Vatican reports on Irish child abuse scandals

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17442603

The Vatican has expressed its "dismay and betrayal" at the "sinful and criminal acts" by Catholic clergy guilty of child abuse across Ireland.

In a report published on Tuesday, it called for a "new focus on the laity" within the Irish Catholic Church.

The scandals had "opened many wounds", it said, and lay people had "lost trust in their pastors".

The report acknowledged "innocent young people" were abused by clerics to whose care they had been entrusted.

[BlueToTheBone]

1. woohoo

Isn't that just peachy?

How can anyone be associated with a religion like that? Raping, castrating, imprisoning people who are supposed to be in their HOLY care. Spewing lies and distortions intended only to control, not enlighten. There is a special place in Hell for these animals. There are lots of special places in Hell and this one will be really special.

[whathehell]

4. Uh huh

"How can anybody be associated with a religion like that"?

Maybe because the religion hardly condones such actions and

outside experts have concluded that the criminals you describe make up only a tiny percent (6%) of the clergy of that faith,

leaving 94% innocent?

[trotsky]

6. Maybe because it isn't just the 6%...

but also the rest of the church leadership that has protected the 6% (and in many cases, given them a clean slate, a new location, and access to fresh victims), and the church members who continue to give their time and money to support the entire corrupt institution.

[whathehell]

12. Maybe..

and maybe not....The fact is, I feel nothing but rage and contempt

for an adult who either molests a child or "covers up" the crime.

That being said, it's not in ITSELF and indictment of the religion's precepts.

[peace13]

7. I am certain that the 85 new victims do not share your thoughts.

Wonder how the 94% number would work elsewhere in society? Good news, 94% of teachers, social workers, doctors and baby sitters do not molest their charges. Really doesn't work does it?

[Voice for Peace]

8. I bet you can't say 94% of politicians are innocent

94% faithfully execute their office honestly & represent their constituents impartially and truthfully

hahahahaaahhaa

[peace13]

9. It's about the kids!

In the whole scheme of things a politicians lie to millions is nothing compared to one child being molested.

[Voice for Peace]

10. of course it is about each child; but politicians help set a tone for coverup of crime

and perpetuate a world where millions of children are starved,
abused, abandoned, murdered, conscripted, raped -- practically
in every corner of the earth.

Every person with power should be ready to illuminate corruption
wherever it exists. But you can't illuminate others' crimes if
you're a criminal. And these days criminals are everywhere.

Maybe the church looks at itself, and compares its corruption
percentages with the pols & governments of the world -- and
congratulates itself for a mere 6%. I don't know.. I'm not catholic
nor do I understand religion.

I do understand the damage of childhood sexual abuse though,
and that it's everywhere, still.

[whathehell]

11. That would apply to any victim of any crime, were the stats 0.5%

Instead of being left to "wonder how the 94% number would work elsewher in society"

maybe you should actually do some research on those professions before

declaring "victory".

[whathehell]

13. Uh Oh..In addition to stats on teachers who molest children, we have an article on Daily Beast which

asserts that the percentage of priests molesting children is no higher than the percentage of men in general.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/04/07/mean-men.html

• The Statistics of Teacher sexual abuse to Students
•The best estimate is that 15% of students will be sexually abused by a member of the school staff during their school career.
•Though, when the American Association of University Women Foundation surveyed more than 1,600 students in eighth through 11th grade, 25 percent of the girls and 10 percent of the boys who said they had been harassed or abused said the harasser was a school employee.
•The number of K-12 public and private school students in 1996 who have been or will be sexually abused by a member of the school staff is nearly 7 million of 51,331,000.
•Between 1% and 5% of teachers sexually abuse or harass students.
•At least a quarter of all school districts in the United States have dealt with a case of staff sexual abuse in the past ten years.
•Most cases of sexual abuse of students by teachers are never reported.
•In nearly half of the cases, suspects were accused of abusing more than one student.
•Only two cases were cases of false accusations; less than 1 percent of the cases studied.

[trotsky]

14. See, the thing is, no one has ever claimed it was higher. So your entire post is a red herring.

It's the coverup and protection and corrupt leadership of the church. No other profession enjoys such institutional protection from their crimes. And the time & money from its adherents enables the whole rotten structure.

