A criminal matter, not a spiritual one

Q:A senior Vatican priest last week compared outrage at Pope Benedict's handling of sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to the persecution of the Jews. Church leaders disavowed the comments, but went on to complain about a "vile," anti-Vatican media campaign aimed at weakening the papacy and its authority. Is the news media being fair to the pope? Is the media biased against the Catholic Church or its hierarchy? How would you advise the pope?

A form of madness seems to have gripped the Vatican. An organization which for 2,000 years has been preaching the sinfulness of all mankind and the universal need for confession and repentance is acting as though it thought itself immaculate, the innocent victim of others' malevolence. And this despite having spent decades covering up child rapes committed by its own priests and monks, protecting them from the consequences of their devastating actions, and leaving them free to rape over and over and over again.

In 2001, then-Cardinal Ratzinger, in his then capacity as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (what used to be called the Inquisition), wrote a letter clarifying and reinforcing the infamous Crimen Sollicitationis, which made it an excommunicable offence to breathe a word of child rape allegations outside the church. Under Ratzinger's leadership, rape victims like this one were bullied into silence, called liars, and accused of being simply out to fleece the church for money. The Ryan and Murphy Reports are clear: the Roman Catholic Church consistently put its own reputation, its own status, its own survival, before concern for the children it had flogged and starved and raped, and then tried to prevent investigators finding out that it had done so.

It is hard to conceive anything more heinous than this. And yet, unbelievably, the Roman Catholic Church continues at every turn to demonstrate that it simply has no concept of the extent of its own corruption. For sure, we have had the apologies, and pretty half-hearted affairs they have been too, for the most part. The Pope's recent letter to Irish Catholics was shockingly complacent: it describes the 'problem of child sexual abuse' as "disturbing". And why is it "disturbing"? Because it "has contributed in no small measure to the weakening of faith and the loss of respect for the Church and her teachings". Not, you notice, because it inflicted agony on young bodies, not because it caused lasting psychological damage to impressionable minds, and not because it constituted cynical and brutal exploitation of the young and vulnerable on the part of the perpetrators. No, indeed: let's get our priorities right: it is disturbing because it has led to a loss of respect for the Church. And what, according to the Pope, was the cause of this 'disturbing' behavior? Well, it's obvious, isn't it? Those priests and monks and nuns had been infected by secularism!

"In recent decades, however, the Church in your country has had to confront new and serious challenges to the faith arising from the rapid transformation and secularization of Irish society. Fast-paced social change has occurred, often adversely affecting people's traditional adherence to Catholic teaching and values. All too often, the sacramental and devotional practices that sustain faith and enable it to grow, such as frequent confession, daily prayer and annual retreats, were neglected."

And the Pope's proposed solution? A rooting-out of all the rapists and protectors of rapists, perhaps? An open and frank assessment of the extent to which the requirement for celibacy may have exacerbated the problem? A new policy that there must always be a responsible independent adult within calling distance when Catholic clergy or monks have dealings with children in future? No, the Pope's solutions are rather less rigorous. More prayer! More Eucharists! More retreats! More Roman Catholicism, in fact! As if Roman Catholicism itself -- the belief that this Church was personally founded by Jesus and that the Pope is his infallible representative on Earth -- were not at the rotten root of the entire, brutal, obscene scandal. For it was this hubristic belief that made it so necessary to protect the Church even at the cost of further suffering to those who had already suffered so dreadfully, that made it unthinkable that the Church should submit to full public scrutiny, and that led its officials to believe they could sweep the scandal under a carpet and that God and prayer would sort it all out and guarantee a happy ending -- a happy ending for the Church, that is: those brutalized children did not count, just as they did not count when they were being buggered and beaten by the very people into whose care they had been entrusted.

