Bree

Amie: if a teacher is having a relationship with an adult student, then that is not against the law. It is perfectly all right for someone to have a relationship with someone 18 and older. That is the law. I believe it is also legal to have relations with - even marry - someone younger, as long as the parent is aware of the relationship.

Amie

I agree that is not against the law. However she was not an adult when the relationship began. He was her high school teacher that is how they met. They married when she turned 18.

Amie

I have a friend who told me they feel that ths problem is worse within the church because these are suppose to be "holy" men and the children should feel safe with them. I think what they did was morally repugnant however that does not mean that parents should not send their child to catholic schools.

Those men need to be removed, stripped of titles and thrown in jail. Not put on sabbatical. The fact that some of those priests were merely transferred has people wondering about ALL priests and it is unfortunate that the bad ones ruin it for the good ones...

Debbie T

I will clarify for you that what I mean by secular would be like our government and schools which is supposed to be seperated from the church. This also would include organizations that are not church affiliated. A good example of some programs that are being done is (at least in my region) is schools teaching children about abuse and how to prevent it and know what it is. Example: the difference between good touches and bad touches and who to contact if the child is being abused. They are told to go to a teacher or principle or another trusted adult.

The problem with the church in Boston is children did come forward and none of the ones in charge in the church did anything about it. Families were even ostracized because of it. And the abuse continued and even more children were abused because no one wanted to deal with the problem. If this had happened in a public school the law at least in my state would hold any administrator accountable if they had done what the Cardinal did.

When I read that the Catholic church makes decisions to not turn these men over to the law bothers me greatly that the church can make decisions that they shouldn't be allowed to do. Harboring a pedophile and not allowing justice to happen does nothing to help the problem of child abuse. I would think it safe to say that a pedophile priest would be safest to abuse in the church knowing the protection they will recieve. When this happens in the secular world believe me I am protesting just as loud. I will not however say "well it also happens in the church". It doesn't make what happened any less dirty if I can point out 100 other areas it is happening in. If it was an organzation that I was involved in I would be in there like a Jesus character toppling the tables of the abusers. I am one that does work to help stop abuse on a volunteer basis. It has helped my own healing process to be doing something positive to help children. And one thing I have learned is that denial of what is happening in our own backyards does not help children. In this case of the Catholic church, members need to stop being so defensive about the church and start doing something positive to stop it from happening again in the church. This goes for any other organization.

Debbie T

I do agree this was not right. What I don't see in this story is a huge organization covering up the story and protecting this man. I hope the original school is being dealt with and hopefully the school officials have learned not to let this happen again. And the man was brought to justice in the end without the school making decisions outside the law to move him elsewhere.

Talulah

I don't feel comfortable condemning the situation without knowing particulars. How old was the man? How did they meet? Under what circumstances did they see each other? Were her parents aware? Were there extenuating circumstances like pregnancy?

The fact that they got married when she turned 18 suggests to me that this has nothing to do with child abuse or molestation. I well remember when I was in high school a senior girl slept with the 24 year old soccer coach and the scandal resulting from it. He got fired and deported back to Ireland if I remember correctly. Stupid and ill-advised, sure but it isn't criminal imo, in THAT situation, from what I know of it.

I don't like people using this as 'proof' that child abuse occurs in schools.

Amie

They did that at my school too and I went to Catholic school all my life.

I agree it was handled completely inappropriately.

sullster

I have been away for a few days and I come back to read this reaction to my posting that child-raping priests should be treated the same as any other child-raper in the civil courts.

First off, your reaction here is just over defensiveness which implies that you can not think rationally about this issue. I personally have not claimed any moral authority over this organization you call the catholic church. I am stating
my agreement with the laws of my society, which have determined that child-rape is a crime punishable by a jail term. A priest is subject to the laws of society.

Finally, I am disturbed and appalled that you, a nun in a religion which for centuries has made people fear eternal punishments for all types of thought and actions, feels that she must defend and cover over the sexual crimes of priests.

I am convinced that the catholic church is an institution which stands for nothing but its own perpetuation. It is hypocracy and nihilism and your views here on priestly child rape are an affirmation of my admittedly extreme view.

Gemma Therese

Sullster, I am not a nun.

For the record, all nuns are cloistered, and they have much better things to do with their time than debate on an on-line forum.

Gemma Therese

Eudaimonist

Like what?