US based Catholic journalist and commentator John Allen (who is orthodox and a fan of Opus Dei) was objective enough to say on CNN that the child sex abuse scandals is no longer particular to the US, Irish or German church for that matter, but is of the Global (Universal) Catholic Church. Allen says that it is a matter of time before many of the particular national churches will be embroiled in similar scandals. If Allen is right, then the Philippine Church will soon get its taste of pedophile sex scandals.
The latest scandal involving choir boys in Papa Ratzinger’s former diocese has come so close to the Papal throne and may involve his brother. To be fair to Benedict XVI, the allegations and purported abuse were made after he had moved to Rome and had the governing of the archdiocese to less senior clerics. But he will have to dispel notions that he did not know that the sex predator priest was not punished but rather moved from one parish to another. But some people are not convinced. They want the Pope to resign. And the uber realistic Allen says that this would happen only “if another planet” hits the earth tomorrow.
The Roman Church according to Allen has adopted a more serious policy under Pope Ratzinger. A child sex predator priest will immediately be sanctioned, defrocked and turned over to the secular authorities. But Allen sadly says that this was not the practice 30-40 years ago. The Church had a hush up policy.
Allen summarizes the problem as a problem of accountability. Bureaucratic clerics were not that accountable to the bishop and the bishop was not that accountable to the Pope and the whole hierarchy was not accountable to the laity. If Allen read it right, then there must be a radical reformation of the Church bureaucracy and the laity must be involved. The Pope is at the apex of the whole shebang. The Catholic Church in fact invented subsidiarity that now makes secular bureaucracies work. Lower executives have latitude to make decisions based on their competence. It is expected that the decisions should inform the higher ups and in some cases the highest up does make a ministerial decision. In secular bureaucracies, there is a strict code of accountability and thus we hear of bureaucrats being asked to face the ombudsman. The Roman Church has none of that. The Pope could be the ombudsman but he has sacramental duties too and one of these is to hear confessions! (and confessions cannot be made public without the Father confessor going to Hell!)
The child sex predator priests first became an issue in the American church and Cardinal Bernard Law resigned his Boston diocese but instead of being punished was given a Roman sinecure during John Paul II’s papacy. This had Americans rightfully outraged. Benedict to his credit is unlikely to do something similar and has privately apologized to victims in person in most candid terms, something that John Paul never did.
Pope Benedict may be the right man for the massive clean up (not cover up) of the Church hierarchy. But will his bishops follow? The Pope cannot govern without the bishops and will he axe the bishops? The Vatican can easily axe priests, but bishops?
The child sex abuse by priests is the HIV-AIDS of the Catholic Church and if Allen is right, it is systemic. The Pope is the only physician that can prescribe the cure but he cannot do the healing. It is up to the Body of Christ which is composed by an overwhelming majority of laypeople. Too bad we don’t have a condom to prevent this kind of hideous infection. I write this to accuse some Philippine Catholic bishops for their myopia on condoms while the immunodeficiency is eating the Body of Christ.
I will pray for the Holy Father Benedict each day as I am a Catholic. May God grant him the grace to overcome this crisis in the Church.
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The Catholic Church is bound in antiquated rules that deny the knowledge gained by man through God’s blessing of a great and fertile mind. The sex drive is primal man, it exists, and it cannot be denied by some fiction that says denying it is pious. I know of no one who does not have powerful physical urges. To seek to confine this drive within rules demanding chastity, now that is the real perversion. That is the real attempt to overturn what God gave us.
Let’em marry and the problem goes away. They would be following God’s natural law, not man’s fictional interpretation of God’s natural law.
God gave man the delight of a mind that grows and explores and learns and changes, but the Church remains locked down tight, trying to cram people unnaturally into ancient rules that plainly do not work. They are old enough to know better by now.
Joe
Old age also begets senility :(
Twin-Skies,
Okay, so you can levy easy cheap-shots. What exactly is your point regarding the words, as opposed to the brain of the guy who penned them? You can’t keep pace with those of us of senile disposition, or what?
Joe
ahahahaha,
or were you referring to that OTHER old dude, the Pope?
J
I was talking about the Pope XD
You, on the other hand, I consider one cool dude. ;)
To elaborate on my punchline, I was targeting your phrase “They are old enough to know better by now.”
