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300+ Catholic priests have been credibly accused of sexually abusing 1,000+ children in Pennsylvania
- Thread starter kylecoley182
- Start date
Wasn't "The Keepers" set in Pennsylvania?
Never mind, that was Baltimore Maryland...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keepers
Never mind, that was Baltimore Maryland...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keepers
Doesn't really matter. This is a global problem and every dioceses is most likely going to have some cover ups of abuse.
Oh Man, just watched Spotlight the other day. They talked about taking down the entire system, not just one city.
Christ. I can't really find any sympathy for anyone who still contributes to the church. The fact that this shit goes on unaddressed and hidden on such a massive scale and you'd still choose to attend and support the clergy as though nothing is wrong is baffling to me.
I remember making a remark back at the old forum when Pope Benedict stepped down. I asked if his successor's appointment would be predicated on him being willing to condemn the pedophiles that occupied their parishes and I was accosted for doing so.
The sad thing is, the RCC by nature wasn't run by pedophiles, but they've become so entrenched into their rigid morality that they've become lax in their vetting practices, and have become so wedded to the notion of inflicting their morality into civic law at all costs that they feel they have no choice but to look the other way.
It's probably more complex than that, but I can't think of any other reason than it being a means to an end. To their mind, they figure they stay the course, perpetuating Opus Dei laws on the globe, and then [possibly] addressing the sex abuse as discreetly as possible.
The sad thing is, the RCC by nature wasn't run by pedophiles, but they've become so entrenched into their rigid morality that they've become lax in their vetting practices, and have become so wedded to the notion of inflicting their morality into civic law at all costs that they feel they have no choice but to look the other way.
It's probably more complex than that, but I can't think of any other reason than it being a means to an end. To their mind, they figure they stay the course, perpetuating Opus Dei laws on the globe, and then [possibly] addressing the sex abuse as discreetly as possible.
Yea, it's absolutely not a justification, but I don't see how enforcing celibacy doesn't contribute to men lashing out in monstrous ways.
1) they do that too
2) those jobs for years have done a lot towards "no teacher should ever be alone with a student with a door closed or for a long time." Religious confession can't really do that (you wouldn't want your priest to hit you with "hey Timmy, that's some deep stuff but we gotta wrap this up"), so it's probably one of the worst professions for preventing this. Maybe up there with doctors that sedate patients (gropey dentists, etc...)
One solution is obviously to prosecute them instead of shuffling them around, but I'm not sure how you screen for them in the first place or prevent them from having such access. Maybe a forced buddy system where you always need more than one clergy person with a child
It can be hard to raise a legal case sometimes due to getting evidence/testimony
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...dophile-priests-claims-un-report-9109363.html
And also because the Vatican can hide people away as it's essentially its own state with its own laws
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...buse-images-us-state-department-a7949871.html
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wo...tican-child-abuse-commission-starts-work.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...n-child-abuse-scandal-vatican-haven-spotlight
https://elpais.com/elpais/2014/02/26/inenglish/1393411850_390167.html
When you're an institution as old, entrenched, and wide-spread as the Catholic Church, you don't need new attendees, you just need motivate your old attendees to give more and negate the loss. I remember in the early 2000's the motto for our parish was something along the lines of "Smaller but stronger", with the idea being only those truly devoted to God would weather the abuse storm. You tell those people they're even more special than before, they'll give you what you want in return.
Damn. I lived near Pittsburgh as a kid. Did a ctrl+f in the court report and found two priests that were at my church in the late 80s/early 90s, when I was there.
The Catholic Church should ideally be abandoned for other Christian denominations. The systemic cover ups is why the whole institution is complicit.
This is sadly the case in (seemingly) every religion. Some time ago, I read something about child abuse in jewish communities (by "spiritual leaders") as well as somewhere in Africa (well, there it was female genital mutilation I believe. Google "female genital mutilation" if you hate yourself). So yeah, the world is kinda fucked up. It's also not the first time when it comes to the church/vatican, who knows for how long so called "spiritual leaders" of various religions do stuff like that unnoticed.