And the world watches in appalled disbelief as senior Vatican figure after senior Vatican figure continues to make matters worse and even worse, and yet worse still. The Vatican's Chief Exorcist (Can there really be more than one? Can there really even be one, in 2010?) has claimed that the devil is targeting the Vatican. And why would the devil do this? Why, because this Pope is so marvelous, of course, that he's got the devil running scared. Yes, THIS Pope, the one who confirmed and reinforced the terms of the Vatican secrecy order ensuring that the child-rapists would never face justice; the one who was warned -- twice -- in his official capacity as head of the department dealing with such allegations, about the U.S. priest who was abusing deaf children, and who chose to ignore it both times, leaving him free to go on inflicting indescribable pain and humiliation and misery on vulnerable young boys; the one whose overriding preoccupation has been to keep the lid on the scandal, to stop people finding out, and who continues to do his utmost to play it down and pretend it has all been dealt with to everyone's satisfaction; the one who claims that the answer is not prosecution but prayer!

THIS Pope is so holy, so saintly, that the devil himself feels threatened by his righteousness and has therefore launched an all-out attack on him through the good offices of investigative journalists. Who, after all, could possibly accuse the Pope of being at the heart of a massive cover-up of child rape on a breathtaking scale, unless they were being prompted by the devil himself? Except that the child rapes really happened. And the institutional cover-up really happened. And it is Ratzinger's signature on the document that confirmed secrecy as official Vatican policy. Not only is there a smoking gun, but it has the Pope's grubby fingerprints all over it. What hope is there for justice, for morality, when every act of depravity committed by the Roman Catholic Church is passed off as the work of an enraged and threatened devil, and therefore as further evidence of the Church's sanctity?

But there is more! Both a senior cardinal and the Pope himself have now dismissed the allegations against the Vatican as "petty gossip". Petty gossip! Since when has child rape been a petty matter? Since when has it been a petty offense to harbor and shield rapists, and enable them to rape again, and again, and again, and again? Since when has the legitimate investigation and reporting of alleged criminal acts constituted gossip? And if the Pope thinks of the allegations as "petty gossip", what does this tell us about the sincerity of the so-called apology he offered to Irish Catholics? We can now see that it was proffered half-heartedly, in the evident belief that it would be accepted without question. But when it failed to do the trick - when decent people around the world had the audacity to point out that it smacked of complacency and did not guarantee that those against whom there was sufficient evidence would be handed over to criminal courts (as opposed to 'appropriately constituted tribunals' - for which read CHURCH tribunals), then the sham contrition was abandoned, and the allegations about which the Pope had claimed to feel such sorrow were reduced to the status of 'petty gossip'. It is hard to imagine anything more disgusting than child rape and the protection of child rapists. Nevertheless, thanks to the Vatican, we are now witnessing the even less edifying spectacle of leading figures in a church which for decades protected those child rapists, claiming that the resulting scandal is just 'petty gossip'.

And yet - astonishingly - we still have not plumbed the depths of Vatican depravity. For on Sunday -- Easter Sunday, no less, the holiest day in the Christian calendar -- the only priest in the entire Roman Catholic Church who is permitted to preach to the Pope used the occasion to focus on the suffering of ... no, don't be ridiculous: of COURSE it wasn't the suffering of those raped, torn, tortured children. No, it turns out that the real victims here are the Roman Catholic Church in general and the Pope in particular. And their suffering can be compared to the worst that was inflicted on the Jews! Seriously: what is wrong with these people? What has gone so fatally wrong with their moral compass that they can bring themselves to even think such thoughts, let alone utter them publicly? How dare the Pope's personal preacher claim that the allegations against the Vatican resemble 'the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism'? The more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism involved genocide, the deaths of up to 6 million people, for no other reason than that they were Jewish. It involved the imprisonment of millions of people in death camps, where they were tortured, used as slave labor, starved, experimented on, and in many cases gassed. These were the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism: and 2,000 years of Roman Catholic preaching against the Jews had paved the way for it. Never forget that, far from standing up and being counted in the face of evil, Pope Pius XI was one of the first global figures to rush to agree terms with the newly elected Nazis, an alliance consolidated more notoriously by his successor, Pius XII.

The genocide of the Jews was one of the worst atrocities in human history , yet still a senior Vatican priest has the sheer gall to compare the current 'suffering' of the Roman Catholic Church to that of the Jews. How dare he? How dare he present the CHURCH as the victim, when all that is happening is that it is - at long last - being held to account for the crimes it has perpetrated? We are witnessing the writhings - it would be nice to think they were terminal - of an utterly corrupt, morally bankrupt institution. It seems that just about the only people on Earth who cannot see the true depths of Vatican depravity are those in the Vatican itself. And yet we in the UK now face the exquisite irony of having to foot the bill for a multi-million pound official visit from the Pope, during which he will dispense 'moral guidance', no less.

