56 Comments

• ritmomente | May 11, 2010, 02:53 PM EDT

  I usually copy my post before I send just in case it never appears.

• 2BorNot2B | May 11, 2010, 11:42 AM EDT

  Just a sample below. Took me 4 attempts and splitting the post to see it showing.

• 2BorNot2B | May 11, 2010, 11:40 AM EDT

  -- Whatever it is, it's frustrating as hell! Those of us used to posting complete thoughts responding to incoherent arguments, find ourselves wasting time punching the 'comment' button to find the posts denied. As a result of this random censoring, the huns end up fantazising their arguments are actually reasonable and valid. Aaaargh!

• 2BorNot2B | May 11, 2010, 11:39 AM EDT

  I fail to understand the workings of this website - Is it outright censorship? A matter of allowing only those posts that favor their point of view? An honest glitch? A server deficiency allowing only posting limited text? If so, why not announce it?

• ritmomente | May 10, 2010, 04:16 PM EDT

  Great. I wholly agree with you McNamara. Another tragedy in this is that there have been several well qualified men and women who will not enter a seminary or convent because of how tarnished the image is and how limited the effect current wonderful priests and nuns have on the congregation.

• McNamara31 | May 10, 2010, 03:59 PM EDT

  ritmomente Solution? I believe the only true answer would be that those who knowingly put the "image" of the church before the welfare of victimized little children should step down for the greater good of the church and in respect to all the good and decent priests who continue to sincerely do Christ's work.

• McNamara31 | May 10, 2010, 03:37 PM EDT

  ritmomente In the years after Cardinal Law and the abuse cases in Boston, this group began tracking accountability: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTracker/

• ritmomente | May 10, 2010, 03:27 PM EDT

  McNamara, what is your solution?

• McNamara31 | May 10, 2010, 03:03 PM EDT

  2BorNot2B "church-ambulance-chasing lawyer, and to every suddenly recovered-memory accuser" Ignorance, denial, lack of empathy, and now we can add.... stupidity.

• ritmomente | May 10, 2010, 02:56 PM EDT

  McNamara, I think the church's aim is to remove all ignorance. I think the Vatican is lassoing in the rogue bishops that tried to keep the victims silent and shuffle priests. There has also been immense clarity on the part of not trusting anymore those quack counselors that claimed they could "cure" these derelicts. We know now that they cannot ever be "cured". I also gave you the names of 2 bishops. What are you going to do to bring them to justice?

• 2BorNot2B | May 10, 2010, 01:47 PM EDT

  Now it's McNam who's attaching motives to my response to her droning. According to her judgement, 'I have chosen to live in TOTAL IGNORANCE AND DENIAL..yadda, yadda!' -- Sorry, but NO, not the case at all.-- The Church has admitted it's mistakes and has taken steps to correct them, what the CINO's want now goes above and beyond pay-back. Jeffrey Anderson with something like 100Mill already in his bank acct. has been quoted as saying 'he wants to sue the s... out of the CC (cont'd)

• McNamara31 | May 10, 2010, 11:32 AM EDT

  @2BorNot2B "church-ambulance-chasing lawyer, and to every suddenly recovered-memory accuser" *****Why don't you read facts for once************* accuserhttp://www.bohttp://www.co.suffolk.ny.us/da/press/pdf/DRVC%20GRAND%20JURY%20REPORT.pdfston.com/globe/spotlight/abuse/scandal/

• McNamara31 | May 10, 2010, 10:28 AM EDT

  2BorNot2b When it comes to past child abuse within the church, you have chosen to live in total ignorance and denial of the crimes that occurred, and without any empathy for the victims.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 11:17 PM EDT

  -- What's the problem with all you CINO's - you want women priests, gay priests..? Join the Episcopal church, they are already there! Want married priests? Become Orthodox! A 2000 year old Church is not about to change its discipline because a bunch of CINO's who warm the pews perhaps only at Christmas and Easter want to suddenly dictate its policy.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 11:10 PM EDT

