I see another thread on the problems of the Pope and the Catholic church, but that one is centered around a comic-opera plan by some radicals to arrest the Pope if only they can find some law enforcement jurisdiction to back them up. Ya sure, like that is going to work! Let's keep that topic over there.
More central to the issue of what the Pope knew, when, and what did he do about it, is a NPR-Chicago feature I heard last evening.
First let me say that I'm pro-choice regarding an individual's religion, I know many people who take great comfort from their faith and belonging, and I don't mean to lessen their comfort.
However - what this segment emphasized to me is that people wronged by the Catholic Church are generally cast out, ignored, not comforted, if they complain about abuse. As I understand Catholic doctrine it is essential to receive Communion through the Church, there is no way to avoid its bureaucracy and the Pope's appointed intermediaries right down to the local priests, and remain in good standing with God. So when a parishioner feels betrayed by a priest, can't face him, that person is also cut off from God. These people tend to leave the church and feel very alone. According to this article few are offered counseling or invited to return, rather they are often seen as having led the priest into sin and are shunned.
After several years cleaning up after bad priests this priest left his order and went to work for a law firm representing people who were abused. The firm gets huge settlements, and this financial drain is weakening the church - a strategy somewhat like the small-government movement wants to do by reducing revenue (taxes).
He came to a realization that the Church's survival instinct was more important than the individual misery of the abused individuals, and he thought this was exactly backward, that he should be helping the abused. And that the Church would never change so that taking it down was the only way to reduce these incidents. He also notes that surveys of Catholic clergy indicate less than a third remain celibate; the other two-thirds are out spreading more scandal and misery.
I don't know enough about this to get the fine points right. Please listen to the 21 minute interview with the former priest and comment on what he really said instead of commenting on my limited understanding!
Confession
LISTEN NOW (21 mins) This American Life (Chicago Public Radio)
A former priest goes public: Father Patrick Wall was a special kind of monk. He was a fixer. The Catholic church sent him to problem parishes where priests had been removed because of scandals. His job was to come in, keep events from going public and smooth things over until a permanent replacement priest was found. But after four different churches in four years, after covering up for pedophiles and adulterers and liars and embezzlers, he decided to make a change. Carl Marziali tells his story in a segment about going behind enemy lines. Sometimes people get confused about whose side they're on...and how to fight the "enemy."
Here is where I found the link to this 4/02/2010 sound file.
More central to the issue of what the Pope knew, when, and what did he do about it, is a NPR-Chicago feature I heard last evening.
First let me say that I'm pro-choice regarding an individual's religion, I know many people who take great comfort from their faith and belonging, and I don't mean to lessen their comfort.
However - what this segment emphasized to me is that people wronged by the Catholic Church are generally cast out, ignored, not comforted, if they complain about abuse. As I understand Catholic doctrine it is essential to receive Communion through the Church, there is no way to avoid its bureaucracy and the Pope's appointed intermediaries right down to the local priests, and remain in good standing with God. So when a parishioner feels betrayed by a priest, can't face him, that person is also cut off from God. These people tend to leave the church and feel very alone. According to this article few are offered counseling or invited to return, rather they are often seen as having led the priest into sin and are shunned.
After several years cleaning up after bad priests this priest left his order and went to work for a law firm representing people who were abused. The firm gets huge settlements, and this financial drain is weakening the church - a strategy somewhat like the small-government movement wants to do by reducing revenue (taxes).
He came to a realization that the Church's survival instinct was more important than the individual misery of the abused individuals, and he thought this was exactly backward, that he should be helping the abused. And that the Church would never change so that taking it down was the only way to reduce these incidents. He also notes that surveys of Catholic clergy indicate less than a third remain celibate; the other two-thirds are out spreading more scandal and misery.
I don't know enough about this to get the fine points right. Please listen to the 21 minute interview with the former priest and comment on what he really said instead of commenting on my limited understanding!
Confession
LISTEN NOW (21 mins) This American Life (Chicago Public Radio)
A former priest goes public: Father Patrick Wall was a special kind of monk. He was a fixer. The Catholic church sent him to problem parishes where priests had been removed because of scandals. His job was to come in, keep events from going public and smooth things over until a permanent replacement priest was found. But after four different churches in four years, after covering up for pedophiles and adulterers and liars and embezzlers, he decided to make a change. Carl Marziali tells his story in a segment about going behind enemy lines. Sometimes people get confused about whose side they're on...and how to fight the "enemy."
