So now, without further hesitation, the rant.
Pope Benedict XVI has been a weird pope in my humble and non-Catholic opinion. I am stressing the non-Catholic place that this opinion originates from because it really is none of my concern what this Pope or any Pope for that matter says, but considering how outreaching his predecessor was I must admit to finding his behavior puzzling and I did admire Pope John Paul quite a bit.
We all remember that little problem the Church had a few years ago with frisky priests and little boys in robes, right? Well. the Pope, to his credit, has finally acknowledged the depth of this problem and has, in his infallible wisdom, come up with the best way to solve the problem-prayer: twenty-four hours of continuous prayer. If your church cannot handle the task alone, the burden can be shared among various churches within a parish. He is asking "that every parish or institution should designate a person or group each day to conduct continuous prayers for the Church to rid itself of the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy."
The part that made me laugh uncontrollably? Here:
However, Cardinal Bernard Law, who was Archbishop of Boston when the scandal broke, was transferred to a post in Rome and remains a respected figure – despite accusations that he did not take strong enough action in dealing with abuse in his diocese.
Notice they do not wish to rid themselves of the clergy that is doing the abuse, just the scandal. Some things are just best left unspoken between a boy and his priest I assume. If Pope Benedict were really serious about clearing the Church of the Predator Priests then perhaps removing Cardinal Bernard Law, the man who allowed so much abuse to go on and on and on, from office instead of insulating him in Rome, would show the world he means to end the abuse and not just the scandal. Perhaps that he even means to protect the children more than he means to protect the Church, or am I just being silly?
I think this is the same guy who said something along the lines that global warming is a myth because only G-d can alter the weather. Yeah....
I am not anti-religion or anti-Christian or even anti-Catholic. Faith to me is, as John Lennon once sang, “whatever gets you through the night.” None of us will ever know what is right and what is wrong about any faith until that moment when we can no longer share that information with anyone else. Until that time, we are all just guessing and hoping that there is anything other than nothing.
The only time I do have an issue with another's faith is when that faith harms other people. Terrorism, mass suicides, human sacrifice, financial scams, political manipulation, abusing the elderly, abusing children, bus bombings, church bombings, abortion clinic bombings- these are all actions that are blamed on faith, but are caused by pride: pride that my faith is better than your faith; pride that my faith is right and you are a fool for not believing; pride that my actions, no matter what they are, will be forgiven because I claim they were done for G-d.
My rants get discombobulated when I get emotional about the subject. I hope I phrased things correctly and did not offend anyone. I don't mean to belittle the Pope, I just feel that it is irresponsible of anyone to ask for prayer by others when actions by themselves would do far more good.
15 comments:
I'm not anti-religion, though I don't participate in any organized religion, but it does seem to me that in not only the Catholic church but others as well, appearances are everything. I have little respect for any entity that sweeps scandal under the rug rather than meet it head-on and do something about it.
Excellent rant there Kan. Nice callout.
To begin, I'd like to say that I do not agree with the way the RC church has handled the abuse committed by priests. But it's really no different from the way society handles the same situations. If possible, society in general chooses to bury its head in the sand.
Once a man is ordained a priest, he is a priest for life. I believe this is similar for Rabbis. A rabbi in my area had his wife killed and he still seems to be a rabbi.
I was just on a website that suggests abuse by Rabbi's and Cantors maybe just as wide spread as abuse by priests and there is the same "keep quiet" campaign going on.
While I agree with you that if the Pope's only solution to this problem is prayer he is delusional.
I just think that Priests are an easy target.
The abuse of children is a major societal problem. More children are abused by their neighbors or their parents friends than are abused by priests.
People with power often abuse and silence is their best protection.
Parents need to be open to their children. People in general should stop giving away their personal power to "spiritual" leaders.
Nessa, I don't believe priests are picked out because they are the easy target. I think they are picked out because they claim to live according to a higher standard, they judge others who do not meet those standards badly, and they are G-d's voice on Earth in theory. If you cannot trust your child to be safe with a priest, than who can you trust your child with? It is a statement on the world in general.
Parents need to be open to their children. People in general should stop giving away their personal power to "spiritual" leaders.
