Gael
Senior Member
- Location
- County Down, N Ireland
Another slap for the Magdalene Laundry victims
- Thread starter Gael
- Start date
Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Shameful. This church is still defending assets rather than selling itself to benefit poor and damaged people.
There is a harsher judgement waiting for them, and not necessarily in the afterlife either. It's much closer at hand.
The catholic church is poisoning itself from within and needs to heal itself, not by worrying about its future, but by returning to the Gospel, divesting themselves of all riches save faith, hope and love, and by embracing the pain and poverty of the least among them.
There is a harsher judgement waiting for them, and not necessarily in the afterlife either. It's much closer at hand.
The catholic church is poisoning itself from within and needs to heal itself, not by worrying about its future, but by returning to the Gospel, divesting themselves of all riches save faith, hope and love, and by embracing the pain and poverty of the least among them.
rkunsaw
Well-known Member
- Location
- Clarksville, Arkansas,USA
This, along with all the pedophile priests and such, people still keep going (and paying tithes) to church. Why? I can only assume the brainwashing from an early age.
Gael
Senior Member
- Location
- County Down, N Ireland
I can't tell you how infuriating this is. The suffering imposed on those young girls and now this! Victiminized again.
The only justice will be on the other side that's obvious.
Gael
Senior Member
- Location
- County Down, N Ireland
Gael
Senior Member
- Location
- County Down, N Ireland
Knightofalbion
Senior Member
- Location
- Glastonbury, England
I hope the Pope, who seems like a decent fellow, will intervene and do the right thing. What happened to these poor women can never be undone, but a sincere apology and compensation will at least bring them closure and a sense of justice.
Hopefully Frankie will do the right thing. The whole Catholic hierarchy should be kicked out and a HUGE rethink needs to take place, starting with some of it doctrines, imo.
Warrigal
SF VIP
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I'm sorry Gael. I don't think I made myself clear. I am seeing the disintegration of the catholic church (and other denominations) because they have broken faith with their followers, not to mention with the god they confess. This is the retribution I was referring to. I did try to find this verse (Luke 12:48) which talks about the heavy punishment waiting for those who should know better but decided against referring to Scripture.
Of course the collapse of the church does not provide justice for those who have been hurt by the church. I doubt anything will do that but the least the churches can do is be penitent, ask for forgiveness and offer generous compensation to victims. And stop creating more victims.
In Australia there is currently a Royal Commission looking into child abuse within institutions run by churches and government agencies, including child sexual abuse. At the same time we have two Australian entertainers, on in England and one in this country facing charges for sexual abuse of very young girls. Finally the legal system is catching up, although it is very late doing so.
That Guy
Homegrown Unknown
- Location
- Monterey Bay
Disgusting.
Gael
Senior Member
- Location
- County Down, N Ireland
Oh my friend, do not hold your breath.
The Vatican is trying to reassure Catholics and the public that Pope Francis takes the clerical sex abuse crisis seriously in the wake of defensive comments Francis made this week, the first serious bump in the road for a pope approaching the first anniversary of his election with sky-high approval ratings.
In an interview published Wednesday with an Italian newspaper, Francis was asked about the scandal that has shaken the faith of many Catholics, especially in the U.S., and why he hasn’t fought back against criticisms of the church’s record.
Francis began by acknowledging that “the cases of abuse are terrible because they leave very profound wounds,” but he then shifted to praise the policies on abuse instituted by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, while asserting that the Catholic Church has “advanced a lot, perhaps more than anyone” in battling the sexual abuse of children.
“The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that moved with transparency and responsibility,” the pope continued, arguing that most abuse occurs in the home or other community environments. “No one else did as much. And yet, the church is the only one being attacked.”
That prompted a torrent of criticism from victims advocates and others who noted that Francis did not apologize for the abuse, has not disciplined any bishops who covered up for abusers and has yet to meet with any abuse victims or name any members to a commission he promised to establish three months ago.
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“His comments reflect an archaic, defensive mindset,” said Barbara Dorris of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
“He is triumphalist about clergy abuse of children and silent about the complicity of bishops,” said Terence McKiernan, head of BishopAccountability.org.
“Hearing the Pope use the abuse-occurs-elsewhere excuse is truly disheartening,” said the U.S.-based church reform group Voice of the Faithful, echoing a sense of disappointment among many Catholics who hoped the pope’s pledges and moves to reform the church on many levels would extend to an examination of conscience on clergy abuse.
A Pew Research Center survey of American Catholics last year showed that 70 percent thought addressing abuse should be the top priority for the new pope, but in a follow-up report released this week only 54 percent gave Francis high marks for addressing it.
Vatican officials seem to be aware of the danger the crisis poses for Francis. The pope’s spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, sent an email to The Associated Press saying it was taking time to set up the abuse commission in part because the pontiff was busy with other reforms. But he said that experts had been contacted to check their availability and that this remained a priority for Francis.
“I’m waiting for it (the commission),” Lombardi wrote. “And I hope that the commission will also be able to propose to the pope initiatives adapted to give a true broad impulse in the church for the active protection of minors.”
Apparently referring to a United Nations report last month that was sharply critical of the Vatican’s record on abuse — but which itself was widely criticized for exaggerated claims and overstepping its mandate — Lombardi said the pope was pointing out that the Vatican’s efforts have “not been recognized objectively.”
“At the same time,” Lombardi added, “it is clear that there is still an immense task to do for the past, for the present and, even more so, for the future. The pope knows this well.”
Some critics held out hope that Francis would act soon and that the penitential season of Lent would be a spur.
The editors of National Catholic Reporter wrote an open letter to the pope Thursday recalling that Francis captivated the public shortly after his election when he broke with tradition by going to a youth detention center for a Holy Thursday ritual before Easter, at which he washed the feet of a dozen young people, including two women and a Muslim.
“We implore you to turn the world’s focus this Holy Thursday on a healing service for victims of sexual abuse by priests,” the editors wrote. “Listen to their stories. Wash their feet.”