Archbishop says pending report to show Irish priests abused 'thousands' of children

[babsbunny]

Archbishop says pending report to show Irish priests abused 'thousands' of children

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Reports_Irish_priests_sexually_abused_thousands_0409.html

Stephen C. Webster
Published: Thursday April 9, 2009


At a Thursday mass in Dublin's Pro-Cathedral, an Irish Archbishop shocked his congregation, which included numerous priests, by exclaiming that a forthcoming investigative report will reveal that over three decades, Irish Catholic priests have abused "thousands" of children.

" will make us and the entire church a humbler church," he said.

[valerief]

1. Decades ago when I was a kid here in the U.S., I thought it was common

knowledge that priests abused kids. I mean, if I knew about it, duh, plenty of adults would have, too. I think it was just accepted back then.

I have a friend who has an uncle who molested various nieces and nephews in their family. He's old now and the nieces and nephews are middle-aged. At family gatherings, no one confronts him.

I mean, people keep going off to war to make rich people richer. The human race must accept and maybe even like pain, abuse, and suffering. Why would they let it happen so often?

[KurtNYC]

2. Denial is, or seems, easier in the short run

This is American afterall and as the Boss says, we keep our "darkness on the edge of town.

I don't think it was ever accepted. It was denied, minimalized or rationalized but it wasn't as if families were just thinking 'well we just have to let the preists do that if we want to attend mass."

btw, there is a huge art collection in Rome just waiting to pay the plaintiffs of lawsuits.


edit for bolding

[walkaway]

3. My Dad's best friend at St Peters Prep in Jersey City

was sexually abused by a priest. My Dad was one of the witnesses who came forward in his defense. In the end the witnesses retracted their testimony to the school board even though it was true. My Dad's friend was expelled and his parents shunned at their church.

This was in the 1940s. Dad is in his eighties and he still volunteers at his church. He even sent my brother and I to catholic schools. For the time we attended we were both unhappy and either suffered or witnessed plenty of physical and mental abuse.

Now the entire family (except poor Dad) are happy Atheists and all of our children are being raised away from dark churches filled with bloody statues and predatory priests and frustrated old women who smack little ones.

[valerief]

4. I'm not a fan of any religions, but Catholicism is particulary ghoulish. nt