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Friday, March 28, 2014

Pope Francis’ new sexual abuse committee: effective or the same old story?

Pope Francis has appointed a committee to study the clerical sexual abuse problem. He did this after being criticized by advocacy groups for abuse victims when he strongly defended the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of the sexual abuse crisis and after the United Nations commission issued a stinging report on the church’s handling of abuse cases.

Do we really need another study committee? The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), a group founded in the United States that has now become international, said the committee “perpetuates the self-serving myth that Catholic officials need more information about abuse and cover-ups.” SNAP added: “They don’t. They need courage. They know what’s right already.” We can’t trust the church to do what is right because of their past actions.

In 2002 after the Boston Globe ran a series on pedophile priests, cover up of their crimes and relocation by cardinal Bernard Law, the church paid for a 1.8 billion dollar study. The study found that 4,392 priests in America had abused more than 10,000 children over the previous 52 years. Considering that the church sponsored the study, that the data came from bishops' responses to surveys, and that they would not give the study consultants access to church files, these numbers greatly underestimated the number of abused children.

Did the church do anything with the results? As usual they “passed the buck” saying that “Priests preyed upon children because the sexual turmoil of the 1960s and '70s put priests unprepared for the cultural shift under stress." They were saying that it wasn’t any fault of the church or the child rapists – that society made them do it. While cardinal Law resigned, he was rewarded with a job in Rome as the head of a major church. Victims of abuse and their advocates say that Law was never held responsible for his role. The pope and the college of cardinals already know who the perpetrators are – why don’t they just turn them over to the police?

Colm O’Gorman, who is the founder and former director of the advocacy group One in Four in Ireland, said, “What matters most now is what is the purpose of the commission, what are its terms of reference and what are its powers? Because too often we’ve seen commissions, in the U.S., in Ireland and in other parts of the world like Australia that ultimately run into sand and accomplish little”.

Pope Francis himself has a history of ignoring reports of clergy abuse. An article in The Tablet, the International Catholic News Weekly accused Pope Francis of failing to take appropriate action in a number of known cases of clerical child abuse while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

According to BishopAccountability.org, a group documenting child abuse by the catholic church, the cases all came to the future Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s) attention, but he either defended the perpetrators or would not meet with the victims. In one case five girls were abused by a priest, Mario Napoleon Sasso in a community soup kitchen. The bishop of the diocese covered up the crime and Cardinal Bergolio failed to respond when the families of the young girls asked to meet him.

Another priest, Ruben Pardo, told his bishop that he had sexually assaulted a boy. He was then found by police at the home of the auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. It is unlikely that Pardo was able to live and preach in the diocese without the approval of Cardinal Bergoglio.

According to BishopAccountability, Bergoglio’s actions in these cases show a failure on the part of the now Pope to actively stamp out child abuse. Will he change his tactics now? I hope he doesn’t procrastinate while children around the world are still subject to attacks by rapist priests.

11 comments:

  1. The Catholic Church, from the Pope down to the local Priest & Nun are totally corrupt, and it is impossible for them to face the truth about the Church! ---- Children were abused by the clergy of the Catholic Church, and they put the blame on "society!" Are we all living in a "fairytale?" ---- What happen to the concept of "free will" that the Catholic Church was always so proud to talk about? Based on the data in this posting, we have 4,392 criminals within the clergy of the Catholic Church. (I personally believe that this is a low figure!) This translates into the church covering up the crimes of these people. What is wrong with this picture? Are the members of the Catholic Church so anesthetized on the Catholic Cool Aid that they cannot see that we have criminals running the Catholic Church. ---- YES, when people cover up for criminals they become part of the problem, and as such, they also become criminals. ---- I would not contribute one cent to the Catholic Church. I do not want to be supporting a group of people who destroy the lives of children, and who are not capable of policing their own ranks. ------- QUESTION: ---- How many adults are suffering today because of the abuse of the nuns and priests in the Catholic Church when they were children. ---- I would NEVER allow a Priest, Brother or a Nun to put their hands on a child of mine! The Catholic Clergy never had any respect for the membership of the Catholic Church. They always thought that they were better than the membership, so as such, we were to be used & abused, and then thrown away after they had milked even dime from us before we died. The Catholic Clergy have been, and always will be fakes, frauds and phonies. They are not to be trusted, and they should never be allowed to be around children. I would NEVER bring up a child of mind in a Catholic Church. I would find a bible based Christian Church that talks about Christian love and possibilities. ----- God bless! ----- Just my opinion.