  Sez erieshark: "Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' followers and beloved by him. We need women in the priesthood" -- She might have been a 'beloved follower of Jesus' as were many others (Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Mary wife of Clopas, Mary the mother of Jesus, etc.) who 'MINISTERED to, funded and housed Jesus and the apostles,' but nowhere in the bible is even the slightest hint that Jesus wanted women as 'apostles' who were the original holders of the Christian priesthood.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 11:06 PM EDT

  What I should have said is: McNam reeeeally doesn't harbor any ill will toward Pope and bishops, nor would she dare to flatly accuses them ALL of gross negligence and malicious and deliberate cover-up; she merely wants them to grovel to every antagonistic CINO, church-ambulance-chasing lawyer, and to every suddenly recovered-memory accuser, no matter how thin the evidence. She would probably also accept a future CC modeled in her image and likeness.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 10:54 PM EDT

  McNam31 objects to having motives attached to her unending, droning rants, as if her continuing flailing against the hierarchy of the CC for sins committed anywhere from 10 to 60 years ago were not plastered on every post that remotely touches on the subject. Well excuuuuse me! I guess her posts offer nary a clue of her feelings. I must have been fooled by the subtlety of her screeds.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 10:10 PM EDT

  Continuing to GuinessGrrl - -Finally, the dead give-aways: the authoritative words and sources cited (Center for American Progress! Alcee Hastings, duh!), and the tribute to the guy pictured with the two dogs! One can almost see the angora sweater under his shirt! -- Call me dense but I would have NEVER guessed this 'Dr Herek' is NOT AT ALL intent on offering a hard core piece of gay apologia.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 10:04 PM EDT

  Just a thought here but having cruised by the website offered by GuinessGrrrl I found it fawningly favorable to the grrrly-man culture. --Even the URL has the distinctive marks of what one could expect to be snow-jobbed upon following the link: UCDavis/edu (Puhleez, a Northern Cal branch of the U system.. why didn't the prof just call it a gay-love indoctrination boot camp?). Next, the clearly identifiable 'rainbow' noun. Mmm.. let me rack my brain on that one!

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 09:31 PM EDT

  -- With all the safeguards and internal policies established some 8 years ago, when the first wave of accusations against the CC came to light, it is nearly impossible to find a case of either child abuse or homosexuality within the Church. The cases we are regaled with time and again on the press and on this website have been dredged from eons ago. -- In fact, presently Caholic institutions are probably the safest place for children.

• 2BorNot2B | May 09, 2010, 09:30 PM EDT

  bushothehill -- actually, the worst epidemic of pedophilia exists in the womb of the family itself. Most children unfortunately are abused by close relatives, step-fathers, uncles, brothers and even their own parents. Read the statistics.

• ritmomente | May 09, 2010, 12:35 PM EDT

  Legislators in the state of New York want to pass a bill that will only protect children in private schools, leaving pedophiles in the public school system to either be shuffled to other schools or to be put on a paid hiatus. The Taliban also like little dancing boys.

• McNamara31 | May 07, 2010, 09:04 PM EDT

  2BorNot2b "the entire CC and especially its hierarchy should be grounded into dust" These are "Your Words" and "THOUGHTS" 2BorNot2b, not mine. Do not attempt to attach them to me.

• Bushothehill | May 07, 2010, 07:57 PM EDT

  Malcolm C failed to mention the greatest pedophilia ring in existence. Its sexual crimes against children surpass by far, all others. But the print media, pollsters; politicians are totally silent on the horific damage that's being done to children by the teaching profession. Teachers unions have circled the wagons and if there is ever someone brave enough to pierce the up-to-now impregnable ramparts of protected pedophilia, all other sinners will be recognized as the holy of holies.

• GuinnessGrrl | May 07, 2010, 04:44 PM EDT

  http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_molestation.html

• 2BorNot2B | May 07, 2010, 11:14 AM EDT

  @McNamara31 "So what is the point? Splitting hairs on what type of crime was forced on children?" -- You're right McNam, the point according to you should be that the entire CC and especially its hierarchy should be grounded into dust. But just think of it... what would then give you the motivation to get up in the morning without it to rant, wail, and continue your unending gnashing of teeth? Maybe you should be counting your blessings for having a reason to exist.