How would I advise the Pope? Many people have been calling for his resignation, but I am not one of them. Resignation does not go nearly far enough, and the same goes for every single other person involved in this terrible business. Since when has justice been considered to have been done just because a criminal resigns from his job? No: my advice to the Pope would be to hand over every last priest who has been accused of child rape and every last church official -- himself included -- accused of covering up child rape to be tried in a proper criminal court, just like anyone else would be if they were accused of the same offenses; and to further ensure that the Church makes available, without obstruction, every single document required as evidence in these cases. Only properly conducted criminal trials, in proper courts of law, will bring an end to this scandal and - far more importantly - bring some peace and justice to the Church's many victims.

He won't do it, of course, because he clings to the disgraceful but mightily convenient doctrine that the Roman Catholic Church is above earthly law, answerable only to God. Ironic, isn't it, that the man who claims to be the earthly representative of Jesus Christ - who, so the story goes, was willing to pay the ultimate price for other men's sins - should wriggle and squirm and call foul play in order to avoid paying the price for his own.

By Paula Kirby | April 6, 2010; 2:42 PM ET Save & Share:
Previous: The pope is NOT the victim | Next: Is consciousness connected to the fine structure of the universe?

Comments

Please report offensive comments below.

"Brad Hirschfield: When Priests And Rabbis Commit Sexual Abuse
Mar 29, 2010 ......

www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi.../when-priests-and-rabbis-c_b_516386.html

“The words used by Pope Benedict and others in responding to the Church's ever-deepening sexual abuse crises reflect a sickness that is not unique to the Catholic community. In fact, that sickness creeps into all religious communities of which I know, and leaves a trail of victims in its wake every time. I refer to the way in which religious leaders and the communities which they lead wear the mantle of victimhood to cover their naked moral failings."

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 12, 2010 11:27 PM
Report Offensive Comment

@DECIUS1

Have you no shame! Xolotl is the one true psychopomp for those on the journey to Mictlan the demense of their majesties of the underworld, Mictlantecuhtli and his consort Mictecacihuatl. (unless of course one has died in battle, childbirth or by lightning strike...electrocution may count but the gods are still mulling that one over...)

Now I am not "posing" as an authority but I am a messenger chosen by Myself Whose Authority comes from Myself being the Author. So says Myself, Smoking Mirror, aka Tezcatlipoca...

Great post Paula. May these evil people and their clique of child rapists, abusers and accomplices reap what they have sown.

Posted by: Tezcatlipoca | April 12, 2010 4:30 PM
Report Offensive Comment

"Is the media biased against the Catholic Church or its hierarchy?"

Of course it is. As are the bigoted wackos inhabiting On Faith. Still, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

"How would you advise the pope?"

Jesus said "Render unto God what is God's, and render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." In this case that means turning all the evidence of criminal abuse over to local district attorneys to assist in prosecution of the perpetrators. In this way, the Catholic Church might actually cleanse itself.

Posted by: 5amefa91 | April 9, 2010 8:17 PM
Report Offensive Comment

DavidWaldock

I wrote, "The Catholic Church is not the judge, God Is the Judge."

I wrote this in response to DavidWaldock writing "In short, these are people you wouldn't want to judge a flower show, let along the morality of all of humankind."

You replied, "Then someone needs to tell the Catholic Church (and many other churches) that they shouldn't be judging people, shouldn't be bigoted, shouldn't be exclusionary and should keep their noses out of politics."

People do not need to belong to a church to be judgemental, bigoted, exclusionary so should all that fit into these categories keep their noses out of politics also?

Church is a term, it is the people that make up a church, it is also up to the people to make their own decisions even if that decision is to not make their own.

As I have said, God is a searcher of hearts and minds not of religious affiliations or lack thereof, in other words, God looks at the person not the "label".

Then, "Which god is the judge?" and "And how do we know which one is the right one?"

There is only One God and one day all will know.

