Comments on: Irish bishop resigns over child abuse – but Ratzinger has still to apologise properly

By: Elias

Elias — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 01:59:57 +0000

I think those who covered up sexual abuse against children may have had sexual encounters with those priests caught and will not go after them in fear of being reveald.Bottom line they are all bunch of sick people.When my 11 year old son was asked to serve as an altar I refused to let him do that.

By: PrajnaSword

PrajnaSword — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:18:14 +0000

Well how about that. The devil really does were Prada!

By: Bonsecour

Bonsecour — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:55:33 +0000

How come our pope can issue edicts against gays and against people who are not of our religion,whilst he cannot and WILLNOT speak out against His own clergy who have committed the most grevious sin of all against a child,God may forgive him

By: Fedupwith

Fedupwith — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:15:08 +0000

I imagine that the sexual abuse of children goes on everywhere priests and monks are to be found. Buddhist monasteries are full of very young children. Many poor parents get rid of their children this way. Buddhist monks also recuperate orphans and difficult kids claiming to offer them a better life. I Know nothing about about the Russian/Greek Orthodox Churches but if their priests are celibate there will certainly be abusers among them.

By: Joy Jones

Joy Jones — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:18:01 +0000

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By: Serai

Serai — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:09:54 +0000

Yes the silentlambs site could do with an overhaul, but as you can see the policies are very similar. I brought up the JW’s as I have some personal experience with them and their way of doing things.

As for your question, I think I can answer that to a degree at least. I think it is because you are encouraged to develop a very binary view as a member of a religion. Everything within the church is to be seen as ‘good’ and everything outside is ‘bad’. So when someone comes along and says something within the church is ‘bad’, they must be either lying or mistaken, to accept otherwise is to accept that your comfortable binary worldview is wrong.

Of course that’s an over simplification, but I think it does summarise nicely how the mindset works.

By: David B

David B — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:35:11 +0000

Thanks for that, Serai.

The silentlambs website is not the easiest to read.

It does make it clear, though, that the JWs also cover things up to avoid public scandal about the church, does not report offences to the authorities, and will disfellow those who do make things public while not taking similar action against abusers.

Which seems very similar to the Catholic policy.

What is it about religion that makes people act immorally?

David B

By: Serai

Serai — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:24:08 +0000

David B, I don’t know much of the details regarding the catholic church policy, I was basing my post on what is stated above. The covering up and threatening plaintiffs with excommunication or disfellowshipping etc is the same though.

The JW’s have an interesting policy whereby you cannot make an accusation without having two witnessess. They also have files on all members and keep track of sex abusers, but they instruct the elders not to pass this information on to the police, even or perhaps especially, if new accusations arise.

If you are interested more info can be found at silentlambs.org.

By: Normand

Normand — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:22:40 +0000

As a non-practicing ex-catholic I can’t for the life of me see why everyone always refer to Ratzinger as “Holy Father.”!!!! What in hell’s name is holy about him!!!! I just look at his face and I cringe! Just refer to him as Ratzinger please. Why are there so many people who continue to look at this man with awe and what amounts to adoration and fall on their knees for his blessing as if it will bring them some supernatural benefit!!!!! It escapes me…..and yet, when I was younger I believed all that crap they fed us but if I an now see through it why are so many people so gullible!!! Well, I figure that if some people can send millions to Anal Roberts who saw a 900 foot Jesus what can you expect from someone they believe to be a living god! Shades of Startreck!!

By: David B

David B — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:20:35 +0000

Reply to comment 4

I didn’t know it, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Do you know if de jure or de facto the catholic church follows the same sort of disfellowship line as the JWs concerning those who decide to leave?

The RCC certainly wasn’t kind to those who brought up accusations of child abuse, even those who remained indoctrinated.

David B