Sex abuse rife in other religions, says Vatican

[IndianaGreen]

Does this sound familiar to any of you. The "they all do it" excuse that parents often hear from a trouble making child.

Sex abuse rife in other religions, says Vatican

Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent, and Anushka Asthana
guardian.co.uk, Monday 28 September 2009 22.41 BST

The Vatican has lashed out at criticism over its handling of its paedophilia crisis by saying the Catholic church was "busy cleaning its own house" and that the problems with clerical sex abuse in other churches were as big, if not bigger.

In a defiant and provocative statement, issued following a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva, the Holy See said the majority of Catholic clergy who committed such acts were not paedophiles but homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males.

The statement, read out by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to the UN, defended its record by claiming that "available research" showed that only 1.5%-5% of Catholic clergy were involved in child sex abuse.

He also quoted statistics from the Christian Scientist Monitor newspaper to show that most US churches being hit by child sex abuse allegations were Protestant and that sexual abuse within Jewish communities was common.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/28/sex-abuse-religion-vatican

[msongs]

1. 2000 years of rape torture murder and genocide, bet thats in other religions too nt

[Captain Hilts]

2. Very true. But the RCs had the bureaucracy to protect the criminals. nt

[RagAss]

3. Hahahahahahahahahaha

[WillParkinson]

4. They started it...

We just didn't want to be leaving anyone behind....

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Leave no child's behind…

[TankLV]

5. Oh - well - that makes it all OK then...

[donheld]

6. Everybody else is doing it so why can't we?

[kanrok]

7. I think you're missing the point

Pedophiles find easy access through whatever means possible.

The Catholic Church is the big dog on the block.

One billion plus.

it is expected that a religion that vast will have their share of pedophiles, just like any group.

The fact that they have less of a percentage of pedophiles is a good thing, don't you think?

[Tutankhamun]

8. Religions are full of all sorts of evil. Pedophilia is just the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps the Vatican could have used that angle instead.

[provis99]

9. as many as 5% of clergy are pedophiles???!!!!!???

Jeebus fucking christ, that a huge number! How can Tomasi say it is only 5% of clergy who rape little kids? That's a goddamn epidemic, by the Church's own spokesman!

[TrogL]

10. dingdingdingding - Logical Fallacy

Two people doing a bad thing does not make it not a bad thing.

[burning rain]

11. I guess the RC church is done trying to argue that it's any good....

--just that its awfulness doesn't exceed that of other religions. OK then! Hell of an advertisement for a religion!

[paparush]

12. On Edit - Sex abuse rife in other religions too, says Vatican nt

[madmom]

13. So I'm sure there is some religion out there that says sex with kids is part of their

dogma. Just because others do it.........

[Rebubula]

14. Well of course they did

All people of power abuse those without power and have since the Lascaux cave paintings were still wet.

That the church would say that in a way that tried to excuse their actions is unforgivable; just like the abuse and constant cover up.

Seriously...fuck religion.

[noel711]

16. Soo ... is "The Church" the Roman Catholic church??

Or all forms of religion?

don't take seriously the justifications of a terrified
Roman Catholic editorialist. They're losing out big time.

But to whitewash all religions because of the editorial rantings of
a paranoid priest is very narrow minded.
First of all, he's wrong.
Some kind of sexual misconduct occurs in all organizations where there
is 'top down' domination system. The church is not exempt.
But his justification is futile. Most misconduct in protestant
and Jewish communities isn't child oriented.. its most often the
male pastor/rabbi having affairs with a woman in the parish.
In Roman Catholic circles,
which mandate celibacy for clergy, there is a a huge difference.
That male-oriented culture views women's sexuality as debasing,
but turns a blind eye to preying on children. And the church domination system
keeps the priest above suspicion, and labels child victims as liars.

With your kind of thinking ("fuck religion") you seem to be saying that-
if one does it, then all are guilty..
So, a prominant hollywood film maker rapes a 13 year old girl.
Well hell, then, all Hollywood types are perverts,
and we should not go to movies or watch television because
they are the products of those HOllywood perverts.

but I don't see that coming.
It's much easier to condemn religion... even tho it was the religion
of Mahatma Ghandi inspired him to stand up to free India by the salt march,
and inspired a young Martin Luther King Jr.
to promote non-violent marches for civil rights.

It was religion.. the protestant reformation that began the split with
the dominant Roman Catholic culture, and ushered in women's rights
yes, it started there, Luther (not without his own flaws) promoted educating women),
and the promotion of education of all children, not just the rich and famous.

Even tho it was religion that inspired the greatest art
and music of our culture. Even tho it was religion that
began the human rights for all..

Her faith sent Mother Theresa into the slums of India..
to minister to the untouchables... and I don't see too many
others doing that.

But because of the rantings of the illiterate so-called 'religious'
right.. and the propensity of the misogynistic and homophobic
Roman Catholic church to abuse children, it's obvious that because
of those cases, then anyone who has any faith at all, any compassion at all,
any view of the world being worthy of care and compassion, must be crazy,
and thus.. all religion sucks.

Far too easy..

[JohnWxy]

17. Gosh, does he know (or recognize that) there are "other religions"??

That's news!