LA Cardinal Mahony 'stripped of duties' over sex abuse

Thank-you.

From your link:

George Weigel, a Vatican expert and biographer of Pope John Paul, called the Legionaries’ statement “very significant” because it spelled out that Father Maciel could no longer be a model for the organization, and because “this is being done because Joseph Ratzinger insisted on getting to the bottom of the controversy.” Mr. Weigel said he hoped it paved the way for the “refoundation” of the order.

You do know Maciel is deceased?

BTW, my children attend, and my wife is employed by, a school founded by the Legionaries of Christ.

Then you should read this

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news/1997_02_23_Renner_HeadOf.htm

Btw, Ratzingers officer ignored this for years and years. He did finally order an investigation.

But what about the people that were abused in the meantime????????????????????????????????????????????????????

You do not get a pass because you eventually do the right thing.

Ratzinger’s office was in charge of sex abuse for more than 20 years.

So he is the head of the snake on this one.

in charge at a church organization is not the same as a corporation.

His higher ups could easily have prevented any constructive actions. (think how organized religions easily replace and disregard parish councils)

Without explanation, the Vatican has halted a canon law investigation of one of the most powerful priests in Rome, accused by nine men of sexually abusing them years ago as young seminarians.

http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2001d/120701/120701g.htm

http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/update/maciel_archive.htm

There is plenty of blame to be shared here.

I am also not naive to the nature of huge, ancient bureaucracies.

“in charge at a church organization is not the same as a corporation.

His higher ups could easily have prevented any constructive actions. (think how organized religions easily replace and disregard parish councils)”

Oh, I agree with that.

Pope John Paul II could have easily told Ratzinger to look the other way when it came to his friend who was a sexual deviant.

It doesn’t absolve Ratzinger for more than 20 years of sexual abuse issues . Was he told to ignore them all??

Maybe his help with the abuse scandal is why he was made Pope.

Then you should read this

Believe me, I am well acquainted with the story of Maciel.

But thanks for the head's up.

“Father Owen Kearns, a member of the Legionaries of Christ and the editor-in-chief and publisher of the National Catholic Register, apologizes in the April 25 edition of the paper for defending his order’s founder, Father Marcial Maciel, when sexual abuse allegations against him first surfaced.

Father Kearns said he regrets that in his defense of Father Maciel he “took to task” Hartford Courant writers Renner and Jason Berry, along with the paper’s editors. ”They didn’t get everything about the Legion right but they were fundamentally correct about Father Maciel’s sexual abuse and I ask forgiveness — too late for Gerald Renner, who is deceased.”

http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2010/04/21/publisher-apologizes-for-defending-father-maciel/

Well here is the crux of the issue to me

Did that Priest make this up:

” Several said Maciel told them he had permission from Pope Pius XII to seek them out sexually for relief of physical pain.”

Or did the Pope really give him permission.

Given the wide spread abuse within the Catholic church you have to wonder if they weren’t given permission.

The most difficult thing to understand about this whole mess is why there was not one bishop - not one, not here, not in Ireland, not in Belgium, not in Austria - who reacted to this like any normal man would do. If Gomez had taken this action on day one (OK, or after two weeks) it would have been praiseworthy. Now, it's just more concessions after being forced by the law to disclose.

Well said.

Interesting observation. Kevin Clash, puppeteer of Elmo, has recently been outed as a pederast. Parenthetically, its amazing how little has been said about it, especially in the wake of suggesting PBS should be defunded.

Anyway, I’m outraged at Clash, of course. My wife? “Elmo helped reach our Andrew, and for that reason he’ll always have a special place in my heart.” This is the same woman who readily gave Clinton a pass when she found out he cheated on her.

Me: “So, he couldn’t keep a promise to his wife, but you expect him to keep his promises to us.”
Her: “It’s not as simple as that . . . “

And she voted for him.

Of all the inexcusable crimes, you’d think child molestation would do it. It used to be, “If you’re found with a live boy or a dead girl, your career in politics (or the public eye) is dead.”

I no longer believe that.

http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/more-documents-link-ratzinger-abuse-cases\

How many people were molested while Ratzinger let him be a Priest

“The [Oakland, Calif.] diocese recommended removing [Stephen] Kiesle (KEEZ’-lee) from the priesthood in 1981, the year Ratzinger was appointed to head the Vatican office which shared responsibility for disciplining abusive priests.

The case then languished for four years at the Vatican before Ratzinger finally wrote to Oakland Bishop John Cummins. It was two more years before Kiesle was removed.

