Pope to Ireland's Pedophile Priests: Submit Yourselves

[Bo.]

Pope Benedict XVI has signed a letter aimed at defusing anger in Ireland over a sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.

The pope has produced the pastoral letter -- a communication use by senior Catholic clergy to offer direction to followers or admonitions to lower orders -- amid growing criticism over the church's handling of abuse cases across Europe.

The contents of the letter, which Benedict XVI says he hopes "will help in the process of repentance, healing and renewal" are to be made public on Saturday, according to the Vatican.

Hundreds of allegations of sexual or physical abuse of children by Catholic clergy have come to light in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands this year, following high profile inquiries into the issue in Ireland.

The pope himself has been under fire since it was revealed a priest suspected of abusing children was allowed to move into his diocese when he was an archbishop in Germany in 1980.

Catholic church authorities in the Republic of Ireland have been pushed to the brink of crisis over claims of abuse and subsequent cover-ups, with four bishops resigning and the church's head issuing an unprecedented apology.

Cardinal Sean Brady said earlier this week that the church's response to abuse had been "hopelessly inadequate" and admitted he was "ashamed" at his own involvement in a widely criticized pedophile priest investigation in 1975.

"I want to say to anyone who has been hurt by any failure on my part that I apologize to you with all my heart," he said.

A government-backed report earlier found that the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up child abuse by priest from 1975 to 2004. Child sexual abuse was widespread then, the report found.

Brady's apology and the church's handling of the issue has so far failed to appease groups representing victims of abuse.

John Kelly, founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, told CNN earlier this week he believed the Roman Catholic Church should let secular authorities deal with accusations of abuse, rather than trying to handle them itself.



p.s. What's going on in Eire?! :thinking:

 

[newage]

i can help but laugh at this. Though i worry what millions of catholics will do if the church was to fall.

 

[Bo.]

Maybe it's because the Catholic world is more liberal, and the Eastern Orthodox world is more conservative, but it's a fact that very often scandals like this happen in the Catholic world.

 

[newage]

ha, i can't help but scoff at the catholic church being liberal! I guess being born and raised in a protestant nation, almost everything else seems utra conservative. That said im not the least bit familiar with the "Eastern Orthodox Churches"

 

[Bo.]

Really?
Well, according to the conservatism of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church looks ultra liberal.

 

[Mamah]

I don't think this issue has got much to do with religion as such, its a result of what happens when people give too much deference and power to others merely because of their respect for the positions they hold. In the UK it was teachers and child care staff who did these things, as well, commonly, as parents and other relatives. There were also very loose selection methods for priests, monks and nuns and almost anyone could enter those religious orders.
The issue now is that people are demanding unconditional apologies from those who allowed these assaults to go on & be covered up. There's also the growing turning away from organized religion that's been going on for decades and people's questioning of the credentials of those who they used to bow down to in the past.
Surely it's good that all this is now coming out into the open?

 

[ritsuka]

There's nothing "liberal" about sexually and physically abusing children--about spreading body-hating philosophies, repression, and homophobia. I'm so glad that my stupid mother was unable (financially) to send me to a local catholic school as she had wanted to--where the repressed nuns regularly paddled students, while the public school system had abandoned that practice long before. I'm glad that such a sick religion is being exposed.

 

[Tom]

I was raised strong Roman Catholic. I don't take offense, but it definately isn't just a church thing at all. The Roman Catholics who knew about it and did nothing to stop it or move the priests to other parishes are as or more guilty than those perpetuating the crimes. It's unforgivable. In reality, it happens with teachers and students in ALL schools. Every week there is another teacher that has charges filed against them. And bus drivers. And day care places!!!
So I agree wholeheartedly with IntegritasO, we cannot "tag" one group of people. It's happening in all segments of society.

 

[ritsuka]

Be careful Ritsuka

Hitler is really the bottom of the barrel of political analogies; of course no one likes the monster under the bed, but deciding whose teeth most resemble his is vague and useless. We've discussed this before, and since your so sensitive about it and project things onto me, I think once was enough. I will express my opinion and experience with philosophies, religions and ideas.

 

[XMan101]

These are sensitive issues. Strong opinions are quite welcome but I need to give you a friendly reminder not to make things too personal , we are all different

Thanks

 

[garth33]

These are sensitive issues. Strong opinions are quite welcome but I need to give you a friendly reminder not to make things too personal , we are all different

Thanks

I can't believe Teg tried to call out someone MORE negative than he is!! And yeah I'm looking right at you Rit! Because you're a disturber too and you need to mellow out a bit.

POLITICAL Talk on internet message boards will NEVER SOLVE ANYTHING. It only makes people angry and makes them yell at each other and it SUCKS!!!!!

I think we ALL can agree on one thing...we're all HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE PORN and talking amongst ourselves is just a little plus if you want to get to know your fellow video pirate but if you're here to CONSTANTLY bitch about your government (or LACK thereof) - GO LOOK AT THE FREE PORN!! It's top quality and it 's FREE!! Everyone in the world NEEDS to relax....:blushing: