why isn't the pope held responsible when a priest commits a child sex crime?

Question

when will this stop?

500 cases in LA!!!!!!

this secret society of child abuse must be stopped

it sickens me evry time i open up a paper and read about this

which unfortunatlely is quite often

the high priests must know what is going on but they stay quiet to protect the criminals

and the pope does know the high priests

Answer 1

Excellent question. The pope should be held responsible, since the Catholic Church is a strictly hierarchical organization, just as a General is responsible for the conduct of his troops.

Don't listen to the nonsense from some below who think that this is overblown. It is certainly understated, as admitted by the Catholics in their own study (see John Jay study of abuse). And the Catholics themselves have referred to the abuse crisis as an "epidemic".

The popes have been criminally negligent in their lack of responsiveness to the epidemic of abuse.

Answer 2

Because the Pope is not responcible. Period. He does not advocate this at all. He has spoken out quite frankly against it. Adviced the Cardinals to watch for it. But beyond that he has no authority whatsoever to act in any other way. So how can he possibly be held responcible when he's already acting with as much influence and ability as he legally holds?

And have you ever once considered maybe, just maybe, some or most of those accusations are false? People can easily lie about these things you know. Just look at what happened at Duke University. How many of these families sought for money along with justice. And when it comes to child abuse, the accused isn't tried "innocent until prooven guilty." In the mindset of our society they are already guilty once the accusation is made. The trial is just a show.

I do not deny it happens. But how do you propose that we hold him responcible? Put him on trial even though he hadn't done anything? Talk about a gross exersize of injustice. You're not doing the victims any favors.

Answer 3

According to you all child sex crimes are commited by Priests which suggests that all other offenders aren`t quite so bad,these crimes are commited by Pastors, lay people and professional people too, I would like you to post a link to your 500 cases in LA that suggests 500 Priests did this.

Answer 4

Because the idea that the Pope somehow micromanages the lives of priests all throughout the world and is responsible for them committing crimes is ridiculous. Especially whent he Pope wasnt even Pope when a majority of these instances took place.

Answer 5

This really bothers me too. The catholic church actually cover up these crimes and protect the perpetrator. It breaks my heart. Why do they do it? They can hardly be called Christians. I am a Christian and find this behaviour abhorrent as I am sure all good moral people do. This behaviour gives true Christians a bad name. No wonder some people are turned off. I guess all we can do is pray and somehow lobby the government to apply stricter sentences, or abolish priesthood altogether. There needs to be national enquiries into this. Is is almost epidemic and is a very real evil in our society.

Answer 6

so every time a teacher does it - would it be the principal or higher up the school board?

it's not a secret society of child abuse - if you took all the cases and did a majority - you could call men as a whole a secret society of child abusers.

do you notice all the cases are from well in the past.

i pray that God will heal those children that were truly abused.

Answer 7

Really, I have only seen about ten documented cases of confirmed sexual assaults on children by preists. Still a high number considering the profression, but it is not a frequent as you make it out to be.

I am more concerned with the church that was being renovated in rome about five years ago and the corpses of over 200 babies were discovered where the priests and nuns were having sex and preforming abortions on a routine manner.

Answer 8

When will it stop we should abolish all The Most Reverend Dr. Mr.Minister Pastor Bishop Brother Ned Smith Esq. preacher, apostle, Profit, Brothers,Sisters Apostles, Elders, Deacons.



Welcome to a collection of news reports of ministers sexually abusing children:
http://www.reformation.com/

ALL Protestant denominations - 838 Ministers

147 Baptist Ministers

251 "Bible" Church Ministers (fundamentalist/evangelical)

140 Anglican/Episcopalian Ministers

38 Lutheran Ministers

46 Methodist Ministers

19 Presbyterian Ministers

197 various Church Ministers

Answer 9

because the pope is 'infallible' or something...i guess...although i may be wrong about that part of their dogma, he might only be infallible when he's telling everyone what to believe, or on alternate thursdays or something...

seriously? i agree that there are far too many cases of child sex abuse, and it is 'swept under the rug' or 'silenced with a check' far too often-but it's not just priests...it happens all over-

Answer 10

the pope can't control everyone, im sure he's sick of it to. i believe the priest should go to prison and never be allowed to be a priest again, but the pope shouldn't be bashed for it even though he is the head of the church he can't control everyone, just like in companies you can't control all your workers. and what they do with the priest that commits the crime in america can't be punished by the pope, but only God and the law of the united states can punish him.