NY Times..Laurie Goodstein:. Pope failed to defrock priest who molested 200 boys

[Stuart G]

By Laurie Goodstein

updated 2 hours, 25 minutes ago
Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.

The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal.

The documents emerge as Pope Benedict is facing other accusations that he and direct subordinates often did not alert civilian authorities or discipline priests involved in sexual abuse when he served as an archbishop in Germany and as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/europe/25vatican.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1269519056-dLiUX27yC8d7GsDlpdqYjw

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The pope knew and did nothing..What is that to say about him? Others warned, and he did nothing. Guess who is going to be asked to resign by many?
This one story today, could lead to the biggest scandal the church has ever seen. "Pope resigns over allegations of cover up" Sounds familiar to many of us.

Either this story is completely wrong, or there is direct proof that the Pope coverd up to protect the church. This is as ugly as anything.

[DrDan]

1. this pope will never resign

when choosing between the church and those young boys, there is no doubt where he would offer protection. He does not see that he did anything wrong.

[Stuart G]

2. I am not so sure. Public outcry may force him to resign. You are correct,

"He does not see that he did anything wrong",,, but many others will see it differently. If there is direct proof of a cover up, then the whole focus of the church will become protecting the Pope....for ever...that will not work..no matter how hard they try to spin it.

[Christa]

3. Where was the police?

Where they called or not?

[salguine]

4. The really galling part of this is there in the first sentence...

"American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church", and not "American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could lead to more molested children".

[Jefferson23]

5. I'm not a Christian, so perhaps someone could explain why

the parents who are, have not decided collectively to send a strong message, and NOT allow their children to be left in the presence
of any church official until this is addressed. I'm not suggesting a witch hunt, but a united front, when the Vatican stops defending
this ILLEGAL and IMMORAL complicit conduct, the church members will return. Even if only 40% of the body of members did this in the United States, perhaps the Vatican would take this more seriously. Would be great to see lawmakers take this issue on aggressively, considering the crimes are of such an enormous magnitude.

How many more children's innocence will need to be destroyed before the members revolt I wonder.

[The Genealogist]

14. Not a Christian either, but I can perhaps shed some light

My stepmother is Catholic. ONe reason why she is Catholic to this day (she converted to please her first hubby's family and stayed despite her husband walking out on her and her being punished with excommunication for not getting church permission to be left by him) is that she beleives the big picture message that the church teaches her. And I will admit, being from a very religious family myself (again, not a religious bone in my body), she more readily understands and practices the Christian message of compassion, peace, love for humankind and common decency than any other member of my family. So, I think people stay in the church for the reason that they find inspiration in what it teaches them in an overall sense.

Another reason, I think, is also contained in her anecdote: fear of being cut off from not only congregation but from God. If you truly believe what you are being taught, and that the sacraments are effective and necessary, it would be a truly awful thing to be cut off from them. And, the church hierarchy knows this. I think that a lot of members in that hierarchy can and do then bully people into the actions and reactions it wants. Sort of like holding your eternal spirit hostage. I do not believe for a moment that this kind of nasty attitude is everyplace in the church. But, it does exist.

There are undoubtedly other reasons too. Embarassment over coming out and saying you or your child were molested, for instance. That is a rough thing to have to do too. Just my understanding of what happens, experiencing what my step-mother's religious life is like.

[Jefferson23]

15. Very interesting, spiritual blackmail to some degree.

What a shame, as I would think that a united front of parents could possibly get the Vatican's attention. Horrendous price the children are paying.

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

[The Genealogist]

17. There is a silver lining in my anecdote, though

My stepmother was excommunicated for not getting an annulment of marriage from the church. Her first husband left her to sow his oats, and lost interest in church. Would not get the annulment for her. And, she remarried, to my dad, not a Catholic. She spent over 20 years technically and physically excommunicated, to some degree. She did, however, continue to go to church and to do "spiritual" work in the church, like teach the younger kids in Sunday School (PSR). Finally, after over 2 decades of service to her parish, the clergy there decided it was embarrassing to have someone so devoted and hard working be excommunicated, and reinstated her. To her, this was a big win. I personally do not understand punishing someone for the actions of another person, but I was very happy for her.

