Pope Implicated in Abuse Scandal

[berrychrisc]

From the National Catholic Reporter:

"Pope Benedict XVI was implicated in the deepening sex abuse scandal for the first time late Friday following disclosures that he ws involved in the transfer a priest who had forced an 11-year-old boy to have sex.
The priest, who was named by Germany's Südeutsche Zeitung only as priest "H", was transferred in 1980 from his parish in the German town of Essen to the Pope's former diocese in Munich after he was accused of forcing the boy to perform sex acts.
The priest was sent to Munich to undergo therapy, but six years later he was convicted of abusing minors. He was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence and fined. The newspaper said that he continues to work as a priest in Bavaria.
Pope Benedict was archbishop of Munich between 1977 and 1982."

- Perhaps when all of the truth comes out about what has been happening in the celibate hierarchy of the church, the chance for real dialogue about the possibility of married priests and women priests will arise.

 

[MSizer]

I don't expect many are surprised by this. Especially given ratzinger's track record, having re-signed crimen solocitalionis and endless lip service about "the evil of child abuse".

 

[Jordan St. Francis]

I don't actually think that the Pope is implicated here. As Archbishop, he simply approved the admission of the priest in question (from Essen) into his diocese ( Munich) for therapy. The priest was assigned to parish work within Munich after Ratzinger had already left his post as Archbishop to head the CDF in Rome.

 

[berrychrisc]

From MSNBC.com:

"We find it extraordinarily hard to believe that Ratzinger didn't reassign the predator, or know about the reassignment," said Barbara Blaine, president and founder of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
The pope, meanwhile, continues to be under fire for a 2001 Vatican letter he sent to all bishops advising them that all cases of sexual abuse of minors must be forwarded to his then-office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that the cases were to be subject to pontifical secret.
Germany's justice minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, has cited the document as evidence that the Vatican created a "wall of silence" around abuse cases that prevented prosecution."

The developing situation is extremely disheartening. The allegations against the pope are grave, and should be answered with complete transparency. Any responsibility for placing children at risk or shielding offenders from the authorities must be accepted, no matter the consequences. The victims of these priests must be offered whatever compensation or healing can be given, no matter the cost. Then, a realistic solution must be found to prevent these atrocities from happening again, no matter how unorthodox or untraditional. That is the only way to deal with this nightmare.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The developing situation is extremely disheartening. The allegations against the pope are grave, and should be answered with complete transparency. Any responsibility for placing children at risk or shielding offenders from the authorities must be accepted, no matter the consequences. The victims of these priests must be offered whatever compensation or healing can be given, no matter the cost. Then, a realistic solution must be found to prevent these atrocities from happening again, no matter how unorthodox or untraditional. That is the only way to deal with this nightmare.

I think a good first step would be to clean house: take all evidence of abuse or cover-ups of abuse that isn't under the seal of confession, hand it over to the authorities, and let them arrest and convict who they may.

This is the Catholic Church's version of the Tylenol tampering scandal. IMO, if it doesn't treat the abuse scandals with the seriousness they deserve, the Church very well may not survive.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

...the Church very well may not survive.

This has crossed my mind.

First it was an American problem - and not just Catholic. Then it was part of Europe, and now all of it. The entire church is dividing over homosexuality, and the entire leadership are involved in every form of corruption that is under the sun.

I'm wondering how the church can survive financially from all the lawsuits that this will entail, and if the members are willing to foot the bill for a clergy that has betrayed them in the worst possible way.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm wondering how the church can survive financially from all the lawsuits that this will entail, and if the members are willing to foot the bill for a clergy that has betrayed them in the worst possible way.

Parts of it haven't survived. Several dioceses have declared bankruptcy over abuse lawsuits.

Edit: and I think that a fair bit of the current priest shortage can be traced back to this issue. I mean, would you want a job that carries with it an automatic suspicion that you're a pedophile?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Parts of it haven't survived. Several dioceses have declared bankruptcy over abuse lawsuits.

Yeah, but I bet you a buffalo nickel that the church is consolidating and protecting assets before the scandals become public knowledge elsewhere.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Yeah, but I bet you a buffalo nickel that the church is consolidating and protecting assets before the scandals become public knowledge elsewhere.

Hmm. Good point.

However, wouldn't that be illegal?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Hmm. Good point.

However, wouldn't that be illegal?

Only if you get caught.

 

[Jordan St. Francis]

The Church will survive. Hopefully, what in it needs to die will and the dead brush will be cleared.

"We find it extraordinarily hard to believe that Ratzinger didn't reassign the predator, or know about the reassignment"

When the priest was reassigned, Ratzinger had already ceased to be the Archbishop of Munich for seven months.

 

[berrychrisc]

I think a good first step would be to clean house: take all evidence of abuse or cover-ups of abuse that isn't under the seal of confession, hand it over to the authorities, and let them arrest and convict who they may.

This is the Catholic Church's version of the Tylenol tampering scandal. IMO, if it doesn't treat the abuse scandals with the seriousness they deserve, the Church very well may not survive.

I agree. I would also say that priests should not have to honor the seal of confession in this instance, or in any case where the welfare of children is in question.

 

[gnomon]

I don't expect many are surprised by this. Especially given ratzinger's track record, having re-signed crimen solocitalionis and endless lip service about "the evil of child abuse".

I'm thoroughly shocked and dismayed. I would never have seen it coming. Corruption in the RCC. Never.

Snarkiness aside. Part of the blame for the whole scandal, only a smaller part but still there nonetheless, is that of the State. In certain areas, such as Ireland, the abuses might not have lasted as long as they did if the State, and by extension the people, did not hold "the Church" in such a misplaced high regard.

Many people seem to be hoping for an internal cleaning. Much like we rely on law enforcement to police itself.

I say start the subpoena machine going, from all nations involved, and start dragging every high ranking bishop and archbishop into State courts over charges of criminal conspiracy in relation to sexual abuse of children. Do not rely on the Church to figure it out for itself. Relying on the Church so far has produced nothing more than a monumental made up excuse for the behavior of those priests found to be harming children by invoking ephebophilia rather than pedophilia while completely ignoring the heart of the issue.

Start dragging the bishops to court. Even the Pope if necessary. If the allegations of his knowledge are substantial enough there is no reason not to.

 

[Father Heathen]

I like how they rape children, cover it up, and still have the audacity to claim to represent and speak for god. The church deserves to fall.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I like how they rape children, cover it up, and still have the audacity to claim to represent and speak for god. The church deserves to fall.

You might want to rephrase that.

 

[Father Heathen]

You might want to rephrase that.

I don't mean "like" in the literal sense, obviously. I'm being flippant.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

I don't mean "like" in the literal sense, obviously. I'm being flippant.

Flippant about the rape of children?

 

[Father Heathen]

Flippant about the rape of children?

No, about the irony and hypocrisy of the church.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

No, about the irony and hypocrisy of the church.

Yes, I "get" the sarcasam and tragic irony of the statement but ....

You can't assume that what is obvious to you to be obvious to someone else, and - more importantly - some statements are just too vile to use sarcastically.

 

[Erebus]

some statements are just too vile to use sarcastically.

I strongly disagree with you there, but that's because I'm incredibly sick.

One thing I've never understood is why the frequent abuse of young boys? Why not hire a prostitute and enjoy a night of cocaine addled sex like all the other corrupt leaders in the world.