Pedophilia, rape and brutality within the sanctuary of the Church

[coldcreation]

Here is a list of The Catholic Church’s Latest Abuse Scandals, including those which transpired in Ireland (2,000 cases of abuse over a 60-year period), the Netherlands (nearly 200 allegations of abuse), Austria (over 20 cases of sexual abuse), Germany (at least 300 cases of abuse).

 

A series of explosive child sex abuse scandals has hit Western Europe in recent months, sending the Catholic Church into damage-control mode. While such scandals have become depressingly frequent since major allegations came out in the United States in 2002, the latest charges have been particularly damaging, implicating senior members of the Vatican hierarchy, including Pope Benedict XVI himself, and coming at a time when the church is already losing popularity on its home turf.

 

The Associated Press reports that since the mid-1990s there have been nearly 15,000 abuse cases leveled against the church, with legal claims attaining $1.5 billion.

 

A Vatican official acknowledges sexual abuse by up to 20,000 priests worldwide.

 

 

The above article was published March 16, 2010 (four days ago). Since then, more allegations have surfaced: Ex-teacher arrested in Chile; child sex abuse in Spain alleged. And it doesn't seem likely that allegations of pedophilia, rape and brutality within the sanctuary of the Church will stop there. Indeed, this may be only the tip of the iceberg.

 

 

Pope Benedict XVI wrote in a pastoral letter released today that he is "truly sorry" for the abuse suffered by victims at the hands of Catholic priests in Ireland. See this article.

 

And read Pope Benedict XVI's letter in full (pdf):

 

It is in this overall context that we must try to understand the disturbing problem of child sexual abuse, which has contributed in no small measure to the weakening of faith and the loss of respect for the Church and her teachings.

 

It seems the pope's main intention with this letter is to insure the "healing, renewal and reparation" of the damage done to the church (in Ireland). The hope of the pope is that "this painful situation will be resolved swiftly". Yet he knows that is nothing but wishful thinking. The pope writes: "Real progress has been made, yet much more remains to be done. Perseverance and prayer are needed, with great trust in the healing power of God’s grace."

 

I doubt prayer will be of any benefit. And I distrust the healing power of God’s grace.

 

At the same time, I must also express my conviction that, in order to recover from this grievous wound, the Church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenceless children. Such an acknowledgement, accompanied by sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.

 

The latter is an understatement. And as far as the former goes, rather than acknowledge before the Lord, it should be acknowledge before a judge ("others").

 

Enough with the don't ask, don't tell policy. Pedophilia, rape and brutality within the sanctuary of the Church needs to be flushed out. Get the guilty bastards away from children, behind bars where they belong; and keep them there!

 

Does any one second that motion?

 

 

 

Edit: If not, what should be done to stop these pedophiles, sexual and physical abusers?

 

Is the pope doing enough? If not, what should he do?

 

And let's not forget those that have been sexually abused. Is it time, high time, that they manifest themselves and denounce those prelate priest perpetrators (and other related perverts)?

 

 

 

CC

[coldcreation]

Here's a nice little study:

 

Roman Catholic sex abuse cases by country.

 

1 European countries

1.1 Austria

1.2 Belgium

1.3 Croatia

1.4 Czech Republic

1.5 France

1.6 Germany

1.7 Ireland

1.8 Italy

1.9 The Netherlands

1.10 Poland

1.11 Slovenia

1.12 Sweden

1.13 United Kingdom

 

2 Latin American countries

2.1 Argentina

2.2 Brazil

2.3 Chile

2.4 Mexico

2.5 Peru

 

3 North American countries

3.1 Canada

3.2 United States

 

4 Oceania countries

4.1 Australia

4.2 New Zealand

4.3 Philippines

 

See the article for details.

Spain still needs to be added to the list of European countries.

 

 

Can you say pandemic?

 

Sure...I knew you could say that.

 

 

 

CC

[coldcreation]

As father of a five year old boy, this topic is very important to me. And especially so since many schools here in Spain have religious underpinnings.

 

Every time I hear of, or read about, another sex abuse case (which is almost a daily occurrence these days), especially within the Church, it infuriates me. Any like minded individuals out there?

