Hey audreyanndj,
You will always find your haters.. but i think there were many "higher ups" involved in the Catholic Church who tried to cover things up.
I'm actually a Christian but the more i read about this topic- i'm greatly disturbed that when the church discovered that certain priests had been violating children - that they simply moved them to another parish.
It's sad first because the church is supposed to be helping people not hurting people. People who blame it on the Bible, etc. are speaking out of ignorance- the Bible actually teaches that those who lead little ones astray it would be better if they threw themselves in the ocean with a millstone tied around their neck. Those people will have to answer to God one day. But obviously in this lifetime- this is a practice that needs to be stopped.
i think the place to get the answers to your questions is not yahoo answers- but i think perhaps to do some research on what the catholic church is doing- and maybe even to check it out with your local congressman. On yahoo answers you'll get people who will defend the Catholics, and people who will attack God or Catholic beliefs- which is not to be blamed for what these Priests did. The very priests that the Catholics praise, (Peter, Paul, etc.) live lives and taught doctrine that display deceny and purity.
For myself- i can not tell you why people do such terrible things. i myself am a sinner saved by grace- but i have to say what drives a person to molest little children i will never understand-- it's sickening and sad how the Catholic church has chosen to cover it up instead of dealing with it.
Kindly,
Nickster
2007-08-21 14:26:38
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answer #1
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answered by Nickster 7
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The church adopted a"don't ask don't tell policy in the late 50's and early 60's regarding young men with homosexual tendencies entering the seminaries. They felt these seminarians were being left out of the church. They thought that if they were celibate in their homosexuality, as the heterosexual priests were then what would the problem be.
The predatory nature of the "pedophlia" is man on boy.
Whatever the position you may take on ordaining homosexual men in the priesthood, it should be apparent that the screening process is not stringent enough. It used to be. Before this change, character was a very important quality in being accepted to the seminary. You did not stay if you did not measure up to the moral code.
I am sure there is going to be a lot of trash talk against the church and the priesthood in this post. Trash talk is the crutch of the ignorant.
2007-08-21 14:28:29
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I left the Catholic church in the 80s because pedophiles here were just moved from parish to parish and it was even in the NEWSPAPERS!! Nothing was done. Since then, I've seen a host of errors, major issues with the teachings and just wash my hands of it. I have a relative who is a retired nun who was outraged when the diocese removed a priest from their group because he was a pedophile. He'd been put in a position where he would have no contact with children. Yeah, right. They ran a SCHOOL! The worst part of this whole thing is that the money that is being used to payout on the damage done by these priests came from believers. I hope they have finally opened their eyes.
2007-08-21 14:42:11
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answer #3
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answered by CarbonDated 7
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Well, there are many factors here. First of all many of these molestations are as old as 50 years. That doesn't make it okay...but you are getting 50 years worth of wrong doing crammed into a few years of law suits...so it makes seem like a lot in a little bit of time.
Additionally, it is not pedophilia for the most part but pederasty. This is the sexual molestation/abuse of a post-pubescent teen. Again..not okay but a homosexual perversion not child molestation.
Then to top it off, there are more heterosexual, married/unmarried men who commit these crimes then there are clergy of any denomination. But when a step-father molests his step-child, or a coach sexually abuses an athelete, there is no large pay out by one huge organization. There is small lawsuits that do not make the headlines.
If you do the research you will find that the Catholic Church has less (yes less) sex abuse then the Protestant denominations as a whole. But again, the law suits are small because the churches are small...they just don't grab the headlines like the global Catholic Church does.
Believe it or not...teachers are the number one child sex abuse offenders in America. That's the truth...they top the list. Your children are in more danger going to school then to Mass.
I know, because of the media onslaught that it appears to be a "Catholic" problem. But it truly isn't. It's a national...even global problem. It is something that needs to be addressed and not relegated to a certain denomination. Child and teen sex abuse is a crime and a sin. It hurts innocent people who need our protection. Priests are being wrongly singled out. If you watch that show Dateline "To Catch a Predator" you'll see that the majority of men parading into homes to meet a young boy or girl, are grown, often married and very often fathers themselves. Disgusting and sick.
The Church is not unscathed nor are the off the hook. They are paying...heavily. They should. There is no excuse. But one should also understand that 50 years ago there weren't all these programs and help available. Husbands could beat their wives, not legally but the authorities looked the other way, children were abused in the home both sexually and physically and again...it was considered domestic and the police tried to stay out of it unless someone was getting killed. At that time if women were raped...they were put on trial in court. Their reputations, past boyfriends, sexual encounters...all brought out to defend a rapist. So many women did not report rape. Even in the work place women were subjected to being grabbed and humilated by male bosses with no place to go, no help. If they complained or told someone the woman was often moved, demoted or even fired. So, they kept quiet.
