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PDF versionVatican abuse summit: A 'new baseline' for the church
by John L Allen Jr on Feb. 09, 2012
ROME -- A four-day Vatican summit on the sexual abuse crisis signals “a new baseline”, meaning a new “agreed standard of the Roman Catholic Church” in dealing with the issue, according to one of the participants.
Fr. Brendan Geary, a Scottish member of the Marist order who works in the United States, defined that baseline in the following terms:
- “We start by listening to victims, and we honor their experience.”
- “We’re trying to become leaders in the world in the protection of children, not following behind others.”
- “In the words of Pope John Paul II, there is no place in the Catholic church for those who would abuse children.”
Commitment to those three principles, Geary said, “came across clearly from every part of the world” during the Feb. 6-9 event.
Geary spoke in a session with reporters on the final day of the four-day symposium, titled “Towards Healing and Renewal.” It has been held at Rome’s Jesuit-run Gregorian University, in cooperation with several Vatican departments.
Claretian Fr. Paul Smyth stressed that this new baseline did not begin at this summit, but is instead “the fruit of several decades of work” – which doesn’t mean, he stressed, that the job is finished.
“We need to walk the talk,” Smyth said.
The success or failure of the event will be measured by its ability to “put down a marker that will enable the church to be the safest place possible for children going forward,” said Sr. Marianne O’Connor of Ireland.
Nigerian Bishop Joseph Ekuwem said the summit’s value has been to force the church “to accept what has really happened.”
“We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend that nothing has happened,” Ekuwem told reporters. “We have to acknowledge the suffering [of victims]. We can’t deny that, and we have to find a way forward.”
Ekuwem said that to date, the Nigerian bishops have not had a single formal report of clerical abuse of a child, but he doesn’t take that as an indication the problem doesn’t exist. The summit, he said, “will help us be prepared when the cases arise.”
Sr. Marian Moriarty of the United Kingdom said the summit has been useful not only in outlining the dimensions of the Catholic sex abuse scandals, but also wider social pathologies. For instance, she said, she was shocked to hear one estimate that $75,000 is spent every minute in cyber-space on Internet pornography.
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In that sense, Moriarty said, the summit was also a reminder that the experience accumulated by the church in the fight against abuse can also be of service to the wider society.
Standards, no matter how
Standards, no matter how lofty, and their underlying value system must be applied fairly in order to achieve their purpose.
The Roman church has consistently failed to apply the standards already on its books to the worst offenders -- bishops, archbishops, major archbishops, patriarchs, cardinal deacons-priests-bishops, and popes. To the contrary, the church continues to make war against victims by denying them compensation (Milwaukee, do you read Petrus?!) and opposing elimination of statutes of limitation, etc. and so on.
As long as the hierarchy remains in control, "pew nation" will see no change whatever, especially a much needed change of Heart coming from our anointed ones.
How ironic; the Vatican is
How ironic; the Vatican is taking an active role in preventing child abuse by clergy. This story is in perfect juxtaposition with the one about the church in Poland absolutely ignoring -- and covereing up -- the problem.
SO WHAT'S NEXT, JOHN?
SO WHAT'S NEXT, JOHN? ......... Great, John, the pope's lawyers and apologists must really be happy with their PR stunt.
Thousands more empty words have been added in Rome this week to the decades' old pile of papal bull and is now available to be quoted interminably by hierarchical hacks, complicit clerics and assorted apologists.
Are bishops now required to report all abuse promptly to the police? No. Will bishops be subject to any independent oversight? No. Will bishops curb their ruthless lawyers and lobbyists? No. Will the curia be accountable for anything. No. will the pope and bishops be accountable to the People of God as Jesus mandated? Of course not.
Few have been fooled. Let's hope you at least enjoyed some good Italian dinners this week, so you haven't wasted the entire week.
But did they discuss why the
But did they discuss why the cover up happened? Did they discuss why their "blind obedience" pledge taken by new ordained priest and bishops and cardinals is necessary? Did they discuss that the responsibility of the hierarchy is to serve the People of God and the responsibility of the Holy Spirit is to protect the Church? In other words did they discuss the Culture of Clericalism as the root cause of the cover up?
Did they discuss why so many of our newly appointed bishops, arch bishops and cardinals have had great success in "protecting " the Church in covering up these despicable crimes? Did they discuss the schemes of hiding their financing of Church funds to circumvent the Courts from learning their true wealth?
And lastly was there an impartial stenographer transcribing what was truly said in these closed meetings? And will they ever be made public?
As any one reading my comments I am certain you will be able to discern I am a survivor of the abuse and cover up and I do not trust the hierarchy?P G W Z B
“We start by listening to
“We start by listening to victims, and we honor their experience.”
“We’re trying to become leaders in the world in the protection of children, not following behind others.”
“In the words of Pope John Paul II, there is no place in the Catholic church for those who would abuse children.”....
Claretian Fr. Paul Smyth stressed that this new baseline did not begin at this summit, but is instead “the fruit of several decades of work” ...
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Lord, help us. If it took "several decades of work" to figure out what the average 7 year old understands - that victims should be heard, that the Catholic church should not have been forced into acknowledging the situation by the secular media and secular system of justice and that there is "no place in this church for those who would abuse children", it will be CENTURIES until they figure out the part about requiring bishops to report suspected child abuse to the authorities and HOLDING RESPONSIBLE bishops who enable child abuse by protecting pedophiles.
Of course, John Paul II was also giving lip-service. He didn't really much care. Actions speak louder than words and he personally protected Maciel, one of the worst abusers around. He was no more sincere than is this conference.
As Eliza sang in My Fair Lady - "Words, words, words I'm so sick of words...