Then, "And, given the injustice of the world over which they have moral jurisdiction, why don't they actually do something to stop injustice, to save lives and to help the most vulnerable?"

No church has "moral jurisdiction" in so far as this would be setting up a theocracy and when and where this has been attempted, one can see that this is unacceptable and also against what Jesus taught.

A church, any church, should have a "moral obligation" "to stop injustice, to save lives and to help the most vulnerable" but all have fallen short of this at times and sometimes very badly.

A church, any church, is made up of people and as in any "group" of people (church, mosque, synagogue, political, nation, ethnic, race, whatever) there are those that fall short.

As I have said before, one need not believe in God or gods to have a self-righteous, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou attitude, this seems more of a human quality irregardless of one's belief.

To say that the Catholic Church has never done anything wrong is about the same as saying that the Catholic Church has never done anything right.

One could say that God's Plan is catholic in nature since the word "catholic" means universal and God's Plan is universal even tho there seem to be many, including those that are Catholic by denomination, that do not believe this and also those that do not seem to even want it to be.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Posted by: ThomasBaum | April 9, 2010 3:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment

I keep wondering where Cal Thomas has disappeared to, these past couple of weeks. Can't believe he has NOTHING to say.
Posted by: haveaheart

Does he ever really have anything to say?

Posted by: lepidopteryx | April 9, 2010 9:32 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Thomas Paul Moses Baum wrote: "The Catholic Church is not the judge, God Is the Judge."

1) Then someone needs to tell the Catholic Church (and many other churches) that they shouldn't be judging people, shouldn't be bigoted, shouldn't be exclusionary and should keep their noses out of politics. Until that happens, they are acting as judges (in some cases in the sense of the Old Testament).

2) Which god is the judge? Allah? Jehovah? Zeus? Ra? And how do we know which one is the right one? And, given the injustice of the world over which they have moral jurisdiction, why don't they actually do something to stop injustice, to save lives and to help the most vulnerable?

Posted by: DavidWaldock | April 9, 2010 6:49 AM
Report Offensive Comment

The USA contributes USD 145 Billion every year to fund Christian Missionaries across the world. Churches across the world spend USD 1.1 Billion towards research aimed at achieving religious conversions. This is for propaganda material in 300 languages about 180 topics. Books and articles are printed in 500 languages. They total 175000. Every conversion costs USD 3300. It does not mean that this amount reaches the Convert. It is the expense incurred in activities related to administration, planning and implementation of the conversion programme. In 1500 A.D, there were 30 Lac active Christian Missionaries. Their number stands at 64.8 Crore today. 54% of these people are non-Whites. The strategy is to train non-Whites, provide them with funds and involve them in religious conversions. This is similar to the time when the British employed Indians as Soldiers to rule India!

With evangelical Christianity comes Sexual abuse and corruption in India's Churches
http://myexperimentsagainstprejudice.blogspot.com/2009/02/church-sex-and-scandals.html

"When the missionaries arrived, the Africans had the land and the missionaries had the Bible. They taught us to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible." - Jomo Kenyatta

On November 6, 1999 Pope John Paul II in his sermon at the Sacred Heart Cathedral of New Delhi, openly stated, "Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third Christian millennium, a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent [Asia]"

Christians have always portrayed non-Christian civilizations as backwards, underdeveloped, superstitious, and barbaric. What really underlies all of their criticism is that these cultures do not accept Jesus, the Bible and their western way of life. This is what, in the Christians’ opinion, deems these cultures as needing their help, when in fact the their fervor to destroy any theistic conception other than Christianity or any temple other than a church shows that they are really the ones who are showing the qualities of barbarians.

