Pope: sex abuse is ‘scourge’ for all society

I don’t believe we need the Pope to tell us the obvious… What we need the Pope to do is stop talking gibberish and instead take action to clean up the Catholic Church, which is about as corrupt an institution as there is on the planet.

The Catholic Church has been shuffling pedophiles from one church to another like dealers shuffle a deck of cards, and this practice has been going on for decades; since the first cases of sexual abuse were reported. Prior to that, sex abuse within the church was even more commonplace, just as it is to this day in third world countries. The bottom line is that the Catholic Church is rotten to the core – always has been, always will be.

On a lighter note, take a look at the wild and ridiculous-looking costume the Pope is wearing. The amount of money the Vatican spends to dress up their flock is astounding. One would think that with all that wealth they could hire a more talented fashion designer, one who could make the Pope look less decrepit than he is. TGO

Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press

By FRANCES D’EMILIO | AP

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI insisted on Saturday that all of society’s institutions and not just the Catholic church must be held to “exacting” standards in their response to sex abuse of children, and defended the church’s efforts to confront the problem.

Benedict acknowledged in remarks to visiting U.S. bishops during an audience at the Vatican that pedophilia was a “scourge” for society, and that decades of scandals over clergy abusing children had left Catholics in the United States bewildered.

“It is my hope that the Church’s conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society,” he said.

“By the same token, just as the church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards,” the pope said.

The pedophile scandal has exploded in recent decades in the United States, but similar clergy sex abuse revelations have tainted the church in many other countries, including Mexico, Ireland, and several other European nations, including Italy.

But the most high-profile sex abuse case in the United States at the moment doesn’t involve the church. Penn State university’s former defensive football coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with sexually abusing eight boys, and the fallout has led to the firing of longtime coach Joe Paterno and the departure of university president Graham Spanier.

College football in the U.S. is highly popular. The scandal has shaken the reputation of a college program that long had prided itself on integrity.

Benedict didn’t address accusations by many victims and their advocates that church leaders, including at the office in the Vatican that Benedict headed before becoming pontiff, systematically tried to cover up the scandals, and that they have rarely been held accountable for that.

Investigations, often by civil authorities, revealed that church hierarchy frequently transferred pedophile priests from one parish to another.

Benedict told the bishops that his papal pilgrimage to the United States in 2008 “was intended to encourage the Catholics of America in the wake of the scandal and disorientation caused by the sexual abuse crisis of recent decades.”

Echoing sentiment he has expressed in occasional meetings with victims of the abuse on trips abroad, Benedict added: “I wish to acknowledge personally the suffering inflicted on the victims and the honest efforts made to ensure both the safety of our children and to deal appropriately and transparently with allegations as they arise.”

Benedict seemed to be reflecting some churchmen’s contentions that the church has wrongly been singled out as villains for the abuse.

The bishops were making periodic consultations with the Vatican, scheduled for every five years.

About The Great One

Am interested in science and philosophy as well as sports; cycling and tennis. Enjoy reading, writing, playing chess, collecting Spyderco knives and fountain pens.
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One Response to Pope: sex abuse is ‘scourge’ for all society

  1. GhostRider says:

    Oops, wrong site as I was trying to get to IKEA, but now that I’m here,
    I would like to order: (1) Cocktail Table (2) Side Tables and can I order seat covers in any other color? I can’t find price list.
    GR Wisdom

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