[whathehell]

16. See, the thing is, you don't realize that someone already HAS claimed it,

namely, the poster I responded to, so you couldn't be more wrong.

"Wonder how the 94% number would work elsewhere in society? Good news, 94% of teachers, social workers, doctors and baby sitters do not molest their charges. Really doesn't work does it"?

[trotsky]

18. Actually, you are not understanding what that person said.

But it's fun seeing you get angry based on your misinterpretation of the facts.

[whathehell]

19. Actually, you don't take correction well, do you?

If I'm "not understanding" what the poster said

why hasn't that person informed me of such,

rather than have you to "interpret" for her?

Angry?...Hell, I'm having fun!

[trotsky]

20. They probably had the good sense of what to do in the face of futility.

Me, sometimes I just like to string out the humiliation for certain folks.

[whathehell]

21. Good try, LOL.

if more than a tad lame.

[Humanist_Activist]

22. I'm sooo glad that defending child rapists and the ones who cover them up is so fucking fun for you.

[whathehell]

23. Bullshit

and you know it.

Back at ya.

[Humanist_Activist]

29. Really, put up or shut up, talk to some of the victims...

explain to them why many of the priests who violated them and the ones who covered it up are still unpunished and free to molest again.

[whathehell]

37. I DID put up..

You just don't like WHAT I put up.

How do you know that I have NOT talked to victims?

Again...What part of "Go bitch at the source" do you not understand?!?

[Humanist_Activist]

38. No, you put up shit that has only slight relevence to this thread, and has nothing to do with the...

cover ups and scandals of the Catholic Church. It wouldn't even matter if only 1% of priests actually molest children if the other 99% cover up for them, its still atrocious. So what was the point of your initial post?

[whathehell]

40. Let me explain this to you in a way you might understand..

The "point" of my initial post would already be understood by you

if you had done the right thing, which is to first CHECK the post to which MY initial post replied.

Get it?....You see, if you're going to attack someone, it's helpful to actually READ

that first post to SEE what generated it...If you had, you might actually

understand what they are talking about and would not have to ask, after attacking

them repeatedly, "So what was the point of your initial post".

[trotsky]

27. "Everybody else does it too"

has become the excuse du jour for the Catholic church.

And they have the nerve to lecture the rest of the world about morals.

[Humanist_Activist]

30. Exactly, if a public school teacher was molesting kids and the administration or school board...

tried to cover it up, I'd be calling for them to be thrown in jail as well as the teacher. They would deserve it.

[skepticscott]

24. And in how many of those cases

did the school principals and the district administration know all about the rape of children and failed to inform the civil authorities, judging that the crimes should be dealt with within the system? In how many of those cases was a rapist teacher shuffled off to another school by administrators who had full knowledge of their crimes but told no one at their new job what kind of sicko the kids were being exposed to?

And in how many cases, after crimes like this by teachers DID come to light, did the school district still claim the moral authority to dictate to the whole rest of the fucking WORLD how they should live their lives?

And your excuse is "everyone else was doing it"? You make me sick.

[whathehell]

25. Since I've GIVEN you the stats AND the Daily Beast article, do your own fucking research

and draw you're OWN conclusions.

I'm not making any fucking "excuses", I provided MATERIAL,

so if you need a messenger to shoot, shoot THEM.

Finger pointers with bad aim like you make ME sick!

[skepticscott]

26. Yes, and your "material" did NOTHING

but say "Look, other people are raping children too, so don't blame the Catholic Church". And your attempt at an analogy to other child rapists fails miserably, for the stated reasons. You're the apologist here, not me. You're the one trying to pretend that what the Catholic Church has done for decades, if not centuries, isn't really that bad and shouldn't be criticized, so I'll point my damn finger where I please, thank you very much. If you want to be as upset about me as I am about defenders and apologists for child rapists, it wouldn't surprise me at all.

[whathehell]

28. Did you even bother to READ it?..If so, why not go bitch to The Daily Beast?

or are you too LAZY and filled with self-righteousness ANGER

to aim it anyone other than the CLOSEST target?

I'm no "apologist" for anyone who molests a child, be it a priest

or a Little League coach...In fact if you had bothered to ask me

rather than ATTACK me, I'd tell you I think that abuse by the clergy is even MORE

heinous due to their "role" as representatives of God and "morality".

