing one of the worlds's worst atrocities, to absolve them of *their* sins during confessions. Disgusting. Even more disgusting....the degree the Catholic diocese went to to cover this up and the mere slap on the wrists the perps got. 

Lists of pedophile priests in N.J. by parishes was released. I read a week or so ago that someone killed one of those priests. I wondered if he was targeted because he was on the list or was it just a random murder. The news report didn't make that known.


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 23, 2019)

OneEyedDiva said:


> What kills me about this sh*t is that people are up in arms and don't want mosques built in their towns but a Catholic church, they have no  problem with.  Wonder if they'll reconsider their prejudices now.  Massive amounts of little boys were abused by these priest who got away with it !  Imagine, people were asking pedophiles, who were committing one of the worlds's worst atrocities, to absolve them of *their* sins during confessions. Disgusting. Even more disgusting....the degree the Catholic diocese went to to cover this up and the mere slap on the wrists the perps got.
> 
> Lists of pedophile priests in N.J. by parishes was released. I read a week or so ago that someone killed one of those priests. I wondered if he was targeted because he was on the list or was it just a random murder. The news report didn't make that known.



Totally agree with you OED and this newest article in Canada...

Whoa, people are taking matters and actions against these priests into their own hands now....wonder if the suspect was and is a sexually abused member of the church, hmmmm...

*Priest stabbed during livestream of morning mass in Canada's largest church....*

Father Claude Grou, the rector of the Saint Joseph's Oratory, was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition. A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a priest in Montreal was stabbed Friday during a livestreamed morning mass in Canada's largest church.

Father Claude Grou, 77, the rector of the Saint Joseph's Oratory, was taken to the hospital and is said to be in stable condition, according to the Archdiocese of Montreal.

Authorities responded to a call around 8:40 a.m. and witnesses said a man went toward the priest with a sharp object during the daily mass at which 50 people were in attendance.
The attack was captured on a livestream and television broadcast by the Catholic channel Salt + Light, which publishes the streams shortly after the mass. Authorities have not disclosed whether the footage will be released.

When police arrived, the suspect was already detained by church security and the priest was slightly injured on his upper body, Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said.
The suspect was then taken into custody, transported to a detention center and will be interviewed by investigators later Friday, she said.
"What a horrible and inexcusable gesture that has no place in Montreal." Mayor Valérie Plante tweeted.
Grou was not "afraid for his life," tweeted Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre, director of communications for the Catholic Church of Quebec.
Montreal Police said in a tweet Friday afternoon that this was an isolated incident and the suspect, who they did not identify, is expected to appear in court on Saturday.

Saint Joseph's, which officially opened in 1956, is in Montreal's Mount Royal district and is Canada's biggest church. It is said to be one of the country's most popular tourist spots, with 2 million visitors per year.

www.nbcnews.com/news/world/priest-stabbe...rgest-church-n986256


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 23, 2019)

PopsnTuff said:


> Totally agree with you OED and this newest article in Canada...
> 
> Whoa, people are taking matters and actions against these priests into their own hands now....wonder if the suspect was and is a sexually abused member of the church, hmmmm...
> 
> ...




WOW...I hadn't heard about this before! Thank you for sharing. The men and boys who were defiled will probably never have normal lives again. They are filled with grief, guilt, shame and self hatred as well as (I'm sure) hatred for their abusers. Some of them cannot have normal married and sex lives. Psychological counseling they should have received as children wasn't available to them because this all got pushed under the rug.  "Horrible and inexcusable"?!  If the man was a victim of abuse by this priest (or perhaps someone he knows), I can understand his rage. I wonder if law enforcement will find that this is a motive and if so...what will they do about it.


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 23, 2019)

PopsnTuff said:


> Totally agree with you OED and this newest article in Canada...
> 
> Whoa, people are taking matters and actions against these priests into their own hands now....wonder if the suspect was and is a sexually abused member of the church, hmmmm...
> 
> ...


I hadn't heard of this before! Thank you for sharing. If the man who attacked the priest was abused by him or someone he knows, I can understand his rage. I wonder if the priest was an abuser, was on the pedophile list and if so how will law enforcement handle this. Men and little boys who were abused by figures they were no doubt taught to respect, struggle with feelings of grief, guilt, self hatred, hatred for their abusers and in many cases cannot have normal love, marriage, ****** relationships. They were denied their right to psychological counseling because the abuses were hidden for so long.


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 23, 2019)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I hadn't heard of this before! Thank you for sharing. If the man who attacked the priest was abused by him or someone he knows, I can understand his rage. I wonder if the priest was an abuser, was on the pedophile list and if so how will law enforcement handle this. Men and little boys who were abused by figures they were no doubt taught to respect, struggle with feelings of grief, guilt, self hatred, hatred for their abusers and in many cases cannot have normal love, marriage, ****** relationships. They were denied their right to psychological counseling because the abuses were hidden for so long.



Totally agree with you OED.....


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## Shalimar (Mar 23, 2019)

Bit premature to suggest priest may be a paedophile. No evidence so far.


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## Warrigal (Mar 24, 2019)

Hello, Shali. Good to see you posting.
Still the calm voice of moderation, I see.


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## win231 (Mar 24, 2019)

applecruncher said:


> Hypocrisy is rampant in organized religion.



