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PRIEST ABUSE

‘Absolute Power’

Decades of abuse by Roman Catholic priests and volunteers still taint Eskimo villagers in rural Alaska.

Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jan 14, 2008

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  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 02/01/2008 6:15:23 AM

    Comment: Comment: Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).

    Abusing Eskimos. WOW. The Catholic Church is filled with evil priests who disguise themselves as men of GOD. The Catholic Church needs to let priest get married or people will not trust them. It is obvious that this abuse has been going on for centuries and is institutionalized. This abuse has even spread to the furthest corners of the earth. Not even the eskimos can escape. This is crazy. THey need to "neuter" priests so that they will not commit this horrific crimes against Humanity. If they agree to be selebent then they should be neutered, if not let family men lea d the church and rid it of these sicko's. Sterelizing priest should become law. Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).
    THE CHURCH ONLY BANNED pRIEST FROM GETTING MARRIED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. tHE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND TO THE WIDOWS OF pRIEST. uNFORTUNATELY THIS ABUSE IS INTSTITUTIONALIZED AND HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE VATICAN FOR CENTURIES. thIS IS WHY THEY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO, THE ARE pART OF IT. IT IS TIME pRIEST ARE ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN. IT IS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL Nature FOR A MAN TO STAY SELEBENT. tHIS IS MADNESS AND IS CAUSING pRIESTS TO ENGAGE IN VULGAR ACTIVITY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT BE REFORMED, THEY WILL NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO BE HUMAN, IT IS NOT IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST. THIS IS A FACT.

  • Posted By: jimcarr60 @ 01/30/2008 5:15:37 PM

    Comment: To Mr. Cheemuck, I offer the most heartfelt apology for the wrongs done to you, and the many others, by men clothed in the garb which once stood for charity and safety of the highest order. There is no more heinous sin on earth today. No amount of money, no explanation, no promise to be more cautious, will remove this ugly stain from the Catholic Church. This breaks my heart, since I, too, am a Catholic and believe in the "fullness of truth" that our faith preserves in the name of Christ.
    What angers me is any attempt to answer these sins with an explanation meant to dampen the damage done to people and the Faith. The statement that pedophilia was not understood "back then", or the comparisons made of similar behavior performed by other Reigions, or secular groups.
    At no time in the history of the Catholic Church could these sins be rationalized. Catholic priests are highly educated in Catholic Morality, Catholic Obediance, the Word of God, and voluntarily accept celibacy as a means of devoting themselves wholly to God and the needs of the Church. At NO moment during their act of molesting, could they EVER think that what they were doing was not a grave sin. Impossible! Unless they were truly out-of their-minds. The fact that they cleverly warned their victims about telling on them, stands as the simplest proof that they were doing something wrong. Saying that all pedophiles act this way is evading the truth of the matter at hand: A Catholic Priest is held to an extremely higher standard, and he knows it - has always known it.
    Words fail me in explaining my utter disgust with the whole matter. I want the Bishops and Priests of the Church to beg forgiveness from the world with no strings attached. Admit that in this area, you have failed as Men of God, you have damaged the Church immensely, you have wreaked havoc on the very souls of innocent people and may have been responsible for their hatred of God, and lastly you have sullied the name of God, having Him re-mocked and scourged by a new generation.
    Please rise out of this hell you wanted no part of, Mr.Cheemuk. God loves you even more, for He sees what you have suffered from these demons posing as priests. Do not let their stink cling to you anymore, you have "told on the Devil" and God wants to give you a great big hug.

  • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 01/23/2008 10:27:55 PM

    Comment: On second thought this article "Absolute Power" is synonim to what the US is. The only difference is the rape of America on other helpless countries in the world.

    • Posted By: observer101 @ 01/24/2008 20:32:25

      Comment: WOW if you represent how most extremist muslims are, then you deserve to sit in afghanistan and wait for one of our military aircraft to spot you at night on the night vision and pepper you with love. Then we can see you on youtube...:)

    • Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 01/24/2008 19:32:43

      Comment: Foolish post.

  • Posted By: jjrivera247 @ 01/23/2008 12:00:36 PM

    Comment: This is just the kind of unbalanced reporting that led me to cancel my Newsweek subscription last year.

