Time for Cardinal Dolan to go--sign the petition

[eridani]

News just broke that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the nation's top-ranking Catholic bishop, secretly moved millions of dollars into a cemetery trust fund in order to shield the money from lawsuits filed by victims of clergy sexual abuse.

In 2007, when he was Archbishop of Milwaukee, Dolan wrote that he wanted to transfer the funds because, "I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability." Then he lied about it publicly, calling allegations "false gossip" and "malarkey."

Pope Francis recently said that he wants bishops who are "pastors close to the people ... animated by inner poverty ... able to watch over the flock that will be entrusted to them."

Dolan put protecting the church's money ahead of watching over his flock. Let's make sure he sees that this scandal isn't going away, and it's time for him to go.

Sign the petition to Cardinal Dolan: For the good of the church, resign immediately.
http://act.faithfulamerica.org/sign/dolan_resign/?akid=22.105625.Pyae7m&rd=1&t=1

Thank you for speaking up.

[skepticscott]

1. Why are you pretending that this means anything?

Decent people have already expressed their opinions about the Catholic Church and its immoral corruption more times than we can count. For that, we're called bigots and Catholic haters. Well, fuck the people who call us that, fuck the church they're apologists for, and fuck the people who still support the Catholic Church in any way. I'm not going to pretend that clicking on some meaningless petition relieves any decent person of their obligation in this matter, despite the fact that some here seem to feel that it does.

[eridani]

2. Catholics refusing to put money into collection baskets are doing more

--against business as usual church policy than you are. Signing petitions is just one aspect of Faithful America--they are fighting against fundamentalism on many fronts.

[rug]

3. Why are you disrupting efforts to hold Dolan accountable?

[hrmjustin]

4. Great point rug!

[rug]

5. Have a good 4th, Justin!

[hrmjustin]

6. You too rug!

[skepticscott]

9. Tell us, please

What this "effort" will accomplish towards the goal of holding Dolan accountable. Tell us what the likely response of the Catholic Church will be, based on their past responses to public pressure on this issue. Tell us why he won't end up like Bernard Law.

Then try coming up with something that will actually make a difference.

[rug]

16. Tell me, please, who the "us" is.

Or keep peddling your inert, ineffective and disruptive crap.

[okasha]

21. Mark Twain's options were:

Reigning monarchs
Editorialists
People with tapeworm

[rug]

22. Lol!

The regal, editorial, misanthropic "we".

[msanthrope]

29. Hey!!! Why bring me into it! Or is that 'us?' nt

[rug]

30. Pardonnez-moi, Madame.

[msanthrope]

33. Tibi ignoscimus. nt.

[rug]

35. Pax tecum.

[skepticscott]

28. There, see ruggie?

I was wrong...you DO have an intellectual equal here.

[rug]

36. There are lots here.

You are not counted among them.

[skepticscott]

27. Everyone following this thread, of course

But I see that, as usual, you have no intelligent answer, and not even an asinine one this time. Just more snark and deflection. But it's ok, ruggie...I know not to ask to much of you, and i'm happy to let everyone see you for what you are.

[rug]

31. I must admit, it's been more asinine than usual since you entered it.

[hrmjustin]

7. People feel the need to do something to do. I agree it is unlikely to make any change but you ....

... never know.

[skepticscott]

13. Unless you have unlimited time and resources

why would you waste your efforts on things that are so unlikely to make a difference?

[hrmjustin]

14. Some feel the church is worth saving from the men that run it now.

[skepticscott]

19. The men who run it now ARE the church

And if your knee-jerk response is to say no, they're not, then tell us why all of these people who think the church is "worth saving" don't just leave that gang of old men to form their own Catholic church, leaving all of the sexism, bigotry and child-raping behind, but keeping everything they like.

Answering that will help you understand, if that's what you're really interested in.

[hrmjustin]

20. I left the church because their view on gay people, but others want to stay and fight.

Who am I to tell them they have to leave. I don't think the bishops are the church. I think the people of God are the church.

[skepticscott]

25. Do you even see the glaring illogic?

If the bishops and the cardinals and the pope aren't the church, exactly what are those people "staying" with? If the People of God are the church, then the "church" will follow them whenever they go.

[hrmjustin]

34. It is not that simple. I understand your point of view that the church is very slow to change...

...but people still believe in their religion. They don't all want to leave. As for change well only time will tell. If people find it important to them then they will make the time to sign a petition and know it will not likely change things but they will still do it.

[skepticscott]

38. "They don't all want to leave"?

As I said, glaring illogic...you just said that the church of god IS the people (though you didn't say WHICH church of god). So if the people leave, the church goes with them, it doesn't remain behind them, and they haven't left anything.

[hrmjustin]

39. The RCC I mean!

[okasha]

24. There's cause for guarded optimism

Let's remember that public outcry resulted in the resignation of a British Cardinal just before the papal conclave in March.

[dimbear]

8. My plan is simply to keep on pointing out the misbehaviors of the Catholic leaders.

They plan to keep misbehaving. It's a synergy thing.

Those who feel better clicking on petitions are welcome to do so.

That plan is working nicely. Americans are leaving the church in amazing numbers.

If ex-Catholics were a denomination, they would be the second largest American denomination.

Odd statistic.

[skepticscott]

12. Exactly

trying to get the RCC to change or to take real responsibility is an utter waste of time. Shame their members, their officials and their apologists at every opportunity. They thrive on money and power, so deprive them of as much as possible.

[rug]

17. "shame their member"?

The only thing you're doing is embarrassing yourself.

[skepticscott]

18. Says the guy who can't even read well enough

to get the quote right. Says the guy who pontificates over and over that the members are just as important in the RCC as the clergy.

Talk about embarrassing...

[rug]

23. The omission of the "s" was deliberate.

Unlike your comment.

[skepticscott]

26. Wow...you actually do think people believe you.

Too funny.

[rug]

32. It's your comment, not mine.

[Iggo]

10. Time for Cardinal Dolan to go...to jail.

Other than that, what's the fucking point?

[skepticscott]

11. My bet is on

a nice cushy job at the Vatican, assuming the RCC decides to to anything with him at all, other than protect and defend him to the hilt. True and full accountability is not an option for them.

[Dawson Leery]

37. +1

[cbayer]

15. I posted this in GD yesterday, but it's not getting a lot of attention.

At any rate, I signed it and want to thank you for hooking me up with this site.

I don't sign everything they send me, but I did sign this one.

[trotsky]

40. Well, I suppose an Internet petition is better than prayer.

But in this case, I imagine they'll have about the same effect on the RCC.