Catholic Priests, Sex Abuse Equals Hypocrisy
For centuries priests have been sexually abusing children. It has made enormous media attention within the last ten years, and Pope Benedict’s verbal condemnation was applauded. For all devout Catholics, when you sin, you go to confession and are given penance. This penance is looked upon and believed to absolve you of your sins. Some feel they are being wrongly targeted. Priest’s are looked upon as trusting, spiritual and religious teachers doing God’s work. When they commit an assault on a child, this is the ultimate betrayal. Ireland has exported numerous priests to the United States. They were influential on re-building the Catholic congregation, and in turn the statistics show a large percentage of these priests in the seventies who were involved in sexually abusing children. Ireland will not open their files on these priests and have remained silent on this atrocity.
If the government would take the same stance on confirmed rape, and serial killers by stating as Pope Benedict did, ” Sex abuse is a heinous crime.” and then not acting on it with behavior such as incarceration, treatment, etc. there would be an enormous revolution. To this date one confirmed abuser who is a Bishop was sent back to Rome, a major “sweeping under the rug” is under way. There has been NO plan of action, that has come from the Vatican. Why? We can presume a variety of reasons; however they would be assumptions. We do know the congregation is falling, and millions of dollars are being spent on the commercials, “Catholics come Home.”
Is it any wonder why the Catholics are not coming home. What a massive insult to our intelligence. Does the Catholic church really believe we are unaware of their non-action, which translates into lack of concern for the past victims and the future children who will be subject to abuse. What about the children that are being abused by Catholic priests as you are reading this article. All parishioners wake up! How about finding your integrity, stand up for what you believe in, stand up for the children. Protest, call, do not go to mass, anything to save a child from the manipulation of a perpetrating priest.
How much could be done with the millions and I mean millions of dollars to beg individuals to come back to church with the Catholics come home commercials. If just a third of that money was spent towards treatment for the victims, those that put their trust, faith and love in their church, then some forgiveness might begin. This atrocity cannot be overstated. Those that will not look at this objectively are as guilty as the perpetrators. Individuals are supporting and closing one eye at sexual abuse to small children who put their faith in a spiritual leader. They are emotionally and physically being raped and manipulated.
It takes all of us to stand up, one at a time. Come home? Come home to your own heart. Come home to the truth. Coming home to the Catholic church, when they have proven to be so dysfunctional and refuse treatment and incarceration for the perpetrators and treatment for the children would be a HYPOCRISY.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Sexual abuse is truely a most callous act, especially in the hands of those we should trust. I think that while there are reported cases, and mishandlings, there has been the difficulty of usually the perpetrator (s) covering it up. Not only that, some victims are ashamed or have no understanding of how to bring the offendor to the open. Thus, it is a long complicated process to amend. I am truely saddened that it happened in the Catholic Church, but I’ve met no priests who would do such a thing. The bible shows that sin is a fact in every Christian community, and the Church has made changes to help stop and heal the wounds. Every time you look and see this, but the person who wrote this article could not see it. My Church has record numbers of people all the time, it will grow even in tough times because, while abuse did happen, it’s not the entire picture of the core of the Catholic Church. P
Pamela, I wrote the article, I am the author of “Above His Shoulders.” The church you attend I must applaud if they have implemented programs to help your victims locally. I am speaking on a global scale. The research pans out that attendance is dropping over the last ten years. I have priests supporting me, agreeing with me. Look at the money for the commercials, help to bring individuals back to the church.
What has not been done:
No mandatory treatment programs for offenders.
No mandatory resignation for priests
No mandatory incarceration by the Vatican to implement a mandate
No immediate call to action for replacement.
We cannot look at just our small world, our church, and our country. This is a global issue and the Vatican has fallen way short on being effective. This is an atrocity and nothing has been done as mandate for the church as a whole.
Take a role, speak up. Change cannot occur if we just close one eye and look at our own backyard, we need to look at the whole picture.