How much longer are we going to tolerate the Catholic Church covering up the abuse of children.

The latest disclosures about the thirty years of sexual abuse by 'another' Catholic Priest, Father Brendan Smythe in 'Betrayal of Trust' has to be the last straw. This abuse was known about by Cardinal Sean Brady who personally silenced the victims himself. In effect prolonging the misery of hundreds of innocent children, because the answer to any complaints was to move this peadophile from village to village to continue his dispicable pastime.
Isn't it time that the box of worms was well and truly prized open and these evil monsters prosecuted by the Law instead of being allowed to hide behind Cannon Law. Or will it just be swept under the carpet as always?
Starting with Joseph Ratzinger; after all - It was his responsibility as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - now POPE XV1; to investigate the sexual abuse of minors by Priests from 2001, and he was theoretically PRIVY to ALL sex abuse cases within the Church.....
On May 18th 2001 Ratzinger sent a letter to 'every' Bishop in the Catholic Church, reminding them of the STRICT PENALTIES facing those who disclosed confidential details concerning allegations of abuse against Priests. By sending this letter, Ratzinger effectively conspired and colluded to obstruct justice and as such supported the abuse of children, and was rewarded by being ellected Pope!
So how are these putrid perverts going to be stopped?
The questions I need answered is; How and why are these people able to be above the Law? Because it appears that there is indeed a conspiracy to prevent Justice, and IMO they are all complicit and should be tried in a Criminal Court, and not by a panel of like minded peers.

As long as it makes good telly, and gives us an opportunity to exercise our self-righteous indignation?

yeah, like secular society is the epitome of charity and welfare. Dream on...

So, you're saying... what? That it didn't happen? Or that it should be allowed to continue?

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Hi Margaret. On the news this evening parishoners attending mass in Dublin were asked if Sean Brady should resign. The younger ones declared that he should whilst the older ones said that he had done nothing wrong and should stay on. Of course the victims of abuse want him gone. The heads of all the major political parties have said that he should consider his position apart from Labour who said that he should step down. It is the main news item here at the moment. Given the revelations about the connection with Brendan Smythe and the revulsion in the country at the mere mention of his name I think that parishoner power may come into effect at any event that Brady attends if he does not retire. We shall see.

I was waiting for someone to raise this. I think the question should be, How long are we going to tolerate catholic church. The pope and vatican city - should be overthrown. We need to crush this dirty, disgusting, corrupt religion and free ourselves from its pathetic rule.

The religion itself contradicts God's own teachings. Whats with the stupid hierarchy system? Why no black popes? Why no woman popes? Because its a nasty religion from the dark ages.

I would, I think be helpful if the defects of Romanist theology were kept seperate from the crimes of Romanist Priests, let alone from irrelevancies like the ethnicity of the head of the Roman church.
It's also worth remembering that in the period that this abuse took place most large institutions had a problem of infestation by child molestors - if you recall the UK's public childrens homes also had it as an endemic menace.
The primary issues would seem to be to do with the adequacy of the Roman church's response and the measures that they ahve take to prevent recurrence....

[Deleted by Amazon on 4 May 2012 16:42:40 BDT]

Hi Charlie, thanks for your reply.
The thing that galls me most about all this, is the cover up.......
If these vile creeps were Police Officers or any other members of Society they would have been in Court faster than their feet could touch the ground.... Or would they?
Since this programme was aired, the Crusading Press has been very conspicuous by its absence...Which begs the question, why? And why aren't the Police banging their doors down to arrest them?
I have a niggling feeling that this is far deeper and far reaching than we can ever imagine. What is the Illuminatii? Why are they based in the Vatican? Who is covering their tracks? Why can't they be traced?
We hear so much about Senior figures being involved in Paedophile rings, and it just boggles my brain to think why they can't be named and shamed and locked up for good; after first being castrated and lobotomised.
As you can guess, I hate them with a terrible vengence. Being a lapsed Catholic myself, I am totally revolted by the fact that I was once so naive and trusting as to believe in the Priests.
I am writing to the Government as I believe everyone should - but who knows; they may all be in the same club?
Unfortunately I really don't think that Parishoner power will affect anything really, because there are thousands of Brendan Smythes stepping up to take his place..and what a bizzare mind set the older Parishoners have, that they think that Smythe has done nothing wrong??? It just shows you the power of brainwashing from an early age, when we are unable to distinguish between right and wrong..
I tend to agree with Popcorn that The Catholic Church should be overthrown. I think there is something intrinsically weird about anyone who porports to be ''Celibate.'' Is this a code word for Peado? My Husband tells me that there have been medical investigations, and that some people are none sexual........ So what are they then?
I am reminded of my childhood, when my Mum's best freind's son who was about six years older than me, went to be a Priest. We had a big celebration, but I was always uneasy about him. Wouldn't you know that about five years after he was ordained, he had to leave. No-one would ever talk about it, but many years later, when I was a teenager, I used to see him hanging around the ''old man's hut'' in our local park, flirting and chatting up very young lads. In my ignorance I was unable to put two and two together, except to confirm to myself that he was weird. Incidentally, I was nineteen before I knew what Homosexuals were, and knew nothing about Peadophiles until I had my son at twenty three? Despite my own Grandfather being a child molester; I was never able to put a name to it. Very sad really, and the damage it does is absolutely unbeleivable. I totally hate their guts!!!! God forgive me.
I wonder what on earth Jesus would make of all the pomp and ceromony, and vast wealth that the Catholic Church has accrued for themselves? Taking from the poor to support their perverse lifestyle.
IMO They are mocking us; they do not follow God, or Jesus, they are absolute hypocrites. Nothing less.
THAT THEY HAVE BROKEN THE LAW - HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RELIGION. THEY SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO HIDE BEHIND CANNON LAW, AND SHOULD BE BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT. NOW!!!
TO ''CONSPIRE'' TO COVER UP CHILD RAPE AND ABUSE IS A CRIME, IN EVERY COUNTRY AND RELIGION EXCEPT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Mags x

Don't spoil a valid point by bringing conspiracy theory stuff into it.

