Pope blasts Irish church,no Vatican blame in abuse

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By NICOLE WINFIELD and VICTOR L. SIMPSON

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling clerical sex abuse and ordered an investigation into the Irish church but did not mention any Vatican responsibility.

In a letter to the Irish faithful read across Europe amid a growing, multination abuse scandal, the pope doled out no specific punishments to bishops blamed by victims, and Irish government-ordered investigations, for having covered up abuse of thousands of Irish children from the 1930s to the 1990s.

Ireland's main group of clerical-abuse victims, One in Four, said it was deeply disappointed by the letter because it failed to lay blame with the Vatican for what it called a "deliberate policy of the Catholic Church at the highest levels to protect sex offenders, thereby endangering children."

"If the church cannot acknowledge this fundamental truth, it is still in denial," the group said.

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100320/D9EICBE81.html

[tularetom]

1. Is a mysterious "accident" in the future for the pope?

That's why they keep appointing these old dudes, yanno. So it won't look too suspicious when they check out under suspicious circumstances when TPTB decide they have outlived their usefulness.

BTW, the catholic church is not in denial. It passed denial a long time ago. Fantasyland is a more apt description of its current situation.

[Wapsie B]

4. This pope? I don't think so.

If he was more of the reforming kind he'd be deader'n a Kennedy before he spent too much time in office.

[pnwmom]

2. You forgot to mention he also blames Vatican II.

:rofl:

[Fumesucker]

7. And "secularization"..

:wow: :crazy:

[defendandprotect]

14. Scanned the article quickly . . .

can you direct me to where that's mentioned?

Obviously, Benedict is part of the coup on Vatican II and making the

church a more compassionate and humane place! Further, he's moving the

Church to Evangelicalism!!

[pnwmom]

22. It is in the original letter, which I found at the National Catholic Reporter.

http://ncronline.org/news/text-popes-letter-catholics-ireland

"4. 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 secularisation 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. Significant too was the tendency during this period, also on the part of priests and religious, to adopt ways of thinking and assessing secular realities without sufficient reference to the Gospel. The programme of renewal proposed by the Vatican Council II was sometimes misinterpreted and indeed, in the light of the profound social changes that were taking place, it was far from easy to know how best to implement it. In particular, there was a well-intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to canonically irregular situations. It is in this overall context that we must try to understand the disturbing problem of child sexual abuse, which has contributed in no small measure to the weakening of faith and the loss of respect for the Church and her teachings."

[defendandprotect]

28. Thank you for going to the trouble to find that for me. . .

When the members have some real freedom to choose, to decide for themselves, they

walk away.

Also, the issue of sexual abuse continues to be presented as an aberration -- Oops!

Meanwhile, Italians say this was all going on since first days of RCC.

[Retrograde]

23. Building a bridge to the 15th century

Benedict and his ilk long for the days when the Church was the only game in town, the clergy were among the few educated people in Europe, the peasants all obediently went to church and obeyed their local priests, and no one questioned the way things were (actually, things never really were as idyllic as some may dream, but that's the myth). It's the kind of old-style RCC I was raised in, and one reason why I left. And it's the kind of Church Benedict - and his predecessor - wants back, with unquestioning obedience to authority.

There's also a tenet in this mindset that a priest, being God's representative to the flock, has godlike aspects: we were indoctrinated with this in parochial school. What this means is that the local hierarchy has a vested interest in keeping any sort of scandals in the local parishes hushed up. However, Church and State are separate in this country, and concealing a crime is a crime. Church and State are not separate entities in some places, and I think this is the sort of environment Benedict, John Paul II, and the current bigwigs were raised in. IMHO, they just don't understand that what the fuss about coverups is all about: it's the way it's always been.

[pnwmom]

24. All very true. But he's implying that the incidence of child abuse is higher

post Vatican II, when it's only the reporting that is higher.

[ck4829]

3. "Uh... We didn't do it.", the Vatican's usual response

[tomm2thumbs]

5. they are so busy looking for 'miracles' they forgot to stop preventing their own devil's work

'the highest levels' means the Pope - and they know there is another shoe to drop.

[Fumesucker]

8. The Devil finds work for idle..err.. hands.. n/t

[mrs_p]

6. until the rcc truly confronts and accepts full

responsibility for the abuses it covered up (therefore, condoned and promoted), i can not trust anything they say or do has a shred of holiness.

[hedgehog]

9. Who appoints the bishops?

[patrice]

10. "...at the highest levels..." Let us make it clear; I know of no Catholics - and I know many - who

defend or excuse in ANY way what these men have done.

Many Catholics feel nearly as betrayed as the real victims of this corruption. It's like being told that your Dad is part of a perverted club, even if he's just an auxiliary and not a practicing member, he knew and THAT hurts.

[defendandprotect]

29. Certainly Catholics have to translate those "feelings" into action?

If you recognize that you have been betrayed, you don't hang around --

and you especially don't continue to contribute your $$$ to the betrayers?

