Lawsuit Claims Ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Ran Beach House Sex Ring
Rolling Stone Editor on Why ‘White Fragility’ May Be the ‘Dumbest Book Ever Written’
Showing posts with label the Catholic Church and child abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the Catholic Church and child abuse. Show all posts
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
The Catholic Church: not just a global organization of sexual predators
Just another kind of horrific shit they were up to while for generations they poured an ocean of guilt - guilt about sex - into the brains of sex-addled teens.
Ireland’s Church Homes Gave Children’s Bodies to Medical Schools for Dissection
For decades, some of Ireland’s church-run “mother and baby homes” gave the bodies of many of the children who died in their care to medical schools for dissection, a government inquiry reported on Wednesday, indicating that the scale of the abuses at the homes for single mothers was greater than previously known.
The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, created in 2015 by the Irish government, revealed that in Dublin alone, several of the homes run by the Roman Catholic Church had sent the bodies of 950 children, almost all born to single mothers, to medical schools as anatomical subjects. The practice continued until 1977.
Some other homes also kept few, if any, records of what had been done with the bodies of the children who died in their care, the report found.
At just one of the 13 homes examined, the Bessborough Home in Cork, the inquiry said it could find no information about the burial places of more than 800 children who had died there. It also said that it had received limited cooperation from the religious orders who had run the home.
The nuns of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who ran three of the homes in Cork, did not record the burials of any of the children who died in their keeping, and it was unclear what happened to many of the bodies.
Ireland’s Church Homes Gave Children’s Bodies to Medical Schools for Dissection
For decades, some of Ireland’s church-run “mother and baby homes” gave the bodies of many of the children who died in their care to medical schools for dissection, a government inquiry reported on Wednesday, indicating that the scale of the abuses at the homes for single mothers was greater than previously known.
The Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, created in 2015 by the Irish government, revealed that in Dublin alone, several of the homes run by the Roman Catholic Church had sent the bodies of 950 children, almost all born to single mothers, to medical schools as anatomical subjects. The practice continued until 1977.
Some other homes also kept few, if any, records of what had been done with the bodies of the children who died in their care, the report found.
At just one of the 13 homes examined, the Bessborough Home in Cork, the inquiry said it could find no information about the burial places of more than 800 children who had died there. It also said that it had received limited cooperation from the religious orders who had run the home.
The nuns of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who ran three of the homes in Cork, did not record the burials of any of the children who died in their keeping, and it was unclear what happened to many of the bodies.
Thursday, April 11, 2019
So the crimes of the people who opposed the sexual revolution were caused by the sexual revolution
even though it is known the epidemic of sex crime goes back into the past as far as human eyes can see.
Emeritus Pope Benedict blames the Catholic Church's sex crimes on homosexuality and the sexual revolution of the 1960s
An open letter from Emeritus Pope Benedict that blames the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis on homosexuality and the sexual revolution of the 1960s is drawing deep criticism from Catholic theologians in the U.S. who call it divisive and "embarrassingly wrong."
"Among the freedoms that the Revolution of 1968 sought to fight for was this all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer conceded any norms," Benedict writes in a lengthy treatise released Wednesday in his native Germany.
"Pedophilia was then also diagnosed as allowed and appropriate."
Utter horseshit as everyone knows, including him.
So, a big fucking lie, the kind worthy of Alex Jones or Rush Limbaugh.
And here is another twist of the knife.
Women Sexually Abused By Catholic Nuns Speak Up: She Told Me It Was ‘God’s Love’
Update.
There was more to Benedict's letter than that nonsense, though.
In the essay, Benedict traced the start of the clergy abuse crisis to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, citing the appearance of sex in films in his native Bavaria.
He also blamed the crisis on failures of moral theology in that era, as well as church laws that gave undue protection to accused priests.
Benedict wrote that during the 1980s and 1990s, "the right to a defense (for priests) was so broad as to make a conviction nearly impossible."
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict reformed those laws in 2001 to make it easier to remove priests who abused children.
Benedict took a hard line against clerical sex abuse as the Vatican's conservative doctrine chief, and later as pope, defrocking hundreds of priests accused of raping and molesting children.
Emeritus Pope Benedict blames the Catholic Church's sex crimes on homosexuality and the sexual revolution of the 1960s
An open letter from Emeritus Pope Benedict that blames the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis on homosexuality and the sexual revolution of the 1960s is drawing deep criticism from Catholic theologians in the U.S. who call it divisive and "embarrassingly wrong."
