I’ve no doubt that the highest ranking Catholic leaders are an arrogant bunch. When you are in charge of the most powerful religion in the world and hold sway over a billion people with little accountability in this life you are bound to grow a thick head. But covering up the rape and molestation of who knows how many children for who knows how many centuries is not the same as murdering people who refuse to convert. Killing people is easy to rationalise. Especially people who are different. Humans have a great talent for this. Attacking children, your own children is not something most people can accept. This is the kind of thing that can really turn people off. Without all those people you lose all that power and influence. Not to mention all that money.
9 comments:
"But can you imagine if these were imams instead of priests? Islam would be outlawed all over Europe."
I think you're clutching at straws here mate. How many forced marriages and 'honour' killings have gone on while Islam remains perfectly lawful?
I wasn't aware that abuse was ever a secret, poorly kept or otherwise.
I have no argument with the assertion that the only way for the Catholic church to salvage credibility is for them to be up front and punish those responsible. But with every scandal, there are other groups with their own agenda lining up to put the boot in for reasons that have nothing to do with protecting children from anything.
I think if Imams had done it, there would be both Muslims and non-Muslims going out of their way to say that such acts should not been seen as a blight on all Muslims or the faith as a whole. And rightly so too! Catholics never get that consideration.
I'm not Catholic, but we've had several discussions here on this issue. What makes it so disturbing is how long it has gone on and how widespread it is. For whatever reason, the priesthood has been very appealing to this one particular group. It's hard not to see the forced celibacy as having something to do with it, and probably also the fact that the powers that be was willing to look the other way when issues of abuse came up. I don't know what the best solution is, but I think the Catholic church is going to have to take a look changing the celibacy requirement.
Bill, I don't doubt that some people are using this as an excuse to attack Catholics. When people want to attack you they'll use any excuse. It seems like every time there's a new pope somebody's using his past to knock the entire religion. But I've less sympathy for the Catholics than I do for their victims.
I don't think Catholics get to play the poor oppressed martyr here. That's like white Europeans who complain that everybody pities black Africans and not them.
Alissa, I don't think it's about celibacy. Raping somebody almost has to break that vow. I think looking the other way has been infinitely more damaging. But I think they should abandon celibacy anyway.
It's not about playing the martyr. It's obvious that the church has brought this on itself and handed as weapon to opponents. But in talking of having less sympathy for Catholics than for their victims, that sounds like the "Not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims," argument.
I do think forced celibacy has a lot to do with this. There are some people who handle celibacy perfectly well, whether it's by vow, personal choice, or social circumstance. Then there are others that don't. It can mess you up. Try it for a few years if you don't believe me. Forced celibacy is basically a form of perversion. Human urges don't respect vows, no matter how honestly those vows were entered into and some will find ways to relieve the urge that, in their own minds, don't technically break those vows.
Of course, I am not suggesting that celibacy always leads to child abuse. That would be ridiculous.
Saying not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims is like saying not all Christians are child molesters but all child molesters are Christians. I've heard people make the Muslim comparison but I've never heard anybody even suggest the Christian comparison is true.
I have less sympathy for any Catholics who might look bad because of all this than I have for any victims because I think it's infinitely worse to be a child dealing with a sexual predator in a position of authority than it is to be embarrased by what some of your comrades are doing. I can't imagine how anybody could have less sympathy for the victims.
It's the same reason I have more sympathy for any children harmed in the Palestinian conflict than I have for any Israelis who don't like how their country is being portrayed in the international media. Nobody likes for their group to be negatively generalised but that's nothing compared to what all these children are going through.
I think celibacy is an abomination but either you're the kind of person who can molest children or you aren't. Whether you're celibate or a whore won't change that.
I do not understand this situation. If the leaders know this is happened why they cannot stop it?
What is the photo on the top?
These priests should be shot. Everyone who covered it up should be sent to Siberia. There is no excuse and there should be zero tolerance. If such a thing happened with the moslums they would be drawn and quartered and the religion would be banned like the clothes. The catholics do not deserve special treatment.
These priests should be shot. Everyone who covered it up should be sent to Siberia. There is no excuse and there should be zero tolerance. If such a thing happened with the moslums they would be drawn and quartered and the religion would be banned like the clothes. The catholics do not deserve special treatment.
The picture is from Sinéad O'Connor's Saturday Night Live appearance when she tore up a picture of the pope. It was a pretty famous or infamous event at the time and helped destroy her career. If she'd only done it 15 years later she'd be a hero. The sad part is that everybody's forgetting the song she sang before the photoshop. It was really beautiful.
Sasha, did you feel so strongly about it that you had to post twice?
I don't think shooting anybody will help and Siberia isn't much of an option in Ireland.
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