Amos

"Been asked" by who?

sullster

Yo! Gemma!

You just keep spouting about how good you catholics are. We can discuss that in another thread but you are not dealing with the issues here at all. How about dealing with some and I have some questions for you.

Gemma! How would you fix things in your church so that child-rape doesn't happen again? Don't go on a defensive rant complete with nineteenth century photos of nuns and priests. What do you, Gemma, think should be done to prevent this?

Second question. Do you think that Cardinal Law has disgraced your church? What do you propose to prevent a cardinal from doing what he did?

I am interested. Sincerely.

Gemma Therese

Hi Sullster,

First, what will NOT correct the problem:

1. Married clergy
2. Women priests

I believe careful screening of priest-candidates is the answer. If a priest is charged, there should be a thorough investigation, and if he is found guilty he should be stripped of his rights to work in a parish, but he could still do other things for the Church (NOT in contact with children).

Gemma Therese

Gemma Therese

Yes, I do. As I said in another post, the members of the Church who make decisions are sinful people. Motivations are difficult to judge, and most of us are corrupt and broken in some measure, and we all need redemption.

Gemma Therese

Vorkosigan

Not to mention the millions of men and women who have dedicated their lives to God's service over the centuries, while living in abject poverty, and the convents and monestaries that shielded Jews during WWII.

Yes, they remind one of the tens of millions who have performed charity for Buddhism, also living in poverty. Of course, the Buddhists never killed anybody for not believing as they do, and Buddhist charity has never been as self-serving as Catholic.

And given the much larger, wealthier, more civilized and more extensive cilizations of Asia that were Buddhist through the ages, there's simply no way that the Catholic Church will ever be able to match Buddhism in its charitable contributions. Please recall that in addition to the points I mentioned above, Buddhism is also much older than the Church.

So really, you haven't a case.

Vorkosigan

Amos

That Buddhism is older and larger while never advanced like the Western world indicates that it is much more relaxed but sluggish. Buddhism is great, I agree, but not without wars and most certainly not sceince oriented. The reason why Catholicism advanced so quickly is the filioque and that is really why so many wars were fought and are still fought today (the unrest of Jesus worshippers is always the cause of war).

Vorkosigan

Perhaps, but that has nothing to with Gemma's remarks about charity and the RCC.

HelenM

This concerns me. It sounds like minimizing what the person did. ("Oh, never mind, try this job instead!") The sad thing is that what the church actually did was way worse - i.e. moving priests to another position of responsibility, including over children, and not disclosing that they've been caught abusing children and that's why they're being moved

Anyway, presumably the person is going to be unable to help the church at all for a while since they'll be in jail.

Helen

sullster

Gemma,
For your information, child-rape is a crime. Priests who commit crimes such as robbery or murder are tried in secular courts. The same holds true for child-rape.

Your answer is utterly inadequate and is an example of the mentality of the church. Priests who sexually assault a child are guilty of a crime. It is not enough that they do little things around the church not involving children. THEY SHOULD BE IN JAIL!

Gemma Therese

Sullster,

Since when are you the moral authority of the Catholic Church?

Gemma Therese