"Among the freedoms that the Revolution of 1968 sought to fight for was this all-out sexual freedom, one which no longer conceded any norms," Benedict writes in a lengthy treatise released Wednesday in his native Germany.
"Pedophilia was then also diagnosed as allowed and appropriate."
Utter horseshit as everyone knows, including him.
So, a big fucking lie, the kind worthy of Alex Jones or Rush Limbaugh.
And here is another twist of the knife.
Women Sexually Abused By Catholic Nuns Speak Up: She Told Me It Was ‘God’s Love’
Update.
There was more to Benedict's letter than that nonsense, though.
In the essay, Benedict traced the start of the clergy abuse crisis to the sexual revolution of the 1960s, citing the appearance of sex in films in his native Bavaria.
He also blamed the crisis on failures of moral theology in that era, as well as church laws that gave undue protection to accused priests.
Benedict wrote that during the 1980s and 1990s, "the right to a defense (for priests) was so broad as to make a conviction nearly impossible."
As Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict reformed those laws in 2001 to make it easier to remove priests who abused children.
Benedict took a hard line against clerical sex abuse as the Vatican's conservative doctrine chief, and later as pope, defrocking hundreds of priests accused of raping and molesting children.
Friday, October 12, 2018
Pope Francis accepts Wuerl's resignation
Pope Francis accepts resignation of Cardinal Wuerl in wake of sex-abuse scandals
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock.
Wuerl, who turns 78 in November, becomes the most prominent head to roll in the scandal roiling the Catholic Church after his predecessor as Washington archbishop, Theodore McCarrick, was forced to resign as cardinal over allegations he sexually abused at least two minors and adult seminarians.
A Vatican statement Friday said Francis had accepted Wuerl’s resignation, but named no replacement; Wuerl’s office said he had been asked to stay on in a temporary capacity until a new archbishop is found.
The Latest: Pennsylvania prosecutor critical of Wuerl deal
The prosecutor who released a grand jury report in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses says it is unacceptable that Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl is retiring with no apparent consequences.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said Friday the grand jury report and diocesan records documented Wuerl oversaw and participated in a systematic cover up of child sexual abuse by clergymen while leading the Pittsburgh diocese.
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock.
Wuerl, who turns 78 in November, becomes the most prominent head to roll in the scandal roiling the Catholic Church after his predecessor as Washington archbishop, Theodore McCarrick, was forced to resign as cardinal over allegations he sexually abused at least two minors and adult seminarians.
A Vatican statement Friday said Francis had accepted Wuerl’s resignation, but named no replacement; Wuerl’s office said he had been asked to stay on in a temporary capacity until a new archbishop is found.
The Latest: Pennsylvania prosecutor critical of Wuerl deal
The prosecutor who released a grand jury report in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses says it is unacceptable that Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl is retiring with no apparent consequences.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said Friday the grand jury report and diocesan records documented Wuerl oversaw and participated in a systematic cover up of child sexual abuse by clergymen while leading the Pittsburgh diocese.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The Pope appeals to heresy of the historical relativity of morals to defend the Church
The Church has taught the same sexual morality for going on two thousand years.
The moral law, it has taught, is part of the eternal law, itself part of the eternal divine law.
Youth today are scandalized
"In old times these things were covered up," the Pope told journalists on Tuesday.
Old times such as, uh, yesterday, maybe.
"They were covered up also in the homes when the uncle raped the little niece, or the father raped his children. They were covered up because the shame was very big."
"It is how people thought in the last century," Francis continued.
Now they are shameless? Or less ashamed?
"There is a principle that helps me a lot to interpret history. An historic event must be interpreted with the hermeneutics of that time, not with the hermeneutics of today."
If you say it in Greek this exculpatory bullshit is not so obvious a betrayal of Church teaching.
Take Pennsylvania, for example, the Pope said.
"Look at the report and you will see that when the church began to become aware of this, then we gave it our all to stop it."
The Pope also said that he and the church's watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, have removed guilty priests.
"And in recent times I have received many, many guilty verdicts from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and ... I have said go ahead, go ahead, but never ever did I sign a pardon request after a guilty verdict. One doesn't negotiate on this, there is no negotiation."
And do they now routinely turn such priests over to "the secular arm"?
Not that I am aware, and he did not say so.
So is it OK if the kiddie rapist is fired from IBM or Ford Motor Company, but the employer hushes it up and does not report the crime and turn over the evidence to the authorities?
Nope.
The moral law, it has taught, is part of the eternal law, itself part of the eternal divine law.