    Maybe Newsweek should look into the sexual abuse by minors of teachers, which by all reports is far greater than what has been perpetrated by priests. Can we talk about abusive teachers who are protected by the teacher's unions and whom administrators allowed to remain on the job with pay?

    This is not just a Catholic problem. This is a societal problem. The same problems that exist in society as a whole exist within the Catholic Church, in the same proportions. It is blatant anti-catholic bias to think that the Church and its traditions is the cause of this huge problem.

    Joseph Lundowski, was NOT a pedophile, according to the DSM IV, the standard diagnostic manual for the American Psychiatric Association. In fact according to that manual, he's not even mentally ill because his sexual attraction did not "cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning." It didn't cause HIM any distress, so therefore it's not a mental illness. That's what our psychologists are being taught in graduate school. Is it any wonder that this problem has become so widespread.

    Our society has normalized the sexualization of our children and adolescents and this is the fruit. Don't blame it on the Catholic Church alone, because we are all complicit in this societal tragedy. From the parents who leave their parenting responsibilities in other's hands, to the public officials who cover up these abuses of power, to the media that picks and choose what stories they want to report for maximum scandal and public titillation. Abuse of power by any figure of authority, whether over children, adolescents or adults is appalling and should be punished according to the law.

  • Posted By: JasonL @ 01/22/2008 8:36:44 PM

    Comment: This is just a glimpse of what it was like all throughout history. Poor, uneducated villagers living in mortal fear of going to hell if they ratted out the local priest for molesting them. How long until people realize that churches cant police themselves. The writing is on the wall, WAKE UP!

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/20/2008 10:15:00 PM

    Comment: Comment: Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).

    Abusing Eskimos. WOW. The Catholic Church is filled with evil priests who disguise themselves as men of GOD. The Catholic Church needs to let priest get married or people will not trust them. It is obvious that this abuse has been going on for centuries and is institutionalized. This abuse has even spread to the furthest corners of the earth. Not even the eskimos can escape. This is crazy. THey need to "neuter" priests so that they will not commit this horrific crimes against Humanity. If they agree to be selebent then they should be neutered, if not let family men lea d the church and rid it of these sicko's. Sterelizing priest should become law. Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).
    THE CHURCH ONLY BANNED pRIEST FROM GETTING MARRIED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. tHE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND TO THE WIDOWS OF pRIEST. uNFORTUNATELY THIS ABUSE IS INTSTITUTIONALIZED AND HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE VATICAN FOR CENTURIES. thIS IS WHY THEY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO, THE ARE pART OF IT. IT IS TIME pRIEST ARE ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN. IT IS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL Nature FOR A MAN TO STAY SELEBENT. tHIS IS MADNESS AND IS CAUSING pRIESTS TO ENGAGE IN VULGAR ACTIVITY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT BE REFORMED, THEY WILL NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO BE HUMAN, IT IS NOT IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST. THIS IS A FACT.

    • Posted By: joanneroy @ 01/25/2008 09:44:39

      Comment: So then they will be married pedophile priests! This isn't an issue about priests not being allowed to be married, this is a sickness that affects even married men. Pretty ignorant to think that allowing priest to be married will cure them from their pedophilia! Also ignorant is stating opinion as fact.

  • Posted By: Peninha @ 01/20/2008 11:44:30 AM

    Comment: It is evident that religion and the promise of heaven or condemination to hell are excellent weapons these individuals use to convince instill hope or fear in the minds of the childer (or the naive)

  • Posted By: Peninha @ 01/20/2008 11:38:12 AM

    Comment: It makes me sick whenever I read these kinds of reports. I bet these abuses are prevailent around the world not only by Catholics priests, but also by authorities of so called Christian and non-christian denominations. Religion is a great disguise by which these pedophiles use to perpetrate their deeds: condem the children (and the naive) to hell if they don't do it or if they tell, or heaven if they do it. It is ALL a LIE - heaven, hell, salvation, eternal life, a loving God.

    • Posted By: observer101 @ 01/24/2008 20:35:58

      Comment: then you have nothing to look forward to ..do you?

  • Posted By: CallingBS @ 01/18/2008 3:33:05 PM

    Comment: To Nawaimohamad: CHILDREN do not "tempt" adults into having sex. PERIOD. It's rape. PERIOD.

  • Posted By: CallingBS @ 01/18/2008 3:32:19 PM

    Comment: To Nawaimohamad: CHILDREN do not "tempt" adults into having sex. PERIOD. It's rape. PERIOD.

    • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 01/21/2008 08:25:01

      Comment: Of course CHILDREN do not "tempt" but it is the long suppressed lust of previous sexual temptations that were released upon the victims. The children are just sex objects for them. Priests need to have a proper sex partner like any normal human being. Masturbation and rubber dolls are not the same. By the way priests are not supplied with rubber dolls when they go on a mission. The nuns too should get married. But all these are against the Catholic Church, they have to resolve the matter themselves. I am no religious scholar. But for any wrong doing, it must be brought to court and not just be heresay.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/17/2008 6:09:12 PM

    Comment: And also all who protected them.

  • Posted By: mint6 @ 01/17/2008 11:50:29 AM

    Comment: May these pedophiles burn in hell.

  • Posted By: mint6 @ 01/17/2008 11:48:36 AM

    Comment: The Devil is obvious these priests God, A breeding ground for Homosexuals, pedophiles,( chid molesters) rapepist,sodomistic,sadistic ass evil faggots. But one thing they can not escape is the the burning hell of there God satan. may they burn in agony. And the victims heal,from the blessing of the righteous God,and take that monetary blessing and get the hell out of there fast and and pray that the church burn down to the ground.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/17/2008 9:09:24 AM

    Comment: People who abuse children has nothing to do with been married or not. Some call it a sickness, some call it a deviance, some call it a devilish choice, but whatever it is, it has to be stopped and delt with immediately. Anyone closing their eyes or ignoring or even worse protectiong those predators should be punish to the utmost extent of the law.

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/16/2008 9:20:49 PM

    Comment: Comment: Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).

    Abusing Eskimos. WOW. The Catholic Church is filled with evil priests who disguise themselves as men of GOD. The Catholic Church needs to let priest get married or people will not trust them. It is obvious that this abuse has been going on for centuries and is institutionalized. This abuse has even spread to the furthest corners of the earth. Not even the eskimos can escape. This is crazy. THey need to "neuter" priests so that they will not commit this horrific crimes against Humanity. If they agree to be selebent then they should be neutered, if not let family men lea d the church and rid it of these sicko's. Sterelizing priest should become law. Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).
    THE CHURCH ONLY BANNED pRIEST FROM GETTING MARRIED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. tHE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND TO THE WIDOWS OF pRIEST. uNFORTUNATELY THIS ABUSE IS INTSTITUTIONALIZED AND HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE VATICAN FOR CENTURIES. thIS IS WHY THEY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO, THE ARE pART OF IT. IT IS TIME pRIEST ARE ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN. IT IS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL Nature FOR A MAN TO STAY SELEBENT. tHIS IS MADNESS AND IS CAUSING pRIESTS TO ENGAGE IN VULGAR ACTIVITY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT BE REFORMED, THEY WILL NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO BE HUMAN, IT IS NOT IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST. THIS IS A FACT.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/16/2008 6:34:18 PM

    Comment: If a police officer is suspected or accused of a crime, what happens? He is suspended with pay or without pay, but he is not allow to active duty.
    What happen when a priest is suspected or accused of a crime? HE IS TRANSFERRED to an other parish.
    How hard is it to see what's going on.
    Anybody remember Bernard Law from Boston that has been accused of ignoring the complaints about one of their priests. He went to court under oath. That did not go well. So the Pope called him to the Vatican under his robe and the story died down. Instead of Gogen going to jail, Law should have gone to jail and send to sicko to a hospital. So instead of trying to fix things from the bottom, let's try to fix them from the top.

  • Posted By: paulte @ 01/16/2008 3:44:26 PM

    Comment: This article is long on accusation but rather short on substance. All you provide are the accusations of one man against a lay worker and a dead priest. Then there are anonymous accusations against two priests now living. One allegedly impregnated four women. One allegedly impregnated a 16 year old girl. Sex abuse is supposed to apply to minors, not to adult women.

    Of 110 alleged instances, 60 are laid at the door of one lay worker. I think it is pretty safe to assume that this guy was out of control but he accounts for more than half the "Catholic Church abusing." Of the 12 priests accused, 9 are dead. This is another pattern in the abuse scandal. Fully 1/3 of accusations are against dead priests who cannot defend themselves.

    And when you say that the one layworker abused nearly all the boys in the two villages, I find that hard to believe. For one things pedophiles are discriminating in the children they attack.

