Free Republic

A new law being considered in Iraq could lead to girls as young as eight getting married and wives having to submit to sex at their husband's every request. The controversial proposals have provoked outrage from activists both within Iraq and around the globe, who see it as a huge step backwards for women's rights. The measure, aimed at creating different laws for Iraq's majority Shiite population, could further fray the country's divisions amid some of the worst sectarian bloodshed since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

In an article which may be found here, Dr. William Oddie notes that, "Pope Francis has now once again (though to judge by the so far sparse coverage, you’d think he’d never said or done anything before) expressed his abhorrence of clerical sex abuse. Previous popes—indeed most senior clergy—are normally too reticent, however, to do what he has now done as well, that is to say, he has defended the Catholic Church’s record on tackling the sexual abuse of children by priests, by declaring what is now the simple truth: that “no one else has done more” than the Church...

Manifestly the Pentagon never received the memo that Islam is at war with Western Civilization. Or, that Islam is a brutally misogynistic ideology bent on the wholesale murder of women who dare show a little ankle. Oh, and did I forget to mention that its founder, Mohammed–had an unquenchable penchant for little girls? In short: Islam is evil. With that established–allow me to enlighten you as to what insanity our Pentagon is currently engaged in. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) just announced that it will be providing our military with chaplains for active-duty service. That’s right–our Pentagon is...

Now that our society has officially lowered us all to the level of rutting rabbits, the Coalition for Positive Sexuality (positive.org) is specifically targeting and encouraging promiscuous sex, abortion, and homosexuality to young teenagers. The Younger the Better should be their slogan. Funded by the homosexual lobby (and perhaps finally putting the myth that there is no homosexual agenda to rest) CPS is aggressively pushing its agenda of more sex/no guilt/no consequences to young and impressionable children at public schools nationwide. The greatest concession to personal responsibility and self-restraint that they attempt is to urge you to try and not...

On the website of the liberal Catholic outlet, Commonweal, Mollie Wilson O’Reilly accuses Pope Francis of ignoring the problem of priestly sexual abuse. According to her, “he [the pope] has said and done little about the scandal itself,” maintaining that “things haven’t been fixed.” Similarly, Father Thomas P. Doyle says the pope “has done almost nothing” about this issue,” calling one of the pontiff’s efforts “so meaningless it is almost comical.” An editorial in the National Catholic Reporter also expresses its chagrin with the pope on this issue, imploring him “to meet with victims of clergy sex abuse.” Here are...

EVIDENCE has emerged that the views of the Paedophile Information Exchange influenced policy-making at the National Council for Civil Liberties when it was run by former Labour Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt. PIE members were lobbying NCCL officials for the age of consent to be reduced and campaigning for “paedophile love”. Their view that children were not harmed by having sex with adults appears to have been adopted by those at the top of the civil liberties group. Today we publish extracts from an NCCL report written for the Criminal Law Revision Committee in 1976 when Mrs Hewitt was general secretary....

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis reportedly pays the salary, health insurance premiums and living expenses for Reverend Gil Gustafson who was convicted for child sex abuse back in 1983. According to the Star Tribune, in addition to all these payments by the church, Rev. Gustafson is also paid disability by the state. The church says that in July 2006 Rev. Gustafson was declared “disabled” based on his pedophilia. He collects disability checks on top of his salary from the church as a "consultant." After Rev. Gustafson admitted he molested Brian Herrity for five years, he was fined...

The back-and-forth volleys among the Woody Allen and Mia Farrow families continue as Allen’s adopted daughter Dylan Farrow has released a statement responding to Allen’s piece published Friday online in the New York Times Sunday review section according to Variety. In the Woody Allen Speaks Out article, he defended himself against Dylan Farrow’s post published last Saturday in the New York Times alleging that Allen had molested her at the age of 7. Dylan Farrow’s response sent Friday night read as follows: Once again, Woody Allen is attacking me and my family in an effort to discredit and silence me...

As the Winter Games get underway in Sochi, Google Inc. is quietly but vibrantly adding its voice to the chorus of U.S. companies speaking out against Russia’s law that restricts gay-rights activities. The California-based Internet search company transformed its home page into a show of support for gay rights Thursday with a Google Doodle depicting athletes against a rainbow-colored backdrop. …

The Vatican blasted back at a UN-authored Rights of Children report, saying its criticism of the church's stand on homosexuality is driven by critics of the church's "non-negotiable" teachings. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, whose members have included such nations as Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uganda and Thailand,accused the Vatican Wednesday of "systematically" adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children over decades, and urged it to open its files on pedophiles and bishops who concealed their crimes. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the head of the Holy See's delegation to the United...