Youth today are scandalized
"In old times these things were covered up," the Pope told journalists on Tuesday.
Old times such as, uh, yesterday, maybe.
"They were covered up also in the homes when the uncle raped the little niece, or the father raped his children. They were covered up because the shame was very big."
"It is how people thought in the last century," Francis continued.
Now they are shameless? Or less ashamed?
"There is a principle that helps me a lot to interpret history. An historic event must be interpreted with the hermeneutics of that time, not with the hermeneutics of today."
If you say it in Greek this exculpatory bullshit is not so obvious a betrayal of Church teaching.
Take Pennsylvania, for example, the Pope said.
"Look at the report and you will see that when the church began to become aware of this, then we gave it our all to stop it."
The Pope also said that he and the church's watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, have removed guilty priests.
"And in recent times I have received many, many guilty verdicts from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and ... I have said go ahead, go ahead, but never ever did I sign a pardon request after a guilty verdict. One doesn't negotiate on this, there is no negotiation."
And do they now routinely turn such priests over to "the secular arm"?
Not that I am aware, and he did not say so.
So is it OK if the kiddie rapist is fired from IBM or Ford Motor Company, but the employer hushes it up and does not report the crime and turn over the evidence to the authorities?
Nope.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
More on the PA scandal
Embattled D.C. cardinal to ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the embattled archbishop of Washington, will travel to the Vatican "in the very near future" to ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation, a spokesman said.
In a letter to priests in the diocese, Wuerl said he will meet with Francis about the resignation he presented nearly three years ago at age 75, the mandatory age for Catholic bishops to submit their retirement to the Pope.
He said a decision about his future "is an essential aspect so that this archdiocesan church we all love can move forward."
"Our discernment here, I believe, has indicated the way forward to bring healing and a new beginning at the service of this church," Wuerl said.
Ed McFadden, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington, said on Wednesday that Wuerl will ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the embattled archbishop of Washington, will travel to the Vatican "in the very near future" to ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation, a spokesman said.
In a letter to priests in the diocese, Wuerl said he will meet with Francis about the resignation he presented nearly three years ago at age 75, the mandatory age for Catholic bishops to submit their retirement to the Pope.
He said a decision about his future "is an essential aspect so that this archdiocesan church we all love can move forward."
"Our discernment here, I believe, has indicated the way forward to bring healing and a new beginning at the service of this church," Wuerl said.
Ed McFadden, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington, said on Wednesday that Wuerl will ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation.
Now it's Germany reporting in
German Catholic priests abused thousands of children
The usual protecting, enabling, and covering up.
The Catholic Church is a global criminal enterprise devoted to organized child abuse, rape, and porn.
A study commissioned by the German Bishops Conference examined 3,677 cases of abuse allegedly perpetrated by clergy nationwide, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
The universities of Giessen, Heidelberg and Mannheim were involved in the research, which implicated 1,670 priests in sexual abuse spanning from 1946 to 2014.
The report comes amidst a resurfacing of abuse and cover-up allegations against the Catholic Church around the world.
. . . .
The victims in Germany were predominantly male and more than half of them were 13 years of age or younger.
Every sixth case involved a rape, and in three-quarters of the cases, the victim and perpetrator knew each other through the church.
. . . .
More cases could exist, the study cautions, noting that the figures represent a conservative estimate.
German newspaper Die Zeit reported that researchers were not allowed to look at original church files but relied on information provided by the dioceses.
In many cases, files containing information about the accusers were "destroyed or manipulated," contributing to the difficulty in assessing the extent of the abuse.
The study warned that there was no reason to believe that sexual abuse of minors by Catholic Church clergy was a thing of the past, as continued abuse was still occurring in 2014, the last year of the investigative period.
. . . .
German politicians called for transparency as the Catholic Church investigates the abuse, with some saying the cases must be examined in the German legal system, rather than handled internally.
About time somebody said it.
These people need to go to jail, though nobody yet seems to be saying in just exactly as many words what we all know.
There is a need for "credible measures to prevent repetition in the future," Lars Castellucci, the religious policy spokesman for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group.
Stefan Ruppert, an MP with the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), said the church should "report perpetrators and if possible dismiss them."
Both religious policy spokesmen fell short, however, of calling for a full independent investigation into the abuse.
The usual protecting, enabling, and covering up.
The Catholic Church is a global criminal enterprise devoted to organized child abuse, rape, and porn.
A study commissioned by the German Bishops Conference examined 3,677 cases of abuse allegedly perpetrated by clergy nationwide, German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
The universities of Giessen, Heidelberg and Mannheim were involved in the research, which implicated 1,670 priests in sexual abuse spanning from 1946 to 2014.
The report comes amidst a resurfacing of abuse and cover-up allegations against the Catholic Church around the world.
. . . .
The victims in Germany were predominantly male and more than half of them were 13 years of age or younger.
Every sixth case involved a rape, and in three-quarters of the cases, the victim and perpetrator knew each other through the church.
. . . .
More cases could exist, the study cautions, noting that the figures represent a conservative estimate.
German newspaper Die Zeit reported that researchers were not allowed to look at original church files but relied on information provided by the dioceses.
In many cases, files containing information about the accusers were "destroyed or manipulated," contributing to the difficulty in assessing the extent of the abuse.
The study warned that there was no reason to believe that sexual abuse of minors by Catholic Church clergy was a thing of the past, as continued abuse was still occurring in 2014, the last year of the investigative period.
. . . .
German politicians called for transparency as the Catholic Church investigates the abuse, with some saying the cases must be examined in the German legal system, rather than handled internally.
About time somebody said it.
These people need to go to jail, though nobody yet seems to be saying in just exactly as many words what we all know.
There is a need for "credible measures to prevent repetition in the future," Lars Castellucci, the religious policy spokesman for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), told the newspapers of the Funke Media Group.
Stefan Ruppert, an MP with the business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), said the church should "report perpetrators and if possible dismiss them."
Both religious policy spokesmen fell short, however, of calling for a full independent investigation into the abuse.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Catholic sex scandal swirls about Wuerl
Former Vatican official calls for Pope's resignation amid sex abuse scandal
A former Vatican ambassador to Washington has called for Pope Francis to resign over his handling of sexual abuse allegations against a prominent cardinal in 2013.
In a statement seen by CNN Sunday, former Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said he told the Pope about allegations of sexual abuse against high-profile American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick five years ago, but that the Pontiff did nothing about it.
"He [Pope Francis] knew from at least June 23, 2013 that McCarrick was a serial predator," Vigano said in the lengthy statement dated August 22, adding, "although he knew that he was a corrupt man, he covered him to the bitter end."
"It was only when he was forced by the report of the abuse of a minor, again on the basis of media attention, that he took action [regarding McCarrick] to save his image in the media," Vigano continued.
. . . .
Vigano also says Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl was aware of reports of sexual abuse by his predecessor McCarrick.
"Cardinal Wuerl, well aware of the continuous abuses committed by Cardinal McCarrick and the sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict, transgressing the Pope's order also allowed him to reside at a seminary in Washington D.C.," said Vigano.
"In doing so, he put other seminarians at risk," he added.
A former Vatican ambassador to Washington has called for Pope Francis to resign over his handling of sexual abuse allegations against a prominent cardinal in 2013.
In a statement seen by CNN Sunday, former Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said he told the Pope about allegations of sexual abuse against high-profile American Cardinal Theodore McCarrick five years ago, but that the Pontiff did nothing about it.
"He [Pope Francis] knew from at least June 23, 2013 that McCarrick was a serial predator," Vigano said in the lengthy statement dated August 22, adding, "although he knew that he was a corrupt man, he covered him to the bitter end."
"It was only when he was forced by the report of the abuse of a minor, again on the basis of media attention, that he took action [regarding McCarrick] to save his image in the media," Vigano continued.
. . . .
Vigano also says Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl was aware of reports of sexual abuse by his predecessor McCarrick.
"Cardinal Wuerl, well aware of the continuous abuses committed by Cardinal McCarrick and the sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict, transgressing the Pope's order also allowed him to reside at a seminary in Washington D.C.," said Vigano.
"In doing so, he put other seminarians at risk," he added.
Monday, August 20, 2018
The heat is on
Cardinal Wuerl’s Name Spray-Painted Over On North Catholic H.S. Sign
Last week, thousands of people signed an online petition which was calling for his name to be removed from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School.
The Pittsburgh diocese has not said if it might consider changing the name.
On Monday, someone apparently spray-painted over his name on the sign outside of the school.
Last week, Attorney General Josh Shapiro accused Cardinal Wuerl of protecting child predators.
“Child rape is rape, whether it occurred in the 1980s, ‘90s, or 2018,” said Shapiro. “It is never acceptable, and it is never okay to cover it up as Bishop [David] Zubik did and as Cardinal Wuerl did.”
Wuerl presided over 32 accused priests during his 18 years leading the Pittsburgh diocese.