    I have no doubt there is a lot of piling on going on here considering the dirt poor condition of the people in these villages and the size of the settlement ($50M). The abuse scandal quickly turned into a monetary scam for the alleged victims!

  • Posted By: sisterzelda @ 01/16/2008 11:23:41 AM

    Comment: Your title "Absolute Power" gets to the point. Believers of every kind are appalled by the behaviors described in this article. We appreciate your description of what occurred in one Yupik Eskimo village in the 1960s. It shows thoughtful citizens the life long effects of ???Absolute Power??? and the consequences of its exercise in our own daily lives. .

    In the civil war in Congo women are bearing the brunt of one of the horrible weapons used in the war: rape. On the campaign trail the long shadow of slavery, distracts voters from contemporary concerns. Preventive war, legitimization of torture, and trade agreements that sanction local decisions for restrain of trade are examples of ???Absolute Power??? that need the searing eye of public scrutiny.

    Your publication fosters hope when conversation on ???Absolute Power??? is not used to defame churches but to challenge all systems that oppress the earth and her people whether they are corporate or governmental.

    • Posted By: sisterzelda @ 01/16/2008 15:03:50

      Comment: I see that the "'s have turned to ?'s ... that shifts the meanings toward ambiguity

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/16/2008 11:12:55 AM

    Comment: i HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANOTHER RELIGION MOLESTIND ESKIMOS. tHIS IS AN INSTITUTIONALIZED SYSTEM OF ABUSE THAT HAS BEEN IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR CENTURIES. IT INDIVIDUAL LIKE THIBODEAUZ THAT TURN A BLIND EYE AND THINK IT IS NO BIG DEAL. wHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT pRIESTS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO GET MARRIED AS JESUS ONCE WAS. THE CHURCH INVENTED THIS SELIBENCY IDEA SO THEY WOULD NOT LOOSE LAND. ANY pRIEST FOUND GUILTY OF MOLESTING CHILDREN SHOULD NOT ONLY BE NEUTERED BUT JAILED. IF THE C ATHOLIC CHURCH DOES NOT REFORM THEY WILL CONTINUE TO LOOSE THEIR FOLLOWERS TO OTHER SECTS OF CHRISTIANITY AND MAYBE EVEN OTHER RELIGIONS. jUST LET pRIESTS GET MARRIED IT IS ONLY HUMAN

  • Posted By: k_thibodeaux @ 01/16/2008 10:51:39 AM

    Comment: In response to "eddiewhere" : Neutering priests? Are you kidding me? What exactly will that solve? To me there is no difference between an abusive priest and an abusive citizen. True, both are completely sick and should be punished for their actions - but would you suggest "neutering" a regular-Joe that has commited a sex-cirme? I wouldn't think so. I am Catholic, born and raised, and though these terrible events have happened within my religion - they have not directly affected me or my familes, so why would you dare assume that our church family is full of "evil priests"? That is not a fair judgement at all. I am sure that other church officials in other religions have done similiar acts - just have not been publicized as much. Think before you speak, please. We are all human - even officials in the house of God. Everyone makes mistakes, not just Catholics.

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/16/2008 10:13:29 AM

    Comment: Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).

    Abusing Eskimos. WOW. The Catholic Church is filled with evil priests who disguise themselves as men of GOD. The Catholic Church needs to let priest get married or people will not trust them. It is obvious that this abuse has been going on for centuries and is institutionalized. This abuse has even spread to the furthest corners of the earth. Not even the eskimos can escape. This is crazy. THey need to "neuter" priests so that they will not commit this horrific crimes against Humanity. If they agree to be selebent then they should be neutered, if not let family men lea d the church and rid it of these sicko's. Sterelizing priest should become law. Neutering, from the Latin ne??ter (of neither type).
    THE CHURCH ONLY BANNED pRIEST FROM GETTING MARRIED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. tHE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND TO THE WIDOWS OF pRIEST. uNFORTUNATELY THIS ABUSE IS INTSTITUTIONALIZED AND HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE VATICAN FOR CENTURIES. thIS IS WHY THEY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO, THE ARE pART OF IT. IT IS TIME pRIEST ARE ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN. IT IS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL Nature FOR A MAN TO STAY SELEBENT. tHIS IS MADNESS AND IS CAUSING pRIESTS TO ENGAGE IN VULGAR ACTIVITY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT BE REFORMED, THEY WILL NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO BE HUMAN, IT IS NOT IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST. THIS IS A FACT.