That being said, those who attack others for simply delivering information

are no better than book burners.

[skepticscott]

31. Here's a hint for you

When you post someone else's vile, apologetic bullshit, it becomes YOUR vile, apologetic bullshit too. You don't get to deliberately and specifically link to an article (the message of which you no doubt agree with) that says, in effect "everyone else is doing it", and then point a finger at the source and say "Don't blame me...I'm just the messenger!" You could have chosen any number of articles about priest rape and church coverups to link to, but you chose this piece of crap. It's now on you too.

[whathehell]

33. Here's a hint for YOU:

I'm sorry that the evidence uncovered by the Daily Beast and others

displeases you, undermining, as it does, your preconceived notions and

sense of justified group hatred....Unfortunately, that's not my problem.

Their is no "message"..It's a finding of fact..."Everyone" is certainly NOT "doing it"

since child molesters, thankfully, are a minority population.

As to what I "get to do"...That's for a a jury of my DU peers to decide,

not YOU.

I have NOTHING else to say to you.

[skepticscott]

35. I had no preconceived notions

and nothing you or your favored source has said answers what I posted in #24.

When I see another sex scandal in which hundreds if not thousands of children were raped and otherwise sexually molested over the course of decades if not centuries, in which the hierarchy of the organization under which it happened not only covered up the crimes and shielded the perpetrators from just punishment, but abetted the continuation of those crimes by transferring the rapists to new posts without telling anyone of their history, where this was known, acknowledged and supported by the organization up the the very highest levels, and where the organization in the midst of all this had the temerity to dictate morality to the entire world, then I'll acknowledge that what your article implies has relevance. Until then, I'll feel free to point out the crimes of the Catholic Church as morally reprehensible, and not excused at all by saying, in effect "everyone else is doing it too".

[whathehell]

36. Of course you did and still do

and guess what, I'm getting quite TIRED of you

and your twisting the article as some "favorite source".

In case you haven't heard, The Daily Beast isn't exactly a Right wing 'zine

in love with the RC Church...Duh.

Fact is, dear, I don't give a flying fook WHAT you think, I don't need to

"answer" to you, and I'm not indulging your bullshit anymore.

Welcome to a PERMANENT goodbye.

[skepticscott]

39. Awwwww...and you promised

you had NOTHING else to say to me. I was so hoping. But you seem unable to restrain your rather unelaborate rants, and I have a feeling I know why.

If you feel the need to stick your fingers in your ears and pull the usual "Blah, blah, blah....I'm not listening to you!", you won't be missed, so feel free.

[whathehell]

41. BWAHAHAHAHA!

While you do seem a tad "challenged", in the cognitive area,

I thought you'd at least be able to distinguish a "promise" from a "statement".

I guess not..

[skepticscott]

42. Oooohhhh...an insult...an original one too

Apparently "permanent goodbye" has a different meaning in your neck of the woods. But keep at it...

[whathehell]

43. Ooooooohhhhh...a "comeback"...or a lame attempt at one.

But since you think that "statement and "promise" are synonyms,

you obviously need to be graded on a curve.

[Humanist_Activist]

32. For fuck's sake, don't pass the buck now, own up to what you posted...

if you are that ashamed of it, then shut up about it.

[whathehell]

34. For fucks sake, stop shooting the messenger!

If you disagree with the findings, argue with FACTS and EVIDENCE,

I didn't "make up" the fucking thing...Unlike everyone else bitching here,

I actually went and RESEARCHED it, and frankly, I was surprised myself!

I'll "shut up" about it when everyone else, including you, does the same.

[Humanist_Activist]

17. They aren't innocent if they cover up for the 6%. n/t

[peace13]

2. This is wrong on so many levels!

The fact that they have a term for it, "Clerical abuse survivors", is even worse. If I had a church and they had a term for abuse victims I would never let my children near the place! Really, I think that parents need to face the facts that quite possibly their children are not safe in church. They can not expect that the church will keep them safe. The article reads like the church has a PR problem. Go figure!

[get the red out]

3. They are so dismayed!

Every time their cover-ups don't work.

[Angry Dragon]

5. The RCC has lost its soul

God will know them by their deeds

[deacon_sephiroth]

15. dear catholic priests

ok enough, just cut it out, we're not even shocked anymore.