 

 

Certainly, there exists abuse is all sectors of society. That is unfortunate. What is even more unfortunate is that it is happening in the very place that proclaims a high level of moral values. "A human act is morally good if its object, its circumstances, and its end are good; if any of these is bad, the act is morally evil." :bouquet: (Fr. John Laux, Catholic Morality, 1934).

 

Sexual abuse is horrific in any circumstance, but what makes it particularly despicable in the church is that parents often send their kids there for a moral education, for their spiritual formation, to foster respect for the human person, in the spirit of the Gospel. The goal is to strengthen spiritual and moral values, not destroy them.

 

The objective moral value system that is supposed to prevail in the Church comes from His design, from God by descent (through the message of Christ, believe it or not). Therefore sexual abuse such as pedophilia within the sanctuary of the church reflects directly upon the god concept. Though since god (whatever that is) will unlikely respond to such allegations leveled against sex offenders (for whatever reason), it is the role of the second in command to do so (see Pope Benedict XVI pastoral letter above). Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI is responsible and has responded to some of the allegations.

 

 

Sexual abuse exists in all branches of society. But the relationship of the catholic sex abuse cases to other professions, according to Dr. Thomas Plante of Stanford University and Santa Clara University (A Perspective on Clergy Sexual Abuse) "available research suggests that approximately 2 to 5% of priests have had a sexual experience with a minor [under 18 years of age]" which "is lower than the general adult male population that is best estimated to be closer to 8%. Of course we could have expect better behavior from a priest than from the typical Joe Schmo walking the beat.

 

It could be argued, however, that in view of the policy of secrecy within the Catholic church, the estimate of 2-5% should be closer to 8% figure, if not higher. For example, it surfaced that some bishops facilitated compensation payments to sexual abuse victims on condition that the allegations remained secret. The Boston Globe revealed that the Archdiocese of Boston secretly settled child sexual abuse claims against at least 70 priests from 1992 to 2002.

 

 

Further more Plante writes:

 

80 to 90% of all priests who in fact abuse minors have sexually engaged with adolescent boys not prepubescent children. Thus, the teenager is more at risk than the young alter boy or girls of any age. Technically, the vast majority of priest sex offenders are not pedophiles at all but are ephebophiles. This may seem like an irrelevant semantic difference but the implications for prevention and treatment are enormous. Furthermore, this suggests that parents of teenage boys should be more concerned about sexual abuse by priests than parents of girls or prepubescent children of either gender. [...]

 

Most of the cases coming to light today are cases from 20, 30, and even 40 years ago. We did not know much about pedophilia and sexual abuse in general back then. In fact, the vast majority of the research on sexual abuse of minors didn't emerge until the early 1980's. So, it appeared reasonable at the time to treat these men and then return them to their priestly duties. In hindsight, this was a tragic mistake.

 

 

The virus of sexual abuse needs to be stopped. You may not be able to keep your kids out of school, but you can keep them away from priests. That seems to be at least one place to start. :naughty:

 

 

Any others?

 

 

 

 

CC

[coldcreation]

Chalk up another one for France:

 

a French priest has been arrested on sexual abuse and child pornography charges.

 

The Rev. Jacques Breton from the small village of Marcilly-le-Hayer was indicted on the charges Tuesday [...]

 

The sexual abuse charge involves a person older than 18 who filed the complaint, officials said. The priest has denied all the accusations.

Breton has been released from jail but is banned from contact with the alleged victim or any minors, officials said. Authorities said they are investigating whether there were other possible victims. Source

 

This pedophile priest had child-pornography photos on his hard-drive. Souvenir pictures he had taken of his victims.

 

It seems this debauchee was following in the footsteps of Henri Lebras sentenced to ten years for the rape of a twelve year old boy (between 1995 and 1998). And Denis Vadeboncoeur (a 65 year old Canadian priest) sentenced to 12 years in prison for the rape of minors at the paroisse de Lieurey (Eure) between 1989 and 1992. Or perhaps a follower of François Lefort; sentenced to eight years behind bars for the rape of six Senegalese children. Or Pierre Dufour; sentenced to 15 years in the slammer for rape and sexual assault.

