Pope Apologizes for Sexual Abuse

[Luba]

Though I didn't follow his complete U.S. tour, I want to ask this question...do you think his apology for the sexual abuse from Priests helped at all?

[NoTargeT]

Only as a sort of gesture of recognition I guess. The fact of the abuse itself is too crazy for words I guess. Hearing on the news here that the catholic church in the US is near to bankrupt after having paid more then 2 billion dollar to priest abuse victims...
And I wonder how much belief in God those priests had to perform their acts under His watchfull eye. Believe in nthere being something is one thing... but believing in an organisation like a church is becoming very hard now...

[TKDLady]

I don't know about the apology but it makes me angry that priests are zeroed in on. They aren't the only clergy types that have sexually molested children, they are just the largest target. I don't approve of their acts but I think it has been blown all out of proportion. Compared to the amount of children molested, priests make up a pretty small percentage I think. An easy way to get publicity and make lots of money. Who is going to sue a simple little nondenominational preacher for the same act? The Catholic church is perceived to have lots of money so they are a target. I am not the best Catholic to be sure but I don't enjoy all the bashing my church gets either. Most of the people I know who are Catholic are just as nice if not nicer than some from other religions, or those who aren't even religious for that matter.

[IvyRose]

I also think the attention the Catholic Church gets by these scandals is, the masses love to see something thought of as good, have a flaw. It sells big for the News.

*point* *point*

You all said that you are good, now look what has happened within your own Church.

People love to point out hypocrisy, just so they can make their own mistakes seem small. That and then you've got people that have always had a disdain, not only for just the Catholic Church, but any Organized Religion as a whole.

There is good and bad in everything. The Church isn't an exception. *shrug*

Did I think the Pope helped when he apologized? No. All it did was sell more air-time to more commercials and make people even more upset. It's nice that he did though.

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by Luba

Though I didn't follow his complete U.S. tour, I want to ask this question...do you think his apology for the sexual abuse from Priests helped at all?

I think he needs to go to every country around the world to do apologise. The sheer scale of sexual abuse conducted by catholic priests is beyond comprehension.

I'm all for people wanting to be catholic if thats there thing but the catholic church as an institution is an abomination and needs a whole lot more to be done other than some apologies to help the people some of its priests have scared.

Originally Posted by TKDLady

Compared to the amount of children molested, priests make up a pretty small percentage I think. An easy way to get publicity and make lots of money. Who is going to sue a simple little nondenominational preacher for the same act? The Catholic church is perceived to have lots of money so they are a target.

Come to the UK. If a preacher of a smaller denomination did that they'd be put in prison far quicker than a catholic priest. They wouldn't have the political backing of the church for them to hide behind.

I would agree they are a target but not because people want cash out of them. They are a target because the catholic church institution should be a guiding light in morality but in recent decades its shown itself to not be able to do that. I'm sure theres good and well meaning catholic priests out there but because of the scale of these problems the whole religion gets tarred with the same brush. Things like the abuse scandels is just another problem to add to issues people already have with the Vatican.

Certainly in the EU, the catholic institution isn't a target because of its money, its a target because of its hypocrisy in general and the 20th and 21st century is the first time in history where state and the population in general has more power than the church and it has to answer for its actions now. This doesn't just affect the Catholic church either but also the Anglican church which has just as much to answer too, including the persicutuion of catholics in the 18th century. The is reflected in church attendance which is reaching such critical points here in the UK that churches of all Christian sects are closing (which in itself is sad because many churches in the UK are spectacular and ancient buildings with a rich history). I don't Christians have lost faith in God but have lost faith in the Anglican and Catholic Church systems.

[TKDLady]

My point is that the Catholic church is more media news "friendly" than some small time church or other pervert. I agree there are bad priests but there are bad people in all walks of life. They just don't make good news so you don't hear about them. I don't go to church anymore but it isn't because of the media or anything, I just don't think I need to go to a third party to get a message to God or Jesus.

[NoTargeT]

Here's some info and statistics, just so we know what we are talking about, and what it was the pope apologized for (Source: BBC);

1984: Bernard Law is appointed archbishop of Boston, and elevated to cardinal a year later.

1985: Sex abuse by priests becomes a national issue in the US for the first time, as Louisiana priest Gilbert Gauthe pleads guilty to 11 counts of molestation of boys.

1992: US bishops meeting in South Bend, Indiana, admit attempts by some of their number to hide abuse.

1993: First legal proceedings brought against Dallas diocese over sex abuse by the priest Rudolph Kos.

1992-3: The Reverend James Porter of Fall River diocese, Massachusetts, is accused of abusing children in five US states in the 1960s and 1970s. He later pleads guilty to 41 counts of abuse.

13 July, 1998: Dallas diocese forced to pay more than $31m to victims of Kos.

1999: Former Massachusetts priest John Geoghan indicted on child rape charges.

