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I’m really sick of apologists for the reign of terror that Pope Benedict has presided over and protected that has destroyed the lives of so many innocent children. Chief defender, Bill Donohue of The Catholic League, last weighed in blaming the Jew-loving New York Times for smearing the Pope. Of course it was only a matter of time before Bill turned his vile blame game onto gays and lesbians, by claiming the church’s real problem is homosexuality. And The Catholic League, always ready to gay-bait along with this Pontiff, has placed an ad in the NYT that makes it clear that if you’re gay, you’re to blame for the criminal sexual behavior by priests, not Benedict and his pals who shuttled the pedophiles around the globe so they could molest and rape other children.
Again, none of the explanations below explain away the formerly secret Vatican documents proving the church placed its welfare and reputation above the victims of abuse. There’s no way to erase Benedict’s connection to the filth and evil.
Can you believe how sick this is — blaming the victims all over again — “greasing professional victims groups like SNAP.” Mother of god, I didn’t think men like Donohue could go any lower. There really isn’t “another side” to this issue. It’s about priests raping children and the criminal conspiracy to cover it up, not homosexuality. From one of the Wisconsin deaf boys’ statements about the ritual abuse by Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, who abused hundreds of children between 1950 and 1974:
Below the fold, reactions to the Church’s continued stonewalling on its criminal conspiracy.Via the Task Force:
Statement by Mary E. Hunt, Ph.D., Co-Director, Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER), National Religious Leadership Roundtable Member“Recent revelations of widespread sexual abuse by priests and cover-ups by bishops in Europe, as well as the abuse of deaf children in the U.S., are signs of the implosion of Roman Catholicism as we knew it. Allegations that Pope Benedict XVI acted with the same impunity as other bishops in the failure to brings perpetrators to justice and instead protected the institutional church’s reputation by secrecy only add to the need for substantive structural change in Catholicism. Changing those in leadership will not be sufficient. A new, horizontal model of church led by teams of competent ministers who are accountable to the community is the only way to assure that these scandalous, damaging practices are ended.”
Statement by the Rev. Debra W. Haffner, Executive Director, Religious Institute, National Religious Leadership Roundtable Member
“The latest revelations about sexual abuse against children by Roman Catholic priests are nothing short of revolting. The story of Father Lawrence Murphy, who abused more than 200 boys in Milwaukee over decades, despite the boys’ speaking out and calling for help, should outrage us all. The new revelations from Germany and other European countries add to the understanding that the prevalence of pedophile priests are, in the words of my colleague, Dan Maguire, ‘a global Catholic Church pandemic.’
“‘It went up to the pope,’ a formerly Roman Catholic friend said to me with tears in her eyes. ‘How is it possible that people knew and didn’t stop it?’ Unfortunately, the answer is that the Catholic hierarchy did know, and chose to transfer the priests rather than address the crimes they were committing against children.
“Yes, crimes. In the secular world, the offending priests and their superiors would be held criminally accountable for their behavior. It is not enough for the pope to apologize, as he did to victims last week. It is unconscionable when Catholic apologists try to explain away the church’s inaction as a relic of another time, when people didn’t talk as much about sexual abuse. We are talking now – and learning, to our dismay, how widespread sexual abuse in faith communities really is.
“The pope now has an urgent responsibility – and an extraordinary opportunity. He must not only move beyond apologies to action, but could also use his influence to urge all religious institutions to address sexuality in healthier, more open and responsible ways.
“Pope Benedict, the world is watching and waiting.”
Statement by Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director, New Ways Ministry, National Religious Leadership Roundtable Member
“The appalling story from Wisconsin of the priest who abused over 200 students, and whose sins and crimes were covered up by the Catholic hierarchy wrenches the heart and tests a person’s faith. It gets to the heart of what has been too often been the case in stories like this: the clerical system of secrecy, silence and unaccountability is the main culprit. Sadly, until the bishops responsible for moving abusers to other locales acknowledge their responsibility, the cycle of abuse will continue.”