 

Or maybe he's a follower of Bruno Kieffer, a pervert priest who gave gym lesson to nine year old girl (both him and her naked). This idiot showed off a latex thong he was wearing to his class. He was sentenced to one year for exhibition and sexual aggression of a fifteen year old girl.

 

Jean Luc Heckner before Breton, too, was sentenced to 16 years hard time on charges of raping seven young boys (11-14yrs) between 1992 and 1998.

 

So Reverend Breton will be in good company for a few years.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Pope's got his hands full. This is becoming a full-time job.

 

 

 

I look forward to the coming weeks, when more pervert priests, degenerate deacons or other members of the clergy will likely be exposed. :QuestionM

 

 

:(

 

 

CC

[Buffy]

digby put up a blog post on the topic today:

 

This morning page 10 of the New York Times featured three different stories of cover ups of child molestation by the Catholic hierarchy. There's the Vatican's terse "this is old news" non-denial denial about the Pope's personal knowledge of several cases, there's the ongoing horror story of the Legionnaries of Christ's leader, Father Maciel and his decades of abuse, and now this truly shocking story of a priest molesting deaf boys for decades in a school in Wisconsin. There's this story elsewhere in the paper about the Pope being far more concerned with the Church being "liberalized" than pedophile priests....

 

Stories of priest molestations have been around for a long time here in the US and are cropping up all over the world. The church has been covering up for pedophiles and child abusers for what appears to be forever. But one of the under discussed aspects of this story is the fact that the civilian authorities wouldn't do anything either. (Ireland is the worst case where the police were actually involved.) The case of the deaf students is particularly stark. Those kids reported that stuff for decades. They tried everything they could think of to stop it and nobody would listen...

 

The deference given to churches in our society rendered our civil justice system impotent, especially in communities where the church was powerful. There's something deeply disturbing about that.

 

What's interesting to me about all this is that it's not really the core teachings or doctrines of the church, but the ancient and outmoded but ingrained practices of separation of the sexes and "vows of chastity" that are common to many older religions in combination with the natural human tendency to amorally defend the group against even justified attacks from the outside. Conversely it's interesting that the American Baptists seem to like to go at it like bunnies, don't object to "social mixing" of boys and girls, and have no problem with contraception, just so long as you're married (well, it might be your neighbor's wife, but at least you're both married so it's okay!).

 

My point is that because of these practices, the church sets up a roach motel for same-sex pedophiles and the result should not be surprising. What annoys me though is that I think the press--because it's opposite sex and therefore normal--has paid nowhere near as much attention to these polygamists with multiple 14-year-old "wives" that we seem to have so many of out here in the western states(and often they're not branded as polygamists as with Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Lee Dugard cases show although these sickos all give the same excuses about "protecting and loving" them). Not only are these girls molested but they're *imprisoned* for years at a time. ...but at least no major church is "sanctioning" them....well at least not *publicly*....

 

When I have proved that I am right, and get all the world subdued under me, I think I shall deserve something, :(

Buffy

[coldcreation]

Good points Buffy.

 

 

Sexual abuse by trusted priests is even more traumatic than molestation by non-church perverts (such as incestuous molesters or friends of the family, or even unknown idiots). Priests are especially trusted and respected, making their crimes particularly hideous.

 

 

This is one step the Catholic Church has taken recently to reprimand its homegrown pedophile sex-offender priests:

 

The Roman Catholic Church realized, very tardily, that it had to overhaul its rules regarding predatory priests. At the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held in Dallas in June of 2002, the conferees voted to require all bishops to report any allegation of a sex crime by a priest against a minor to the police. The bishops also voted that any priest who has abused a minor must be deprived of a ministry but did not demand that all such priests be defrocked. Some critics were disappointed that automatic defrocking was not part of the new program. The new rules also said that bishops must fully disclose a priest's record to any parish into which he is transferred. Source: Pedophile Priest: The Crimes of Father Geoghan

 

This is kind of gross, from the same article.