THAT's the difficult part to understand --

while many Catholics have walked away from the church -- others seem to be

ignoring reality.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. Another look at the Pope's own secret directive - LINKS

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4304917
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7939104

In essence, he threatened excommunication for those who dared to speak up about the abuse. "Grave errors in judgement," indeed. This abuse has been going on so long, the coverup is institutionalized. And it's not just Ireland, either, as he well knows. The official coverup policy of claiming that it's a few bad apples that nobody knew about is more than wearing thin. The priorities are and long have been all too clear: protect the "authority" of the Church at the expense of everything and everyone else.

[defendandprotect]

15. Vatican is still telling lies and covering-up . . . and now Pope's "brother" makes it personal ...!!

"This is an international criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice," Shea told The Associated Press.


save church at all costs....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=407808&in_page_id=1770&in_a_source=

"What you have here is an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy and to punish those who would call attention to these crimes by the churchmen.


THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/28_09_06_Crimen_english.pdf

Unfortunately, it can't be copied/paste --

[friendly_iconoclast]

16. Some more links about the coverup directive:

http://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/bn080703.htm
http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word0815.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimen_sollicitationis_(document)

From the Wikipedia page:

Section 11:

As, assuredly, what must be mainly taken care of and complied with in handling these trials is that they be managed with maximum confidentiality and after the verdict is declared and put into effect never be mentioned again (20 February 1867 Instruction of the Holy Office, 14), each and every person, who in any way belongs to the tribunal or is given knowledge of the matter because of their office, is obliged to keep inviolate the strictest secrecy (what is commonly called "the secrecy of the Holy Office") in all things and with all persons, under pain of automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication, incurred ipso facto without need of any declaration other than the present one, and reserved to the Supreme Pontiff in person alone, excluding even the Apostolic Penitentiary.


The document thus imposed absolute secrecy on the conduct of the trial, even after it had ended and its verdict, favourable or unfavourable, had been put into effect. An oath of secrecy was to be taken not only by the members of the tribunal but also by the person or persons denouncing the priest, by the witnesses, and by the accused priest himself, who was free to discuss it only with his defence counsel (Section 13 of the document)

[defendandprotect]

25. Ironic reasoning: You can be thrown out if you tell the truth about sexual abuse . . .but NOT if ..

you're an abuser!!

:eyes:

[Karenina]

18. Send Cardinal Lawback to Boston!

:evilgrin:

[defendandprotect]

26. The Italians say this sexual perversion has been going on since Day One . . .!!

They should know!!

[gtar100]

12. Pope Ratzo once again shows the true character of his leadership.

Blame others and take no responsibility. Is that a Christian ethic? A Catholic standard? Probably reserved for those "special" people who live in their own country in Italy.

[defendandprotect]

13. Did Benedict "forgive" his brother yet?

[CA Dreamer]

17. I know nothing! I see nothing! NOTHING!

While the Vatican takes no responsibility, this will just continue to escalate.
The same kind of cover ups took place all around the world.
It is historic that the pope has apologized for anything, but this is just the tip if the iceberg.

[Peregrine Took]

19. Is it true that a Brazilian cardinal was the favorite at the last papal election

but at the last moment he changed his mind and thought he wasn't worthy so he bowed out? And then it was on the second vote Benedict was elected? I heard or read that somewhere...

[Shining Jack]

20. Pope Ratz...

I wonder how many kids he personally traumatized.:puke:

[Guilded Lilly]

21. Not a surprise at all...is it?

I feel for all the Catholics whose faith and belief have been consistantly rocked by the utterly repugnant denial of the Vatican over the years. This must deeply wound the loyal followers of that faith. Their anger and grief has to be quite profound on several levels.

To one who has never held any faith in the men who run that Church,and indeed hold many of them in complete contempt; and is not Catholic, nor a member of any organized religion anymore, this does not surprise me at all. These are mere men. And ugly, cowardly men from the inside out. Apparently many of them are also sexual deviates/criminals hiding behind the power of the robes.

That makes their perversions and crimes all the more repugnant. They hide behind walls of trust to carry out their revolting crimes...and then are protected by the patriarchal manipulators of one of the foulest misogynist organizations in existence. Protect the children???? Choke on it.

"thousands of Irish children" over decades.
THOUSANDS.OF.IRISH.CHILDREN
THOUSANDS.
And that is just one country, one set of statistics, that like all rape and sexual abuse crimes, is simply a tip of the iceberg.
Denial is the very least of it's problems.

[defendandprotect]

27. Recall that some of the insanity began in Ireland when it was suggested . . .

that the members were not being sufficiently protective/sympathetic to the abusers . . .

and not PAYING UP SO THE CHURCH COULD PAY OFF ITS LAWSUITS DEALING WITH ITS PRIEST PEDOPHILES!!!

MEANWHILE . . . notice that right wing America also came to the Vatican/RCC's aid with

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ just when they needed it!!

American subsidies for "Faith-based" organizations is a crock!

Bush came to their aid with this $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ just in the nick of time?

[JerseygirlCT]

30. Still in denial is right

What happened to accountability? What happened to justice? Where is God's love in his behavior?

(Don't bother; I know the answers).

This pope is a particularly egregious example of what a disgrace the RCC hierarchy is.

[Quantess]

31. Deny everything, and CYA

(cover your ass). God or morals don't really factor in at all, here.