Statement by the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Faith Work Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Religious Leadership Roundtable Member
“The story of the Wisconsin priest who sexually abused nearly 200 children during his tenure at a school for the deaf and the ensuing, decades-long cover-up by the Catholic Church hierarchy is devastating in several ways. The priest, Father Murphy, used his God-given gift of embodiment to perpetrate violence. Like any act that takes giftedness and uses it to harm, this is an act of defilement. The victims of his crime were doubly robbed – they experienced their bodies as a means of defilement and not as a gift, and they were taught that God desires pain and shame. And when the victims refused to learn this ill-conceived lie and spoke out against the abuse, they were taught that the gospel’s call to speak truth to power, to stand for that which is right and just, did not apply to the church.
“It is long past time that we say ‘no’ to those who claim to speak for God, yet issue lies and distortions. Let us claim the sacred trust of embodiment, and the responsibility it puts on all of us, and call the Roman Catholic hierarchy to repentance and making amends.”
Related:
* Watch: survivors of abuse point the finger of blame directly at Benedict
* NYT: Pope Benedict tied to coverup of predator priest molestation of 200 deaf boys
28 Comments
My comment from the Joe.My.God blogSo, let’s review. The Church, through its official count of cases, claims 80% of them involve boys as victims. However, 40 – 50% of the membership in groups like SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) are women. Could it be that the Church is not counting all the claims of abuse, especially those with girl victims? Could the same church that paid off victims with hush money, forced victims to sign lifetime confidentiality pledges and reportedly intimidated victims into not reporting crimes – particularly girls, who they blamed for “enticing” the abusive priest, possibly be failing to report all crimes? I think we should use their track record of honesty to evaluate those questions.
And what about Bernard Law, or Joe Bevilacqua (former head of Philly diocese) or Teddy McCarrick (former head of DC church) or Papa Ratzinger himself? Is Donohue really claiming ALL these men are gay, and that is why they aided and abetted rapists, defrauded parishioners and obstructed justice for decades?
Yep, it’s all the Times’ fault.The Guardian, Der Stern, Le Monde and dozens of other newspapers in Europe–most of which have been following and investigating this story at least as relentlessly as the Times–have had nothing to do with it. And of course the priests and the “Holy Father” are all innocent, not criminal conspirators. It was all cooked up by the Hymie-Town Times.
The Miami Herald, which reports today that the Miami diocese is now being sued over priestly child rape, isn’t really reporting that at all. http://www.miamiherald.com/201… Nope, it’s the Times. Everything in the world is the fault of the Sulzbergers and their coreligionists.
It’s pathetic how twisted a mind becomes when it’s fully committed to an “absolute” that is not really any such thing, and has to keep defending it. They are pushed to preposterous lengths trying to defend the indefensible, make the patently absurd seem reasonable. (During the Scopes trial, William Jennings Bryan tried to argue that human beings aren’t really mammals.) Donohue is as delusional as only a true fanatic can be.
Add Donohue to the list of people that’ll bejoining this “pope” all the other clergy party to this for a special place in Hell.
The behavior was always criminal.The Catholic Church, and possibly the Pope himself, protected the priests instead of the children.
Y’know, Matthew reported Jesus said the kingdom of heaven belongs to children. So much for the apparent Catholic Hierarchy take on caring about those children to whom heaven is said to truly belong.
Male Dominance and Rape CultureThe good people at Pandagon have an alternate diagnosis that Mr. Donahue would do well to read …
http://pandagon.net/index.php/…
If the Prada pump was on the other foot…Donohue and the rest of these asshats would be demanding the death penalty if these crimes and the resulting cover-ups had been committed by members of a gay friendly institution, such as the Metropolitan Community Church.
In the meantime it’s just kind of refreshing to be able to sit back with this big bowl of popcorn and watch Pappa Ratzi and the rest of his dress wearing buddies try to dance around this.
Yes,… well it is very well known that many are gay. Including the Pope.Thus the 'confusion' in his having hired Ray Flynn, archhomophobe of MA, to start the meme that pedophiles are ALL suppressed gays. Couldn't be farther from the truth of what pedophiles are and what adult loving gays are.But the world is listening to Benedict's new call for a pogrom against GAYS. Just look at Africa!! Such a 'man of God' to try to deflect these horrible crime by beginning a whole new set of them against another minority!
