Sean Brady Steps Down

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Here's a question that I wouldn't mind seeing being answered

Tony, if you had a child, would you feel comfortable with them being an altar boy in the current Catholic Church hierarchy?

If so - let me know why. If not - an answer would be nice as well

[Rois]

Here's a question that I wouldn't mind seeing being answered

Tony, if you had a child, would you feel comfortable with them being an altar boy in the current Catholic Church hierarchy?

If so - let me know why. If not - an answer would be nice as well

I'm not getting dragged into this, but my nephew is an altar boy.  He goes to mass fifteen minutes early with his dad, and his dad waits for him for ten minutes when mass is over. 
He does it because it makes mass interesting for him - he wasn't pressured by his parents or anything like that.  Plus he still gets a selection box at Christmas and money for doing weddings.

[T Fearon]

Was an Altar Boy myself.Loved weddings and funerals (big tips) and getting out of school for 10 0 clock mass! Only fear we had was a Priest,Ardboe man, who would lecture the lads for hours on morals etc.

[T Fearon]

Gabriel, why wouldnt I? You see I don't believe all priests or even a significant minority of priests are depraved.Why would you ask a question like that? You might as well ask a parent if they'd be happy to allow a child to appear on a children's TV show in the light of Jimmy Saville.Your mindset is all too typical of posters here that see the entire catholic church as the epitome of evil.

[johnneycool]

Gabriel, why wouldnt I? You see I don't believe all priests or even a significant minority of priests are depraved.Why would you ask a question like that? You might as well ask a parent if they'd be happy to allow a child to appear on a children's TV show in the light of Jimmy Saville.Your mindset is all too typical of posters here that see the entire catholic church as the epitome of evil.

Certainly I'd have concerns of allowing my child to be in the company of any individual who's organisation has a history of covering up child abuse, Catholic Church, BBC, Social services, the lot.
How could I be sure that these individuals haven't had previous in this regard and been moved on and now I'm expected to leave my child in their care!!

[gerrykeegan]

Gabriel, why wouldnt I? You see I don't believe all priests or even a significant minority of priests are depraved.Why would you ask a question like that? You might as well ask a parent if they'd be happy to allow a child to appear on a children's TV show in the light of Jimmy Saville.Your mindset is all too typical of posters here that see the entire catholic church as the epitome of evil.

The Pope believes 2% are pedophiles. I would suspect on the basis he is the head of the Church he is more likely to understate than overstate that number.

[T Fearon]

It's a risk leaving a child in anyone's care,even with family members.

[T Fearon]

What is the society average for paedophile percentages?

[Lar Naparka]

Here's a question that I wouldn't mind seeing being answered

Tony, if you had a child, would you feel comfortable with them being an altar boy in the current Catholic Church hierarchy?

If so - let me know why. If not - an answer would be nice as well

I'm not getting dragged into this, but my nephew is an altar boy.  He goes to mass fifteen minutes early with his dad, and his dad waits for him for ten minutes when mass is over. 
He does it because it makes mass interesting for him - he wasn't pressured by his parents or anything like that.  Plus he still gets a selection box at Christmas and money for doing weddings.

If I had a son of that age, I'd have no problems if he said he wanted to serve mass. Of course, if I had any reason to fell suspicious about a particular priest, I'd do the same as your nephew's dad.
IMO, the vast majority of priest are honest, upright individuals who wouldn't dream of molesting a child.
Even back when the likes of Brendan Smyth felt free to molest kids without fear of any consequences, there was only a very low percentage of priests who actually did so.
That doesn't make their crimes any less heinous but t does mean that those who wouldn't dream of abusing anybody, never mind a child, have to put up with abuse and distrust from all quarters.
I have yet to meet a priest, and I do know a large number of them, who shares Tony's point of view.
I'm talking about Brady's refusal to step down.
You can add in every other bishop, abbot, monsignors and anybody else that comes to mind, on up to the top of the pile who turned a blind eye to the immoral activities going on all around them. 
IMO,  those who shielded paedos from the law are at least as guilty as those who carried out the attacks on defenceless children.
I know the local curate very well. (Once there were four in the parish, now he's the only one.)
I don't share his religious beliefs but and he knows this but we are still on very friendly terms.
He finds it hard to get boys to serve at his masses. Once upon a time, he'd had only to ask the local school principal or talk to some of his parishioners and he'd as many as he liked without a problem.
Times have changed greatly since then, I'm afraid.
I know Tony believes that I am one of those who seeks to demonise Brady but I don't think he realises that by supporting him and his likes, he is demonising my local curate and everyone else who  had no hand, act or part in the clerical abuse of children.

[Lar Naparka]

What is the society average for paedophile percentages?

