But this, and articles like this, are a bit childish. Both sides are saying “Well, I am not as bad as that OTHER guy!”. That does not address the problem, but is a weak attempt to shift the blame. This article paints a very broad brush. If I had posted one that was reversed, many Catholic FReepers would be very upset and not a few would claim that I was either attacking the Catholic Church or stupid.
The fact is that there were many cases of priests having improper conduct with young males (and a few with women). There were some who appear to have been protected by various members of the Catholic hierarchy. Most Catholics, and just about all on FR, will agree to that.
As to what the current Pope is doing or has done to remedy that, by all accounts he is not going very easy on the poofters. In fact, if the UK does grab him this fall, I suspect that Hate Speech (or the equivalent) will be one of the charges.
The rather interesting legal question, which the Vatican brought up the other day, is what exactly is the Catholic Church in general and the office of the Pope in particular. Now in the the US, there is no legal body called "The Roman Catholic Church", any more than there is one called the "Lutheran Church Missouri Synod". Both are made up of a series of legal corporations that include the diocese/district on down to the local parishes. Which is why when the Davenport diocese went bankrupt a few years ago, the courts could not start seizing assets from the local congregations. For under the law they are separate, distinct, corporations.
The interesting thing is that creates some problems when it comes to authority. The claims being made are that the Pope, being the "Head of the Church" is responsible for the conduct of the various bishops, monks, and priests that make up the Catholic Church. Which makes theological sense. The problem is that those bishops, priests, and monks are not legally part of the same corporation. Like the case of the parish in St. Louis that did not want to close down, the bishop (or pope) has no legal authority over another corporation. I have seen cases in the LCMS where the LCMS head body had to state, in court, that a pastor and parish was not part of the LCMS, because of some loans going into default (the parish was poor, and was in the process of merging with another).
The other complicating issue is that the Vatican said that the Pope, as a head of state, is granted Sovereign immunity. Which he is, as the head of the Vatican. But that begs the question if his authority over the Catholic Church is theological, or for lack of a better term, regal. Is the Catholic Church a State, or a corporation, or a religion.
Sorry for the rant. This is proof why you should never drink with a lawyer.
The left has it in for the Pope because he’s appointing conservative bishops. He’s upsetting the applecart they planned and executed a few decades ago. It’s really that simple. What’s not so simple are conservative Protestants supporting these leftists as evident on this and other threads. And yes Protestants have a huge problem with pedophilia though teachers have the worst stats of all.
But in 1550, the CofE was as Catholic as any Catholic diocese. Now, they are swirling down the toilet. The obvious cause is the removal of the Church as the director of doctrine, and the substitution of the English monarch.
The fact is that there were many cases of priests having improper conduct with young males (and a few with women). There were some who appear to have been protected by various members of the Catholic hierarchy. Most Catholics, and just about all on FR, will agree to that.
Agreed.
As to what the current Pope is doing or has done to remedy that, by all accounts he is not going very easy on the poofters. In fact, if the UK does grab him this fall, I suspect that Hate Speech (or the equivalent) will be one of the charges.
Interesting point. I agree with this also.
The other complicating issue is that the Vatican said that the Pope, as a head of state, is granted Sovereign immunity. Which he is, as the head of the Vatican. But that begs the question if his authority over the Catholic Church is theological, or for lack of a better term, regal. Is the Catholic Church a State, or a corporation, or a religion.
All of the above. That's part of the overall confusion by many people. They keep putting different aspects of the Church in the wrong categories.
Sorry for the rant. This is proof why you should never drink with a lawyer.
Lawyers are proof that serial killers are not the dregs of humanity. God made snakes prior to making lawyers just for the practice. Vultures don't eat lawyers because of the taste. You can tell if it's really cold out when lawyers have their hands in their own pockets. Lawyers are not allowed on many beaches because cats keep trying to bury them in the sand. The best way to get a lawyer out of a tree is to cut the rope. The brown and black accessory that looks best on a lawyer is a Dobermann Pinscher.
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the wealth and hellfare of lawyers in this great land of ours. I haven't had as much fun since I paid off my divorce lawyer with the last of my worldly possessions... :)