John Allen enables the charlatans in Rome by refusing to critically analyze their shenanigans and PR stunts. So, maybe NCR should look around for someone else?
Give poor John a break. You
Give poor John a break. You know that if he doesn't toe the party line, he's in the unemployment line. Just being a good Cherman.
Don't be too hard on John!
Don't be too hard on John! He doesn't make the news; he simple reports the news, even if "the news" is nothing new to those of us, who have followed this SCANDAL for over a decade! For more than a decade, we've heard the same apologies and rhetoric coming out of the Vatican. We've seen bishop after bishop exposed, all over the world, for shielding their precious, Pedophile Priests by shuffling them from parish to parish. We've also seen how the Culture of Clericalism has insured that deep down, nothing will ever change, until this whole heinous Hierarchy, from the top of the Vatican on down simply dies! It is only going to be when "The People of God," take back their Church and realize their God-given priesthoods (both male and female) that any substantial change will take place. Come Lord Jesus, COME! Help us take back your kingdom!
Considering the behavior and
Considering the behavior and the "empty" words of our bishops (Cf. Cardinal Egan recants his apology) is it any wonder we have become so jaded? Our sarcasm and cynicism ooze from every line written in these blogs, regrettably, it is justified. I cannot help but question why individuals like Thomas Doyle and Richard Sipe were not asked to address the attendees at the symposium. Is it because they are controversial? Is it because them might criticize the Church and speak of the manner in which this crisis has affected the Body Of Christ. Help me! When the Church is afraid to be scrutinized or even rejects the opportunity for constructive criticism, yep, we GOT A PROBLEM. The very first lesson I learned in 1958 in preparation for my "first Confession" was I must make an examination of conscience. Well it appears the Church is exempt from this or worse, it has no conscience at all. As was written elsewhere, "when everyone thinks the same, no one does much thinking at all." Until bishops are held accountable for their acts of commission and omission we will NEVER be able to trust them again. They have been a stalwart defense in the protection of unborn children, they need to be just as adamant about accountability with regard to their peers in the defense of children born and later abused.
In this country, we already
In this country, we already have the only "baseline" any victim or parent of a victim ever needs: 9-1-1
The Church is not in a position of authority over criminal offenders. They can pray, put up websites, make lists, draw up new protocols to their heart's content. I suppose it gives them something to do.
The truth, however, is that this country already has laws and protocols regarding criminal sex offenders. Call 9-1-1. Have them arrested. Have anyone who was in a position of authority, knew, and did nothing arrested. Haul 'em to court. Jail 'em.
It's what every other criminal sex offender is subject to in this country, and there is no exception for Catholics, clergy, or anyone else.
I believe Pope John Paul II
I believe Pope John Paul II said there is no room in the priesthood for anyone who would abuse children. I cannot imagine him saying there is no room in the Church for such a person. All sinners, no matter how bad the sin, need the graces of repentance and redemption which Christ offers us through the Church. Certain sins will preclude us from playing certain roles, but never remove the seal of the Holy Spirit received at baptism.
And yet there seems to be no
And yet there seems to be no problem in removing priests guilty of the sin of talking about the possibility of having a discussion about the ordination of women. Clearly a far, far worse offence than raping insignificant children who are easily bullied into silence.
"In the words of Pope John
"In the words of Pope John Paul II, there is no place in the Catholic church for those who would abuse children.”
Considering John Paul II's dismal record on child sex abuse by priests, this quote gives very little reassurance to the overwhelming majority of Catholics who care about this issue.
Why is there "No place in the
Why is there "No place in the Church" for bishops, archbishops and cardinals, who had reputations for shuffling known Pedophile Priests and members of the Clergy from one parish to another! Pedophile priests are only half of the problem! Their bishops, archbishops and cardinals are clearly the other half of the equations. As far as the Vatican Hierarchy is concerned, they're just the icing on the cake!
I know a large part of the
I know a large part of the disease of pedophilia is denial that what the pedophile did anyhting wrong. However, there is a reality that was never addressed in the summit. In all of the many accusations against priests, there were some of them that were truley falsley accused. I would still like to see the day when the church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin and companions, and make them Martyrs of the sexual abuse crisis.
By all means dismiss the
By all means dismiss the hundreds of thousands of abandoned victims in desperate need of help to discuss the fantasy of the falsely accused priest. Not only are such accusations incredibly rare, they are also fairly simple to spot, and almost never make it past a preliminary stage.
No, it is not all a conspiracy by evil victims to harm the church.
The church harmed us in the most evil way possible, took appalling advantage of our defencelessness and vulnerability, continues to harm us, prevents our healing, endangers other children, and will not take responsibility for its own crimes.
And is still in complete denial, as you have so kindly demonstrated.
There was a very apt story in
There was a very apt story in Australia this week where a petty thief stole a phone, found child porn on the phone, and handed himself and the phone in to police immediately so they could catch the owner.
Even a thief knows to put child protection first, ahead of self protection. He was sent to jail as a result of his honesty, but received high praise and a light sentence from the judge.
He didn't need decades of excuses and distractions, or a world summit, to work out what anyone with a shred of humanity knows - you don't send little kids back to their rapists to be tortured again and again. Or endanger new kids.
You go straight to the police so they can put the dangerous criminal out of reach of his prey.
See details of this story at: http://voicelessvictim.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/even-thief-gives-pope-le...
It is about time everyone stopped giving the catholic church hierarchy a massive and undeserved break on this issue. Their behaviour throughout has been atrocious, criminal, and not just well below that expected of self appointed moral leaders, but well below any but the most depraved psychopaths. They are demonstrably unfit for their positions, yet still the deluded treat them as gods, and above reproach.
The very attitudes which enabled this problem to reach epidemic proportions.
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