Why do you think the catholic church did not report cases of child abuse to the authorities ?

Question

In my country Ireland, there has been many many cases of horrific sexual abuse involving catholic priests.

While I accept this was done by a minority, I cannot accept that despite those at the top (bishops and higher) knew what was going on but never reported the cases to the police. Instead these priests were simply moved on to different parishes were they inflicted more suffering on innocent children.

It was only when many of these children grew up and got the courage to speak out were these evil monsters brought to justce.

Why do you think the bishops never reported the priests involved to the police ?

And do you think these bishops should also be arrested for failing to report these monsters ?

Finally if the buck stops at the top, ie the pope , how can we seriously respect and take advice from a man whose organisation protects paedophiles from the law ?

Answer 1

To save their reputation, and not to hamper their business of collecting money.

Answer 2

The Catholic Church is a BUSINESS and as such cannot abide by the bad press that would give those hard-core Catholics to think twice about their commitment to the Church. Remember they don't allow priests to marry because then they could leave the riches of the Church to their offspring in the old days. It's a greedy, greedy establishment.

Look at how children are being treated in Uganda and other countries. Children are small and powerless. They are easy to exploit by vile people all over the world.

If arrests were made to bishops and all higher-ups in child molestation cases, perhaps there might be a dent in the numbers of children abused.

I had given up on the Catholic Church before I was confirmed at 13 or 14. They don't do the right things and that just isn't good enough for me.

I hope you are instrumental to exposing the truth in your area. I'm behind you all the way. Wrong is wrong, period.

Answer 3

1st lets be honest the Pope would have no way of knowing about individual priests unless someone told him about them and that is not likely. As for the Bishops that were just moving priests around who did have pedophile issues are responsible also for what happened. In their position they should have been protecting the children as the Bibles says that anything hurt against the lest of these (children) is a sin and they will be answering to God if they knew and did not act appropriately. Now also the last generation ago would the legal system handled it right either? We will never know.

I think the Catholic church should have defrocked these priests and turned them over to the police to let them handle it and many of these children would never have been touched.

This has been a really sad issue that has been going on for generations and somehow these types of people realized they could become priests and just do as they wanted. I hope the Catholic Church in the future takes more time to find out about their priests before they let them be around children.

Answer 4

Becuase the Catholic Church does not want to admit that it was wrong or that their priests are immoral. I'm a Roman Catholic in Ireland and I find it hard to take the church serious. We have had horror stories about priests abusing young children, the physical abuse that the young boys got in the Christian Brothers schools and the young pregnant women in the Magdelene Laundry's, yet they stand in the pulpit every Sunday preaching about 'love thy neighbour' and 'turn the other cheek'. If Gods 'messengers on earth' aren't able to spread his love, I dont see how the normal Joe Soap can aswell. Hyprocrites. And yes, the bishops should be charged. Isn't there something in the law about ading and abeiting a criminal, or standing in the way of the course of justice.

Answer 5

I live in Ireland too, I know excatly what you mean, and I doubt it would be just a big deal if priests were allowed to marry... although it has been going on for centuries and I suppose they just realised they could get away with it, but now-a-days they can't as more people are speaking up. But it's the same with everything, there is going to be someone somewhere who will think they can get away with it so they'll try their luck. And most people because they have no prove its he says she says he says he says etc. So it's usually battled out and the victim is made a "liar" of... It's dreadful that so many rape victims can't put their attackers behind bars because the system isn't really made for the victim, and that is wrong. It all needs to be changed, and soon!

Answer 6

I agree to keep their reputation clean but I also believe that a lot of these organisations (its not only the catholic parishes that it is happening in) believe that they are a law upon themselves.
They have their own rule and guidelines and punishments (when they see fit to deal it out)
Maybe it has been entrenched so long into their history that they might not see a problem with it.
Also it might be a case of out of sight out of mind.




ps just read White Rabbits post and he says it so much more eloquently than I do. What he says exactly!!!

Answer 7

Haven't you heard that the catholic church is infallible; it can do no wrong.

What we hear about today is only a small part of what has been done during the past several centuries. There have been rapes of nuns, murders of children and others. Very little that the catholic church is based on the word of God, but it is based on tradition.

Answer 8

Because if they did that would open it up to the public and it is against what they are teaching.
It is easier to shut up a few children to save their dignity
Then to actually do some good for all mankind.
The Law suits would be endless and one day soon they will be
We are living in the Year Of Karma so what goes around will come around and Karma is working overtime this YEAR !

Love & Blessings
Milly

Answer 9

i think the Catholic Church sees itself as a separate entity from civil law and society. It exists within it, but is not necessarily convinced that it is subject to it. It is not that it is beyond the law, but rather that it sees itself as self-sustaining and a law unto itself. This means, they feel they have the right to judge acts of misconduct for themselves, and to dole out the proper punishments on their own. Therefore, having a priest brought up on civil charges would be equivalent to having him charged twice for the same crime, by two separate courts. They believe their court is sufficient for crimes committed by the clergy.

This is just my opinion and guess.

Answer 10

The Catholic Church is corrupt.

Answer 11

They wanted to make sure that noone at the next parish knew anything about the molester when they moved him there. Shh Keep it a secret!