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  2. You made some really good points, especially not to give the church another penny -- look what they do with our money! Also, never let a child near any of the thugs that work for the church. Thanks for your great comments.

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  3. Pope Francis again speaks out of both sides of his month at the same time. ------ The Catholic Church is VERY good at that skill.

    Information taken from a posting titled: "Pope Francis; Unfettered Capitalism is "Tyranny" ---- On the Daily Kos November 26, 2013

    "Pope Francis released a scathing critique of modern Capitalism in an 84 page document, know as an Apostolic Exhortation, and which amounts to an official platform for his papacy, and the Roman Catholic Church."

    Key points:

    1.) Pope Francis has attacked unfettered Capitalism as the "New Tyranny," urging global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality.

    Lets examine this point:
    a.) The Catholic Church has no problem accepting contributions on a weekly
    basis from the faithful in the churches all over the United Sates.
    b.) Capitalist Money is "ok" when it is coming into the Catholic Church.
    c.) Capitalism is what creates jobs and jobs create an economy. At good economy
    allows employees to provide benefits. At good economy contributes to taxes.
    d.) What allows the Catholic Church to interfere with any world government and the
    economy of any country?
    e.) Who is in charge of the United States, the Catholic Church or the Citizens of the U.S..

    2.) Pope Francis claims that the "Global Economic System" is based on the "Idolatry of Money," and beseeches politicians to guarantee all citizens dignified work, education & health care.

    Lets examine this point:
    a.) If any organization adores money, it is the Catholic Church.
    b.) The individual person in any society is responsible for themselves. They make things
    happen in their own life by their own efforts. It is called responsibility. QUESTION: What
    does the Catholic Church contribute to the economic society/ Do they create jobs? --- Do
    they create products? The only thing they do is collect money from people! ---- What do
    they do with their money? Do they treat children in a professional manner? --- Do they
    offer a high quality education as opposed to indoctrination?
    c.) The Catholic Church talks about the dignity of human beings but they abuse children,
    and then they hide the criminals in their ranks. I do not know about YOU, but I have a
    "BIG PROBLEM" with this behavior.

    3.) Pope Francis called on the rich people to share their wealth!

    Lets examine this point:

    a.) How about the Catholic Church sharing their money and their wealth. No, they want
    the people, who have worked hard and smart to share their money! The Catholic Church
    wants to spend the money of the people of the United States. They want to do charity
    with your money!
    b.) How about treating children in Catholic Institutions with dignity. Let the Catholic
    Church spend some money on their living conditions and on their educational
    opportunities.

    YES, the Catholic Church does speak out of "both sides of their month," when it is convenient for them, and when they are getting something out of the situation. Before the Catholic Church tells other people how to live, they should "clean their own house." They are the most corrupt organization on the face of the earth. They lie and manipulate people for their own agenda. ----- They hide behind Christianity to do their dirty work. ------- Just my opinion. ----- God bless.

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    1. It's a case of "do what I say do, don't do what I do" the church is a multinational corporation only they don't pay taxes on the business income they get and we know what they use donations for!

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  4. I like the saying, "Watch the feet." So far, it's been all talk and Pope Frank just offers more rhetoric. Words are cheap. I would like to have seen the Laws and the Mahoneys and the Lynns et al tried under RICO--racketeering laws. They are as criminal as any other, actually worse, because the soul-murdering was done to innocent children.
    George, your book was wonderful and informative...i could identify with so much of it. thanks for sharing your valuable story...

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    1. I am glad my book was helpful, thank you for reading it Rita Marie. Telling my experiences opened a gateway for me to be able to write this blog. I know that more survivors like us need to be heard. If more criminals who hide behind God are exposed and brought to justice our blog posts will have helped make it happen.

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  5. As far as this new "committee...' It's a committee to study a committee to study a study to...blah, blah, blah. And the "victim" who's on this "committee" surely must have some conflict of interest. I don't trust that person, either.