Damn, fuck those disgusting priests; they should spend each day of their repugnant lives in a cell. Sadly, most likely the church will continue protecting them.
Was an alter boy in NJ. Managed to dodge a priest that later went to jail. I can believe these numbers but at the same time these are insane numbers.
What the actual living fuck.
What the actual living fuck.
disgusting fucking monsters, they always get away with it.
cant remember if it was back in gaf or here that the catholic church spends millions in lobbying to suppress all these fuckery
...was apparently taking a break from his omniscience when all his Earthly servants were raping all the kids.
Having grown up in a Catholic region, these kinds of stories are the norm, not the exception.
Awful news, but good that it is getting out. For decades these stories were hidden, and the people responsible got to live their privileged lives while the victims faced an existence marred with pain and suffering.
From what I've read, there's no one denomination/religion/profession that has more problems with this than any other. IE, the rates are about the same.
The John Jay report on abuse found that 4% of active priests between 1950 and 1992 (basically the peak era for this shit) had been accused of sexual misconduct. Which means the actual number of abusers was probably closer to double/triple that, as many cases were and never will be reported.
Further mind bleach to ruin everyone's day: the number of men in the general population who commit sexual misconduct is somewhere between 1 in 10 and 1 in 5.
From what I've read, there's no one denomination/religion/profession that has more problems with this than any other. IE, the rates are about the same.
The John Jay report on abuse found that 4% of active priests between 1950 and 1992 (basically the peak era for this shit) had been accused of sexual misconduct. Which means the actual number of abusers was probably closer to double/triple that, as many cases were and never will be reported.
Further mind bleach to ruin everyone's day: the number of men in the general population who commit sexual misconduct is somewhere between 1 in 10 and 1 in 5.
The 2006 documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" tracks the enormous damage that just one priest could do, being shuffled from parish to parish by his superiors to hide his crimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcRzvCQWN6c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcRzvCQWN6c
I knew that there were priests out there who abuse children, but the amount of them in one state in the US is absolutely shocking.
These assholes can give traumatize people for the rest of their lives. They should rot in jail for a very long time, in some cases their whole life. Priests getting away with it makes me even angrier.
These assholes can give traumatize people for the rest of their lives. They should rot in jail for a very long time, in some cases their whole life. Priests getting away with it makes me even angrier.
Actually, this is something I have wanted to discuss here. The reality appears to be that evangelical, and Protestant churches broadly, also have similar rates of child sexual abuse to the Catholic ones, without centralized structures in place that make prosecution and documentation easier.
As a Christian, I find this... really challenging, but also, like... just as a human being in general it makes me wonder how widespread child sexual abuse really is. Like, maybe all the pedophiles on earth are just barnstorming religious offices. Or maybe this is more or less but generally representative of the rates of human beings who have sexual thoughts about children, and literally the only difference is access and maybe outlook on sexual expression. Like, immersing yourself in a culture that's actively toxic towards sexual expression and taking on years of study, as well as a generally different lifestyle, for the sole purpose of getting near kids seems like... it seems inaccurate as a picture of how a child predator would lead their life.
Whatever the reality is, it's broadly discouraging to hear just how widespread these incidents are.
I'm done with this church.
Consider me Catholic only in the teachings of Christ and the Eucharist.
Reconciliation? Useless with these monsters.
Consider me Catholic only in the teachings of Christ and the Eucharist.
Reconciliation? Useless with these monsters.
Thats been standard procedure for a long time. Catholic church is trash.
When I was younger and had parents that tried to grill me into taking Catholicism deadly seriously, the priests favored me, while the nuns did not. Eventually I had several really stupid spats with the nuns that got me booted from Catholic School on flimsy, petty grounds.
I still hate that school and the nuns now, but maybe in retrospect they may had unknowingly saved me from the priests.
(PA Resident)
I still hate that school and the nuns now, but maybe in retrospect they may had unknowingly saved me from the priests.
(PA Resident)
The Catholic Church/Vatican is an immensely powerful institution that has managed to be above the law in many cases. People like Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston was "disciplined" by the Church in Rome, in truth he lived out his days there in order to avoid any kind of legal restitution for his crimes.