  • Posted By: triyram @ 01/16/2008 9:51:43 AM

    Comment: i have entered 3 comments and none are posted. if any one has a question for triyram please e mail me at triyram1@msn.com

  • Posted By: triyram @ 01/16/2008 9:09:11 AM

    Comment: Enter Your Comment

  • Posted By: Whitestone @ 01/16/2008 9:00:43 AM

    Comment: While sexual abuse by the clergy is abhorent, this nation also needs to look at how we are parenting our children. We have a nation of children being sexually exploited. I'm talking about the children who are exposed to sexual images on the living room television set because parents do not supervise the x-rated (and pg-13 for that matter) movies coming into their household. Turn on any movie channel without checking the TV guide and you are apt to be watching someone in a sexually explicit scene. We are exposing our children to sex at an ever earlier age. Not to mention the language they are learning. Of course, we could use the TV merely as a gaming center and teach them how to murder via the latest game.
    America has gone crazy in its blindness.

  • Posted By: Isaac Kane @ 01/16/2008 8:15:06 AM

    Comment: Buddhist monks are not allowed to marry, yet there does not exist any child abuses or other sexual abuses allegations against them.

    The only conclusion that I could draw is that Catholicism encourages such abominable and inhuman acts. Any religion, or any culture, that begets such unspeakable crimes are evil and should be exterminated. Therefore, Catholicism along with the Western culture are evil and should be condemned and eradicated for the good of the human race and the love of God.

  • Posted By: Isaac Kane @ 01/16/2008 8:14:13 AM

    Comment: Buddhist monks are not allowed to marry, yet there does not exist any child abuses or other sexual abuses allegations against them.

    The only conclusion that I could draw is that Catholicism encourages such abominable and inhuman acts. Any religion, or any culture, that begets such unspeakable crimes are evil and should be exterminated. Therefore, Catholicism is evil and should be eradicated for the good of the human race and the love of God.

    • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 01/18/2008 03:46:49

      Comment: Look, Buddhist monks lead a secluded and sedintery way of life and do not mingle with the opposite sex. They don't take alcohol and there is much less worldly temptation. On the other hand, Catholic priests lead a normal life in society except to abstain from sex. The temptation is very great for them to be lured to have sex. That's all.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/16/2008 8:08:45 AM

    Comment: triyam,
    Some years ago I have been exposed to some of the doctrines of the "Jehovah's witnesses."
    I remenber two similarities with the Catholic Church. One is that it is possible to lose your salvation and only your Church menbers will be saved which either one are unscriptural.
    Also your Church claims that the soul ceases to exist after death. That's not what the Bible teaches.
    In my Bible (King James Version) Jesus was born from a virgin by the Holy Spirit. In yours Jesus was Micheal the archangel who became man.
    Unless one of your witnesses was wrong there's more doctrine of yours that don't make sense and are not scriptural. Like only 144,000 Jehovah's witnesses go to heaven. Please Jesus died for the World not for only 144,000. He died for everyone that accept Him as their Savior. You also don't believe in the Trinity. Nothing lined up with my Bible. By the way The Catholic Church has more than mine. May be your's is entirely different from mine.
    I'm not a religious person but rather a Bible person. The Bible is the word of God taking to me. Now I can hear in the background : an other lunatic hearing voices. By praying and studying His Words He speaks to my heart if I'm willing to listen and that's the way God has chosen to communicate with us.

  • Posted By: triyram @ 01/16/2008 7:20:02 AM

    Comment: The Catholic Church is the leader of organized religion and has failed mankind. They claim to represent the Most High God Jehovah, but they have failed. They have failed miserably and the people are spiritually starved. They do not have God's blessing, and they are tools of the "god of this system of things", Satan the Devil. 2 Corinthians 4:4. Jesus said there would be a "pure language" Zephaniah 3:9 of true religion and those people would serve "shoulder to shoulder". The theme of the Bible is God's Kingdom, yes, the same kingdom we pray for in the Lord's prayer at Matthew 6:10. Look around and ask yourself, who is preaching the good news of that Kingdom worldwide? Matthew 24:14. Who will teach you the benefits of that heavenly government ruling power? Jesus said "my kingdom is no part of this world" John 18:36. This heavenly kingdom with Christ enthroned as king will crush all earthly governments Daniel 2:44, along with false religion, including Christendom and her paramours. Religious leaders have robbed the people of hope that knowledge of God's kingdom provides. Matthew 23:13. There is one religion that stands out and speaks the Truth of the Bible and will teach you the benefits of living under God's rule. Jehovah's Witnesses offer free home bible study. Seek them out and learn more. or have an e mail bible study with me. triyram1@msn.com

