Catholic League insists that it's only rape when priests "penetrate" children

And the vast majority of the devout, who do little or nothing to root out this criminal facet of their church (let alone leave it in disgust).

7 Likes

Not arguing, but I was referring to those actually committing the rapes, not merely turning a blind eye.

1 Like

Sure thing. I just don’t want to let off the hook those who don’t merely turn a blind eye – they also refuse to exercise a collective power they have to demand that the church do more about this vile problem.

8 Likes

I’m not sure the catholic Church listens to those members who criticise them over this: they are authoritarian. This rape and abuse festered under their authority. They seem to think the important thing is that they have authority because they got the big stuff. The details like this…

We were just talking tonight about Mary McAleese an ex president of Ireland and prominent Catholic. She’s pretty high profile and yet they de platform her at their dos because of her feminism and gay rights advocacy. I guess decent people need to take control of that organisation, but religions, particularly this most hierarchical of religions are not set up to allow that.

2 Likes

string the abusers up by their dix. It’s only lynching if they are hanged by the neck.

Yuck. Reminds me of an old Rolling Stone article about a case where the church was in “arbitration” with a number of victims. A church rep said to a survivor, “you’re in good health, no permanent damage, nothing missing” and his reply was something along the lines of “you can’t see what’s damaged, and you don’t know what’s missing”. Needless to say the arbitration fell apart and they went to court.

12 Likes

It is fairly easy to say that this particular money laundering sociopath does not speak for the great mass of the Church. That is true. BUT when the actual power of said Church is put into play to keep a law protecting the rights of children who have been abused ftrom passiing and instead chooses to protect their abusers, that argument vaporizes. This is the actual, official position of the church. You may now consider your options.

3 Likes

Shooting is fine. You didn’t penetrate him. The bullet did.

4 Likes

You’ve a point, surely.

Also, the idea that forced “celibacy” has anything to do with pedophilia though… that’s a complicated issue.

4 Likes

For example, see this thread:

Catholics aren’t the only clergy to abuse their congregants. Sexual exploitation of the devout is a running theme in pretty much every religion everywhere.

It’s about power.

12 Likes

They pay the church tithe, voluntarily. If that’s not saying “I like what the church is doing and want them to continue” then I don’t know what is.

9 Likes

Is it? Citation please.

I’ve never heard about a scandal of this sort, let alone of this scale, among say, Unitarians of Buddhists.

1 Like

Can’t read because paywall but it isn’t entirely unheard of:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/bhtuans-buddhist-monks-accused-of-sexually-molesting-boys/2013/06/20/e6f16268-d9e9-11e2-b418-9dfa095e125d_story.html

8 Likes

I haven’t heard of a Unitarian one, but stories of sketchy Buddhist monks are not uncommon. Mostly in a small-scale way, but there was also this recent high profile case.

See also just about every cult ever. And quasi-religious things like that hot yoga bastard.

11 Likes

Yes. This is about power, unchecked power, not just about one institution or religion.

11 Likes

I’ve always thought that saying there is a sex abuse problem in the Catholic Church is like saying there is a racism problem in the KKK.

3 Likes

It certainly arises among evangelicals, esp the independent, personality driven churches. However, there are none with the reach, resources and mass of the Roman Catholic Church, so no way any of those will ever rise to the shear level of human suffering caused by the decades to centuries of this particular monument to the shittiness of human depravity.

4 Likes

Also

9 Likes

Yeah, no. This is endemic: Buddhist monks abuse young acolytes, Ultra-Orthodox Jews engage in molestation in ritual bath houses, Jehova’s Witnesses have covered up abuse, Mormon leaders interview youngsters about their sexual activity, every other week a Youth Pastor is busted for abusing kids. This has all been covered in reputable news outlets.

3 Likes

Let’s let someone “not penetrate” him, and then ask if he still doesn’t think he was raped.