Posted on 04/18/2008 8:38:05 AM PDT by bocopar
Secular progressives, especially those in the Boston media, are having a field day dredging up the whole pedophile priest controversy here at its epicenter.
While the mainstream medias been giving us wall-to-wall all-Pope, all-the-time coverage, many here in the Boston area are well into their sixteenth minute of fame, and bashing the Pope for avoiding our city on his America tour. While he has publicly acknowledged the scandal, and now met with some of the victims, enough is not enough for these professional victims.
"I acknowledge the pain of the Church in America is experiencing as a result of sexual abuse of minors," Benedict said, urging parishioners to reach out to victims with love and compassion.
Ill admit Im being insensitive here.
Now while I cant even imagine what the victims of the pedophile priests have gone through, this scandal has no longer been swept under the rug. The victims have non-profit advocates, and Hollywood celebrities have added ammunition when using the Catholic Church as a punching bag.
I guess what Im asking is will there ever be any closure here?
(Excerpt) Read more at intelradionetwork.com ...
>>I guess what Im asking is will there ever be any closure here?<<
Nope. Troll around the Catholic threads on FR.
Some won’t let it close.
Yeah, they got molested by priests when they were 8-year old boys, and the "Church" subsequently covered it up, shuffled priests around, did everything for decades except admit responsibility and own up to it, and now the pope comes along, "publicly acknowledges" the scandal (which the public already knew about all along) and meets with a couple of showcases for a photo op.
But they're "professional victims".
What an idiot.
No, it will never be enough. Once they accepted money, their cause was corrupted.
If only gay priests could get married, we would not have this problem. P.S. Most of the victims were adolescents, not 8 year olds. Homosexuals more than true pedophiles were the culprit.
Now that the Pope has acknowledged the wrongdoing, apologized for it, and offered a solution, can we please have the head of the NEA on an international whipping tour for the plague of pedophilia in our schools?
It was not the priests' or bishops' money awarded in lawsuits but that of parishioners who never hurt anyone. And, as always, it was the lawyers who got rich. There was fraud and false claims after 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, don't think it did not happen here, too.
I know someone who was molested by a now deceased Methodist minister. Who does he sue?
Since we are closing in on 150 years of professional victimhood in the Black Community, I would not hold my breath.
I have a friend who teaches in a school for deaf children, and she always has one or two who whine, “I can’t — I’M HANDICAPPED!” whenever they are asked to follow classroom rules. She said that she always tells them that there is nothing handicapped about their brains, but blames the parents for allowing the children to play the Victim Card so relentlessly.
"For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. "I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent."- Luke 12:58-59
It was not the priests' or bishops' money awarded in lawsuits but that of parishioners who never hurt anyone. And, as always, it was the lawyers who got rich. There was fraud and false claims after 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, don't think it did not happen here, too.
****************
Agreed. The church closings are ongoing. It's tragic.
I thought that was PayPal
What a shame for those kids. One might say that their own parents have handicapped them.
The usual method was to settle out of court. The complaint. however, was that the miscreant priests were not being adequately punished. Furthermore there is in the minds of many of the complainants make no distinction between felon and misdemeanor or even impropriety, or between a deed fresh in the mind of all and an ancient deed. Sort of like a wife who is seeking divorce. The actual misdeeds of the husband are confused with what the wife wishes he had done. People hate nothing more than a fallen idol, especially an idol they have themselves erected.
So did I!
I clicked thinking, ‘Oh good, some light-hearted, cyber-tech info to read!’
I quickly misread the title and automatically assumed that someone was mad at Paypal and had figured out how to get some retribution. I’m backing out of the thread now. ;-)
Your attitude is that of an insensitive, sick individual.
Were you molested by a Priest? Did the Church apologize for it? If so, get over it and shut up! If you are not among the victims you should learn to keep quiet about things you know nothing about.
The German Government has "apologized" about the holocaust. I imagine you want the Jews to "forget about it" now.
