Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal: 7 Excerpts From the Grand Jury Report

Sherman

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“We, the members of this grand jury, need you to hear this,” begins the nearly 900-page report released Tuesday by a grand jury that spent two years investigating reports of sexual abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church over a period of 70 years.

The report, which says there were more than 1,000 identifiable victims and perhaps thousands more, is the broadest examination yet by a government agency in the United States of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church"

The rest of the article can be found here--->Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal: 7 Excerpts From the Grand Jury Report

Be forewarned that some of the accounts are pretty disgusting. This is the New York Times.

Aims of this thread:

Do's

Dialog
Discuss the article. Is it accurate or do you think the Times is biased and being unfair in its reporting?
Do you think the Catholic Church is trying to address this issue or is she being negligent?
Do you think this is being exaggerated and is a slam on Christianity --- Catholics in particular?

Don'ts

Ad hominems
Harassment of the participants in this thread.
Dumb off topic nonsense
 
Idolater

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This is horrible, and there is no excuse or defense of any legitimate abuse. It is 'a slam' on the actual Jesus's own Church, that He and His Apostles founded and developed, so it is 'a slam' on Christianity---but it is self-inflicted. It is just horrible.
 
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JudgeRightly

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glorydaz said:
I believe the article is accurate. I don't see any opinions being put forth....only facts.

The very concept of Catholic priests is unhealthy. Putting men in the place of God can never result in anything good, and it's been going on for centuries. :nono:
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It's not really that they're priests...

It's that they are forbidden to marry while they serve.

If all of the priests, bishops, et al, were allowed to marry, this sort of thing would be GREATLY reduced, because the priest's wife would be able to dissipate any sexual urges he might have.
 
glorydaz

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JudgeRightly said:
It's not really that they're priests...

It's that they are forbidden to marry while they serve.

If all of the priests, bishops, et al, were allowed to marry, this sort of thing would be GREATLY reduced, because the priest's wife would be able to dissipate any sexual urges he might have.
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That, for sure, and the fact that "priests" are able to forgive sins....something only God can do.
 
Right Divider

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I'm a bit surprised by the surprise that most people have about this.

The Spotlight team at the Boston Globe exposed the world-wide scandal over 10 years ago, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 based on their published research.

The 2015 movie named Spotlight (based on their research) won Best Picture and Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotlight_(film))
 
Ktoyou

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JudgeRightly said:
It's not really that they're priests...

It's that they are forbidden to marry while they serve.

If all of the priests, bishops, et al, were allowed to marry, this sort of thing would be GREATLY reduced, because the priest's wife would be able to dissipate any sexual urges he might have.
Click to expand...

Yes! Right; because of celibacy rules, in past times, homosexuals, as well, those who are sexually confused would become priests. It is the celibacy rule which is wrong. Oh, I know Paul was able to do it, but few men are and it is not natural for a young healthy body not to have sex.

Now, today, i think most, or at least many of these men do not choose the priesthood, and there may be less of a problem currently, but not completely, as it is well understood by the medical community sex is a natural part of life and to deny it is unhealthy.

Paul was great, but not divine; this was his own opinion, not a message from God calling all priests to deny their sexuality.
 
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Ktoyou said:
Yes! Right; because of celibacy rules, in past times, homosexuals, as well, those who are sexually confused would become priests. It is the celibacy rule which is wrong. Oh, I know Paul was able to do it, but few men are and it is not natural for a young healthy body not to have sex.

Now, today, i think most, or at least many of these men do not choose the priesthood, and there may be less of a problem currently, but not completely, as it is well understood by the medical community sex is a natural part of life and to deny it is unhealthy.

Paul was great, but not divine; this was his own opinion, not a message from God calling all priests to deny their sexuality.
Click to expand...
I'm always immediately reminded of this:
1 Timothy 4:2-4 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)​
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:​
 
JudgeRightly

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Ktoyou said:
Yes! Right; because of celibacy rules, in past times, homosexuals, as well, those who are sexually confused would become priests. It is the celibacy rule which is wrong. Oh, I know Paul was able to do it, but few men are and it is not natural for a young healthy body not to have sex.

Now, today, i think most, or at least many of these men do not choose the priesthood, and there may be less of a problem currently, but not completely, as it is well understood by the medical community sex is a natural part of life and to deny it is unhealthy.

Paul was great, but not divine; this was his own opinion, not a message from God calling all priests to deny their sexuality.
Click to expand...
Right Divider said:
I'm always immediately reminded of this:
1 Timothy 4:2-4 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)​
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:​
Click to expand...
Not to mention that Paul lists one of the qualifications of a leader in the church as being "a one-woman man"... There's not double standard for a leader in the church versus your average-joe Christian.
 
fool

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Imagine being stuck on a Grand Jury for two years. I realize it's just a couple days a week but how do you tell your boss you need Monday and Wednesday off every week for two years?
 
ok doser

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fool said:
Imagine being stuck on a Grand Jury for two years. I realize it's just a couple days a week but how do you tell your boss you need Monday and Wednesday off every week for two years?
Click to expand...

Imagine being immersed in this crap for two years
 
CabinetMaker

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I do not for one second believe that this is a problem unique to the Catholic Church. It should be a cautionary tale to all parents about leaving your kids in the care of someone you assume to be trustworthy because of their position.
 
Ktoyou

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Right Divider said:
I'm always immediately reminded of this:
1 Timothy 4:2-4 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)​
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:​
Click to expand...

how true, the idea of celibacy, for me, has roots in Paganism.
 
Arthur Brain

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JudgeRightly said:
It's not really that they're priests...

It's that they are forbidden to marry while they serve.

If all of the priests, bishops, et al, were allowed to marry, this sort of thing would be GREATLY reduced, because the priest's wife would be able to dissipate any sexual urges he might have.
Click to expand...

An inability to marry doesn't generate sexual urges towards children and as obscene as it is, not every person in the priesthood will have gone into the profession with good intentions to start with...
 
JudgeRightly

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Arthur Brain said:
An inability to marry doesn't generate sexual urges towards children and as obscene as it is, not every person in the priesthood will have gone into the profession with good intentions to start with...
Click to expand...
There's nothing wrong with not marrying.

Please don't misunderstand what we're saying.

It's that the RCC has prohibited marriage for bishops and priests, where there should be no such prohibition, and in doing so, those who have sexual urges are unable to marry except by stepping down from their position, which would be the best solution, but criminals are rarely good problem solvers.

Paul says that if someone burns with passion, he should marry. But if not, there's nothing wrong with remaining single.
 
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