Pennsylvania AG: Cardinal under scrutiny over report on priest abuse 'is not telling the truth'
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is accusing Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, of "not telling the truth" as he attempts to defend himself amid criticism and calls for his resignation over the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread predatory behavior by more than 300 priests against more than 1,000 children.
The report is critical of Wuerl, who served as the bishop of Pittsburgh for 18 years, from 1988 to 2006, and describes him as one of the bishops who helped cover up abusive behavior.
The cardinal's defenders note that he acted to discipline some priests as bishop in Pittsburgh and even fought the Vatican against an order to reinstate a predator priest.
After the release of the grand jury report on Tuesday, Wuerl said in a statement that it "confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse."
The Pennsylvania attorney general disagrees. In a statement to CNN, Shapiro said, "Cardinal Wuerl is not telling the truth.
Many of his statements in response to the Grand Jury Report are directly contradicted by the Church's own documents and records from their Secret Archives. Offering misleading statements now only furthers the cover up."
Shapiro added that the cardinal "should heed the words of Pope Francis who validated our work in Pennsylvania and support the recommendations of the Grand Jury."
Says the CNN story in propria persona,
Some claims that Wuerl has made to defend himself do not stand up to scrutiny.
Victims want more than words
But the church still acts to protect the sex criminal priests.
Juan Carlos Cruz, who has in the past been critical of Francis' response to sex abuse in the church, said he found part of the Pope's letter encouraging.
. . . .
On Monday, Cruz, who now lives in Philadelphia, said there was a change in vocabulary coming from the Pope and the Vatican.
"There's new language," said Cruz, who spent a week in May talking to Francis about sex abuse.
"They talk about crimes. They talk about a culture of death. They talk about a culture of abuse and cover-up. Before, they were omissions, sins, which is terrible."
Francis' letter, he said, "talks about going to local justice, how bishops don't turn the perpetrators (over) to local justice because they're not obligated to do so, and that is a horrible crime."
At the same time, Cruz is disheartened by what he said was the church's fight against measures to bring clergy to justice, he said.
He specifically cited lobbying efforts to derail Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Rozzi's proposal to suspend the statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse.
"They have to lobby to help survivors, not to fight them," he said.
Last week, thousands of people signed an online petition which was calling for his name to be removed from Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School.
The Pittsburgh diocese has not said if it might consider changing the name.
On Monday, someone apparently spray-painted over his name on the sign outside of the school.
Last week, Attorney General Josh Shapiro accused Cardinal Wuerl of protecting child predators.
“Child rape is rape, whether it occurred in the 1980s, ‘90s, or 2018,” said Shapiro. “It is never acceptable, and it is never okay to cover it up as Bishop [David] Zubik did and as Cardinal Wuerl did.”
Wuerl presided over 32 accused priests during his 18 years leading the Pittsburgh diocese.
Pennsylvania AG: Cardinal under scrutiny over report on priest abuse 'is not telling the truth'
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is accusing Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, of "not telling the truth" as he attempts to defend himself amid criticism and calls for his resignation over the release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing allegations of widespread predatory behavior by more than 300 priests against more than 1,000 children.
The report is critical of Wuerl, who served as the bishop of Pittsburgh for 18 years, from 1988 to 2006, and describes him as one of the bishops who helped cover up abusive behavior.
The cardinal's defenders note that he acted to discipline some priests as bishop in Pittsburgh and even fought the Vatican against an order to reinstate a predator priest.
After the release of the grand jury report on Tuesday, Wuerl said in a statement that it "confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse."
The Pennsylvania attorney general disagrees. In a statement to CNN, Shapiro said, "Cardinal Wuerl is not telling the truth.
Many of his statements in response to the Grand Jury Report are directly contradicted by the Church's own documents and records from their Secret Archives. Offering misleading statements now only furthers the cover up."
Shapiro added that the cardinal "should heed the words of Pope Francis who validated our work in Pennsylvania and support the recommendations of the Grand Jury."
Says the CNN story in propria persona,
Some claims that Wuerl has made to defend himself do not stand up to scrutiny.
Victims want more than words
But the church still acts to protect the sex criminal priests.
Juan Carlos Cruz, who has in the past been critical of Francis' response to sex abuse in the church, said he found part of the Pope's letter encouraging.
. . . .
On Monday, Cruz, who now lives in Philadelphia, said there was a change in vocabulary coming from the Pope and the Vatican.
"There's new language," said Cruz, who spent a week in May talking to Francis about sex abuse.