AMEN SISTER!!! It does not take a village, just parents who care.
"...they claim to live according to a higher standard, they judge others who do not meet those standards badly, and they are G-d's voice on Earth in theory."
Of this statement, I believe your first two parts are a misconception and the part part is only partially correct. The attempt to live a different life style. In theory they are not better than us and their life choice is also not suppose to be better, only different.
Priests are not suppose to judge anyone. Again in theory they are mediators not judges.
And priests are only the voice of G-d in certain circumstances.
I was born and raised a RC, so I have first hand knowledge of priests and the fallibility. I also have looked into other religions and what I have found is that all religious leaders are people.
Which is what lead to my comment about not giving up your personal power. I believe G-d wants us to be independent thinkers and believers. We should only listen to others to get differing opinions but we should always make up our own minds.
And just so we're clear: I think all pedophiles are scum. I would have a better solution for the Pope myself, but I don't think he'd listen to someone who doesn't believe in organized religion.
I personally think restitution is the best punishment for all crimes and I think victims should be consulted as to the form they would like the restitution to take.
And I apologize for my long windedness. I'm feeling argumentative this week for some reason.
My typing is crap though.
Never say sorry for long windedness or debate here. I love it. I just hope I did not offend you at all. I try my best never to comment on the inner workings of other faiths ever. I do so hate when people try to make statements about my faith and I try to live by that "do unto others" rule.
A Priest, Rabbi, Imon, Reverend, Pope, President, Congressperson, etc are all people whom I hold to a higher standard. If someone wishes to lead then they must be greater than those who follow. Any mistake made by the leader will naturally amplify among the masses. The old "if they can why can't I" mentality.
Priests who molest people are not priests; they are men in black with little white collars and that is all. There are also priests who have never taken a vow nor led a church.
I know a school would try to handle it internally as well if and when it happens there and I would hold them equally accountable. Anyone in a position of trust that abuses the trust is scum.
You in no way offended me Kanrei.
I too believe leaders should behave better than their followers. Unfortunately, people assume the standards are being followed. I think people should "look first" before they follow. I think they should watch a persons behavior and actions and not listen to their words. Because people do not do this we get David Koresh and Jim Jones and Charles Mason and the list goes on to include abusive priests.
Wow...this is better than any Presidential debate...
I think alot also has to do with the fact that so many people depend on others to tell them what they could read on their own. They don't read the Constitution yet think they know what the government can and cannot do. They don't read the Bible, but think they know what it says they should and should not do. They trust other people instead to tell them the main points, the soundbites, so they can move on with their life.
My favorite example of this is the "Biblical" quote people say all the time: money is the root of all evil. They take vows of poverty so they can live up to this ideal, but it is never in the Bible. The Bible says "the love of money is the root of all evil." That means something different.
VE,
You are watching the debates? I am so proud of you. I am not even doing that.
I hate sound bites. If something can be summed up in five words I know to run.
You make my point exactly. Most people do not do their own research. Some of my other favs are "Thou shalt not lie" for the correct "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" or "Thou shalt not kill" for "Thou shalt not commit murder."
This is the part that totally pisses me off:
...a code adopted two years ago by the Vatican to try to ensure that men “with deep-seated homosexual tendencies” do not enter seminaries to train for the priesthood.
AAAAARRGGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH.
I'm so mad, I have to not post right now, because I'll say nasty things and regret it later. It's pedophilia they're having a problem with, not homosexuality. Catholic priests take vows of celibacy, so it shouldn't matter what their personal sexual preferences would have been.
Pedophilia is a crime of violence and an abuse of power. It has nothing to do with sex. To suggest so is offensive in the extreme.
Biride,
To me, pedophilia is to homosexuality as rape is to making love. Both are more about seeing something perceived as weaker and exerting control over it. There is a certain degree of homosexuality to the priest scandal simply because it is male priests with male children, but that could simply be due to opportunity rather than preference. Priests do have more contact with boys than girls I think although not sure. Regardless, to blame pedophilia on homosexuality is exactly the same as blaming rape on heterosexuality: outside of choice of victim’s gender and age, it is the same exact crime.
what i meant was that pedo has as much to do with sexuality as rap does with love
True, that.
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