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

[defendandprotect]

1. We also have to note that the Catholic Church has used taxpayer money

given to them as a "faith-based-religion" evidently to pay lawsuits having
to do with with sexual abuse of children by their priests!!!

An article elsewhere which I posted -- on ACORN, in fact -- mentions this is
under investigation!!!


And, I say -- let's get all of them -- did the Vatican name names???

And, let's rejoice -- only 1.5% to 5% of Catholic clergy wee involved in child sex abuse!!!

Any one of them could have had hundreds of vitims --

AND, their criminal activity was covered up by the RCC and Vatican as they lied over and
again to parents -- intimidating them -- and moving the priests around to other parishes
where they could prey on other children!

[pnwmom]

2. The issue is not the small number of priests who turned out to be pedophiles.

The issue is that because of the ongoing cover-up by the hierarchy, over decades, these priests had access to many more victims than they otherwise would have.

[Warpy]

4. Exactly, the priests wouldn't have been a huge problem

had the hierarchy not covered it up for decades, possibly centuries.

As for the Vatican pointing fingers elsewhere, of course there is sexual abuse in all religions. Abusers gravitate toward religion, it's a great cover.

However, last time I checked, two wrongs are still wrong. They'll never make a right and "He did it too!" hasn't worked for most of us since we were pre schoolers.

Shame on them for trying it.

[pnwmom]

7. Be careful, Warpy.

It sounds like you're agreeing with me again.

;)

[jwirr]

5. I was a consultant in a case in our synod and the first thing I told them

was not to try to cover it up and to deal with it in a Christian way - honestly and openly with concern for the victims as the first priority. Unfortunately the ministers wanted to handle it that way BUT the lawyers for the national organization wanted to protect themselves from being sued.

[pnwmom]

8. How long ago was that? Just curious. n/t

[jwirr]

9. 8-9 years ago. The congregation was sued and paid. The victims

were also given counseling. The minister was dismissed.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. Don't accuse them of paedophilia, it's "ephebophilia".

:wtf:

[no_hypocrisy]

6. Begging the question.

Tell the Pontiff to stay on point. He has to directly address the accusations of child abuse for decades in The Church which hid and moved the priests and condoned the behavior.

[DeSwiss]

10. This simply acknowledges what many have believed for some time.....

...that religious institutions, as the substantive edifice for fantastical ideas, is also the perfect cover for the truly sick mind. And yes, you're right, you're not alone in your depravity Catholic Church. However such a comparison thusfar is a http://stopbaptistpredators.org/index.htm">case of millipedes being compared to the proverbial 900 pound gorilla(s). If for no other reason than you've been at it longer, and because no one, absolutely no one can compare when it comes to your organizational skills at THE COVERUP of said crimes.

- And besides, mom always said that when you point one finger at someone, three point back at you......



K&R

[Leontius]

13. Great cartoon in that post. nt

[struggle4progress]

11. Do we have date and text for this?

[struggle4progress]

12. OK: the IHEU complaint and Vatican response are on the IHEU website:

UN: IHEU calls the Vatican to account over child abuse
http://www.iheu.org/iheu-calls-vatican-recognize-its-responsibilities-children-and-under-un-convention

Holy See responds to IHEU criticism
... In the upcoming report of the Holy See to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is finalized as we speak, a paragraph will be dedicated to the problem of child abuse by catholic clergy ... From available research we now know that in the last fifty years somewhere between 1.5% and 5% of the catholic clergy has been involved in sexual abuse cases ... About 85% of the offenders of child sexual abuse are family members, babysitters, neighbors, family friends or relatives ... The Church is very conscious of the seriousness of the problem. The Code of Canon Law stipulates that priests involved in sexual abuse cases must be "punished with just punishments, not excluding expulsion from clerical state" ... As the Catholic Church has been busy cleaning its own house, it would be good if other institutions and authorities, where the major part of abuses are reported, could do the same and inform the media about it.
http://www.iheu.org/holy-see-responds-iheu-criticism

[rd_kent]

14. Pot, meet kettle.....