"They talk about crimes. They talk about a culture of death. They talk about a culture of abuse and cover-up. Before, they were omissions, sins, which is terrible."
Francis' letter, he said, "talks about going to local justice, how bishops don't turn the perpetrators (over) to local justice because they're not obligated to do so, and that is a horrible crime."
At the same time, Cruz is disheartened by what he said was the church's fight against measures to bring clergy to justice, he said.
He specifically cited lobbying efforts to derail Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark Rozzi's proposal to suspend the statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse.
"They have to lobby to help survivors, not to fight them," he said.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has today a front page online poll asking whether people think Wuerl should resign as Bishop of Washington.
85% of respondents said Yes, as of 4 pm 8/20. There have been 369 responses so far.
85% of respondents said Yes, as of 4 pm 8/20. There have been 369 responses so far.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Not buying his protestations of innocence
US cardinal accused of concealing abuse pulls out of Dublin event
In the public mind, accused clergy are no longer believed when they claim innocence.
A US cardinal has pulled out of a keynote speech at the World Meeting of Families, a global event being hosted by the Roman Catholic church in Dublin, after he was criticised for his handling of child sexual abuse in a damning report.
Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, concealed abuse and moved known child molesters to new posts when he was bishop of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1988 to 2006, according to the grand jury report.
His withdrawal from the event, which begins on Tuesday and which Pope Francis will attend next weekend, is another indicator that the church is struggling to get on top of a wave of sexual abuse scandals that have engulfed the Vatican this year.
Survivors of sexual abuse are expected to protest during the pope’s 36-hour visit to Ireland.
No reason was given for Wuerl’s withdrawal. It follows the cancellation of the appearance another cardinal, Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, whose diocese said he had to personally attend to allegations of sexual harassment and bullying at a seminary.
The Pennsylvania report, published last Tuesday, concluded that 301 priests in six dioceses had abused more than 1,000 children over a 70-year period.
“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades,” the report said.
And elsewhere.
In the public mind, accused clergy are no longer believed when they claim innocence.
A US cardinal has pulled out of a keynote speech at the World Meeting of Families, a global event being hosted by the Roman Catholic church in Dublin, after he was criticised for his handling of child sexual abuse in a damning report.
Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, concealed abuse and moved known child molesters to new posts when he was bishop of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1988 to 2006, according to the grand jury report.
His withdrawal from the event, which begins on Tuesday and which Pope Francis will attend next weekend, is another indicator that the church is struggling to get on top of a wave of sexual abuse scandals that have engulfed the Vatican this year.
Survivors of sexual abuse are expected to protest during the pope’s 36-hour visit to Ireland.
No reason was given for Wuerl’s withdrawal. It follows the cancellation of the appearance another cardinal, Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, whose diocese said he had to personally attend to allegations of sexual harassment and bullying at a seminary.
The Pennsylvania report, published last Tuesday, concluded that 301 priests in six dioceses had abused more than 1,000 children over a 70-year period.
“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades,” the report said.
And elsewhere.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Donald Wuerl was in on it
A priest raped a 7-year-old girl while visiting her in the hospital after she had her tonsils removed.
Another priest forced a 9-year-old boy into having oral sex, then rinsed out the youngster’s mouth with holy water.
One boy was forced to say confession to the priest who sexually abused him.
An estimated 300 Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children — and possibly many more — since the 1940s, according to a scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report released Tuesday that accused senior church officials, including the man who is now archbishop of Washington, D.C., of systematically covering up complaints.
The “real number” of victimized children and abusive priests might be higher since some secret church records were lost and some victims never came forward, the grand jury said in the report that is the largest of its kind in the United States.
. . . .
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, leader of the Washington Archdiocese, was accused in the report of helping to protect abusive priests when he was Pittsburgh’s bishop from 1988 to 2006.
Wuerl has disputed the allegations.
You don't say.
More horrors in the Huffpo story.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
A global organization for child abuse
Church protected more than 300 'predator priests' in Pa., grand jury says
Church leaders protected more than 300 "predator priests" in six Roman Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania for decades because they were more interested in safeguarding the church and the abusers than tending to their victims, says a scathing grand jury report released Tuesday.
More than 1,000 young victims were identifiable from the church's own records, the report says.
“The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal,” the report says.
"Priests were raping little boys and girls and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing: They hid it all.”
This is just one state.
There should be hundreds of prosecutions in Pennsylvania, alone.
The Catholic Church is a global kiddie porn and child abuse ring.
Can we have some RICO prosecutions?