In the November 1985 letter, Ratzinger says the arguments for removing Kiesle are of “grave significance” but added that such actions required very careful review and more time. He also urged the bishop to provide Kiesle with “as much paternal care as possible” while awaiting the decision …

But the future pope also noted that any decision to defrock Kiesle must take into account the “good of the universal church” and the “detriment that granting the dispensation can provoke within the community of Christ’s faithful, particularly considering the young age.” Kiesle was 38 at the time. “

No offense, but I don't have to wonder anything.

I'll leave that to you.

So did the Founder of that Church that built your kid’s school LIE that the Pope gave him permission to sexually abuse children?

"Ratzinger’s office was in charge of sex abuse for more than 20 years."

That's nonsense, RummyChick, since the CDF was only put in charge of sex abuse cases in 2001, and Cardinal Ratzinger left the CDF to become Pope in early 2005.

Prior to 2001, individual dioceses had the primary responsibility for investigating allegations of sexual abuse and disciplining perpetrators. In 2001, it was Ratzinger who convinced John Paul II to put the CDF in charge precisely to get past obstructionist bishops like Weakland, and combat the abuse more efficiently. According to the NCReporter's Vatican reporter John Allen, Jr., Ratzinger was "driven by that encounter with what he would later refer to as 'filth' in the Church. [He was] driven by a convert's zeal to clean up the mess". See article (Link)

As Vincent Nichols accurately reported to the London Times (Article Link) Ratizinger in his role as Head of the CFD "led important changes made in Church law: the inclusion in canon law of internet offences against children, the extension of child abuse offences to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, the case by case waiving of the statute of limitation and the establishment of a fast-track dismissal from the clerical state for offenders."

As the Head of the CDF, Ratzinger developed a tough reputation for handling these cases. According to Charles J. Scicluna, a former prosecutor handling sexual abuse cases, "Cardinal Ratzinger displayed great wisdom and firmness in handling those cases, also demonstrating great courage in facing some of the most difficult and thorny cases, sine acceptione personarum (without exceptions)". Scicluna's statement here (Link)

One of the cases Ratzinger pursued involved Father Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legion of Christ, who had been accused repeatedly of sexual abuse. It was Ratzinger "took it on himself to authorize an investigation of Maciel" (Maciel Link). After Ratzinger became pope, he began proceedings against Maciel and the Legion of Christ that forced Maciel out of the active priesthood, denounced Maciel's "very serious and objectively immoral acts", which were "confirmed by incontrovertible testimonies" and represent "true crimes and manifest a life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment." Pope Benedict also appointed a special commission to basically either restructure or disband Maciel's religious order, the Legionnaires of Christ (LC), and its lay affiliate, Regnum Christi.

In other words, in the 3 1/2 years that investigation of child abuse issues was his responsibility, Ratzinger his the ground running, rooting out enablers and taking whole religious orders into conservatorship when the local power structure was unwilling or unable to undertake serious reform. Lawler cites Benedict's campaign of reform (Link)

I provided a lot of links so that people interested in an accurate accont of this matter can see for themselves.

You said, RummyChick, that Ratzinge/Pope Benedict was "the head of the snake." On the contrary, he was the man of virtue who, with the help of the Lord Jesus, is crushing the snake under his foot.

Oh, P.S. Did Maciel lie about Pope Pius XII? You have to ask?

Rummy, you know as well as I do that Maciel was a lying, sexually depraved sociopath. Of course he lied. He lied like the Demon, the Father of Lies. That's what sociopathic perverts do.

You might want to look at this.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2984186/posts?page=56#56

Cardinal Gomez is the “ordinary” of the archdiocese. That means he has the primary authority for everything related to the church there in that archdiocese.

Are you trying to pick a fight with me?

I read your comments with interest.

What the modernists have wrought in the Catholic Church in the past century had to be inspired by Satan and looked upon as an answer to his prayer to satan by Stalin.

I’ve heard much gleeful gloating by nominal Catholics over these past fifty odd years about how much ‘fun’ is derived by them in attendance at the Sunday ‘service’. They fail to see the loss of majesty and glorious music and inspiration that has been wrung out of the Church’s liturgy and tenets.

Everyone goes to communion because the Sacrament of Pennance is apparently not necessary.

I too as a young boy knew several priests well and can say without equivocation that they were fine men with minds as clean as their souls. But then I am getting on in years and happenings at the time I was a boy was much different than today. Satan is happy with what has transpired these many years. Jesus is not.

I fear for my Church because it, like this nation, is so mired in decadence that good is considered evil and evil good.