8 January, 2002: Vatican publishes guidelines on how to deal with paedophile priests, saying all cases should be reported to Rome.
9 January: Cardinal Law apologises to victims of John Geoghan and promises a tougher line on abusive priests in future.
18 January: Geoghan convicted of indecent assault and battery of a 10-year-old boy, for which he later receives a 10-year prison sentence.
4 April: Two US men, in Florida and Oregon, begin legal action which symbolically names the Vatican for its alleged role in covering up sex abuse cases.
8 April: File released on the Rev Paul Shanley, alleging he publicly advocated sex between men and boys and still received the backing of the archdiocese for his ministry.
23 April: Pope John Paul II calls emergency meeting with US cardinals in Rome.
2 May: Paul Shanley arrested in California and later charged on three counts of child rape. He denies the charges.
13 June: US bishops approve "zero tolerance" national policy on abuse, but the Vatican demands changes to protect rights of priests.
17 September: Boston Jesuit priest James Talbot charged with raping and assaulting three teenaged students.
19 September: The Boston Archdiocese reaches $10m settlement with victims of John Geoghan, retracting a previous settlement of $30m which the Church said would have bankrupted the archdiocese.
3 November: Cardinal Law apologises for "decisions which led to suffering".
13 November: US bishops meet in Washington and approve revised policy on abusive priests which takes account of Vatican concerns.
On the same day, Roman Catholic activists from the Survivors First group launch an online database listing 573 US priests accused of involvement in paedophilia since 1996, later dropping 100 of the names.
3 December: New revelations about eight priests in Boston archdiocese accused of abusing women and girls, taking drugs and supplying drugs in return for sexual favours.
6 December: Cardinal Law leaves for the Vatican, on the same day that he reportedly is ordered to appear before a grand jury investigating sex abuse allegations.
13 December: Cardinal Law resigns as archbishop.

April 2003: The Boston Archdiocese avoids bankruptcy by agreeing to sell land and buildings for over $100m to fund legal settlements to more than 500 abuse victims.
24 August: John Geoghan is killed in a Massachusetts prison.

27 February 2004: A report commissioned by the Church says more than 4,000 US Roman Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years, in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys.
1 July: The key accuser of defrocked priest Paul Shanley is dropped from the case by prosecutors.
7 July: In an unprecedented move, the Portland Archdiocese files for bankruptcy because of the huge costs from clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
The action halts a trial of a lawsuit seeking some $155m against the late Rev Maurice Grammond, who was accused of molesting more than 50 boys in the 1980s.
28 September: Prosecutors drop a case against former Massachusetts bishop Thomas Dupre, hours after he is charged with raping two children in the 1970s.
15 November: US Roman Catholic bishops elect Bishop William Skylstad as their new president. His Washington diocese faces bankruptcy due to the volume of compensation claims made by alleged victims of child abuse.
3 December: After two years of talks, the diocese of Orange County, California, settles a sex abuse lawsuit brought by 87 plaintiffs for an unspecified sum. The diocese later says the package is worth $100m

7 February 2005: A US court convicts Paul Shanley of four charges relating to offences committed in the 1980s including rape and indecent assault.
June: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, California, agrees to pay $35m to 33 victims.
August: The Diocese of Oakland, California, agrees to pay $56m to 56 people.

December 2006: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $60m to settle to 45 cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests.

January 2007: The Spokane diocese in Washington agrees to pay at least $48m as compensation to people abused by priests.
July: The Los Angeles Archdiocese settles 508 cases of alleged sexual abuse by priests for a record-breaking pay-out of $660m. The deal is reached just before the scheduled start of a series of trials into abuse claims dating back to the 1940s.
September: The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, California, agrees to pay $198m to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy.


And here's something to put things in perspective, some general child abuse statistics:

During Federal Fiscal Year 2005, there were 3.3 million referrals, involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6.0 million children. Out of these an estimated 899,000 children in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. 9.3% of these victims suffered sexual abuse. So, In the year 2005 alone, an estimated 83,600 children in the US were determined to be victims of sexual abuse. (Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System)

[Mondo]

Don't you think its wrong that these cases are solved by money changing hands? Surely its an admission of guilt and these preists should be put behind bars for life and get castration as an optional extra? Seems strange that a rapist will get sent to prison but a preist can buy there way out of raping children.

[PepsiChic]

Originally Posted by Mondo

Don't you think its wrong that these cases are solved by money changing hands? Surely its an admission of guilt and these preists should be put behind bars for life and get castration as an optional extra? Seems strange that a rapist will get sent to prison but a preist can buy there way out of raping children.

agreed.

It makes me sick to think people can hide behind a recognized status such as being a priest and get away with such horrible crimes.

A Priest is someone people should be able to turn to and seek help and blessing, what these people do is abuse a position we entrust to them.