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I'm not defending the church but when a similar report came about PA dioceses the bulk of the abuse and priests listed went back decades, some of them to the 30's and 40's. Most of the priests listed were dead. In Pittsburgh for example I think the bishop mentioned none of the cases occurred in the last 25 to 30 years.
While there is no excuse for what happened in the past and anything that has continued to today bear that in mind. It's likely the same here and it's likely not 700 active cases/priests.
Victims of (all ages and genders) of sexual abuse have historically been inclined to feel shame which often meant they did not report it or pursue it.
When confronted, no shortage of institutions engaged in denial, cover ups, hush money payments and victim blaming.
No shortage of pedophiles who rationalize their behaviors and view themselves as victims.
The culture has substantially changed and no longer tolerates what it once did.
When predators infiltrate institutions of religion, it's not surprising when the congregation bolts for the door.
Its the only response the business understands, and the RCC approached their reprehensible actions like a business, showing no moral compass 95% of the time.
Boston was a great exception POST Bernie Law-as Law's successor forbade the archdiocese from using Bankruptcy Court as a shield vs lawsuits. Closed 66 parishes instead. He manned up.
I am not a lapsed Catholic yet. But I am struggling. I still go to Church every Sunday and holy days, but stopped giving any money to the church at all (I give to charities that help the poor now) and my heart isn't in it. The scandals just never seem to end.
I was raised Pentecostal but attended Catholic school. I became Catholic at 16 and over the years studied its history and became deeply spiritual, with its greatest insights in prayer and ethics. I still consider myself Catholic but I attend Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches. I go where the spirit leads me. If one day I am led back to a Catholic Church I will go. However, I also no longer trust them as a body. Good luck.
Personally I don't know how anyone could remain Catholic after all of these problems.
I'm Protestant by the way-- we don't have these issues.
Just calling it like I see it.
Pedophilia is a human problem. Protestants have it. The difference is Catholics have a Top Down organizational structure that has hidden and used it's influence to hide it and to protect offenders. Jehovist Witnesses have done similar. Local Baptist and other Churches are normally run by local presbyters or by the pastors so the news stays in house. No one may know the number of times a local minister might be abusing a child by denominational adfiliation for that reason. I sadly, fear the numbers are enormous as well.
They should, God did NOTHING to STOP the sexual abuse.
People were in place to prevent, stop, and help but they failed to do their part. In Church there is a confessional prayer that includes the line " Forgive me for the wrong I have done and
the good I have left undone ". We all have our roles to play, its our free will to do it. Death, suffering,aging, disease, war do not disprove that God exists. Watching people acting in faith despite human hardships prooves his existence.
It’s a curious thing that no one seems to doubt those who accuse clergy of sexual molestation while at the same time being skeptical about a woman who makes a similar claim about a man.
In most cases the accusations against clergy go back decades. Yet when a woman comes forth with an allegation decades old, it is too common to dismiss her claim.
( Not talking about Kavenaugh thing. I tend to think both he and his accuser misremember many things)
Seems to me there has been a historic institutional bias to protect men who behaved badly, especially when the male is perceived to be in a position of authority.
I attended Catholic school through 7th grade. It was understood by the kids it was necessary to avoid being alone with certain members of the clergy. Unimaginable at that time, anyone would ever mention this to a parent or a nun.
That the church continues to protect the identies of the clergy down to which parishes, is troubling.
Most priests have never engaged in molestation. Yet their silence makes them complicit.
I agree
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