I was trying to say that one other possibility of one becoming older is becoming decrepit and cranky. Becoming older does not always make one wiser – it can also lead to one hardening their opinions on certain matters, as flawed as the view can be.
Twin,
Whew, glad we got that cleared up. Becoming older is also hard on the knees and on occasion leads one to misunderstand things.
Joe
Pope Benedict is a misogynist and I hope he dies soon.
In the light of the recession an earlier petition has been made here in the UK regarding the SCANDALOUS expense of £20M for the pope’s visit. Money better spent on the health service and in other MORE IMPORTANT social services. The Catholic Church is rich and SHOULD SPEND ITS OWN MONEY ON ITS HOCUS POCUS. By all means feel free to do so.
A second petition, now at the Number 10 Government website is now up for the UK government to DISSOCIATE ITSELF OFFICIALLY from the POPE’S INTOLERANT VIEWS that have no place in modern society http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ProtestthePope/
The pope has already cancelled some key cities as protests are feared. Hurray!
Now, it’s time the Philippines follows the lead of Germany, Belgium, France, and the UK to tell Pope Benedict that he can shove his intolerance and MORONIC views up his ass.
condoms funded by foreign aids? how long will it last before the people’s tax will start paying. Condom is just a tiny part of a solution of which until now , it is not very transparent in terms of budget for long term program sustainability. Many factors can affect long term result not only just the church but also the overwhelming poor distribution process , lack of implementing rules among government units, education and awareness to people, and lastly the change in condom prices. Prices are driven by demand especially when RH BIll pass Congress. Will the condoms remain free and affordable to Mang Juan and Pedro? Will foreign entity continue to support funding and for how long?
To look at the church alone is very myopic also Blackshama. And contrary to Joe, people should be old enough to know that the church is constant and will never change. :D . Blaming the church is an excuse to poor governance. Everything is manageable. Blame game is not my thing.
Leytenian,
You make a good point. I would say then that people should leave the church. My view argues for the church to stay relevant.
Joe
hi Joe, i stand corrected :D
You miss the point entirely. The child abuse sex scandal by priests is a very serious matter for the Catholic Church (although it does happen in other churches). The issue is a matter of accountability and is therefore a matter of poor governance. Bishops just transferred their abusive priests from parish to parish and in some cases priests were sent to church agencies that deal with children! This blog post is not ABOUT CONDOMS but the accountability of clergy with the Pope and the laity! The problem of accountability extends to the Philippine hierarchy. Now can anyone account for a cleric that gets money from sinful sources like gaming?
The Church does change. If it did not, then a majority of Catholics will still be worshiping in Latin!
Blackshama,
i see your point on church organization’s poor governance on a mentally ill priest. Child Sex abuse is not a church unique issue. Sex abusers exist everywhere, anywhere and to any other organizations. This crime is punishable by law.
Your comparison is a little confusing that’s why. The church HIV as you explain can be put to jail forever and does not require a condom.
@leytenian
The problem is that the church insists on claiming the moral high ground, despite the fact that its own priests have shown themselves to be just as vulnerable to the same vices as everybody else.
It’s like a vegan claiming the be healthier than meat-eaters, even when they need to subsist partly on vitamin supplements.
Twin,
Maybe? but how many percentage of Church sex abusers compared to corrupt Philippine officials? Let these two entities compete for the common good. The government must consider that the church is constant in its teaching. Therefore the government must focus on “variables” things that can change such as employment, empowerment and education.
Gov’t corruption isn’t the issue here, it’s church corruption. Can we stay on topic here?
And furthermore, it’s hard for gov’t to focus on employment, empowerment and education, when the church constantly insists on resorting to abstinence-only policies on sex education, and directly tells its constituents who to vote for.
Besides, I’m not a Catholic, so what business does the church have trying to influence a policy that will affect non-Catholics like me?
Furthermore…
http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2010/03/andrew-brown-catholic-child-rape.html
Leytenian
The Church no longer operates jails. The penal system is supposed to quarantine the criminal from the rest of society. The HIV metaphor is apt.
The secular offender can be sent to the secular penal system. He/she can be quarantined for life.
