R~O~S
11-27-2009, 11:47 AM
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2009/11/27/irish_bishops_faulted_on_abuse/
Over 60,000 documented case files dating back to 1940 of abuse against children kept secret. Reports made to Catholic Police who then turned the reports back over to the church without further investigation. Priests shuttled from one parish to another and in some cases to other countries to continue their abuse. A secret insurance policy taken in 1987 to cover potential claims, all the while keeping those claims secret, with no move to remove the abusing priests & nothing reported to police for action until 1995.
I'm deeply troubled by this report. I can't for the life of me understand why the Roman Catholic Church maintains it's stature in the mainstream to dictate morality.
Can anyone really believe at this point that neither the Irish nor US church leaders conferred with the Vatican for guidance over the years regarding how to handle these matters or that the Vatican's lack of any real condemnation of these acts constitutes approval?
When the Boston abuse crisis erupted, Cardinal Law resigned his post in Boston. They quietly moved him to a small monastery in Connecticut, for a short while.
When it all died down in the press, Pope John Paul appointed Law to a post in Rome, putting him in charge of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with the title of Archpriest. He is also a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
If this were a lesser known religion with a smaller congregation and lacking the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church they'd be vilified in the press and public perception. Words like "cult" & "brainwashing" would be used.
Is anyone else struggling to maintain their beliefs while coming to terms with the crimes committed by men put in a position to lead the church?
Pedophiles will find their victims by putting themselves in a position to have access to children. But our church leaders chose to leave them in those positions for decades without taking any action to protect the children.
To my mind, it's the church leaders who committed the greater harm. They were in a position to stop it, instead they chose to allow it & enable it by moving them from one group of victims to a brand new group of unsuspecting victims again and again for decades.
I'm having a very difficult time with all of this. My faith remains strong, I believe in the written tenants of the faith. I'm having a very difficult time maintaining a relationship with the church. I don't know how to resolve it. They hold the very sacraments of the faith hostage, yet to continue patronizing them gives a silent support for their actions for which I've yet to see any true remorse or indication of reversal.
What I do see is the Vatican turning a blind eye & allowing each individual diocese to absorb the financial burden while feigning ignorance for the purpose of protecting the wealth of the Vatican rather than a call to open church files world wide and help heal those harmed by it's decades of inaction.
For so many of these victims the mere acknowledgment of the wrong done to them would go so far in helping them heal & the only true authority capable of giving them that in any meaningful way is the Pope.
Over 60,000 documented case files dating back to 1940 of abuse against children kept secret. Reports made to Catholic Police who then turned the reports back over to the church without further investigation. Priests shuttled from one parish to another and in some cases to other countries to continue their abuse. A secret insurance policy taken in 1987 to cover potential claims, all the while keeping those claims secret, with no move to remove the abusing priests & nothing reported to police for action until 1995.
I'm deeply troubled by this report. I can't for the life of me understand why the Roman Catholic Church maintains it's stature in the mainstream to dictate morality.
Can anyone really believe at this point that neither the Irish nor US church leaders conferred with the Vatican for guidance over the years regarding how to handle these matters or that the Vatican's lack of any real condemnation of these acts constitutes approval?
When the Boston abuse crisis erupted, Cardinal Law resigned his post in Boston. They quietly moved him to a small monastery in Connecticut, for a short while.
When it all died down in the press, Pope John Paul appointed Law to a post in Rome, putting him in charge of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with the title of Archpriest. He is also a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
If this were a lesser known religion with a smaller congregation and lacking the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church they'd be vilified in the press and public perception. Words like "cult" & "brainwashing" would be used.
Is anyone else struggling to maintain their beliefs while coming to terms with the crimes committed by men put in a position to lead the church?
Pedophiles will find their victims by putting themselves in a position to have access to children. But our church leaders chose to leave them in those positions for decades without taking any action to protect the children.
To my mind, it's the church leaders who committed the greater harm. They were in a position to stop it, instead they chose to allow it & enable it by moving them from one group of victims to a brand new group of unsuspecting victims again and again for decades.
I'm having a very difficult time with all of this. My faith remains strong, I believe in the written tenants of the faith. I'm having a very difficult time maintaining a relationship with the church. I don't know how to resolve it. They hold the very sacraments of the faith hostage, yet to continue patronizing them gives a silent support for their actions for which I've yet to see any true remorse or indication of reversal.
What I do see is the Vatican turning a blind eye & allowing each individual diocese to absorb the financial burden while feigning ignorance for the purpose of protecting the wealth of the Vatican rather than a call to open church files world wide and help heal those harmed by it's decades of inaction.
For so many of these victims the mere acknowledgment of the wrong done to them would go so far in helping them heal & the only true authority capable of giving them that in any meaningful way is the Pope.