• 2BorNot2B | May 07, 2010, 11:03 AM EDT

  "homosexuals are not pedophiles!" -- You're right there, they're kept busy in bathhouses and cruising gay bars trying to find multiple partners to bugger.

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 04:38 PM EDT

  mcnamara, you are absolutely correct. I'll give you two of them: Bernard Law and Anthony Bevelacqua. The sad fact is that these two cardinals hid the abuse from the Vatican. Not to take any blame away from him, but Law was the old school "send him to therapy", but Bevelacqua is a lawyer. He threatened families and shuffled priests to avoid statute of limitations.

• McNamara31 | May 06, 2010, 03:49 PM EDT

  The John Jay Study also stated: “ scathing criticism directed at the bishops who failed to recognize the horror of sexual abuse of children, ignoring the human needs of the victims and mollycoddling abusive priests

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 11:05 AM EDT

  John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States. April 2004, Section 3.1, “Introduction to the Problem of Child Sexual Abuse by Adult Men.”

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 11:05 AM EDT

  joma, I'll echo jacers. Homosexuals are predominantly to blame.

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 11:04 AM EDT

  Source: John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States. April 2004, Section 3.1, “Introduction to the Problem of Child Sexual Abuse by Adult Men.”

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 11:03 AM EDT

  McNamara, the author split the hairs already. The majority of victims are post-pubescent males, thus homosexual statutory rape, not pedophilia. This is no less disgusting or punishable.

• ritmomente | May 06, 2010, 10:52 AM EDT

  IrishProud, please read carefully. It is still statutory rape. Instead of grandstanding with your multiple posts, why not think and ponder what other people might have to say.

• jacersisityourself | May 05, 2010, 07:46 PM EDT

  Whoh–woah there, joma5004, hang on a minute! – Have you checked facts lately? Please provide proof of your allegations.

• joma5004 | May 05, 2010, 05:58 PM EDT

  All you so called "Catholics" sound just like the German Nazis. Blame the Jew, Blame the Jew but now its blame the gay, blame the gay. If you people stopped listening to the moraly bankrupt church for a minute you would realize that those who are pedofiles are over 98% HETEROSEXUAL!! This has been confirmed by the F.B.I. countless number of times! Get your facts straight (put indtended) and not from the holier-than-thou church. Remember its being run by a nazi right now!

• IrishProud | May 05, 2010, 05:09 PM EDT

  McNamara31, You make a very good point. People who can rationalize abuse against children are not part of the solution, they are the problem. That is why it has gone on for so long, not just in Ireland, but all over the world. And, sadly, it still goes on.

• IrishProud | May 05, 2010, 04:56 PM EDT

  Well, ritmomente So, you think if women could be priests, they wouldn't choose to be nuns? Hmmmmm! Also, if an adult has relations with a child. It doesn't matter if the adult is straight or gay. In the real world, the adult is a pedophile and belongs in prison and not just transfered to another parish.

• McNamara31 | May 05, 2010, 04:43 PM EDT

  In regard to JoanHugh’s, continued postings, regarding the ratio of the type sexual predators within the Church, these statements attempt to rationalize and deflect from the core issue; who’s responsibility was it to protect our children. And if the percentage of predator priests of whatever type increases, who’s responsibility was it to remove them and protect our children during religious services and activities. All else, doesn’t matter one bit.

• McNamara31 | May 05, 2010, 03:47 PM EDT

  ritmomente So what is the point? Splitting hairs on what type of crime was forced on children?

• ritmomente | May 05, 2010, 02:13 PM EDT

  No, IrishProud, joanhugh is right. it is mostly homosexual, not pedophilic. The problem here is that homosexuals will admit to nothing. McNamara: no one said it wasn't statutory rape.

• ritmomente | May 05, 2010, 02:09 PM EDT

  erieshark, you're off subject. The problem with your theory though is that we would be in a far worse place without Catherine McAuley and Mother Theresa, both nuns. If you make women priests, you will wipe out the already declining population of nuns.