 

After his conviction, Geoghan was sent to the protective custody unit in Massachusetts's Concord prison.

Child molesters are the lowest of the low on the inmate hierarchy. But, as reported by Newsweek in a September 2003 article called ''Preying on the Predator,'' Geoghan's chief tormentors at Concord were not other prisoners but the outraged guards. Correction officers are believed to have regularly spat in his food. They called him ''Satan'' and ''Lucifer'' and insisted that the former priest – who was still a Catholic since he had been defrocked but not excommunicated – answer to those names. On one occasion, Geoghan is supposed to have discovered that a guard had defecated in his bed.

 

 

I hadn't realized (or I forgot) that the Boston pedophile/molester priest was killed by a rabidly homophobic thug member of the white racist prison gang Aryan Brotherhood:

 

After several months in Concord, Geoghan was transferred to a prison in Shirley, Mass., and again put in a protective custody unit. When one of his attorneys visited in April 2003, Geoghan told her that he was relieved to be at this prison where he could spend his time in his cell praying. Always a man of grotesque contradictions, he remained ''fervently'' religious.

 

Geoghan would not be relieved for long. On Aug. 23, a young, powerfully built murderer named Joseph Druce went into Geoghan's cell where he bound, gagged, then strangled the 68-year-old child molester. Druce repeatedly jumped on the man as he lay dying.

 

As a response team tried to open the door that Druce had tightened shut with a book, the now double murderer told them, ''Don't bother to hurry. He's already dead.''

 

 

 

''How do you get a priest to make love with a nun?'' Answer: ''Dress her up as an altar boy.''

 

 

CC

[gopalan]

The whole Catholic organization should be referred to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) for crimes against humanity.

[Buffy]

...and now they close ranks:

 

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan...the leader of the nation’s second-largest diocese urged his congregation to pray for the pope, saying he was suffering some of the same unjust accusations once faced by Jesus.

(h/t

Daily Kos)

 

No moral system can rest solely on authority, :)

Buffy

[coldcreation]

...and now they close ranks:

 

Originally Posted by Boston Herald, 3/28/2010

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan...the leader of the nation’s second-largest diocese urged his congregation to pray for the pope, saying he was suffering some of the same unjust accusations once faced by Jesus.

 

(h/t

Daily Kos)

 

No moral system can rest solely on authority, :)

Buffy

 

 

Hmm, I wonder why the section about Jesus covering up for his fellow sex offender child molesting pedophile prelates, apostles and saints was deleted from the bible.

 

What a crock of nonsense :hihi:.

 

Thanks for that Buffy.

 

 

"I read this in the paper this morning: New York City has a priest shortage. So you see, there is some good news in the world. ... To give you an idea how bad it is, earlier today in Brooklyn an alter boy had to grope himself." —David Letterman

 

 

 

CC

[coldcreation]

Another Bishop bites the dust.

 

This time in Belgium, again :P:

 

Belgium's Catholic bishop of Bruges quits over abuse

 

The Vatican said Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the resignation.

 

The Catholic Church has come under severe pressure over child sexual abuse allegations emerging across the world.

 

"Before I was a bishop and for a certain time afterwards I sexually abused a young boy close to me," Bishop Vangheluwe said in a letter that was read out at a press conference in Brussels.

 

The letter said the victim was still mentally "scarred" by the abuse.

 

 

Let's see if anyone can predict where, not when (that will likely be next week), the next abuse case will emerge. :bouquet:

 

 

 

CC

[Pyrotex]

I'll put a ten-spot down on Poland.

 

Papa needs a new pair of shoes!

[modest]

History, it seems, is not without a sense of irony...

 

Many Jews were massacred at the hands of Catholics when rumors spread that Christian children were being abducted and sacrificed in Jewish rituals. Moreover, King Henry III sent 90 Jewish citizens of his kingdom to the tower of London to be charged with taking part in the ritual murder of Christian children. They were tortured, and many killed. The king’s motivation was monetary. If he charged them with crimes and executed them he could take their land.

