The Catholic bishops in retrospect to the current vitriol did not act in a unreasonable way at all. The cases that led to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to the adult victims, the closing of parishes on this account, the vain petitions for the Popes resignation and worse of all the scandal which has led many away from seeking the True faith and All Loving God has indeed been so detrimental that this campaign may have done more harm than good. The smear campaign may have more greatly endangered children from pedophiles by insulating them in the wide spread emotional and financial fatigue which will follow the blitz of current attention come the next cries of abuse by children and their families. No where as a consequence of these lawsuit has any organization been established to monitor and change the wide spread human perception of children as sexual objects from sexual predators.
The Church itself however which has been around for over two thousand years has to deal with political enemies of the Church, a consideration that would hamper one from cavalierly airing ones dirty laundry to the public, especially when those stains incriminate that society as well. Many of whom are homosexuals and in favor of gay marriages, contraception and abortion. All with the perverse idea that the world would be a more morally sound place without the Church when in fact the exact opposite is true. Many of the people so outraged by pedophilia see no equivalence between it and homosexual practices and for that matter bestiality treating the three as three morally distinct categories. Unfortunately they leave the mores of sexual behavior up to popular opinion, incapable as they are to prove the legitimacy of homosexuality on any metaphysical or arch-typical grounds. In their hands it will only be a matter of time before consent is given to normalize even the pedophiles behavior and that of those who have intercourse with animals. The fact remains that even now we not only hear documented stories of bestiality but many of us are only a stones throw away from a neighbor who harbors such pornography in their homes which serve for entertainment for their guest.
On the issue of pedophilia itself the cases that people now here about are fifty years old. Jeff Anderson the lawyer now in pursuit of the Catholic Church and the Pope believes that he has a case before him regarding Fr. Lawerence Murphy who allegedly raped over 200 deaf boys between 1950-1975. However the 1950's was a different era not to be judged by today's standard. In the 1950's if an African-American man made a record he could not put his own face on the cover and hope to sell albums. In the 1950"s that same African-American man were he to be seen would probably be sporting a hairstyle which made him look more white, why was that necessary? In the 1950's if a young woman got pregnant out of wedlock she was hidden out of shame for nine months until she had the baby and often the baby was given away for adoption. In the the 1950's abortion was illegal and homosexuality was a psychiatric disorder. Today homosexuality is considered 'normal' and any dispute of that will classify a person as a 'homophobe' or a bigot proving that even today these sexual charades are still performed, they existed fifty years and they exist today. How easy would it have been to prosecute a pedophile priest fifty years ago? Yes, prosecute because under American law one is innocent until proven guilty, even a pedophile priest has the right to stand trail. How hard would it have been to convict a priest then on the testimony of a deaf child? The trial of the century involving a superstar athlete O.J.Simpson resulted in his acquittal but few were satisfied with the results, why?
The idea of putting priests in places where they no longer have access to children is in itself a folly. The behavior of genuine pedophiles is predatory, they seek out children where ever they are. Mr. Andereson says that his eight year old daughter was molested by her therapist who was a former priest. Why is he then so condemnatory regarding priest when apparently the man who molested his daughter was not a priest at the time? Would Mr. Anderson hold a defrocked priest any less responsible for his actions than he would one who currently wore the collar? Rev. Joseph Palanivel Jeyapaul, the Catholic priest who was accused of molesting a 16 year old girl and sent out of the country to India where he would no longer work with young adults was requested to return to stand trial in America and he agreed but then how can the charge be made that this is exactly what the bishops in America should have done all along?
The nature of pedophilia is that indeed it brings shame not only to it's victim but to a concentric circle of people who failed to defend the child but prefer to defend the reputation of their community so much so that often no one in the circle will come forward to the aid of the victim. It takes a village to rape a child. In pedophile cases parenets often do not want to confront their childs reality because it will shatter their own lives, neither would the press or the police for that matter. In fact most forms of pedophilia come by way of natural incest.