I'm just trying to paint a picture for you of a time when our society didn't handle sex abuse well in many arenas...not just the Church. All abuse was treated differently then it is now. We are judging actions of another time with our 2007 understanding.
Please try to look at all the aspects in these situations. Realize that there are many people, good people, affected by these few sick people. The Catholic Church is not full of pedophiles. Homosexuals were allowed in starting in the 60's with the sexual revolution. The screening process was changed and many were brought in as priests and began using their authority to entice and abuse young men (not boys). Wrong...very very wrong...but not really the monster that pedophilia brings to mind.
Oh one more thing...there was a book written, very recently, about the HUGE problem of sexual abuse by coaches. It's called Out of Bounds http://www.mediarelations.k-state.edu/WEB/News/Webzine/0202/sexualabuse.html
According to this book its a very bad problem...but there has been no media coverage and no million dollar law suits.
2007-08-21 14:40:56
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answer #4
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answered by Misty 7
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Alot of folks are looking for answers, Hun.
Now, I'm no fan of the Roman Catholic Church, so please, don't misunderstand me.
Every pedophile who molests a child, no matter who they are, whether they are Catholic, or any other "ic"...whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Taoist, Pagan, Wiccan, Pastafarian, Atheist, Evolutionist (sorry, guys), or whatever label they have stamped on the bottom of their foot...each one of them will have to deal with his own heart, first...
And, in the end, each one will stand before God alone.
It might be a bit of a shock for some to realize that there is no Bishop, no Diocese, no Cardinal, no Pope, and no Vatican that can help them at that point...
2007-08-21 14:36:16
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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The Vatican runs a deficit each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days. The "billions" that the Vatican has is in constructive paintings works that are held in have faith for the individuals of the worldwide. The Vatican is as lots a museum by way of fact the headquarters of the Catholic Church. Nuns are being thrown out on the line by way of fact people who've been abused by skill of clergymen are annoying hundreds of thousands of greenbacks.
2016-10-09 00:09:05
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answer #6
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answered by ? 4
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How can one NOT be AGAINST a Church that protects and pays off for the CRIMINAL ACTS of its own clergy??? What more will it take for you to leave it?
I know that patience is a virtue but that's borderline certifiable...
Peace be with you.
2007-08-21 14:37:19
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answer #7
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answered by Arf Bee 6
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You have actually several questions there so let me answer them one by one. The following is a press statement of the Archdioces of Los Angeles regarding steps being undertaken to curb clergy abuse.
The June 26, 2003 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a California law that retroactively erased statutes of limitations has no effect whatsoever on policies and procedures for dealing with clergy sexual abuse followed for many years by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.All priests found to have abused minors have been permanently removed from ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Court's ruling does not make way for those men to re-enter ministry or to function in any way as priests.The Archdiocese of Los Angeles continues to be committed to making the church safe for all of our people, especially our children.
The U.S. bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Norms for implementing the Charter continue to govern the policies and procedures of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles regarding sexual abuse by clergy. Among these policies and procedures are:· All new reports of suspected abuse of minors are immediately reported to law enforcement, regardless of whether reporting is required by law. · Priests involved in credible reports of abuse are removed from ministry pending the results of investigations by law enforcement and the Archdiocese's lay-majority Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board.· The Archdiocese continues to provide counseling to abuse victims and their families and has done so for many years.
Here is my answer to your other question why the Catholic church is still standing inspite of these scandals.
Anti-Catholics suffer from the mistaken notion that the Church includes only saints. For them sinners should always be outside its doors. What must be grasped is that the Catholic Church or any Church for that matter contains within itself knaves, and some of them obtain positions of responsibility. Paul and Christ himself warned us that there would be a few ravenous wolves among Church leaders (Acts 20,29; Matthew 1,15).
Jesus didn't choose Judas to betray him. But Judas was always free, and he used his freedom to allow Satan to enter into him, and by his betrayal Jesus was crucified and executed. But God foresaw this evil and used it to accomplish the ultimate good: the redemption of the world.
The point is, sometimes God's chosen ones betray him. That is a fact that we have to confront. If the early Christians had focused only on the scandal caused by Judas, the Church would have been finished before it even started to grow. Instead they recognized that you don't judge a movement by those who don't live it but by those who do. Rather than focusing on the betrayer, they focused on the other eleven on account of whose work, preaching, miracles, and love for Christ we are here today. It is on account of the other eleven that Christianity is alive and well today!
For the same reason, it is on account of the good popes, priests and lay people that the Catholic Church is what it is today. Christ has indeed kept his promise to be with his Church till the end of the age.
2007-08-21 14:51:31
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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it's not that all catholics are pedophiles it's just the ones who have been involved in the religion and the bible so much that they are preists/pastors. Well the bible screwed them up a lot and made them menally ill.
2007-08-21 14:19:25
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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thats what happens when men don't have sex.... they will become mentally ill
2007-08-21 14:27:40
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answer #10
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answered by David Garcia 3
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