    • Posted By: woozybarnes @ 01/21/2008 14:50:27

      Comment: Correction: RELIGION has failed mankind, not just the Catholic Church. It is and always has been a fairy tail based on left-over Iron Age superctictions. There is no Guy in the Sky whether its Zues, Ra, Jehovah, whatever. Its all bunk designed to control people and relieve them of power and money. As long a you continue to subscribe to this cosmic nonsense, in one form or another, you position yourself and your children to these abuses. Praying to some invisible Guy won't get you to a wonderful state any more than tossing children into live volcanos appeased some other blood thirsty god so he would cause it to rain. Good grief.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/16/2008 7:05:20 AM

    Comment: Correct me if I'm wrong, but the fact that priest are not allow to marry has nothing to do with the abuse of children by pedophile.
    We all know people you are married and abuse children.
    The Catholic Church has been for years the perfect haven for pedophiles and who knows for homosexuals.
    I dare anybody to tell me that the Pope on down to the bishops did not know about this abuse. They knew and instead of persecuting them they protected them by transferring them from parrish to parrishes and by doing so they allow the abuse to continue. That is not taking measures for reform and child protection.

    • Posted By: joanneroy @ 01/25/2008 09:56:45

      Comment: What happened to these innocent children was absolutely heinous and wrong, but lets not forget that all molesters use authority of some sort to lure children. This happens everywhere, not just the Catholic Church. Babysitters misuse their authority, pastors, reverends, priests, boy scout leaders, parents, uncles, etc.... , all use their position of authority to manipulate their victims. The Catholic Church absolutely handled this situation wrong, but lets be real honest here about how most people back then dealt with sexual abuse- they didn't! People sat back in silence and did nothing b/c we don't have the kind of information and resources that we do today. People didn't understand that pedophilia is a disease and more often than not, incurable, so reprimanding and transferring a priest was thought to be enough- clearly wasn't, but again, this was the mindset of that time. The question is, how will the Catholic Church prevent this today and how will those that molest be handled?
      Lastly, anyone who believes that allowing priests to be married will cure their pedophilia is just ignorant. This isn't about hormones, this is a sickness and there is no cure.

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/16/2008 4:30:44 AM

    Comment: tHE CHURCH ONLY BANNED pRIEST FROM GETTING MARRIED IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. tHE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND TO THE WIDOWS OF pRIEST. uNFORTUNATELY THIS ABUSE IS INTSTITUTIONALIZED AND HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE VATICAN FOR CENTURIES. thIS IS WHY THEY DO NOT WANT TO CHANGE THE STATUS QUO, THE ARE pART OF IT. IT IS TIME pRIEST ARE ALLOWED TO BE HUMAN. IT IS AGAINST BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE FOR A MAN TO STAY SELEBENT. tHIS IS MADNESS AND IS CAUSING pRIESTS TO ENGAGE IN VULGAR ACTIVITY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH CANNOT BE REFORMED, THEY WILL NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO BE HUMAN, IT IS NOT IN THEIR ECONOMIC INTEREST. THIS IS A FACT.

  • Posted By: eddiewhere @ 01/16/2008 4:25:36 AM

    Comment: if THE CHURCH DOES NOT ALLOW pRIEST TO MARRY THEN THEY ARE DONE. THE ONLY REASON pRIEST CANNOT MARRY IS BECAUSE THE CHURCH WAS LOSING LAND IN EUROpE. tHIS WAS NEVER A REQUIREMENT FOR OVER FIFTEEN HUNDRED YEARS. THIS LAW WAS INCOR

  • Posted By: jiminy @ 01/16/2008 1:47:42 AM

    Comment: Jesus said it would be better to chain a millstone around your neck and jump into the sea than to bring harm one of His little ones. The abuse of religious authority is pandemic because institutional churches have forsaken the spirit of the Christian message of God's unfathomable love and acceptance and have replaced it with a cold, dead form of liturgical formality.These professional religious hucksters bring shame to the name of Christ and He will repay accordingly.
    They will see the repentant whores, thieves and tax collectors enter His Kingdom while they are cast into outer darkness forever.