 

Of course, I’m not advocating mobs take to the streets massacring random Christians. Nor to torture and execute them in a dungeon. Those wouldn’t be very non-Christian things to do. But, we can learn something from history.

 

The church has some of the best real estate in the world. Any parish harboring a sexual predator—dressing him up in pajamas—giving him servant boys to help with the wine, candles, and the hand washing—and, of course, making him take a vow of celibacy so as to deprive him of appropriate intimate relationships and frustrate him sexually—should be seized by the state. Just take the parish. Auction it and give half the proceeds to the families of the victims and the other half to abuse recovery groups and predator watchdog groups.

 

If the fear of God won’t motivate the church to cut this crap out then maybe fear of losing their pocketbook would.

 

~modest

[coldcreation]

The church has some of the best real estate in the world. Any parish harboring a sexual predator—dressing him up in pajamas—giving him servant boys to help with the wine, candles, and the hand washing—and, of course, making him take a vow of celibacy so as to deprive him of appropriate intimate relationships and frustrate him sexually—should be seized by the state. Just take the parish. Auction it and give half the proceeds to the families of the victims and the other half to abuse recovery groups and predator watchdog groups.

 

If the fear of God won’t motivate the church to cut this crap out then maybe fear of losing their pocketbook would.

 

~modest

 

You're damn right. That would definitely help. And make all the other churches pay property tax.

 

 

Anyway, I was trying to predict where the next sexual abuse case would emerge.

 

It turns out that location is Brazil.

 

But it didn't surface next week.

 

It surfaced yesterday:

 

Brazil arrests 'pedophile' priest

 

A Roman Catholic priest has been arrested in Brazil after a video captured on a hidden camera depicted him as sexually abusing a choir boy.

 

Two other clerics also face similar charges as three former choir boys say they have been abused by them.

 

"I want to tell you, your honor, only one word: I'm not a pedophile," 84-year-old cleric Luiz Marques Barbosa told a court hearing, according to Reuters.

 

The footage, which was broadcast on a Brazilian TV network and is now available for sale in streets, shows Barbosa engaged in sexual misconduct in front of a church altar.

 

Looks like the video (somewhat edited with blur-out) was uploaded to YouTube.

 

Towards the end of the video the priest realizes that someone is recording from a window and asks "Who's there? Who's out there?"

 

Check out this sick puppy in action (his face is clearly visible). Towards the end of the video the priest realizes that someone is recording from a window and asks "Who's there? Who's out there?":

 

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUhiXLrLFig&feature=player_embedded

 

 

 

Oh my god!

 

:Glasses:

 

 

CC

[coldcreation]

Well, I was kind of hoping to have a peaceful weekend, free-of sexual abuse scandals. It looks like those hopes have been dashed. This time the perpetrator was a former assistant Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America.

 

But wait, it turns out the Church had sponsored the Boy Scout troop this particular pedophile sex-offender had repeatedly dipped his hands. And it wasn't inside no cookie jar.

 

Published today on cnn.com...

 

Jury verdict hits Boy Scouts with $18.5 million in punitive damages

 

though the scout leader was removed, he was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued...Dykes told troop leaders he abused 17 scouts...

 

The 53-year-old convicted sex offender was released from prison in 2005 and paroled until 2013.

 

While holding the Boy Scouts of America 60 percent negligent, the jury said the Cascade Pacific Council -- which oversees Scouting activities in the region -- was 15 percent negligent and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 25 percent negligent.

 

During the six-week trial, Clark produced documents that he said were part of an archive of previously secret Boy Scout files that chronicled decades of abuse of boys.

 

The church has sponsored a number of Boy Scout troops, including the one to which the plaintiff belonged.

 

 

 

_____________________

 

 

 

"The U.S. Cardinals said they are going to develop a code of ethics to help them deal with the sexual scandal. Wait a minute, I thought their already was a code of ethics, it's called the Bible."

 

"Isn't it crazy with all these church scandals? I'm beginning to understand how all those Bibles ended up in hotel rooms."

 

"Today the Catholic Church unveiled its new policy. Don't ask, don't confess."

 

(Jay Leno)

 

 

CC