I suppose you think that they should continue to demand and receive reparations from Germans in perpetuity, including Germans who never had anything to do with the Holocaust? Why? Just because they're Germans, that's why!
How much money do lawyers need to take from Catholic laypeople who never molested anyone, before justice is served, in your view? How many Catholic kids and parents, who never molested anyone, have to watch their schools closed and sold off? How many churches have to close, so Catholic families who are struggling to make ends meet have to drive an extra 10, 20, 30 or more miles just to worship?
How many pounds of flesh need to be removed from the innocent in order for the guilty to be properly punished? Because that's what happens, you know. People sue dioceses over molestations by priests who are long gone who served under bishops who are long gone. The only people left, the people who pay, are innocent people.
The case was brought long after the bishop involved under whom the man had served as a priest, and who had dismissed him from the active priesthood because of his previous escapades, had retired (he is now deceased).
The church settled because the insurance company said that would be the cheapest thing to do.
You can call that "justice" if you want. I call it something close to a legalized extortion racket.
The vast majority of the victims were teenage boys. Very, very few prepubescent children -- and they don't seem to be the ones sucking up the limelight.
They seem to be. Even that spate of Hollywood stars who claimed to be molested as children didn't keep it up forever . . . of course, they weren't molested by priests, so the media lost interest pretty fast.
Are you proposing to give the countless victims of molestation by relative, family friends, neighbors, school teachers, congressmen and other public officials a permanent place in the spotlight too? Won't hardly be room for anything else.
I haven't heard of a report of abuse in the church more recently than about 20 years ago. But there's been no spotlight on the other sources, which probably continue unabated. And there haven't been many -- if any -- large financial settlements in these cases. Lawyers are draw by "deep pockets" and don't want to fight governmental immunity.
Only people molested by priests deserve anything?
If you can't afford the upkeep of your local Parish who is to blame?
You are putting on the face of the "victim". I have no sympathy for you.
See post #19. Who or what do you blame?
Not when the diocese is bankrupt due to lawsuits, they aren't.
You are putting on the face of the "victim".
I'm telling you the truth. You don't want to deal with it because it doesn't fit your agenda.
I have no sympathy for you.
I have plenty for you.
They're your Priests. You must pay for their crimes.
Go on your merry way shifting the blame onto the victims.
The fact is, most molested people do not get rich off their tragedy. And the lawyers got rewarded most of all. They only went after the Church because of perceived deep pockets. Try to get them to take a case against Joe Perv down the block where the monetary damages awarded would be much more modest. This is about money more than justice. As someone mentioned, where is the great hue and cry against the public schools? I'll bet some of them shuffle questionable teachers around.
Since when is any adult individual responsible for crimes committed by another adult individual??? Think very carefully about what you are saying here.
I wonder if you have any words of scorn for the parents of some of those who were abused who sold their children out for 30 pieces of silver and didn’t report the criminals to the police or the media or fellow parishoners. Thus allowing some of the abusers, as well as their enablers, to continue perpetrating their crimes.
The finger pointing was at people who were never molested but who filed claims. Don’t think it didn’t happen. In the case of long dead priests, how do they defend the allegations? Let’s say a now-deceased priest DID molest someone. It is revealed that the priest is accused of molestation. Other victims come forward. Some may not be legitimate, but will make a claim anyway because there is no way to refute it. It is these so called victims, and the lawyers, I condemn. Don’t twist what I am saying or put words in my mouth.
Right on. They took the hush money and many came back for seconds when the scandal broke. What parent in his or her right mind would take a payoff in lieu of reporting a heinous crime? Forgive me for being blunt, but in essence, they prostituted their children.
In retrospect, parents may have wanted to spare the kids from having to testify publicly. These things were not so openly discussed years ago. Still...accepting money unless specifically for counseling...does not seem right.
Besides, the Pope has apologized. What more do those greedy "victims" want?