  • Posted By: ObamaMama @ 01/15/2008 8:06:33 PM

    Comment: Victims of predator abuse are to be commended for their courage in coming forward, even this late in life. The greater Catholic Church community shares your outrage, grief and suffering, and offers continual support through prayer and other measures for your healing! We hope you gather strength from the efforts of the Church, rarely mentioned in scandal articles, to educate, and address measures for reform and child protection. Efforts ongoing for years. Please take courage from our Holy Father Pope Benedict, eighty years old, making public penance and amends in the Judenplatz, Vienna, this summer past, for wrongs committed centuries ago against the Jews. Wrongs for which he was not personally responsible. In asking forgiveness, he is setting example for the tone of the Church, which desires to heal these open wounds through reconciliation. Continual prayers for your healing of mind, body, spirit. Responsible journalism should mention current efforts by all institutions to counter abuses, rather than parading another abuse story and leaving it incomplete. The Catholic Church is taking very strong measures! Where are the research and the facts on that? An article without balance presents distinct bias. Newsweek, you disappoint!

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 7:47:40 PM

    Comment: delores77,
    What do you mean by :"the church"?
    The word "church" means a group of people like-minded about some doctrines they believe in. That's why we have so many denominations. Not all denominations are invaded by the devil. Only those that don't live by the word of God which is the Bible.

  • Posted By: who says we are free? @ 01/15/2008 7:47:15 PM

    Comment: it would be difficult to explain my comment to anyone who accepts american culture and history without analysis or criticism...i don't know how aware you are, but since the idea is such a mystery to you, i doubt i could explain it on this forum to your satisfaction...those who know will understand what i am talking about, thanks. suffice to say, the Republic of Lakota is about reclaiming a life based on spiritual, indigenous, sustainable lifeways and true political freedom in a country where those things are severely endangered.

  • Posted By: delores77 @ 01/15/2008 7:33:59 PM

    Comment: It is a shame that the devil has gotten so deeply into the "body of Christ". The church is one of the most destructive forces of the Christian spirit.

    God bless these poor men, and God help them.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 7:26:40 PM

    Comment: who says we are free?,
    Would you mind elaborate on how we can reclaim our lives, our spirits and our freedom by joining the Republic of Lakota.

  • Posted By: who says we are free? @ 01/15/2008 7:10:19 PM

    Comment: join the Republic of Lakota! and reclaim your lives, your spirits, and your freedom...

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 6:54:41 PM

    Comment: "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

    Mat 18:6

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 6:49:11 PM

    Comment: It's true that in all denominations there are some predators, but it's more prevalent in the Catholic Church because again they are protected. The Pope on down know who those priests are and they shuffle them around. I still don't know what they thought they were accomplishing. A predator is a predator no matter where he's going. Other denomination are more prone to be discovered sooner because they don't have a giant umbrella to cover for them.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 5:45:10 PM

    Comment: kralsteve,
    The Catholic Church has been protecting their predators for years. All they did was to move them from a parrish to the next. How sick that is.
    Only the last few years everything is coming out.
    From the Pope down to the bishop, they are all responsible to have allow this abuse to continue for years and years.
    The Catholic Church always been the safe place for pedophile and deviant. But now hopefully the party is over. But also let's not forget the good priests that spend their lives helping others.

  • Posted By: BoGilles @ 01/15/2008 5:17:14 PM

    Comment: Actually there are two posts but for some reason they are not posted.

  • Posted By: kralsteve @ 01/15/2008 5:00:13 PM

    Comment: why is the catholic church always behind the sex abuse scandals?

    • Posted By: Saverio45 @ 01/15/2008 18:36:33

      Comment: The reason is that other denominations are not covered in the news. In my job, I find it equal among all denominations and not just Christian. This is an Anti-Catholic country and what better way to tear down a hated institution but to focus 100 percent on its flaws!

  • Posted By: kralsteve @ 01/15/2008 4:58:41 PM

    Comment: why is it always the Catholic church behind all the sex abuse scandals?

 
 
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