Posted by: futuralogic | April 8, 2010 11:55 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Report suspicious sexual behavior by priests, preachers, evangelicals, rabbis, imams, atheists, secularists, journalists and/or bloggers to the FBI, the US Attorney or the National Child Abuse Hotline:

http://www.childhelp.org/pages/hotline

1-800-4-A-CHILD

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 8, 2010 11:41 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Thank you Paula for telling it like it is. For two thousand years this institution (Catholic Church) has touted itself as the pinnacle of morality onto which lowly humans can only wish to aspire. They've had two thousand years to demonstrate that they are a cut above all those other religions and those who do not follow the catholic teachings as well as others who do not believe at all.
All revelations of abuse of CHILDREN from around the world and the absolutely indefensible way that the church has dealt with these awful situations are a testament to an all-pervading sickness, indeed a disease in the spiritual and ethical psyche of the office holders of the church. This virus must be expunged.
And the way to do it? - a very Big sorry, a very big compensation package to the victims, and a very Big NO from the pope declaring there is no room for the perpetrators and those that sought to cover it all up in the institution. Once all issues have been resolved and a relatively clean slate exists the organisation ought to be disbanded.

Posted by: Papalinton | April 8, 2010 7:12 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Obviously ordination in any religion is not assurance of good behavior !!!!!

Neither is coronation!!! e.g. Henry VIII, King David.

Neither is marriage as 50% of those men convicted of pedophilia are married.

Neither is being elected president of the USA!! e.g. Billy "I did not have sex with that girl" Clinton, John "Marilyn Monroe" Kennedy"

Neither is possessing super athletic skill!!! e.g. Tiger "I am so sorry for getting caught" Woods

Neither is being an atheist, a journalist, a secularist, a blogger, a humanist or a pagan since pedophilia is present in all walks of life.

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 8, 2010 5:30 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Thank you, Ms. Kirby, for the absolute best assessment of the RCC's venality yet to emerge. How one could read these truths and not be moved to outrage is beyond my comprehension.

There is one statement that bears particular examination because it hints at an issue that hasn't really been brought out.

You call for "an open and frank assessment of the extent to which the requirement for celibacy may have exacerbated the problem." However, pedophiles are more born than raised. Whether the inclination ever emerges as actual fantasy or behavior is the result of a range of variables, but putting a man in a profession that requires celibacy and does not permit marriage isn't the cause of priests becoming pedophiles.

The RCC doesn't make men pedophiles; it tempts them into a profession that offers a veritable feast for their inclinations, latent or otherwise. Lots of little kids -- mostly boys -- and lots of secrecy. Oh, and guilt. It's all there, like a stage set awaiting players; it's the perfect environment for a pedophile wanting long-term gratification of his particular brand of deviance.

The RCC brings pedophiles into the priesthood; the rest unfolds quite unsurprisingly.

The church is culpable in so many ways in this crime. The worst, of course, is covering up the crimes and letting them continue -- inflicting, as you said so poignantly, "agony on young bodies" and "lasting psychological damage to impressionable minds."

But if the RCC is to explore any means of prevention, it must look at the system by which priest-candidates are accepted into seminaries and, ultimately, ordained as priests. The church, quite simply, must become exponentially more scrupulous about who gets in and how their fitness to be ordained is determined.

Allowing priests to marry isn't the issue here. Marriage and sexual relations with a woman do not constitute a preventative measure against pedophilic proclivities; they have nothing to do with each other. However, it is possible that opening up the priesthood to a married clergy might induce a different kind of applicant altogether. If men who want one day to have wives and families are allowed to become priests, the applicant pool might become quite a bit healthier.

Ultimately, the RCC will have to confess and seek redemption in the eyes and hearts of its "faithful" if there is any chance for it to survive. Absent such efforts, the church is certain to crumble under the weight of its own pride and arrogance.

Posted by: haveaheart | April 8, 2010 3:42 PM
Report Offensive Comment

I keep wondering where Cal Thomas has disappeared to, these past couple of weeks. Can't believe he has NOTHING to say.

Posted by: haveaheart | April 8, 2010 2:39 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Brad Hirschfield: When Priests And Rabbis Commit Sexual Abuse

Mar 29, 2010 ......

www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi.../when-priests-and-rabbis-c_b_516386.html

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 8, 2010 7:46 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Brad Hirschfield: When Priests And Rabbis Commit Sexual Abuse

Mar 29, 2010 ......
www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi.../when-priests-and-rabbis-c_b_516386.html

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 8, 2010 4:36 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Enough regular polygons.

Surely somewhere in the world some government has the moral courage to at least withdraw their diplomatic representation from the Holy See. Followed perhaps by the removal of their status at the UN:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_the_Holy_See

Michael

Posted by: mmurray1957 | April 8, 2010 2:20 AM
Report Offensive Comment

ThomasBaum spaketh thus

"I was speaking of the Trinity of which Jesus, God-Incarnate, Is.