Will repost NOTE here, to make people understand the true depth of these crimes.
It SHOULD be an attack on the Pope!Let’s be clear – most of what most Vatican apologists are spouting is pure BS in an attempt to shovel their way out of one of the biggest scandals in church history, and it is inconceivable that this was as secret as they are trying to claim.
But the biggest point to deal with is this kind of defense – Let’s set aside everything else we know and everything we think we can logically deduce, and everything that otherwise credible witnesses are saying.
Let’s take Donohue’s defense at face value.
Hell, lets just take one point – “The Vatican did not learn of the case until 1996.”
This is supposed to be a defense of the pope(s) involved. See, these things started in the 60′s and the Vatican didn’t learn until 30 years later – you can’t blame them.
But that is 14 YEARS ago. Even if that was actually the first glimmer that anyone in Rome had of this (ha.), there is no way anything other than a deliberate decision to cover this all up explains anything. Compare this to their response any time a Catholic politician votes not to restrict abortion, or a nun somewhere says something positive about gay people.
In real life, of course, these people are responsible for everything along the way – what they did know and do, and what they deliberately chose not to know. But there is absolutely NO defense for any of there actions since the first public cases began to see the light.
Dear Mr DonowhoreIt wasn’t a gay problem, it was an instutionalised arrogance coupled with priests who were emotionally and sexually immature.
You are lying and you know it.
Gays did not cause the heartache of the Duplessis scandals in Quebec.
Gays did not cause the Magdalen scandals.
It was caused by arrogant men with warped personalities.
So was the PAEDOPHILE scandals, Bill.
I am a Maggie, a Magdalen, a survivor of the Laundries.
I bear witness, knowing and knowledgable, against your lies.
How do you plan to blame the Magdalen women for the nightmare that was visited upon them?
Ye B*stard.
He just doesn’t see it as a big deal.He comes across as so callous and twisted here that I hope he doesn’t have any kids or have access to any kids.
http://www.atheistmedia.com/20…
The Pope’s ConfessionThe tell-all book, ‘My Life in Hitler Youth’. Benedict hasn’t written it yet, but I’ve reviewed it anyway. It’s good to be ahead of the curve—
http://kmareka.com/2010/03/27/…
FYI, Ray Flynn……was also an Ambassador to the Vatican.
Where he was a MAJOR embarrassment to the both the U.S. and the Vatican.
Of course, he was also something of an embarrassment to the City of Boston when he was Mayor.
Shanty Irish. You can dress ‘em up but you can’t take ‘em anywhere.
(I can say that. I’ve Shanty Irish in my ancestry all the way back to the Potato Famine immigrants to the U.S.>
To those who abuse and their protectors.May goddess NOT have mercy on your evil souls.
Dena
He is on to something……we SHOULD be going for the Vatican’s jugular. I find no shame in admitting I’d like to see it severed and the body church bleed out.
They’re really gonna be surprised when they pass on..And the Morrigan shows up at the entrance to the Otherworld rather than St. Peter. I suspect they won’t like HER….
Until the RCC turns over every one of these creeps, Every person who donates one penny to the Catholic Church is guilty of helping protect child molesters.
Cardinal Law is still breathing and has not been prosecuted. Every Catholic is Guilty. RICO Act anyone?
She’s going to be pissedand probably arrange for Bill to be re-incarnated as a Latino Lesbian
We SHOULD be recalling our ‘Ambassador”though with the Vatican insisting that it be an obedient Catholic in good standing, he is more of an ambassadoor-mat.
Godly Perverts And GirlsAn interesting thing about this is the victims of the pedo-priest who was in my local parish, were all young girls and seemed to have been ‘selected’ from the families who were the strongest Catholics.I wonder if he thought that pressure could be bought to bear more easily on “good” Catholics to silence possible complaints? Or was it just a matter of more access and trust on behalf of these poor people of strong faith?