• FGilfeather | May 05, 2010, 01:52 PM EDT

  This shows that everyone has an opinion.

• IrishProud | May 05, 2010, 11:28 AM EDT

  JoanHugh. Think about what you are saying. What if it was your son who was abused? Permanent psychological damage to a boy by a man in power. Kids with disabilities or without families were the most abused by priests and nuns. The church is not the demon, it's people like you who blame the victims and look the other way.

• McNamara31 | May 05, 2010, 11:20 AM EDT

  @JoanHugh 5% abuse,81% homosexual behavior with a teenage boy? Once again, as a Catholic mother, I don't care how you try to rationalize the numbers. The sexual encounter of a "grown man" upon a "boy" under the age of 18 in a religious institution, school or rectory is abuse!

• IrishProud | May 05, 2010, 11:19 AM EDT

  Sharon6, ryanjoan and others. Thankyou for rising above people who somehow blame the victims and the the good priests of the Catholic Church. I agree, that Catholics should not give up. We can take this Church back. We want good people to act as role models and protectors of the innocents. You can't do this from an ivory tower. There are a lot of good married men and women who could lead the church.

• ramyorazz | May 05, 2010, 11:01 AM EDT

  I have been trying to explain for years that priests do not become pedophiles. Pedophiles become priests, as well as teachers, troop leaders, and other authority figures. Mind you, aside from all the press this scandal is recieving, there are still good men committed to God and the church and keep the sanctity of the call to the priesthood. Catholics, don't give up on the church.

• IrishProud | May 05, 2010, 11:00 AM EDT

  Yeah, right! You 30 and 23 percent need to get real. Being homosexual is not the issue. A pedophile is a pedophile. We're talking about harming innocent children here. Those priests were evil before becoming priests. The priesthood just gave them a market full of potential victims. They and those higher up in the church who covered it up should be locked up to protect society from these monsters.

• Joanhugh | May 05, 2010, 10:37 AM EDT

  In the catholic scandal 5% was abuse of children 81% was homosexual behavior with teenage boys.The media will not report the truth I was hoping you would be different

• Sharont6 | May 05, 2010, 10:30 AM EDT

  Homosexuality and Celibacy have nothing to do with people who prey on Children. It is easy to use them as scapegoats and not look at the real reason it happened as long as it did. People in authority who looked the otherway and covered it up instead of looking out for the most vulnerable in our Church.

• Siobhan39 | May 05, 2010, 10:09 AM EDT

  We need women priests. We need married priests. How long can Rome keep their heads in the sand. Let me repeat what ryanjoan said: Homosexuals are not pedophiles!

• ryanjoan | May 05, 2010, 09:53 AM EDT

  Homosexuals are not pedophiles!

• erieshark | May 05, 2010, 09:12 AM EDT

  Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' followers and beloved by him. We need women in the priesthood. The chauvinism of the RC has to end to stop the abuse. It is not healthy to have an all male hierarchy.

• britfether | May 05, 2010, 09:10 AM EDT

  Speaking from personal experience, I have known four priests who have left the church and every one of them is arried at present, three have children and are excellent family men and all have what seems to be happy marriages. My thinking is that my experience is not unusual and I doubt that any evidence can be brought to bare that priests who have been confirmeed as pedofiles are no more homosexual in nature than outside the priesthood.

• ritmomente | May 05, 2010, 09:03 AM EDT

  Thank you MalcomAC. This should be about protecting children from all organizations, not trashing just one. I do not see any legitimate reason why celibacy could be linked to pedophilia. That is absurd! The homosexuality link is valid, although priests abusing mostly post-pubescent boys is homosexual sexual assualt, not pedophilia. The true pedophiles: there is no true logical link to. Please also check your source; The New York Times is flagrantly anti-Catholic.

• MalcomAC | May 04, 2010, 09:10 PM EDT

  But it doesn't explain the pedophilia scandals in other communities where there is no celibacy rule: Youth hockey in Canada - a ring was run right out of Maple Leaf Gardens for years - the Yeshiva School in Brooklyn, etc.