You are joking :)

Thank God I'm an Anglican!

Thank Logic i'm an Antitheist!

[Deleted by the author on 4 May 2012 14:23:03 BDT]

Thank Randal for reminding us there is one class of person - the Antitheists - free from the taint of paedophilia!

I never claimed that it was a class free of deviants. You inferred that.

I just followed your lead by distancing myself and my beliefs from those on trial in this thread.

On topic though, it really should come as a surprise to know one that the Catholic church did this.

They have a track record of aiding the most abhorrent people. Fleeing Nazi's anyone?

Hi Sam,
Point taken... but this is a very emotive subject and so close to my heart, becasue I was a victim. Not of Priest abuse, but my Grandfather, who was a 'devout' christian..........to the letter.
regards,
Mags

Hi Margaret. To take just one of your many points in which you agree with Popcorn Player in the way that the Catholic church should be dealt with I cannot help but compare with previous posts of yours in which you have championed freedom of both speech and information. I would have hoped that this would include the freedom to belong to any political party or church no matter how strange other people may find it. There are still many people who find their religion a great comfort in time of stress and hurt and I really do not see you as a person who would take that away from them.

We also have several problems with addressing the issue in this way. If goverments legislated against the rights of people to worship as Catholics, what would be the result of such a thing. I, though not a Catholic and certainly no fan of the Vatican would march with them for their right to religious freedom. I am fairly sure that such legislation would unite Ireland as never before particularly with a history including the Penal Laws of the 1800's and the persecution of priests and parishoners of that time. No goverment who enacted or tried to enforce such legislation would be in power for long.

And would it be illegal to pray? Illegal to gather? Illegal to have a picture of the pope in ones house?

To make a further point. The current goverment in Ireland has made it quite clear that being an authority figure in the Catholic Church and suposedly under Cannon law will be no protection if a Garda investigation shows that anyone has been abusing children. At a local level, no priests are allowed to be alone with children, another adult (not a priest) has to be present, preferably a parent of the child or one of the children present.

Sean Brady tendered his resignation to the Vatican two years ago over his involvement in the seventies in what would be called a cover up involving the abuse of a child. The Vatican turned him down.

There are many good priests doing great work for the poor and dispossed in Ireland, particularly in the cities and let it not be forgotten about the work of a Catholic priest in brokering the IRA ceasefire during the nineties.

I realise how emotional an issue this is. I also know that if a child of mine was abused that I would seriously maim the person responsible. But the highlighting of abuse cases has lead to reforms both within the organisation and within attitudes and proceedures in the law for dealing with this issue.

Just a few points. Blessed be. Charlie.

Hi Randal,
I think the facts are that there are Peadophiles all around us in all walks of life, who very occassionally are prosecuted, and get ridiculously lenient sentences. Why is that? Fortunately, I believe they get a far more appropriate punishment from their fellow inmates, thank God.
But I still believe that the higher their status, the better they are protected, which to me smells of collusion somewhere.
The reason I am so incensed about the Catholic Priests is because they let me down, in every way, and they practically advertise their intent by calling themselves celibate. A state that I believe is totally unnatural, and is virtually impossible to maintain, except in the rarest of incidences. How many people have you known in your life? How many of them were celibate?
And the nuns were no better. malicious, vindictive and violent, in my own experience, hiding behind the veil. Of course, it's unrealistic to think that they are all the same; but they can't fail to know when they have a bad apple unless they are deaf and blind, as well as stupid, yet they keep quiet, so in my eyes they are all culpable.
Unnatural! Evil Perverts! The Devil incarnate!

From someone who is a Catholic to someone who isn't - thankyou for your well expressed post. Were your faith (or none ) threatened in the way expressed by some I would join you on your protest, too. Blaming all for the abhorrent actions of some is simply unjust and unfair.

Charlie, As always an excellent post.
As you say, I would fight for anyone's right to say and do as they choose, providing it wasn't harming anyone. And I don't doubt for one moment that there are good people working within the Catholic Church as in any other organisation that loves God.
It's comforting to know that the present Government in Ireland are intending to make it impossible to hide behind Cannon Law; but talk is cheap, and the proof will be in the pudding.... because this has been known about for over thirty years to my knowledge and yet nothing has been done.....
This is not just an Irish problem, but has tentacles everywhere, like a creeping fungus. Have a look at the info about Chicago..I know that Brady tendered his resignation and it was turned down by the Vatican, which was exactly the point I was making....It would appear that they were in collusion, to allow the rape and abuse of children, No?
I accept what you say about the reform of attitudes and procedures in the law for dealing with this issue, but I can't see where there has been any changes in ''the organisation' because it was Ratzinger himself who issued the directive in 2001 to ALL Catholic Bishops to be aware of the serious penalties for disclosing any information about child abuse by priests.......Has he recinded it? No. Not to my knowledge. So he needs to resign, imo, to show that the Catholic Church means business and fully intends to irradicate this EVIL..
Please keep me posted as to the investigations of the Guarda and any prosecutions which are brought about because of this disclosure.
Thanks again,
Mags.

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Hi Maria. Thanks.

Hi Margaret. Will do.

Hi PP. :)