Or by the neopagan subculture
This 1996 date is often cited to say that John-Paul II began the fight against abuseBy, of course, having the abusers shuffled around and their crimes concealed, which doesn’t seem like much of a fight to me.
I suspect they won’t like HER….And I suspect it will be mutual.
They are hanging themselves with their own words.If, as the big church in Rome says, all pedophiles are suppressed gays, why do they continue suppressing gays? Regardless of what lies they use to “defend” themselves, the only thing preventing them from being hoisted on their own petard is the complicity of law enforcement and the mainstream media.
Media people, these are simple follow-up questions. Make like Maddow and ask them!!!
Easter Protest in New YorkProtest this Sunday, Easter Sunday, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. 5th Avenue btwn 50th and 51st Streets.
9-12, the Archbishop’s Easter Service starts at 10:15.
Bring signs that counter the church’s pedophilia, homophobia and hypocrisy.
Reincarnationas a Latino Lesbian but maybe a really ugly one who has no friends and especially no girlfriends.
1986 is the watershed year for hierarchy liability – Donahue not 100% wrongPrior to 1986, a response to pedophilia accusations from a catholic bishop that included reassigning the priest to another parish was based on the mistaken assumption that the “sinful act” would be forgiven and the priest would resolve to never sin in that way again. The Catholic hierarchy was unaware of the recidivism rate for pedophiles and the fact that this was not a matter of sin/forgiveness/redemption. In 1986, the Catholic hierarchy became aware that the previous assumptions were in error.
However, regardless of the date, the practice of silincing complaints and requiring secrecy from victims was never an appropriate response, even before 1986. I understand the rationale of “avoiding a scandal in the Church” but this foolish and horrific policy was in and of itself the cause of a much greater scandal than could possibly have occurred had these cases been turned over to the authorities for invesitgation at the time of the complaints.
The Catholic Church’s problem with pedophile and other sexually-abusive priests is not a homosexuality problem, it’s a problem that stems directly of requiring priestly celibacy, even from those priests for whom “becoming a eunuch for the sake of the kingdom of heaven” is not an accomplishable goal. Even Jesus said in Matthew 19:12 that only those who can take it, should take it.
The Church would do well to allow for married priests, women priests, and priests who are gay but in a committed relationship. This would not completely eliminate the problems, but would allow for a significant reduction.
The main issue with pedophilia is that pedophiles are likely to try to choose careers in which they might have easy access to children – thus there are more pedophiles who are priests, teachers, coaches, and scout leaders, than would be found among people in careers that don’t involve access to children. Even if celibacy-as-aggravating-factor is eliminated, the priesthood will still be a magnet for those who have an inclination toward pedophilia. But without the aggravating factor, the incidence is likely to be significantly lessened.
The sexual orientation of pedophiles is actually immaterial – there are pedophiles who prey on boys who are straight and there are pedophiles who prey on boys who are gay – this is less a matter of a sexual orientation and more a matter of an exercise of power over the victim.
Some of Donahue’s points are not 100% wrong – the one that ascribes the “problem” to homosexuality is completely off base.
I do believe it is very necessary to acknowledge those points where our opponents are speaking truth.
The truth about the one aspect – that the handling of these matters before 1986 was based on an honest misunderstanding of the problem – does not at all excuse the “avoiding a scandal in the Church” mentality that caused bishops to insist that victims be silenced, even before 1986.
1986 (ten years earlier) the hierarchy was fully aware . . .. . . that the previous method, to send the priest-perpetrator on a retreat to examine his conscience and resolve to sin no more, prior to placement in a new parish where the priest was expected to resist future temptation, DID NOT WORK.
From that point in time, any Catholic bishop who participated in a cover-up of a pedophile priest and reassigned the priest to another parish should be held liable.
I think that in 1986, the hierarchy should have acknowledged the problem, contacted those who had been silenced to work out compensation voluntarily, and quietly reassigned priests to posts where they would have no contact with children. This might have avoided much.
But they thought they could just keep everything shoved under the rug, but created a mucgh larger scandal than they ever would have had, had they addressed the issue squarely as soon as they understood that the “old way” did not work.