Are some of the "victims" fakers? Yes!
Are some of the "victims" exploiting the scandal for all they can get? Yes!
Are there countless thousands of victims who are deceased and are uncounted? Yes!
Are there thousands of victims who have never come forward yet are scarred for life? Yes!
It's time to recognize it happened over a matter of many years. It was a deep and disturbing scandal. There is a steep price to be paid, non only financially but spiritually and in re-establishing trust in the Priesthood. Let's hope Pope Benedict will be the one to accomplish the necessary reforms.
=========================================================
I recognize the media seldom gets the story straight but from what I have heard and read is Pope Benedict promises to eliminate "pedophiles" from the Priesthood. Pedophilia has never been a serious problem. Did he also promise to eliminate the pederasts? The homosexuals? And to punish any Bishops who shirk their duty? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Are there thousands of victims who have never come forward yet are scarred for life? Yes!
Well, I don't know. How do you? Especially the deceased.
Yours is the flip side of all those who thought that Father could do no wrong.
But my own experience tells me that among the priests there were "victims." In a Church filled with women, there were/are many who set their caps on a priest, much as many a roue lusts for virgins of either sex.
Sometimes the "sheep" are wolves in sheep's clothing who do assault the shepard.
Yes, the priesthood is in a pickle, one of the many times when the priesthood has sunk to considerable depths. But the pope has more to worry about than priests who have sunk into lust. There are many priests who do not believe in Jesus Christ, and It concerns me more that THESE men have been concealed /protected by bishops. Weakness of the flesh is one thing; infidelity is the root of it all. The sexual scandal is a bottom a symptom of the scandal of widespread and unacknowledged infidelity among priests and laity. False witnesses are always guilty of all sorts of crime. When college presidents sit on their hands when the pope calls for them to teach the faith and. in their actions they show they prize more the good opinions of the presidents of Harvard and Yale, we have evidence of a disaster much greater than the sex scandal. When the bishops authorize the publication of teaching materials that are obviously spiritual tripe. When they refuse to confront the mighty because they want to keep their coffers full. Sounds a lot like the bishops who were lapdogs for Constantine. Yes, we have problems. People need to be told the truth about the world we live in, need to be taught the Gospel, and so many of us all have failed even to say a word lest we "offend."
Simply people of "modest abilities".
Keep up the good work.
What parent in his or her right mind would take a payoff in lieu of reporting a heinous crime?
What church would make a payoff in lieu of reporting a heinous crime ?
The Church has taken heavy hits, and rightfully so. Still, some parents were complicit in the cover up too. Should those molested after a payoff also sue the parents who did not report it? The priests who did wrong and the bishops that hid it bear 99% of the blame. But a drop falls on some parents who said and did nothing but took it to the bank.
When you have a cardinal in LA who withheld evidence and covered for these priests and then glories in his role in LA, it is not “dredging.” He is a constant reminder everyday of the church’s recalcitrance on this issue. The church has unfinished business and someone has to “dredge” it up if they don’t.
Sorry, I forgot to address 41 to you also.
One could make a very good argument that Church officials likely counseled the parents of abused children not to report ... and to allow the Church to handle the situation.
Upon reflection upon the situation, it would be hard for a Catholic parent to make the decision to move in opposition to the Church's wishes in this respect.
So, in a way, it makes sense that the story only really broke when the abused grew old enough to file suit against the Church themselves.
Too many people want the matter--need the matter--to use as a bludgeon against a Church they quite frankly hate.
No, he pointed the finger of blame at "SOME" of the "victims."
Get help. You're sick.
If your child were raped by a priest, would you take money and do what the Church told you, or report it? Were ALL of the families cowed? All of them? I am sure some lost their faith because of it. Yet they kept silent. Or were there not near as many as lined up at the trough when the scandal broke?
HA! Sorry, outta luck!

We got a hot one!!!!
Dude! I am lovin’ your tagline, btw!
Huh?
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