The Church abuse scandal has now touched Pope Benedict XVI directly with an allegation that he was directly involved in a decision to allow an abusive priest to continue pastoral duties — leading to additional crimes against children.
When the priest was found to have abused children, he was sent into therapy in Munich rather than reported to the police. He had forced an eleven-year-old boy to perform oral sex. If true, that would make him a child rapist but the Church officials covered up the crime. Not only did he continue to abuse children, but he remains a priest in Upper Bavaria. As the cardinal in the area, the Pope approved the plan. In 1986, the priest was convicted of child abuse and given an 18-month suspended jail sentence and fined DM 4,000 (£1,800 today).
The Church is facing an increase in such allegations in Europe, including 170 allegations of child abuse by German Catholic priests.
For the full story, click here
I guess the old dude, Father Gabriele Amorth (Vatican’s Chief Exorcist), had it right when he alleged that “the Devil is at work inside the Vatican.”
(From March 11th’s posting, “Vatican’s Chief Exorcist Claims Devil Is Gaining Ground Within the Church”)
Mike S.,
I echo the sentiments above. May your recovery be swift and complete. Your voice is much missed when absent from our cyber-salon.
Mike S:
I hope you are better soon. Please let us know how you are doing.
Mike S., sorry to hear about your health problems. Hope you’re hale and hearty soon.
Oh, and I will more than pleased to “swat down” Byron for you.
Mike Spindell,
Best of luck my Friend. Please keep us apprised on your road back to good health.
Byron,
Thank you for your interest. Been limited lately by serious health problems which I’m trying to deal with.
“Pope On a Rope”
Too bad, in this case, that we are not the wild west of the 1800s with the Pope On the Knotted End of a Rope, after a fair trial—of course—and when fully adjudicated in the court of Judge Roy Bean, the Law West of the Pecos…
Furthermore, I can tell you that if any sick, queer, pedophilic, alcoholic Catholic priest ever touched a child of mine, he would experience a “rope-a-dope” thrashin’
Maybe Mike S does not want to deal with bdaman any longer.
Mike S:
where are you? Are you having too much fun in “sunny” Florida to hang out a little?
I hope all is well with you and the family.
I need to get “swatted” down, my capitalistic tendencies are running wild without you around 🙂
Swartmore mom,
I think you might be right.
I think these priests were coming from families where sexual abuse was practiced and covered up.
Actually people started coming forward in the early eighties about sexual abuse. It was hidden before. It did not matter if it was a priest, a doctor or a family member.
Mike A and Canadian Eh,
Thank you for your wonderfilled input. I being a doubter, but yet, wanting to trust take most people at their word and then it goes down from there usually.
Canadian Eh has it right. I grew up mostly in the west and southwest. The pastor of our parish in El Paso was a close friend of the family and frequently had dinner with us. One evening I overheard a conversation between him and my parents on “troubled” priests. What I learned was that that part of the country was regarded as mission territory back east. It was common for Cardinal Cushing in Boston, Cardinal Spellman in New York and other eastern bishops to ship problem priests to western parishes, including ours. To my knowledge, our pastor did not have to deal with any pedophiles, but I do recall an associate pastor from Hungary who was a serious alcoholic. The altar boys all noted the smell of alcohol on his breath when we would serve Mass. I remember the pastor telling my parents that this priest had escaped from Hungary during the 1956 uprising and had been unable to cope with the guilt from having left family members behind. In my family we were taught that priests are merely men, subject to the same problems and vices as other men.
When I moved to Cambridge to attend college, I became familiar with Boston Catholics. They were primarily Irish and Italian and traditional. Priests were regarded as the voice of God and their words were expected to be accepted without question. This was completely contrary to my own upbringing and I was surprised and even amused. But it is certainly understandable how pedophilia can thrive in a community in which the authority of a priest is unquestioned.
AY,
You are right in your thoughts that children have an innate trust, until that trust is challenged. Most parents in this day and age start to teach ” stranger danger ” at a very young age in order to try to teach their children that it is not always ok to trust. Some parents go a step further ( as they should ) and teach young children about good touching vs. bad touching in order to try to protect them from predators who may not be
” strangers “. However, there are parents who may send messages that people of certain professions are always safe….church leaders, law officers, doctors, nurses, social workers, sports coaches, teachers….etc. It is irresponsible, as a parent, to lead a child to believe that, because of profession, certain people will not hurt them.
This important education needs to be done in a cautious way however, as we certainly don’t want to create a generation of paranoid people. When they were younger, I never would have left either of my children unsupervised with anyone other than family ( that’s right, I have never used an actual babysitter ). As I’ve stated before on the blog, I have also taught my children age appropriate lessons in sexuality throughout their lives, giving correct names to body parts and explaining that it is not ok for any adult to touch those body parts. We also have ” safe people ” in our lives….people in addition to their parents, who they feel comfortable going to if something inappropriate has happened to them.
I am not a paranoid person, and was raised in a time when any adult was trustworthy….especially the preist in or church. However I have worked in addictions and mental health for almost 20 years and have had opportunity to read many files and meet many people who are aduse survivors. I have seen the effect that these experiences have on children even into their adult years.
Canadian Eh,
While I agree with you in principal, I have to disagree with you in theory. Children have an innate trust until challenged in the basis of that trust.
I am not qualified to delve much further and leave this to those better schooled in this subject.
With the overwhelming number of priests who have been accused of acts of Pediphillia, is it really surprising that the Pope would at some point be found to be allowing these acts to continue? Devout Catholics typically hold priests to a God like pedistal, and teach their children to do the same, which is why it is so easy for these criminals to continue in their crimes. It is never safe for a parent to teach their children to have this degree of trust in anyone.
So the Head of the Family has risen to the ultimate position within the crime family. Hmmm, methinks that the is not much different than the Sicilians.
The ides of March are upon you to Brute’.
This Pope should step aside.