According to the National Center for Victims of Crime a large proportion of rape committed in the United States is perpetrated by a family member: *
When the pedophilia case in the Church were first reported they were reported in America, then in Germany and then in Ireland, there were less cases reported in Italy, England, Scotland and France. Their were also less reports in South and Central America and Africa. Which indicates a prevalence of a predilection for this sexual behavior exist more strongly in these communities than in others. One must understand that the Church does not export all its clergy from Rome in the countries they reside instead they usually derive them from the state in question.Research indicates that 46% of children who are raped are victims of family members.(Langan and Harlow, 1994) The majority of American rape victims (61%) are raped before the age of 18; furthermore, 29% of all forcible rapes occurred when the victim was less than 11 years old. 11% of rape victims are raped by their fathers or step-fathers, and another 16% are raped by other relatives.[24]
What The Church Does Not Teach
The Catholic Church does not teach pedophilia. It does not tell members of the Church to go out and rape their neighbors children. Further, the Church and the Pope in particular has to be given credit for owning up to the disheartening reality of the problem and dealing not only with pedophiles but also with homosexuality. Contrarily for instance Europe and the United States support in degrees homosexuality as normal, gay marriages, abortion and currently in the United States military openly declared homosexual lifestyles. European States and the United States definitely support these psycho-sexual disorders in the state and in the military which is one of the many charges stated by Muslim extremist, that the state is making it's citizens psychologically ill.
What has been swept under the rug here or attempted to have been swept under the rug is the very nature of the disorder. Pedophiles seek out positions in society where they can have dominance and control over people, the smaller and more vulnerable the better. They become priest, camp counselors, pediatricians and teachers for this purpose much in the same way arsonist try to become firemen.
Catholics are grateful for all the concern that the rest of America has for our Catholic children. Apparently, pedophilia only happens in the Catholic Church. In the similar vein in which murder, theft and drug overdose, only happens in poor neighborhoods but never in the wealthy ones. Clearly this has been a Catholic problem exclusively, at the same time however the Church and the Church alone has to be given the credit for dealing with pedophilia directly unlike any other concentrated population in the world. The Church illuminates the stains of humanity which is the real reason people want to it put out.
What The Church Does Teach
The Church does teach exclusive heterosexuality, pro-life and forgiveness of sins. This is really what angers people about the Church. Can the Church forgive a pedophile, even one that is a priest, in the words of President Barrack Obama, YES WE CAN! Forgiveness of sins resides at the very crux of the faith and the Church will not be dictated to as to whom they can and cannot forgive. Christ forgave sins while nailed to a cross and has made it clear that priest can forgive man of his sins. This power of forgiveness is what angers and alienates many from the Catholic faith. It is also what the abused victims have been incapable of doing and as such will never be able to heal properly or for that matter receive God's forgiveness according to the teachings of the faith which Christ laid down. For Christ has explain that scandal must come and those that lead one to fall away from the faith will be dealt with but additionally forgiveness is required.
6 But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe to that man by whom the scandal cometh. 8 And if thy hand, or thy foot scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee to go into life maimed or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into everlasting fire. 9 And if thy eye scandalize thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee. It is better for thee having one eye to enter into life, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. 10 See that you despise not one of these little ones: for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:6-10
6 "Shall scandalize"... That is, shall put a stumblingblock in their way, and cause them to fall into sin.
7 "It must needs be"... Viz., considering the wickedness and corruption of the world.
8 "Scandalize thee"... That is, cause thee to offend.
However, forgiveness is also required.
21 Then came Peter unto him and said: Lord, how often shall my brother offend against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith to him: I say not to thee, till seven times; but till seventy times seven times. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a king, who would take an account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to take the account, one was brought to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And as he had not wherewith to pay it, his lord commanded that he should be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.
24 "Talents"... A talent was seven hundred and fifty ounces of silver, which at the rate of five shillings to the ounce is a hundred and eighty-seven pounds ten shillings sterling.
26 But that servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 And the lord of that servant being moved with pity, let him go and forgave him the debt. 28pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest. 29 And his fellow servant falling down, besought him, saying: Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he paid the debt. But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred
28 "Pence"... The Roman penny was the eighth part of an ounce, that is, about sevenpence half-penny English.
31 Now his fellow servants seeing what was done, were very much grieved, and they came and told their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord called him; and said to him: Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou besoughtest me: 33 Shouldst not thou then have had compassion also on thy fellow servant, even as I had compassion on thee? 34 And his lord being angry, delivered him to the torturers until he paid all the debt. 35 So also shall my heavenly Father do to you, if you forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.
Lastly it must be made clear that the Church will not be treated as a for profit corporation a philosophy of realism accepted by the heretically for the purpose of profit but rejected as spiritual model of the Church. Nor will she be led into that lie that the Church leaders are alone in this and separated from the layman. Hezbollah, Hamad Karzai of Afghanistan and the Iraqi leadership splinter as it is are treated by the media and other American institutions as independent of their body politic, they are not, Hezbollah has risen to power through the democratic process but still America refuses to recognize them.
Catholic leaders though not democratically elected are not isolated from their flock either. The anti-religious fervor of the American secular atheist, which includes heretics and apostates will not over come the Church with this scandal. The Church is eternal, it has been here before the world and it will exist after the world is gone. God bless.