The Vatican blasted back at a UN report that accused it of allowing children to be abused by priests and condemned its stances on homosexuality, contraception and abortion, saying the findings were "ideological" and likely driven by critics of the church's "non-negotiable" teachings. The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child, whose members have included such nations as Saudi Arabia, Syria, Uganda and Thailand,accused the Vatican Wednesday of "systematically" adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children over decades, and urged it to open its files on pedophiles and bishops who concealed their...

The Catholic Church must be held to account by a UN human rights watchdog for doing too little to halt and expose paedophile priests, victims of abuse by the clergy said Tuesday. David Clohessy, director of the US-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said he had few hopes of a massive shake up by Pope Francis, who since being elected in March has made several pronouncements urging action. "We're dealing with a well-established, longstanding, extraordinarily powerful global monarchy, that really has few or any checks and balances on its power," he told reporters.

A nasty Norwegian diplomat at the UN frequently badmouths the Holy See. He wonders why Holy See diplomats are allowed into the room during negotiations. He says outright that the Holy See ought to leave. This has happened more than once.It’s amusing a Norwegian would say such a thing. The development of Norway is rather murky and it is hard to figure when Norway really became Norway. Norwegians might claim it was when Harald Fairhair unified disparate tribes and clans in 872 after the Battle of Hafrsfjord. Even so, it is questionable when the people living there began to...

BRUSSELS, Belgium, (Zenit.org).- The European Parliament on Tuesday is poised to debate a report that condemns the Catholic Church for its moral principles and its position on women priests. The document, written by Spanish Socialist Mariacute;a Izquierdo Rojo, was approved last October by the Womenacute;s Rights Commission and analyzed subsequently by the Citizensacute; Liberties and Rights Commission. Among other things, the document condemns quot;the administrations of religious organizations and the leaders of extremist political movements who promote racial discrimination, xenophobia, fanaticism and the exclusion of women from leading positions in the political and religious hierarchy.quot; The report could be voted...

Numerous studies have found that children who do not live with both biological parents, irrespective of socioeconomic status, are far more likely to be sexually abused than their peers in intact families. In particular, girls living in non-traditional families are found to have been sexually abused by their ‘stepfathers,’ either the married, cohabiting or casual partner of a divorced or single mother, at many times the rate girls are sexually abused by their natural fathers in intact families. (Snip) Child sexual abuse is not fully and frankly discussed because the public discourse is self-censored by politicians, academics, social service organisations,...

Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests for raping and molesting children in his final two years before stepping down as the head of the Catholic Church in 2013, documents obtained by The Associated Press reveal. According to the data, 260 priests were deprived of their ecclesiastical status in 2012 and 124 in 2012 – more than a twofold increase over the 171 priests defrocked in the preceding two years. The figures represent the first time the Vatican has provided statistics on the number of priests to be removed for sex abuse as a result of the Church’s in-house procedures....

An ex-scoutmaster who admitted to molesting his son’s teenage friends and fellow troop members for years at his Keswick home pleaded guilty to 36 felony sex crimes Wednesday in Albemarle County Circuit Court. David Brian Watkins, now 50, entered into an agreement with prosecutors that shields him from additional local or federal charges and calls for an active term of 30 years and five months in prison. The agreement “provides closure for … very promising young men who can now get on with their lives,” Assistant Albemarle Commonwealth’s Attorney Darby Lowe said after the hearing. “The young men would have...

COCOA, Fla. – A student who turned to porn to help pay the bills had been kicked out of school. Robert Marucci told WKMDG Local 6 that made the decision to because he considered the job just that – work that would help with his family’s financial issues. For his effort, Marucci says he’s been bullied by students and now, he says the school is bullying him. Local 6 says Marucci’s mother was aware of what her son was doing and that he did so to support her financially. “I think he’s the most awesome person in the world,” she...

A former female MP was involved in a paedophile network at the heart of government, police have been told. She is alleged to have forced a boy in care to perform a “vile” sex act at one of a series of drug-fuelled parties in Westminster in the Eighties where boys and girls as young as 13 were allegedly abused. Last night her alleged victim told the Sunday Express: “I want justice.” Andrew Ash, now 45, said he has given Scotland Yard the name of the former MP. We cannot name her for legal reasons. Mr Ash claims he was frequently...

Pulaski County authorities have dropped charges against two foreign military officers who were training at Fort Leonard Wood when they were arrested. The Rolla Daily News reports that Mohammed Mahmoud Omar Mefleh, of Jordan, and Antoine Chlela, of Lebanon, were charged in October with enticement of a child and harassment. Court records say the men allegedly approached a 12-year-old girl at a bus stop and asked her to enter their vehicle. Pulaski County prosecutor Kevin Hillman said Friday that the charges were dropped as part of an agreement that includes the men paying the cost of their incarceration. Hillman says...