God being a Trinity and Pure Love and Jesus being God-Incarnate is a fact and time will tell."

Surely you jest good sir. Your Jesus of the Triangle Is but one third part of one sixth part of my great God He of the Hexagon.

Michael

Posted by: mmurray1957 | April 8, 2010 2:15 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Obviously ordination in any religion is not assurance of good behavior !!!!!

Neither is coronation!!! e.g. Henry VIII, King David.

Neither is marriage as 50% of those men convicted of pedophilia are married.

Neither is being elected president of the USA!! e.g. Billy "I did not have sex with that girl" Clinton, John "Marilyn Monroe" Kennedy"

Neither is possessing super athletic skill!!! e.g. Tiger "I am so sorry for getting caught" Woods

Neither is being an atheist or pagan since pedophilia is present in all walks of life.

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 7, 2010 11:14 PM
Report Offensive Comment

There is no heaven of glory bright, and no hell where sinners roast. Here and now is our day of torment! Here and now is our day of joy! Here and now is our opportunity! Choose ye this day, this hour, for no redeemer liveth!

The only way to cure the cancer of catholicism, and stop the pedophilia, is to begin each ceremony of ordination to the deaconate with castration. Let any priest who wants to be celibate make a gift of his balls to jesus.

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A NEW BLOG…

…that tackles Church abuse, separation of Church and State, Atheism, Buddhism, Existentialism….

http://theexistentialatheist.blogspot.com/

MASS LAWSUITS ATAINST THE POPE, by Farnaz Mansouri
CONCEPTS + LOGIC = KNOWLEDGE, by Blacksun
MAN AND REASON, by Randall Duncan
RATZINGER’S VATICAN: SEX, LIES AND SECRETS, by Emily Helm.
THE NEW BUDDHIST ATHEISM, by Mark Vernon

Posted by: Schaum | April 7, 2010 10:08 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Meant to add:

And that's why the media and the public are all over this...

Posted by: severalspeciesof | April 7, 2010 8:21 PM
Report Offensive Comment

To YEAL9 and others,

Yes it's true that other organized religions have their skeletons of child rapists...

But I know of no other religion that has explicitly instructed its leaders to sweep them back into the closet with such aplomb (and I use that word on purpose here as it seems to fit).

Posted by: severalspeciesof | April 7, 2010 8:18 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Considering that you never see the major media coverage about the sex abuse problems in Judaism, the Jehovah Witnessess and the Southern Baptist Convention, yes indeed there is an anti-Vatican bias in the media.

e.g.:

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_child_sex_abuse

From:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1855948_1861760_1862212,00.html#ixzz0jg0lEyZj

“Facing calls to curb child sex abuse within its churches, in June the Southern Baptist Convention — the largest U.S. religious body after the Catholic Church — urged local hiring committees to conduct federal background checks but rejected a proposal to create a central database of staff and clergy who have been either convicted of or indicted on charges of molesting minors. The SBC decided against such a database in part because its principle of local autonomy means it cannot compel individual churches to report any information. And while the headlines regarding churches and pedophilia remain largely focused on Catholic parishes, the lack of hierarchical structure and systematized record-keeping in most Protestant churches makes it harder not only for church leaders to impose standards, but for interested parties to track allegations of abuse.

www.eutimes.net/category/criticism/pedophilia/

"Yet another prominent Orthodox rabbi has been charged with sexual abuse. This time it is Rabbi Mordechai Elon, one of the foremost rabbinic leaders of the Israeli Orthodox movement and former rosh yeshiva at the flagship Yeshivat HaRav, where last year a Palestinian mounted an assault which left several students dead. The result was that students of the yeshiva and other far right Jews went on a rampage and tried to burn down the home of the family of the perpetrator of the attack. Elon’s brother is Benny, a former MK for a far-right pro-settler party.
At one time the rabbi was so renowned he’d hoped to be named chief rabbi. Alas, that hope is all but dashed as he was charged several years ago with abusing boys at his yeshiva:
"

Posted by: YEAL9 | April 7, 2010 6:45 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Thomas Paul Moses Baum, you claimed:

"I am not "posing" as an authority but I am a messenger chosen by God Whose Authority comes from God being the Author."