The Catholic Church’s seven-point system for covering up abuse
“We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this.” So begins the scathing account (pdf) of a Pennsylvania grand jury after investigating 70 years of child sex abuse by more than 300 Catholic priests in six dioceses across the state.
“We are sick over all the crimes that will go unpunished and uncompensated. This report is our only recourse,” the jurors write.
More than 1,000 offenses were uncovered, though many more are suspected to have occurred, they say.
Most of these cases can’t be prosecuted now—only two have yielded criminal charges so far.
The crimes were too ably covered up by the dioceses for too long—so the report is the only way of exposing the many church authorities involved in a criminal betrayal that went on for decades and left so many scarred.
Get rid of the statute of limitations for these crimes.
Where it's too late for prosecution there should be mass, public firings with the public notified of exactly what the fired clergy did.
“We are going to name their names and describe what they did—both the sex offenders and those who concealed them. We are going to shine a light on their conduct because that’s what the victims deserve,” the jurors write.
. . . .
Church officials followed a “playbook for concealing the truth,” the reports states.
The patterns were similar enough that FBI analyses of the church’s responses yielded seven rules, basically, an institutional guide to covering up abuse.
Here are seven principles the jurors note:
Catholic Priests Ran Child Porn Ring Out Of Pittsburgh Diocese
In one particularly heinous episode documented in the report, a group of Catholic priests in Pittsburgh ran an extensive child porn ring where children were sexually exploited and groomed for abuse.
Working together, the priests would select, target, and groom young teen boys to exploit.
According to the grand jury report, the Revs. George Zirwas, Francis Pucci, Richard Zula, Francis Luddy, and Robert Wolk, were all part of a “ring of predatory priests” who raped children, shared intelligence on potential victims and manufactured child pornography in parishes and rectories.
Church leaders protected more than 300 "predator priests" in six Roman Catholic dioceses across Pennsylvania for decades because they were more interested in safeguarding the church and the abusers than tending to their victims, says a scathing grand jury report released Tuesday.
More than 1,000 young victims were identifiable from the church's own records, the report says.
“The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid scandal,” the report says.
"Priests were raping little boys and girls and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing: They hid it all.”
This is just one state.
There should be hundreds of prosecutions in Pennsylvania, alone.
The Catholic Church is a global kiddie porn and child abuse ring.
Can we have some RICO prosecutions?
The Catholic Church’s seven-point system for covering up abuse
“We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this.” So begins the scathing account (pdf) of a Pennsylvania grand jury after investigating 70 years of child sex abuse by more than 300 Catholic priests in six dioceses across the state.
“We are sick over all the crimes that will go unpunished and uncompensated. This report is our only recourse,” the jurors write.
More than 1,000 offenses were uncovered, though many more are suspected to have occurred, they say.
Most of these cases can’t be prosecuted now—only two have yielded criminal charges so far.
The crimes were too ably covered up by the dioceses for too long—so the report is the only way of exposing the many church authorities involved in a criminal betrayal that went on for decades and left so many scarred.
Get rid of the statute of limitations for these crimes.
Where it's too late for prosecution there should be mass, public firings with the public notified of exactly what the fired clergy did.
“We are going to name their names and describe what they did—both the sex offenders and those who concealed them. We are going to shine a light on their conduct because that’s what the victims deserve,” the jurors write.
. . . .
Church officials followed a “playbook for concealing the truth,” the reports states.
The patterns were similar enough that FBI analyses of the church’s responses yielded seven rules, basically, an institutional guide to covering up abuse.
Here are seven principles the jurors note:
- Make sure to use euphemisms rather than real words to describe the sexual assaults in diocese documents. Never say”rape”; say “inappropriate contact” or “boundary issues.”
- Don’t conduct genuine investigations with properly trained personnel. Instead, assign fellow clergy members to ask inadequate questions and then make credibility determinations about the colleagues with whom they live and work.
- For an appearance of integrity, send priests for “evaluation” at church-run psychiatric treatment centers. Allow these experts to “diagnose” whether the priest was a pedophile, based largely on the priest’s “self-reports” and regardless of whether the priest had actually engaged in sexual contact with a child.
- When a priest does have to be removed, don’t say why. Tell his parishioners that he is on “sick leave,” or suffering from”nervous exhaustion.” Or say nothing at all.
- Even if a priest is raping children, keep providing him housing and living expenses, although he may be using these resources to facilitate more sexual assaults.
- If a predator’s conduct becomes known to the community, don’t remove him from the priesthood to ensure that no more children will be victimized. Instead, transfer him to a new location where no one will know he is a child abuser.
