General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsUp to 40% of Catholic Priests & Brothers Sexually Abusing Children in Australia
New reports are in after 4 year investigation.1,000 Churches have abusive clergy, subsequently 1,000's of victims.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/feb/06/4444-victims-extent-of-abuse-in-catholic-church-in-australia-revealed
Victims say data of child sexual abuse underestimates scale of abuse.
https://www.theguardian.com/au?INTCMP=CE_AU
Calculating
(2,957 posts)Does the catholic church turn priests into pedophiles, or do lots of pedophiles just sign up to be a priest? I sometimes wonder....
SoCalDem
(103,856 posts)and what types of men would even be interested
No sex with women ..ever (of course many priests do not honor that vow either)
Priests (as part of their jobs) always have "access" to children (mostly boys)
madokie
(51,076 posts)I'm just happy that I wasn't a Catholic and was being abused because I'd be in jail today due to killing the sob who did the act
Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)It is considered a psychological phenomenon that this is happening with clergy all over the world.
50% of Catholic clergy have sex with adults and are not celibate.
I wonder what percentage of these are assaulting children or is it the other 50%?
Skittles
(153,174 posts)and very unlikely to do anything about it
tblue37
(65,477 posts)People who sexually abuse those who are vulnerable often consciously or subconsciously seek out positions where they have access to and some sort of power over those they are inclined to abuse.
Even if the offender originally did not intend to act on his impulses, if he ends up in a position in which he is surrounded by opportunities, he is going to be inclined to take advantage of those opportunities.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)It's clear to me that the coverup of pedophilia by priests is an international conspiracy. And it's been happening for decades. I remember an article in the Reader's Digest in the late 1960s about Catholic priests being accused and the church simply transferring them to other places, often out of the country where they could not be prosecuted. The Catholic Church needs to be charged for it's complicity in this scheme to aid and abet child molesters.
scscholar
(2,902 posts)need to be banned. They can just move their criminals around.
Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)The multiple suites were turned into a class-action and is still not fully resolved after years of process. They keep finding more money the HUGE Catholic church system has. The church down-played how much they could pay to the victims and filed bankruptcy only to find out they had more money and properties to liquidate.
Hmmmm... sounds like the GOP to me!
Initech
(100,097 posts)Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)Sexual abuse is devastating to the child, during childhood and as an adult. Some commit suicide.
Initech
(100,097 posts)MineralMan
(146,324 posts)and, if found guilty, throw them in prison. Governments need to stop turning their eyes away when crap like this happens. Religion is no defense against crimes like these, which affect children.
Of course, some will act as apologists for the RCC in this matter. We'll hear all the regular arguments, like "It's just a few priests doing this." "The Church didn't know." As we learned, the church does know and protects the offenders.
Try them! Convict them! Jail them! And do the same to those who cover this crap up. Stop making excuses for not enforcing the laws, for pity's sake.
Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)This is a global phenomenon. Thousands of clergy and only money pay out is the penalty. I guess they have treatment centers for them too.
But non of them are listed on national sexual predator lists, as far as I know.
hunter
(38,322 posts)Still horrifying.
"By far the worst was the order of the St John of God Brothers, where a staggering 40% of religious brothers are believed to have abused children."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38877158
These St John of God Brothers were abusing "intellectually disabled" boys, shades of Jimmy Savile, a British television celebrity who would often find his victims in hospitals he was volunteering in for "charity."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-06/ex-nun-speaks-out-about-catholic-order/4413736
My mom wanted to be a nun until she met a hard drinking, chain smoking, and worst of all, leering priest. I guess I got lucky, instead my mom married my dad and had a mess of kids.
My mom later went to war with the Church after a local pedophile priest was spirited off to Ireland just ahead of an arrest warrant. She ghost wrote a book with someone who had suffered abuse as a child.
Horrible abuse like this really make a person wary of anyone who wants to work with children and that's a terrible thing because so many children need adults who are dependable and treat them with respect. That's why this is such a vile crime. The predator takes advantage of this need.
You've also got to wonder how many of these predators were abused themselves. No doubt it could be traced back centuries.
Secrets are toxic.
Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)Yes, they are!
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)The priest that buggered me they imported from the Philippines.
About one third of the priests in my parish were active homosexual child molesters.
Equinox Moon
(6,344 posts)Hope you found healing.
It is a severe tragedy.
roamer65
(36,747 posts)Just really sad stuff. My heart goes out it them.