Clerical abuse!

[qwerty]

I'm trying to point out that there are a hundred shades of grey.

A child told him that he was raped by a priest, and that the priest was also raping other children.
He made the child swear an oath of secrecy never to repeat what he told him.
The priest continued to abuse children for years after that.

The shades of grey is certainly in the eye of the beholder!

But its the blind attitude of Orior and similar that has given priests, bishops, cardinals etc such power of hundreds of years. The evil ones (and nobody will dispute there have been been evil popes) take full advantage because of the stupidity of "blind faith" the priests, bishops and cardinals try to brainwash us Catholics all with.

Of course the perpetrators of the actual crimes should and mostly have been prosecuted.

But we're talking here about a gopher or lackey. They lackey was being directed by what was in essence the Internal Investigation Branch of the Catholic Church. There are lots of heroic films on TV about Police Internal Investigation Branch and often how they are corrupt they often are. This hunt is focussed on the lackey, and chastising him because he didnt have the courage to be a whistle blower in the 1970's. The hunt completely ignores the good he had acheived in his life.

This is unreal! He was a 36 year old canon lawyer who obviously was well thought of with the powers that be in the church! For 13 years did he never think why Smyth was not up before the courts and was he still raping children? He had the power to stop it but didn't! End of story!
What gets me really cross is that a 13/14 year old who was previously repeatedly raped by a priest was taken into a locked room with 3 priests and asked all sorts of sick questions. The wee fella must've been in complete fear. Really really sick!!

But that was the way life was in the 1970's. There wasnt the army of social workers, the raft of help lines, nor the internet to see if the same thing was happening elsewhere.

Ahh, so that makes it ok then...

[Hardy]

What gets me really cross is that a 13/14 year old who was previously repeatedly raped by a priest was taken into a locked room with 3 priests and asked all sorts of sick questions. The wee fella must've been in complete fear. Really really sick!!

But that was the way life was in the 1970's. There wasnt the army of social workers, the raft of help lines, nor the internet to see if the same thing was happening elsewhere.

Orior, for a normally sensible contributor, you're all over the place on this. You come across as one of those people whose blind faith will not countenance the possibility of a cleric having behaved criminally, or even immorally.

Now you seem to be arguing that Brady bears no responsibility for participating in the sick interrogation process inflicted on that boy because there was no social worker to stop him.

[Applesisapples]

Don't think he'll be able to hang on after this.

The man has no shame.

He's hell bent on retaining his position and leading his flock.

He should go - and go now - or else the people should head over to Armagh and put him out of it.

He's not living on the same planet.

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

[Ulick]

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Aye, I can just picture him reading the Irish Times over his coffee with one ear out for Joe Duffy.

[Applesisapples]

The reaction from Rome shows how out of touch it is from the ordinary priest and person in the ordinary Irish Parish. I look with envy on the Anglican Church and see how they have found ways to embrace married clergy, women clergy and Gay Christians. I cherish my Catholic faith and do not want to renounce it but I do renounce the right of conservatives with in it led by Pope Benedict to dictate how it should go forward. There will be no priests in a few years they'll all be dead. The church appoints lay readers, funeral ministers etc befor it would embrace change which would mean a renewal in the priest hood.

[Puckoon]

There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

What was asked of him was intrinsically and morally wrong - and you would have expected a man (he's 4 years older than I am now btw, that doesn't make him young) with his supposed moral fiber to know that what he was being asked to do, and what he did, was contrary to what governs right and wrong. It was a corrupt and evil practice back then, it has been a corrupted and tarnished organization ever since in this regard undoubtedly - and there is very little in the church's actions and words on this very issue that has even the slightest trace of following Jesus in it. It's more akin to Pontious Pilate than Jesus Christ regarding this sorry episode.

By remaining in his position currently he is serving only to further polarize what is left of the Catholic faith and serve the stubbornness of the German Shephard. His personal torment and anguish (if he geniunely has any), I have a little compassion for - more perhaps than he showed to the youngsters he should have protected.

[Applesisapples]

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Aye, I can just picture him reading the Irish Times over his coffee with one ear out for Joe Duffy.

you can be sure he was listening to Nolan.

[Maguire01]

Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him.

And clearly keeping your head below the parapet and remaining a priest is more important that preventing the abuse of children.

[muppet]

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Maybe if he drew courage from the terrified 14 year old abused child he was taking notes from, he might have done the right thing.

[Maguire01]

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Aye, I can just picture him reading the Irish Times over his coffee with one ear out for Joe Duffy.

Do you seriously think he's not being kept abreast with how this is being reported?

Also, type Cardinal Brady into Google News - CNN International, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Montreal Gazette... the list goes on - and obviously that's on top of the Irish and UK press, and the fact that the documentary went out across the UK on BBC2. If you think he needs to be reading the Irish Times or listening to Joe Duffy, you're well off the mark.

[winghalfun]

I need some words of encouragement or some act of contrition very soon because I cannot hold on much longer to what I previously held very dear.

I am clinging on by my finger nails and the grip is slowly loosening day by day. I just hope that my stronger Christian faith (stronger than any blind faith in a priest/bishop/cardinal/pope) will cushion me when I do fall.

I will not launch any personal attack on Cardinal Brady because I still profess to uphold Christian values of love and forgiveness which if truth be told he probably desires more than we will ever know.

He should resign for his own sake, for the sake of the wider Irish catholic church but most importantly for the sake of the victims.

[muppet]

I need some words of encouragement or some act of contrition very soon because I cannot hold on much longer to what I previously held very dear.

I am clinging on by my finger nails and the grip is slowly loosening day by day. I just hope that my stronger Christian faith (stronger than any blind faith in a priest/bishop/cardinal/pope) will cushion me when I do fall.

I will not launch any personal attack on Cardinal Brady because I still profess to uphold Christian values of love and forgiveness which if truth be told he probably desires more than we will ever know.

He should resign for his own sake, for the sake of the wider Irish catholic church but most importantly for the sake of the victims.

+1

[From the Bunker]

I need some words of encouragement or some act of contrition very soon because I cannot hold on much longer to what I previously held very dear.

I am clinging on by my finger nails and the grip is slowly loosening day by day. I just hope that my stronger Christian faith (stronger than any blind faith in a priest/bishop/cardinal/pope) will cushion me when I do fall.

I will not launch any personal attack on Cardinal Brady because I still profess to uphold Christian values of love and forgiveness which if truth be told he probably desires more than we will ever know.

He should resign for his own sake, for the sake of the wider Irish catholic church but most importantly for the sake of the victims.

+1

+1

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I need some words of encouragement or some act of contrition very soon because I cannot hold on much longer to what I previously held very dear.

I am clinging on by my finger nails and the grip is slowly loosening day by day. I just hope that my stronger Christian faith (stronger than any blind faith in a priest/bishop/cardinal/pope) will cushion me when I do fall.

I will not launch any personal attack on Cardinal Brady because I still profess to uphold Christian values of love and forgiveness which if truth be told he probably desires more than we will ever know.

He should resign for his own sake, for the sake of the wider Irish catholic church but most importantly for the sake of the victims.

+1

+1

+1

[Ulick]

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Aye, I can just picture him reading the Irish Times over his coffee with one ear out for Joe Duffy.

Do you seriously think he's not being kept abreast with how this is being reported?

Also, type Cardinal Brady into Google News - CNN International, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Montreal Gazette... the list goes on - and obviously that's on top of the Irish and UK press, and the fact that the documentary went out across the UK on BBC2. If you think he needs to be reading the Irish Times or listening to Joe Duffy, you're well off the mark.

The Irish Times today quotes Fr Brian D'Arcy as saying Cardinal Brady wanted to resign two years ago and the Vatican said no, same probably applies now. The Fuhrer doesn't want to be seen bending to the media. Worst thing ever happened was the election of the German as Pope. Some of the vitriol on here against Cardinal Brady whilst understandable is unfair. There is no way a young priest in 1975 could have put his head above the parapet and remained a priest and in fairness he did what was asked of him. Unfortunately in my opinion his acquiescence makes him unfit to lead the Church.

Aye, I can just picture him reading the Irish Times over his coffee with one ear out for Joe Duffy.

Do you seriously think he's not being kept abreast with how this is being reported?

Also, type Cardinal Brady into Google News - CNN International, New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Reuters, Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Montreal Gazette... the list goes on - and obviously that's on top of the Irish and UK press, and the fact that the documentary went out across the UK on BBC2. If you think he needs to be reading the Irish Times or listening to Joe Duffy, you're well off the mark.

Small beer in comparsion to what he has on his plate. Whomever is handling this on the Vatican side will report to the CDF not the Pope and even then its unlikely to be very far up their list of priorities. Ireland's measly little community of 4 million or so Catholics doesn't often cut the mustard above the worldwide Catholic community of over a billion. After the recent Visitations, the Vatican is well aware of the state of the Irish Church and what needs to be done. No one is going to fret much about this.