How dare you lesser mortal and heretical fabulist question my pronouncements? For I am Hermes, the only true Divine Messenger and Psychopomp.

I shall henceforth reassure all our readers - one Jesus once applied for a janitor position at our Gloomy Facilities, but he was rejected for lacking the moral fibre and degrading our Aesthetic Canon with his unkempt appearance.

Posted by: decius1 | April 7, 2010 6:45 PM
Report Offensive Comment

The Audacity of Pope

Posted by: Christoph_48 | April 7, 2010 6:39 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Thank your, Paula, for this forceful presentation of what people should stop trying to sweep under the rug. The RCC is an international organization who's constant objective is to continue its own wealth and power. In order to do this it exerts control over all the aspects of people's lives that it can. In the process of trying to control the sex lives of its workers (clergy) it can't help introducing aberrant situations it must then cover up. It is, indeed, time to show them that they are not above the law.

Posted by: Quine | April 7, 2010 6:38 PM
Report Offensive Comment

decius1

You wrote, I suppose the god you were referring to is indeed Hades, but you should get your facts straight and not pose as some sort of authority, which clearly you are not."

I was speaking of the Trinity of which Jesus, God-Incarnate, Is.

God being a Trinity and Pure Love and Jesus being God-Incarnate is a fact and time will tell.

I am not "posing" as an authority but I am a messenger chosen by God Whose Authority comes from God being the Author.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Posted by: ThomasBaum | April 7, 2010 5:55 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Magnificent!!!

Posted by: AR11 | April 7, 2010 5:15 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Paula --
I loved, and shuddered at, nearly every word. But they need to go beyond the Washington Post and the Richard Dawkins website. Your comments need to be heard over the airwaves. When will you be appearing on the Sunday morning news programs? Late night or afternoon talk shows? How about "60 Minutes"? Is there any chance that the producers of these programs have the balls to schedule an appearance? Please let us know.

Posted by: ron64740 | April 7, 2010 3:48 PM
Report Offensive Comment

My God, I thought I was being harsh in my criticism of the endless, whining, pity-parade protection-of-pederast scheme that is the Vatican! I stand in awe of Paula's essay, it should be required reading in every single RC pulpit on earth, including the Vatican.

Posted by: Arminius0208 | April 7, 2010 3:04 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Thank you Paula,for an amazing article.As a young boy I was sexually abused by an Australian Marist Brother,in 1960.After a long and drawn out process I eventually received an apology from the Marist Brothers,in 2003.Would you believe that at the same time the apology was given that the representative of the Order,expressed concern about the prospects of the deceased pedophile making it to heaven.The winds of change are now turning into an unstoppable hurricane.I have been waiting a long time for the Roman Catholic Church to finally admit to its crimes..For informaton on the disgusting abuse that has occurred in Australia,check out Broken Rites Australia.

Posted by: jimmy4647 | April 7, 2010 2:59 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Paula, thank you for this excellent piece. It is hubris enough for the Catholic hierarchy to shield the perpetrators from prosecution, fail to protect the victims while all the while proclaiming themselves to be the fount of moral wisdom, but then to claim on top of all of this to be victimized by publicity surrounding their evil and criminal deeds is chutzpah of the highest degree. This is precisely why conduct defined as criminal by society must be prosecuted in secular courts. Religious authorities have demonstrated repeatedly that they are incapable of abiding by the law and are incapable of protecting the victims. Religious personnel and organizations must no longer be permitted to operate according to their own internal laws and must be subjected to the same investigation and prosecution of criminal conduct to which everyone else is subjected. Clearly, they have a conflict of interest with the rights of victims when their own policies and procedures require them to protect the perpetrators and the reputation of the church. These goals are completely incompatible with the protection of the victims and redress of their injuries.