I strongly believe that this is mostly the case. The church teaches that they have an elevated calling and are Christ's representatives on earth. This makes it very hard for kids to tell other people when they have been abused because I'm sure they feel that no one could possibly believe them, because a priest is seen to be holy and pure. Pedophiles seek out a privileged position like that because it gives them security. It sure as hell doesn't help either that so few of these priests are seeing any prison time.
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I went to 3 Catholic schools in the UK, they're not much different from normal state schools here but obviously there are Catholic masses and a priest. I was always an atheist, but the people were always lovely and welcoming to all. But man, was the sex abuse issue apparent. When I was in primary school (ages 8-11) the school priest who served not only that school but also the local junior and secondary schools, was jailed for sexually abusing a teenager (link). When I was in secondary school, one of the priests had to leave for what rumours described as "making a girl feel uncomfortable", aka was sort of covered up.
That's just one school. I daren't think of the total numbers. It's sickening. The blame lies with the hierarchy letting it get so widespread, I feel for the average Catholic as it's clear from my point of view there is a huge disconnect between the people and the Church itself.
That's just one school. I daren't think of the total numbers. It's sickening. The blame lies with the hierarchy letting it get so widespread, I feel for the average Catholic as it's clear from my point of view there is a huge disconnect between the people and the Church itself.
Hey the lead priest or the church I grew up made the report. A victim tried to tell him about abuse in the 80s and he told her "don't tell me the name".
Combine that with one of the priests I grew up with there getting caught with child pornography a fewfyears ago and it explains a lot.
I'm so glad I left that place. Saddens me my older sister wants to raise her kids in it, but of course they're not my kids.
Combine that with one of the priests I grew up with there getting caught with child pornography a fewfyears ago and it explains a lot.
I'm so glad I left that place. Saddens me my older sister wants to raise her kids in it, but of course they're not my kids.
To all my fellow Catholics, we need to take a stand for this bullshit. This isn't what Jesus would ever want. We need to call for a complete revamp and redo of the entire Catholic Church hierarchy. We need to require monthly mental checks and to push for new rules that allow priests to be rightfully punished and be called out by victims. We need to change it for the good of this faith.
We got to many Palpatines in the Church(by that I mean evil people).
We got to many Palpatines in the Church(by that I mean evil people).
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As someone who went to 8th grade and the entirety of HS in Catholic Schools in PA (Allentown) this makes me fucking sick to my stomach.
Much like other places like the Police, there may be good people involved, but in the end its a corrupt institution and rotten organization.
Much like other places like the Police, there may be good people involved, but in the end its a corrupt institution and rotten organization.
I'm surprised the Catholic grade school I went to is not on there at all (Pittsburgh diocese). Some of these priests moved around so much... sometimes every other year to a different parish.
My mom pretty much renounced her religion when she was close to passing. This stuff originally came out around the time she was diagnosed with cancer.
I guess a positive is if there actually is a God then all these priests and those who helped cover it to will go to hell!
My mom pretty much renounced her religion when she was close to passing. This stuff originally came out around the time she was diagnosed with cancer.
I guess a positive is if there actually is a God then all these priests and those who helped cover it to will go to hell!
Read through the report for the Allentown Diocese
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/...med-grand-jury-report-20180814-htmlstory.html
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-grand-jury-report-catholic-dioceses-20180612-story.html
and there was at least one of these Priests who was sent to our Parish (St. Francis of Assisi) back in 02-05 when I was consistently attending Mass there. Fucking yuck. Hits closer to home now. I was already a pretty damn lapsed Catholic but I extra don't want anything to do with this fucked up organization anymore
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/...med-grand-jury-report-20180814-htmlstory.html
http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-grand-jury-report-catholic-dioceses-20180612-story.html
and there was at least one of these Priests who was sent to our Parish (St. Francis of Assisi) back in 02-05 when I was consistently attending Mass there. Fucking yuck. Hits closer to home now. I was already a pretty damn lapsed Catholic but I extra don't want anything to do with this fucked up organization anymore
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OP
OP
Read this earlier on npr and one line they highlighted from the report stuck out to me.
npr said: