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Pope Francis seeks decisive action in church sex abuse cases
Fox News ^ | April 05, 2013 | AP

Posted on 04/05/2013 12:37:26 PM PDT by Ron C.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis indicated Friday that he will seek to have the church act `'with determination" against clergy sex abuse cases.

The pope pushed for decisive action during a meeting with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, the Vatican said in a statement.

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(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abuse; popefrancis
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About time...
1 posted on 04/05/2013 12:37:26 PM PDT by Ron C.
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To: Ron C.
The Church has taken decisive action. Only SNAP activists and Catholic-hating FReepers deny it. Francis is stating he will continue the Church's action:

`'The Holy Father recommended that the congregation continue the line sought by Benedict XVI, to act with determination in regard to cases of sexual abuse," the Vatican said.

2 posted on 04/05/2013 12:48:57 PM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
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To: GOP_Party_Animal

I’d add liberals and anti-Christians to your list..


3 posted on 04/05/2013 12:51:57 PM PDT by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: D-fendr

Great news... this is what’s so desperately needed.


4 posted on 04/05/2013 12:53:52 PM PDT by txhurl
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To: GOP_Party_Animal

I really think that you don’t know what you are talking about with your statement. I am a practicing Catholic and I am thoroughly disgusted with the way the Catholic church has handled all the abuse cases.

Did you miss the recent article about the former Archbishop (?) from California who was “punished” for covering up for priests that were abusing children? He got removed from administrative duties, but remains a “priest in good standing”. If the church was taking care of the situation, he would not be allowed to be a priest anymore either. It makes me sick that someone who is found guilty of covering up these abuses can still be considered worthy enough to perform mass. It is disgusting and I’m sure not something that God approves of.

Unfortunately there are many many examples of how the church has let us all down. Too many Catholics are making excuses and pretending that the little that they are doing is enough. I applaud Pope Francis for finally making this an important issue.


5 posted on 04/05/2013 1:03:51 PM PDT by mrsadams
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To: txhurl

Pope Benedict WAS taking strong action. Pope Francis just reinstating the obvious.


6 posted on 04/05/2013 1:04:52 PM PDT by NKP_Vet
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To: Ron C.

Well, Pope Francis’ crackdown on gleeful Catholic abortionist politicians receiving Holy Communion sure showed ‘em, didn’t it!


7 posted on 04/05/2013 1:06:09 PM PDT by jjotto ("Ya could look it up!")
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To: mrsadams

No, you are the one who hasn’t been paying attention. It was Ratzinger — even before he became pope — who battled obstructionists for years before he finally secured enhanced authority to discipline abusers being protected on the local level. Francis is merely instructing the CDF to carry on with Benedicts’s reforms, while Fox is pretending Benedict was the problem and the new guy is riding to the rescue.

Don’t get suckered by the msm — they are deeply ignorant of religious affairs and are hostile to the subject as a rule.


8 posted on 04/05/2013 1:43:33 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: mrsadams

“It makes me sick that someone who is found guilty of covering up these abuses can still be considered worthy enough to perform mass.”

Watch, that statement come perilously close to Donatism.


9 posted on 04/05/2013 1:43:34 PM PDT by caldera599
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To: mrsadams
Wow. So you haven't seen anything in your parish over the past 10 years indicating that the Church is taking action on the problem? No priest mentions it in a homily? You don't have anything in the weekly missal encouraging those abused to come forward? No posters or pamphlets talking about the Church's resolve to fix the problem and do what it can to help the victims?

I have seen this in every parish that I've gone to in my diocese. If you haven't, you need to get on the phone to your chancery NOW.

What you and your SNAP allies need to realize is that Francis' success in this area will not come from paying settlements to activist groups, but will come from his stated opposition to homosexuality. Continued action according to that belief will further eliminate the presence of gay clergy that exploded in the 60's and 70's.

10 posted on 04/05/2013 1:56:01 PM PDT by GOP_Party_Animal
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To: GOP_Party_Animal
Yes. Here is the news blurb from the Vatican.
Vatican City, 5 April 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A communique released by that dicastery reads that, during the course of the audience, various issues pertaining to the Congregation were discussed. In particular, the Holy Father recommended that the Congregation, continuing along the lines set by Benedict XVI, act decisively with regard to cases of sexual abuse, first of all by promoting measures for the protection of minors, as well as in offering assistance to those who have suffered abuse, carrying out due proceedings against the guilty, and in the commitment of bishops' conferences to formulate and implement the necessary directives in this area that is so important for the Church's witness and credibility. The Holy Father assured that victims of abuse are present in a particular way in his prayers for those who are suffering.

11 posted on 04/05/2013 2:39:04 PM PDT by ELS
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To: Ron C.

If he doesn’t remove abusers and enablers from the priesthood, he hasn’t solved the problem... Will he?


12 posted on 04/05/2013 3:00:54 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (Gone rogue, gone Galt, gone international, gone independent. Gone.)
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To: Ron C.

He EXPLICITLY stated that he wanted to continue what Benedict had done.

The headlines are a lie.

You repeated the lie.


13 posted on 04/05/2013 3:15:02 PM PDT by Houghton M.
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To: GOP_Party_Animal

Correct. The asshats enjoy the baseless potshots simply because they’re ignorant, bitter asshats.


14 posted on 04/05/2013 8:31:25 PM PDT by Gene Eric (The Palin Doctrine.)
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To: GOP_Party_Animal
Continued action according to that belief will further eliminate the presence of gay clergy that exploded in the 60's and 70's.

During the seminarian shortages of the 60's and 70's, the queers were recruited and proliferated under the mistaken notion that their sexual orientation (which in and of itself is NOT a sin) would not be acted upon, since celibacy was required. "No 'sex,' no sin." Of course, I suspect that the fellows who pushed this notion were probably gay themselves!

Some homosexuals, BTW, have always been drawn to the clergy. There have been homosexual popes, bishops, abbots, etc, throughout the ages.

15 posted on 04/05/2013 9:33:02 PM PDT by Kenny Bunk (The Obama Molecule: Teflon binds with Melanin = No Criminal Charges Stick)
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To: Kenny Bunk
the mistaken notion that their sexual orientation (which in and of itself is NOT a sin) would not be acted upon, since celibacy was required. "No 'sex,' no sin"

This is exactly the formulation arrived at in the 1960s, and it is gravely in error. Even if every self-identified homosexual priest and bishop were continent (celibacy is remaining in the unmarried state, a promise they have no problem with) - even IF every self-identified homosexual priest and bishop never had sex with another man or boy in their entire life - by accepting the modern category of "homosexual person" they deny the natural law. They are unable to relate in a pastoral way to men, to women, to boys and to girls. Even as they remain pro forma celibate (unmarried), they make no sacrifice thereby, since they do not desire marriage to a woman to begin with. Their sacrificial priesthood is therefore meaningless.

Because their desires are "objectively disordered" per CCC 2358, it is impossible for them to function as pastors.

So, the idea that a intrinsically disordered (CCC 2357) sexuality can serve nonetheless as a foundation for priesthood, never mind the episcopate, is mistaken in the first instance.

Of course, the RESULT of not recognizing this is plain to see, but St. Peter Damian described this all in detail in the 11th Century, so, as scripture says, there is nothing new under the sun.

16 posted on 04/06/2013 7:17:59 AM PDT by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: Romulus

You are kidding, right? Before Ratzinger became Pope, I read a quote from him where he stated that he thought that the sex abuse scandal in the US was “overblown” in the media. What exactly did he do besides give lip service about the priests? He went on a big tour saying he was “sorry” but didn’t really punish the priests, or the Bishops & Cardinals that covered it up. Words mean nothing.....

It is very sad that they haven’t addressed this before, if Ratzinger really did punish those that protected the priests, why did the Archbishop in Los Angelos get to stay a priest in good standing? And in Boston, there were many priests, principals, etc. that had solid evidence against them and the church didn’t take them from their duties until the courts MADE them. I really truly wish you were right about this, but I don’t see any case where Ratzinger made a postive change in actions, not words.

I know people that have been molested by priests and this is a very personal issue to me. It upsets me that “the hammer” hasn’t come down earlier. So many people have left the church because of their disgust in children being put in harms way.


17 posted on 04/07/2013 3:18:25 AM PDT by mrsadams
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To: GOP_Party_Animal
The Church has taken decisive action.

And yet, Cardinals Mahoney and Law still have their priestly faculties.

18 posted on 04/07/2013 3:28:16 AM PDT by old and tired
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To: GOP_Party_Animal

I have no idea who SNAP is, so that reference means nothing to me, sorry. I am speaking as a singular person and with my experiences. I don’t think it is fair to accuse people of being “activists” like it is a bad thing, when you have no idea where they are coming from.

I’m worried that they are just using words, not putting them into action. When a priest at our church molested some boys, he was just moved to another church without the new church being warned. He had been put at our church in charge of alter boys after he was removed from his previous church for molesting little boys. Maybe if our church had been given a heads up, he wouldn’t have been put in charge of alter boys and gotten access to new unsuspecting victims. Do you understand where I am coming from now? It’s not about money, it’s about protecting the children. I still see where this hasn’t stopped, it is going on in cases across the country. The Archdiocese of Boston was just FORCED to take priests out that had been left in place while they had court cases going on with valid complaints. Why didn’t the Archdiocese put them in administrative roles away from children until it was settled? Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry???? How would you feel if your child was one of the victims?

I’m not trying to start a big issue, it is just one person talking about my personal feelings. Obviously we are on different ends of this opinion, but it seems we both have reasons to believe what we believe. I wasn’t trying to offend anyone I was just stating how I felt.

I pray very often that the church will come back to being a wonderful place that I can have faith in again, but as in all things, once you lose trust in someone or something, it takes a lot to trust them again.

God is the ultimate judge of things. He is the only one that truly knows what is in the hearts of everyone.


19 posted on 04/07/2013 3:46:13 AM PDT by mrsadams
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To: mrsadams

I hope that in light of all that has happened, parents are looking at every single new priest that comes to a parish and doing their own background checks.

And also, keeping very close tabs on how their children are spending their time. I suspect, though, that the pedos prey on children who may lack parental attention.


20 posted on 04/07/2013 4:13:43 AM PDT by don-o (He will not share His glory, and He will not be mocked! Blessed be the Name of the Lord forever!)
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