- Finally, and above all, don’t tell the police. Child sexual abuse, even short of actual penetration, is and has for all relevant times been a crime. But don’t treat it that way; handle it like a personnel matter, “in house.”
Catholic Priests Ran Child Porn Ring Out Of Pittsburgh Diocese
In one particularly heinous episode documented in the report, a group of Catholic priests in Pittsburgh ran an extensive child porn ring where children were sexually exploited and groomed for abuse.
Working together, the priests would select, target, and groom young teen boys to exploit.
According to the grand jury report, the Revs. George Zirwas, Francis Pucci, Richard Zula, Francis Luddy, and Robert Wolk, were all part of a “ring of predatory priests” who raped children, shared intelligence on potential victims and manufactured child pornography in parishes and rectories.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Pope Francis to honor Cardinal Law, the racketeer who ran the world's biggest ring of pedophiles
The Catholic Church is a despicable institution run by the most corrupt hypocrites.
They make Hollywood and the Congress look like congregations of choirboys
A Judgment Day Cardinal Law Can’t Avoid
Double standard, anyone?
Impunity for the Church and its big shots?
Oh, my, yes.
Pope Francis will participate in a funeral Mass for Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston, who, for many Catholics, is the institutional face of the scandal.
Pope Francis, the Holy Father many Catholics prayed would finally hold men like Cardinal Law to full account, will instead continue to honor him in death.
The victims were as young as 4 years old.
Many came from poor families, led by single parents or immigrants who turned to the church for help, and to priests like Boston’s John Geoghan as an example for their sons.
Mr. Geoghan preyed on and raped children like these for the duration of his priesthood.
But Mr. Geoghan was one of the many pedophile priests whom Cardinal Law spent decades shielding and shifting from one parish to the next, supplying them with ever more victims, building a temple of lies.
. . . .
It emerged that the Archdiocese of Boston had settled claims against at least 70 priests in the decade before 2002, most in secret.
The number of claims against the archdiocese has only grown since then.
Cardinal Law “put child molesters over children; it’s that simple,” Eric MacLeish, a lawyer who has represented more than 200 sexual abuse victims in the Boston Archdiocese, said after Cardinal Law’s death.
John Geoghan was defrocked and jailed.
Forced to resign in 2002, Cardinal Law later retreated to the splendor of the Vatican.
There, unpunished, he had multiple leadership roles, including on a committee advising the pope on bishops’ assignments.
His chosen bishops still lead many American dioceses.
They make Hollywood and the Congress look like congregations of choirboys
A Judgment Day Cardinal Law Can’t Avoid
Double standard, anyone?
Impunity for the Church and its big shots?
Oh, my, yes.
Pope Francis will participate in a funeral Mass for Cardinal Bernard Law, the former archbishop of Boston, who, for many Catholics, is the institutional face of the scandal.
Pope Francis, the Holy Father many Catholics prayed would finally hold men like Cardinal Law to full account, will instead continue to honor him in death.
The victims were as young as 4 years old.
Many came from poor families, led by single parents or immigrants who turned to the church for help, and to priests like Boston’s John Geoghan as an example for their sons.
Mr. Geoghan preyed on and raped children like these for the duration of his priesthood.
But Mr. Geoghan was one of the many pedophile priests whom Cardinal Law spent decades shielding and shifting from one parish to the next, supplying them with ever more victims, building a temple of lies.
. . . .
It emerged that the Archdiocese of Boston had settled claims against at least 70 priests in the decade before 2002, most in secret.
The number of claims against the archdiocese has only grown since then.
Cardinal Law “put child molesters over children; it’s that simple,” Eric MacLeish, a lawyer who has represented more than 200 sexual abuse victims in the Boston Archdiocese, said after Cardinal Law’s death.
John Geoghan was defrocked and jailed.
Forced to resign in 2002, Cardinal Law later retreated to the splendor of the Vatican.
There, unpunished, he had multiple leadership roles, including on a committee advising the pope on bishops’ assignments.
His chosen bishops still lead many American dioceses.
Wednesday, December 20, 2017
The repulsive Catholic Church
Cardinal Bernard Law to be honored Thursday with Vatican funeral
The son of a bitch never went to prison, and should have. For a long time.
Bernard Law, Powerful Cardinal Disgraced by Priest Abuse Scandal, Dies at 86
The son of a bitch never went to prison, and should have. For a long time.
Bernard Law, Powerful Cardinal Disgraced by Priest Abuse Scandal, Dies at 86
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