Clerical abuse!

[T Fearon]

Oh dear,Anti Catholics out in force,orgasmic,after one example of a priest being frozen out,in the USA,by a handful of misguided colleagues,because he did the right thing.

I happen to believe that the vast majority of priests would do what this cleric did,and as for ridiculing current Church policies,why are priests stood down day and daily,pending investigations of allegations of abuse by statutory agencies?

But hey,don't let facts get in the way of your innate prejudices.

[Oraisteach]

Tony, don't let the facts get in the way of your innate bias.

Pathetic, too, that you play the anti-Catholic card when people bring up legitimate and reasonable points.

And speaking of facts, what evidence, beyond "I Believe", do you have that most priests would have acted as Fr. Gallagher did.  Do you happen to have a long list of whistleblowers who are revealing or have revealed the names of known pedophiles to the police?  Silence is Golden is the motto, it seems.

[From the Bunker]

The Anti-Catholic bu77sh1t gets bandied about when some call this situation as it is and puts some heat on the mob. Ok, it's just one (known) case. But for an organisation that is supposed to have high moral principles, there should be zero tolerance.  Like all former crimes the biggest crime is this Dioceses complete disdain at  the priests actions. Most posters here are standing up and felling sorry for said priest. If that is anti-Catholic then what is pro-Catholic? The Catholic Church has lost it's way and it's people.

[T Fearon]

I admire what the priest did.I think the vast majority of priests would have done likewise.If the modern day procedures are ineffective or as is claimed only for show, why are priests regularly being stood down pending investigations if allegations are made against them? Whatever about failures in the past there is no cover up at any institutional level in the contemporary Catholic Church.

[armaghniac]

Do you happen to have a long list of whistleblowers who are revealing or have revealed the names of known pedophiles to the police? 

"Known" pedophiles? Surely the Police already know about these?

[Oraisteach]

Armaniac, by "known", I mean known to their fellow priests, of course.

[Oraisteach]

"There is no cover-up at any institutional level in the contemporary Catholic Church."  That, Tony, is a leap of faith of Olympic gold medal proportions.  And you KNOW this how?  Even in the face of all the evidence in this singular Fr. Gallagher case? 

[annapr]

Have you watched Spotlight yet Tony?  Great movie about the child abuse that was rampant in the Catholic Church in Boston.

[T Fearon]

"Was" being the operative word.Can someone provide a list of priests in modern times who knew about child abuse recently but didn't inform the authorities?

[Gabriel_Hurl]

[T Fearon]

One isolated case which a member of the Church brought to light? The problem exactly is what?

[seafoid]

One isolated case which a member of the Church brought to light? The problem exactly is what?

Contempt for the victims of clerical rape
And the lies used to shut them up

[Oraisteach]

No, Tony, that's not the way it goes.  You assert that there's no cover-up, so it's your responsibility to prove it.  Since you are so dead certain that all is grand now, you must KNOW, not believe, of clerics who have reported pedophile colleagues to the CIVIL authorities.  Or perhaps you KNOW that pedophelia has been completely eliminated and thus there are no cases to report.  The Fr. Gallagher case shows that's it's still going on, and the response of the Church indicates that the code of Omertà is still the status quo.  Gabe has you with your head in the sand, but I would suggest an entirely different orifice.

[The Iceman]

Tony you're in complete denial.  Here's a list of sex offenders from within just one Diocese in Washington - where I currently reside. Have a look at the names (mostly Irish priests btw) the years they served and abused and the locations (it would seem some venues where dens of abuse and for it to happen on that scale there would have to be depraved groups of men hiding in the church).  One Diocese in one corner of America - think about all over the world...

http://www.seattlearchdiocese.org/Assets/SEP/7043_DisclosureListUpdated.pdf

The Church continues to screw up. Things are improving but the case in FL only highlights that they're not fixed and the policies are not being followed by corrupt people or the policies and the people are corrupt. I will not defends any of this and you are wrong to do so.

[T Fearon]

There are paedophiles in the church,just as there are paedophiles in every profession,not all of whom will be detected,and some of whom will slip through the net,with the aid of misguided or equally perverted colleagues,unfortunately.But the Church has learned lessons and robust,but not infallible, procedures are now in place,and there is no officially endorsed code of silence or closing of ranks.One isolated case proves nothing,the amount of priests being stood down proves everything.