Blackshama,
The Catholic church is indeed facing a huge pressure to be accountable on abuse victims. Pope Benedict is the highest man capable of executing command responsibility. Yes the people has a condom blackshama by surging at the vatican gate. A good example that the people has a condom to fight the church HIV is the case of Priest Brendan Smyth under the command of Cardinal Brady in Ireland. Brady was summoned by the Pope to resign. But Brady said, he will not resign because the responsibility for Smyth’s behaviour as a priest rested with his religious superior in Kilnacrott and not with him.
Rule of law applies to anybody Blackshama regardless if you are a priest , a bishop or a nun. What do you mean by quarantined for life? Yes Priest Brendan Smyth was serving a 12-year sentence in a special section of a military prison after pleading guilty to 74 counts of sexually abusing 20 boys and girls from 1958 to 1993. He was convicted in a Dublin court in 1997 and therefore quarantined for life in prison.
As I said, employment, empowerment and education are the condoms against your HIV definition Sir blackshama :D
Twin,
Well at least the church acknowledge its fault and send one of their priest to jail. Now apply this concept to Philippine corrupt officials who directly undermines democracy. How many corrupt and abusive officials were sent to jail? Surging at the gate in Malacanang does not work compared to the surging at the gate in Vatican. Give me an example where a President summoned one of his/her senator, executive, congressman or mayor to resign because of accountability issue?
leytenian
They haven’t sent anybody to jail yet.
And once again, while our own penal system is ineffective at keeping crooks in jail, I don’t see the relevance of your point to the topic.
It’s not Malacanang that’s under fire here (for a change).
twin skies,
you make me laugh. why did you engage with me if obviously I was off topic? i will not waste my time on church accountability issue because obviously it’s none of my biz. I don’t pay taxes to the church except I donate and I don’t expect.
teka muna, blackshama: no evidence, no crime. Para lang iyang C5. In fact, iyang religious elder paedophile innuendoes, mas magaling pa sa C5. At least, sa C5, nagkaroon ng mga public meetings at editorials sa mainstream media. Wala man lang nadiyaryo na complaint of paedophile transgressions by a religious elder — Protestant minister, a Muslim or Buddhist religious leader, a Catholic priest or nun, an Iglesia elder… not even by a school principal or teacher religious or lay!
Of course, one can say that ang mga reporter ng Pilipinas, takot i-report ang paedophile transgressions by religious elders.
Lack of smoke does not mean there is no fire, isn’t that the case?!
Spontaneous combustion can have no smoke. Paper turns yellow but it doesn’t generate smoke
The media has exposed many a Protestant or Born again minister involved in underage sex, but I haven’t read or heard about a Catholic priest exposed.
If you’re talking about local news, I have noticed that too. Do you have any ideas on why this is the case? I’m genuinely curious.
Maybe they have hush up money!
The offending priests get moved from parish to parish;
the bishops are faster than the police. The bishops
do not report the offense to the police, the bishops
move the priest to protect the church from scandal.
And yet they have no cash for maintaining their parishes?
That’s a pretty grim picture you paint, shama :(
Again it’s a question of accountability. Some parish councils (a Vatican II reform)question their parish priests about where the money went!
Horny priests, horny bishops, horny popes…what’s the difference?
These are all male members of the homo sapien (or homo erectus?) family with testosterone hormones running through their bloodstream and phallus.
The celibacy rule is a dysfunctional dogma which exposes the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church. Ii is a doctrine that was borne out of the ignorant and misguided conception that sex is dirty, hence the rampant preying on innocent kids predicated perhaps on the belief that a blowjob is less sinful than an actual coitus.
Let those horny and holy men in robes and funny pointed hats get a wife (or gay lovers) and spare the children from sexual abuse, for chrissakes!
Blackshama, while I do not always agree with your points I do thank your for putting more light on the current slew of sex scandals.
I for one simpley want all offending parties involved in these incidents to be charged, jailed, and punished to the full extent of the law. And I hope they rot in jail for the rest of their miserable lives.
Papa Ratzinger is well into the cover-up of this German scandal.
“The German archdiocese led by the future Pope Benedict XVI ignored repeated warnings in the early 1980s by a psychiatrist treating a priest accused of sexually abusing boys …”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/world/europe/19church.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th
It is not because a person is a Priest or a Nun. That he or she is not
capable of being a Phedophile. These are people with raging HORMORES.
Who have sexual needs and have sexual organs. Castrate the Priest. Do
female circumcision to the Nun. This will solve the problem.