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    1. That's perfect Rita Marie -- study after study and on and on -- they haven't changed in 2000 years. In a discussion with Kevin Annett about why victims can't get free of the church he said it is the, "Stockholm Syndrome -- delayed response to one's own trauma where the abuser is seen as one's only option - classic slave thinking. It takes working alternatives to break people from that thinking, which we're trying to create in our common law courts." If the police and government do nothing to stop these criminals then it is up to us to stop them. By communicating with each other through blogs, email, online news media, and social media and by helping advocacy organizations we are getting stronger. The church can’t run anymore and they can’t hide – the spotlight of truth is right on them.

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  6. "Pope Francis has appointed a committee to study the clerical sexual abuse problem!" ---------- WHAT A JOKE! ------- We need another committee to tell us that the Priests were abusing Altar Boys! ------ Again, the Catholic Church treats the "faithful" like children. ------ They insult our intelligence. They know, and we know that the Catholic Church has Criminal Priests in their ranks. We DO NOT need another "study / committee to tell us what we already know!" ---- The question is, will the Catholic Church turn over their Criminal Priests to the authorities for prosecution in the civilian courts in the States where the crimes were committed? ----- If I had to speculate, I would say NO! ------- On the other side of the issue, what is the Pope doing about the abuse the Nuns perpetrated on children in Catholic Schools and Catholic Institutions. ------ I personally witnessed Nuns banging the heads of students into a blackboard, and lifting children out of seats by pulling them by their ears. Getting slapped across the face was a "normal daily occurrence" in Catholic Schools in the 50's in NYC. When I was in the 4th grade a nun grabbed me by the hair and another student by the hair, and banged our heads together. This was done by the Sisters Of Charity. Students were forced to sit on the floor under the Nun's desk. (The desk was a closed unit, so the student was trapped between the nun and the back of the desk.) ------ Nuns orchestrated students to "gang up" on other students as a way of breaking a child's spirit. ----- Independent thinking was NOT tolerated in the Catholic Schools in NYC in the 50's! If the student did not conform with the Catholic indoctrination, the Nuns would destroy that student. I would like some justice! What the Sister Of Charity did to students in Catholic School should not have been done to an animal! They had no respect for children as human beings. But on the other side of the issue, the parents were also to blame. They allowed the abuse to take place. When the child complained about the abuse to the parent, the parents were intimidated by the clergy, so they would never confront the Nun. They enabled the Nuns to abuse children. ----- Just my opinion. ---- God bless everyone! -------

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  7. This "new" committee is just another stalling tactic so they can wait until more survivors die off and more rapist priests disappear into the woodwork. You are correct, what about the nuns? Since there are more of them than priests they had more opportunities to abuse children. They did it in catholic schools like you witnessed and experienced. Some parents and others may think that “disciplining” children in classrooms is OK, but the abuse you described can and did cause concussions, infections from cuts and bruises and post-traumatic stress disorder all of which causes learning disabilities. I’m sorry for your bad experiences and for those of anyone abused by nuns and priests.

    The nuns were even more brutal when no one could see what they did as in the “homes” for children hidden away in the woods in upstate New York. The nuns that beat and tortured me and put me in a coma belonged to the Dominican order in Sparkill, NY. The details are too graphic to put on this blog but I gave the details in my book so that they are exposed for what they really are. The best way we can prevent these atrocities from happening to more children is to speak out whenever and wherever we can.

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  8. Our own Government; gives $2.9 Billion Dollars to the Vatican" according to President Obama ; the Vatican is suppose to help the poor;" I sent an email to President Obama & an email to Vice President Biden" asking have they checked the Vatican's books to see if the $2.9Bl. is going to the poor" or is it going to the lawsuits; I haven't received a response back yet ? I have also contacted Beau Biden in Delaware, he sentenced a Doctor to life in prison; for raping children. Here's what I don't get" just about every Parish in the State of Delaware Priest and Nun's have abused children " & Beau Biden knows this and he is a Catholic. In my email to him, as a victim; I believe that the Child Molester" ( rapist ) found a loophole in the religious system. I contacted Beau Biden's office because I wanted to have The Priest arrested " but the Statue Of Limitation " is protecting the Priest" and also Mnsgr. Cini in Delaware......I also asked President/ Biden in my email , what is the difference between , War Crimes & The Catholic Church Abuse on Children ?

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