Hard to say Tony. It depends on the source you takes your figures from.
According to a study carried out by Scotland Yard,
"A QUARTER of a million Britons - more than one in every 200 adults - are paedophiles."
However, I've come across other surveys and the results vary a lot.
I found this in a Wikipedia article.
"According to some studies, about 1% of all adult males may be pedophiles. Another study estimated the percentage of pedophiles to be between twelve and twenty percent."

[T Fearon]

Lar, I have said Sean Brady should have stepped down, for his own good. (How his stepping down would have helped the abused I don't know) The fundamental question is this. Do you believe (as I do) that Sean Brady is a fundamentally good and decent man who made mistakes or do you believe he is the Devil incarnate (as most other contributor to this thread seem to believe)?

[johnneycool]

He may be a decent human being, but he is proven to lack the moral fibre to be the leader of Catholicism in Ireland with the child abuse scandal coming to light, especially when his hands aren't clean in this regard.

[imtommygunn]

Lar, I have said Sean Brady should have stepped down, for his own good. (How his stepping down would have helped the abused I don't know) The fundamental question is this. Do you believe (as I do) that Sean Brady is a fundamentally good and decent man who made mistakes or do you believe he is the Devil incarnate (as most other contributor to this thread seem to believe)?

So is there nothing in between a fundamentally good and decent human being and the devil? It's a binary scale we're working on here?

[T Fearon]

Read some of the derogatory comments and judge for yourself

[AhNowRef]

I apologise for my absence, I was celebrating my wedding anniversary in a magnificent Co Leitrim castle,while thanking God for his providence.

I was struck reading the glowing tributes paid to Sean Brady in the Irish News yesterday by all the main Protestant Church leaders (all of whom have worked with him politically and pastorally over the years and know the measure of the man),and it struck me that there is today no one more vitriolic in Irleand than lapsed Catholics.

It is once again comforting to know that this is the majority view of Sean Brady's long pastoral mission and the views of warped individuals on this thread represent an insignificant but nonetheless sad minority who cannot see beyond blind and irrational hatred.

Sorry for poking my nose in here folks as I don't post very often but I just cant read anymore of this sickeningly pious, nauseating and repulsive garbage coming from the above poster without saying something!

T Fearon, some may think its commendable of you to stick up for a man who I presume you feel you know ... The fact that S Brady, by his actions of considering his future career within the Catholic church as of more importance than that of protecting the lives of innocent children, should have done better in a moralistic way at least (i.e. without even being a holy man) doesn't seem to set off alarm bells in you is one thing,
however, whats absolutely disgraceful is when you blatantly blame the victims and their parents ... This is a reprehensible act from you and you really should be totally ashamed of yourself for this .. I only hope that you're not getting your ideas from current members of the Catholic church.

Personally I believe Brady behaved exceptionally badly during the "interrogations" and later when he blocked information leaving the church about these and similar issues and also when he stubbornly refused to retire, unbelievably espousing the point again that he'd "done his duty"!

Basically he placed his career above all else including the lives of many many children ... and their parents' lives and their entire family units.
The fact that you can somehow feel its ok to in "any" way blame the actual victims and parents is one the most disgusting things I think Ive ever read on the internet.

And before you slate me as another "Anti-Catholic" which you seem to do to everyone else because it fits your agenda, I'd like to confirm Im very much a Catholic but like many many people, I am now a lot more wary of the institution itself.    You seem to refuse to accept the fact that a large percentage of Catholics are thoroughly sick to death of hearing how "our" religion is being trashed and tarnished by a combination of pedophiles, career hungry priests, pedophile apologists and people who are out to protect the church at all costs ... The problem with the latter type of people is that they end up doing much more harm than good.

I will give you the example of my own Mother .. Shes in her late 80s and very religious all her life ,.,.. A good woman as well !! ... She and her ilk have found the last few years very hard to take and she is disgusted in what has been brought to the fore .. but she is also disgusted by the fact that Brady hadn't the "obvious" decency to retire .... She also has the good sense to know that Brady has done more harm to the church she loves by "NOT" retiring (even after all his inaction) than many, including you, seem to realise.
Church attendances have went down directly due to his actions ... I personally know many people who say his "I done my duty" comment as the last straw ... Im not sure how his belated departure will affect thier status!

So the man you're blindly and in most normal peoples view "wrongly" saying did no harm has actually created a double whammy ... He's contributed to the detrimental harming of many many children & their families lives AND he has had a drastic affect on attendances at his own Church in Ireland.

At the end of the day its up to you in whether you want to continue thinking Brady did the right thing and deserves no blame .. However, the fact that you have repeatedly blamed Victims & Parents makes you the antithesis of what I believe the true meaning of a Catholic/Christian to really be!

You really are a very sick puppy ... May God help you !!