Posted by: Titania1 | April 7, 2010 1:50 PM
Report Offensive Comment

I like the Pope, I think God likes the Pope, I think the Pope has offered the spiritual solution to Catholics that is more powerful than people imagine. I wouldn't doubt that the Pope practices all that he is preaching. If you aren't Catholic - you don't get it. But if you are, he is reminding us of the things we don't do- we've forgotten have power and meaning. No, I've read and listened to the diatribes now - the Church is about God, hope, forgiveness and reconciliation. Let us go forward in solidarity and belief that God listens to our prayers and petitions, that sacrifice is answered.
Posted by: Mary370 |
**************************************************************************************
Mary, the church as an institution may be about God, but the individuals who committed the crime of rape, and those who covered for them, are nothing more than common criminals and need to be brought to justice as such. Vestements or no, rapists need to be punished, and prayer is not sufficient.

Posted by: lepidopteryx | April 7, 2010 1:39 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Excellent piece Paula.

I keep hoping that somewhere out there there is a lawyer, sufficiently outraged by the duplicitous mendacity of the catholic church™, to file a suit against pope Benny™, and kick start the demolition of the whole rotten edifice.

Posted by: MarkOnTheRiver | April 7, 2010 12:33 PM
Report Offensive Comment

Posted by: Mary370 | April 7, 2010 11:55 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Well said Paula. This institution, which claims the moral high ground, is morally bankrupt. As David Waldock has said, it is not only children that have been abused and exploited. Yet still the church will not accept any responsibility, they will try to blame anyone and anything rather than face up to the horrendous crimes that have been committed.
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_14332.shtml
They are now trying to say that the children WANTED to be abused!
Do they not realise that while the crimes committed by priests are horrific in themselves, the actions of the catholic church in covering up these crimes and refusing to acknowledge any complicity in these crimes are even worse?
And for any, repeat ANY catholics that try to defend this church, I say that you too are complicit in these crimes and you too are guilty, guilty of a crime against humanity.

Posted by: GMartin-Royle | April 7, 2010 11:26 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Well said!

Though you are wasting your time, these sheep will flock to support their church. They will continue to offer up their own children to be used as sex toys for these monsters. Catholics seem to have no shame or humanity.

I'm willing (and hoping) to be proved wrong but I wont be holding my breath.

Posted by: davedod007 | April 7, 2010 11:08 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Another spot on post Paula. Thank you for stating again what should be so obvious. As a woman and nonbeliever I am a big fan.

Posted by: Ali8 | April 7, 2010 11:08 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Nonsense, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Everyone knows that there are three judges presiding the Underworld: Minos, Aeacus and Rhadamanthus. Occasionally, Hades and Persephone would intervene and overrule their decision, but that is very rare indeed.

I suppose the god you were referring to is indeed Hades, but you should get your facts straight and not pose as some sort of authority, which clearly you are not.

Posted by: decius1 | April 7, 2010 11:06 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Sorry - forwarding being awkward.
www.jourdemayne.com

Posted by: jourdemayne | April 7, 2010 11:03 AM
Report Offensive Comment

I couldn't agree more. This is a massive cultural issue for the Church, an issue upon which they appear to have no grasp whatsoever.

Have covered the historical background of this in 'Priests, Pedarasts and Privilege' at http://jourdemayne.blogspot.com/2010/04/henry-ii-was-regrettably-given-to.html.

Posted by: jourdemayne | April 7, 2010 11:00 AM
Report Offensive Comment

DavidWaldock

You wrote, "In short, these are people you wouldn't want to judge a flower show, let along the morality of all of humankind."

The Catholic Church is not the judge, God Is the Judge.

Take care, be ready.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Posted by: ThomasBaum | April 7, 2010 10:53 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Bravo.

Posted by: BluesFan824 | April 7, 2010 10:36 AM
Report Offensive Comment

Don't hold back, say what you really think ;-)

It's worth pointing out that whilst the child abuse is particularly topical at the moment, the church has been embroiled in allegations of sexual abuse of young congregants and nuns and also of the emotional and physical abuse and labour exploitation of single mothers.

In short, these are people you wouldn't want to judge a flower show, let along the morality of all of humankind.

Posted by: DavidWaldock | April 7, 2010 10:20 AM
Report Offensive Comment

The comments to this entry are closed.

Paula Kirby

Posts By Category

Posts By Date

A criminal matter, not a spiritual one

Comments