[Jefferson23]

18. Embarrassed they should be, indeed.

[Vinnie From Indy]

6. This is all so much bullshit

All of them should go to jail or at least be charged with a crime. The American bishops that left it to this asshole to decide should all face charges. In fact, anyone that knew definitively that this priest was abusing kids and deferred to higher authority in the church to decide what should happen should be charged as well.

[Stuart G]

7. Vinnie has a great point..but the top dog is the top dog...

[flyarm]

12. absolutely Vinnie! Thank you..for saying what i couldn't since i was so upset reading this..

it just makes me feel sick..

Those children..Deaf Childen..but any children abused by any adult should and must be held accountable..to the fullest extent of the law..and anyone who covered it up must be held accountable as well..as assessories to the crime against these children!

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Ratsy should be in jail as an accomplice

Instead his faithful followers fund his travels about the world in silken finery, where he attacks the human rights of GLBT people with his guilt dripping voice and bloody fingers pointed. This is what the rank and file Catholics want him to do, cover up the rapes, and make a smokescreen, make a claim that gay people are to blame for all.
That organization is an enemy of the good, of children, of human rights.

[vaberella]

10. Exactly.

My mum who is a devoted catholic despises the Pope---well all of them. She can not stand the vatican and sees the Pope as a mobster with an army. So of course I picked up on that. I've extended her thoughts and believe their a Pedophiles Anonymous organization.

[flyarm]

9. 200 deaf boys..Deaf boys..OMG..this so makes me sick to my stomach!

those children were disabled..and that fucking pig hurt them ...It is beyond my conprehension..how any human being could hurt children..

That priest should have been in prison for his entire life..and abused in Prison..and be made to know what abuse does to the human spirit!

This defies what i comprehend in my head and heart...it makes me sick beyond words.

[vaberella]

11. And he was helped my heads of the Vatican.

There needs to be a whole dismantling of Catholic Church.

[flyarm]

13. You are not kidding!! We should all be their worst nightmare and not stop screaming until this Pope

is removed and all involved in this crime against children are all sitting in a prison..let them find out what abuse is like!...put them in the most horrible prisons and let them fend for themselves..if you get my drift!

I have never liked or trusted this "hitler" brownshirt Pope!
And i always questioned why Bush was allowed to be so close to him when he was made pope...sorry I don't know the terms used..but Bush was allowed where no one else has ever gone the day the pope was made pope..

it all disgusts me.

[yellowcanine]

16. This story not only has legs now, it has wings. Resignation of the Pope is the only possible

way the Catholic Church is going to limit the damage at this point. If the Pope refuses to resign I would not be surprised if there is schism over this. The Pope's effort to haul in conservative Anglican clergy upset with gay clergy now seems like so much hypocrisy that one wonders if even conservative Catholics can tolerate it.

[Stuart G]

19. I hate to disagree, because I wish this the schism you suggest,but

the Catholic Church is very very powerful.
My guess is they will kill the story after a couple of day. And I mean kill it. You won't hear anything about this incident anymore. Perhaps in Wisconsin but my hunch is the story will kinda go away. Orders from mainstream media will be enough to kill it. I sure hope I am wrong.

[Stuart G]

20. I checked at 2:45 Central Time...this story is no longer on the front page

of New York Times....

It was this morning...Now it is elsewhere. See for yourself. (there is still an editorial link on front page, but not the story about the Wisconsin cover up at the deaf school for boys.
That story has been moved off the front page.

http://www.nytimes.com/

[Stuart G]

21. Here is what the AP is leading with now..a justification of what the Pope did..

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican on Thursday strongly defended its decision not to defrock an American priest accused of molesting some 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin and denounced what it called a campaign to smear Pope Benedict XVI and his aides.

Church and Vatican documents showed that in the mid-1990s, two Wisconsin bishops urged the Vatican office led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — now the pope — to let them hold a church trial against the Rev. Lawrence Murphy. The bishops admitted the trial was coming years after the alleged abuse, but argued that the deaf community in Milwaukee was demanding justice from the church...

you can read the rest at link below..



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_re_eu/church_abuse_wisconsin

I do not know how long this story of total incompetence of the Pope will last..Sadly, the mainstream media could kill this in 36 hours.