[On a Victoria Police report stating the Catholic Church protected paedophile priests and dissuaded their victims from filing police complaints]
I don't accept the police description of that. We certainly accept wrong decisions were made, but they were made because of a lack of appreciation of the significance of sexual abuse and it impact on people, on victims and their families .
That's a very different thing from deliberately moving someone to avoid the situation. And that certainly is something that hasn't been part of the history for a long time.
...There is a clear and consistent and strong encouragement of victims to go to the police. [And] support is provided for them in doing that and ongoing support and counselling is provided during that time.
There is much in the police submission which is seriously misconceived and plainly wrong and which I will correct and refute in my submission.
37 comments
"they were made because of a lack of appreciation of the significance of sexual abuse and it impact on people, on victims and their families."
Thats the the excuse you're using? Really?
Even if that is true, it then begs the question of how the Catholic Church can think it is even remotely qualified to lecture people on how to live, when they can't grasp the simple concept that being sexually abused is one of the worst things that could happen to a child, and that it would have a significant impact on both the victim and their family.
Who in their right mind APPRECIATES sexual abuse, you fuckwit? Priests should know the Golden Rule of Do Unto Others, so what in the world was done unto them that could possibly justify the pain and mental trauma of being treated like that? Hang up your robes, Father, you need to be given a reality check.
Apologism was created for seminary training so priests could counter theological questions from the flock, note I said counter, not answer. It's always an exercise in double talk, blame shifting and victim shifting.
Bill Donahue is the most visible of their overpaid damage control bullshitters, given a stage on far too many "news" programs, he talks just like this guy.
Over every incident is the appeal that the Catholics can handle these situations in-house and the law has no business interfering. Read: The Catholic church is above the law.
I'm not hammering the Catholics only in this case, it appears all churchs have these issues and all claim they're above mans laws. The Mormons just recently have been exposed in a large scale case, get ready to see them throw tons of money into damage control and legal defense while never admitting the fact they have been complicant enablers of such vile acts.
"This is so totally wrong...for reasons which will come to me at some point."
- Yeah, very convincing rebuttal Father
There should be criminal charges for you too, Father; you protected the pedophiles. I hate how these people talk as if this sort of thing is mere oversight, how they try to lessen the seriousness of something that is just evil and disgusting.
Liar.
I was raised catholic and there is one thing that every catholic knows, though very few will ever admit; there are many priests within the church who have sex with their parishoners. Be they child, adult, male or female, sex and sexual abuse happen with great regularity. It is also well known that once the 'indiscretion' is discovered the church goes on the offense and relocates the priest. If one day all is well and Father Smith is in service, then without warning or explanation he disappears and is replaced with Father Jones, you can bet your scapular that Father Smith has been moved to avoid scandal and prosecution because of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Human beings were not created for celibacy, and after 2000+ years of complete failure, you'd think the Vatican would catch on and change their belief regarding service and celibacy. They seem to prefer denial.
Relocating priests, paying settlements to the accused (or child support) and hiring lawyers in the event of prosecution is far less costly than changing church doctrine regarding celibacy, apparently.
"...they were made because of a lack of appreciation of the significance of sexual abuse and it impact on people, on victims and their families."
How was I supposed to know that molesting little boys is bad? I'm only responsible for teaching spiritual and moral lessons to the people, that hardly qualifies me to know the difference between right and wrong.
"We certainly accept wrong decisions were made, but they were made because of a lack of appreciation of the significance of sexual abuse and it impact on people, on victims and their families." -_-
"a lack of appreciation of the significance of sexual abuse and it impact on people, on victims and their families"
Anyone remember the sermons and pastoral letters about the Evils of [whisper it] S.E.X.?
Remember how even even dancing too close together could promote Impure Thoughts? [This is true, by the way. Yippee!]
And remember how the inevitable consequences of pre-marital whoopee were insanity, depression, flesh-eating infections and necrosis of the crotch? Not to mention that, worst of all "it would break your poor mother's heart".
And yet they claim that "we had no idea that that sort of sexual activity was bad for you"!
So yes I may have molested some little boys, but if they tell the police and send me to jail, doesn't that make me the victim?
No you fuckwit. You broke the law, you should go to jail.
@ KittyKaboom:
Human beings were not created for celibacy, and after 2000+ years of complete failure, you'd think the Vatican would catch on and change their belief regarding service and celibacy. They seem to prefer denial.
I don't think it's denial. Celibacy has become the RCC's version of a fraternity hazing ritual, with the current members saying "We had to go through it to join, why shouldn't the new guys have to?"
You bolded text is the exact problem people have with your church. Grow a pair and say you were grieviously mistaken in thinking you could justify the abuse somehow. I promise you, people will think more highly of the catholic church for being honest than for moving priests around to protect them from their own crimes.
"I don't accept the police description" tl;dr...
How many of your clergy ilk you personally know, have been caught diddling kids eh, 'Father'?
What are your crimes? [/$cientologist]
My first submission!
This also follows an elderly priest dying before he could be tried for his own abuse and protection of other abusers (starting with caning boys who reported abuse to him) in Australia.
This organisation simply has no limit to how far it will sink. They have a lot of power in the town I live in, and I've seen priests moved around and offenders hidden away before.
Att. child rapists: We're sick of your apologism, excuses and lies!
Meet Fr. Shame, oops, I mean Shane.
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Certainly, due to extreme force from the outside, in certain areas of the world the Catholic church has had an epiphany and has seen the light. Yes, in those areas the church is taking on responsibility, cleaing things up, and encouraging victims to come forward.
But, I've been hearing lots of bad things about the church down under and am going to take the victims word for it, unquestioned.
Sorry Fr. Shame, oops, I mean Shane.
I love how these guys always try to pretend that they let slide abuse cases going back to the eighties or even seventies because people didn't know then how bad sexual abuse was.
Attitudes and awareness of the damaging effects of sexual abuse were EXACTLY the same then as they are now.
TOTAL bullshit excuse.
What he is, I think, trying to say, maybe, it's that, at the time the majority of the cases took place, people were not as informed as today, preferably by the Pope, of the problem of pederastia and they thought that it would be solved, once the priest didn't physically abuse the kid anymore. Still stupid and trying to get away with it.
If I'm getting this wrong, please correct me.
"People won't understand that sexual abuse is wrong unless we sexually abuse children and threaten them with torture if they report it to the authorities."
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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