^^^^^ BINGO.   I think it's the only way evil people can live with themselves.  Priests use the trust placed in them to get away with it.  Any parent who leaves their little kids alone with a priests is brain dead.


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## PopsnTuff (Mar 28, 2019)

*Ohio pastor encouraged other ministers to have sex with 'groomed teen' prosecutors say.....

*https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ohio-pastor-encouraged-other-ministers-have-sex-groomed-teen-prosecutors-n987186

(This one is really awful and shameful)


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## Warrigal (Mar 28, 2019)

win231 said:


> ^^^^^ BINGO.   I think it's the only way evil people can live with themselves.  Priests use the trust placed in them to get away with it.  Any parent who leaves their little kids alone with a priests is brain dead.


I never left my kids alone with any man I didn't know from my childhood. That included inlaws. Over cautious to be sure but I knew even then that some men were predators and perverts.


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## gumbud (Mar 28, 2019)

well we've just jailed an archbishop here who was found guilty and awaiting his appeal options - he was third in command to Mr Poppy in roma - I bet poppy has got  his knickers in a twist now - the entire catholic church could fall like a deck of cards - well it has been prophesied in the bible - just no date given! we could be in the end times heh! all the good dead rising from the graves!


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## Keesha (Mar 28, 2019)

win231 said:


> ^^^^^ BINGO.   I think it's the only way evil people can live with themselves.  Priests use the trust placed in them to get away with it.  Any parent who leaves their little kids alone with a priests is brain dead.


Instant trust. That’s why  it is such a good place for pedophiles. It’s easy prey


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## gumbud (Mar 29, 2019)

it has often been suggested that the ban on allowing catholic priests to marry as is the case in the anglican church then this is a bad rule but attacks on the young has occurred within the Anglican church - not sure if the perpetrators were married or single - that would be interesting to know?


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## OneEyedDiva (Apr 7, 2019)

C'est Moi said:


> That reminds me of a recurrent theme in the excellent movie, "Spotlight", based on the Pulitzer Prize winning true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of  child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese.   Apparently the Church in Boston wields so much power that the police went to great lengths to help with the cover up.   Totally appalling and disgusting.
> 
> I HIGHLY recommend this movie, starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachael McAdams and Liev Schreiber.   The film won many awards, including Best Picture in 2016.


Oh wow...somehow I missed this one. I've always liked Michael Keaton too. I'm going to share this in my movie group on another site. I wonder if it's streaming anywhere. Thank you for posting.


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## OneEyedDiva (Apr 7, 2019)

Warrigal said:


> I never left my kids alone with any man I didn't know from my childhood. That included inlaws. Over cautious to be sure but I knew even then that some men were predators and perverts.


Not overcautious at all Warrigal. I had a case almost three decades ago of a little 2 year old girl with gonorrhea. I interviewed her mother, got her and her boyfriend tested and both were negative. I did the same with the little girl's paternal uncle who was her father's twin. The father had been in prison so I knew he wasn't the source.  The uncle came back negative and no reports on any of them had come in from private doctors. A year later, the little girl got gonorrhea again. I really couldn't threaten using the Division of Family Services because they were already involved in her case. The mother still maintained she didn't know who could have infected her daughter...such a pretty little girl. Turns out it was the mother's brother. We found out when we got a report of his treatment from a private doctor. I forgot how we found out he was her brother. She knew damned well she had let him babysit her daughter but chose not to share that with me until she had no choice. So many girls who have been molested were done so by family members.


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## Butterfly (Apr 8, 2019)

Warrigal said:


> I never left my kids alone with any man I didn't know from my childhood. That included inlaws. Over cautious to be sure but I knew even then that some men were predators and perverts.



Nor did I.


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## gumbud (Apr 8, 2019)

I do have a modicum of sadness towards all those priests whichever denomination who have stayed true to their faith and high ideals. This scenario obviously hangs heavy over THEIR heads too. I also do feel deeply for the nuns that have been dragged into this abyss. I tried all sorts of denominations from childhood to manhood - the bigger they were the more they got bogged down imo


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## PopsnTuff (Apr 13, 2019)

Yep another state in the news....

https://news.yahoo.com/diocese-where-clergy-abuse-1st-made-public-release-170233213.html

That apparently brings the number of credibly accused priests in Louisiana to 185.
"We have come to believe that involving law enforcement at the outset of an allegation is the prudent thing to do," Deshotels wrote.


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## gumbud (Apr 13, 2019)

they obviously don't fear the Pope or even God??


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## C'est Moi (Apr 13, 2019)

This just in...    "*Pope Benedict Says Blame the ’60s for Priests’ Abuse   

*https://www.theatlantic.com/interna...ahoo&utm_campaign=yahoo-non-hosted&yptr=yahoo

VATICAN CITY—_Popes are  supposed to be infallible. They communicate through carefully worded  speeches, apostolic letters, or encyclicals that are often the fruit of  slow collaboration with doctrinal experts inside the Vatican. So what  are we to make of the strange text that Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus,  unleashed on the world this week, in which* he effectively blamed the  abuse crisis in the Catholic Church on the freewheeling ******  revolution of 1968?*_


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## gumbud (Apr 14, 2019)

gumbud said:


> they obviously don't fear the Pope or even God??



he must have senile psychosis ? - seen it before - me old gran had it too!


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## Sunny (Apr 14, 2019)

Wow, imagine the scurrying to put the right spin on this!


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