Cardinal Mahony Relieved Of Public Duties By Archbishop Gomez

[Groo the Wanderer]

wow.  so much vitriol from the agenda-driven haters.  

 

Not one post praising Archbishop Gomez for his desire to heal and clean house....just a vitriolic rehashing of old, distorted, and bigoted perspectives.

 

 

Bring out yer dead!  *bong*

[Basilisa Marie]

I read through some of the files.  It's very, very clear that leaders knew this was a common, systematic problem - it wasn't just one random freako priest. It's also clear that the shock and pain on behalf of those working in the bishop's office contributed to how it was all covered up.  Above everything, it seemed like everyone thought that if they just adopted an "out of sight, out of mind" policy it'd be better for everyone involved. Some files have church leaders being uncooperative with detectives, not wanting the kids to be interviewed more than once because they thought it would be better to help them "move on" into diocese-paid-for therapy.  I don't say this to defend anyone, but to highlight how truly twisted and purely incompetent these people were in dealing with the cases of abuse.  They had absolutely no business trying to deal with any of the cases, and should have let the professionals (the cops) do their jobs. 

[4588686]

wow. so much vitriol from the agenda-driven haters.

Not one post praising Archbishop Gomez for his desire to heal and clean house....just a vitriolic rehashing of old, distorted, and bigoted perspectives.


Bring out yer dead! *bong*

I didn't know that one could be a bigot against one person.

[missionseeker]

People who leave the church over the abuse crisis were hardly your solid faithful Catholic churchgoer.  The abuse crisis was the extra brick that broke the camels back.

 

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2011/11/study-3-of-catholics-left-over-the-sex-abuse-scandals/

 

 

It's been said before, but the rate of sex abuse in the church is on average no more than any other established group in the world.  Ironically, it's even better than the world average by 6% and that still spans a time period from 1950-2002.  But that is a fact you want to forget because it is a lot more fun to disregard reason,logic, and evidence  and attack something you already hate/disagree with for other reasons.

 

http://www.themediareport.com/fast-facts/

 

Of course no one cares that their are virtually no abuse allegations that are coming out that happened in the last decade.  Interesting how it seems all the bad stuff stems from 2-3 decades 1950-1970ish.  If the Catholic Church had not cleaned up its act, there would be massive allegations today as their was back then.  But for some reason, the rate of abuse cases abruptly spiked down.....

 

 

______

 

 

To clarify....

 

Any abuse case is one too many....and it is a fact that many priests failed their duty...along with some bishops and cardinals.  And just criticism is well deserved for those who are guilty.  We do have a justice system....and we should be consistent in it.  Innocent until proven guilty....etc.

 

Rant against Cardinal Mahony because he def. failed.  Ranting against the Catholic Church....no

I wouldn't say that those who left the Church over the scandal we're good Catholics. If I had been a victim, I can say with utmost certainty I would have left. So to broadly sweep all who left the Church with a bad Catholic brush. 

 

 

To say that the cases were badly handled is an understatement. But I have yet to find a case of sexual abuse that has been handled well by the justice system, the media, or anyone else. In so many cases pedophiles get less time in jail than someone who was caught with marijuana. 

 

Also in the 70 and 80s when a lot of this stuff was happening NO ONE knew how to deal with it. Many esteemed psychologists recommended relocation, etc. 

 

 

 

It's a terrible, terrible thing. But no amount of anything is going to fix it or make it better, even if the intentions are good. 

[Socrates]

Cardinal Mahoney should have been relieved of his duties decades ago.

[Maggyie]

We are talking about things that happened a very long time ago.

 

Not so long ago if the people who covered up are still alive. And as demonstrated by the Bishop Finn "incident" it definitely still happens.

[PadrePioOfPietrelcino]

People who leave the church over the abuse crisis were hardly your solid faithful Catholic churchgoer.

This is not very charitable, and a very harsh view of those hurt by abuse. I unfortunately have met several people who have shared their abuse stories with me. None of them were still in the Church, most were very faithful. We have to remember that for many of these Priest who did these things they had to be around people, usually it is those of us who are faithful who are around. One person I know was abused while discerning the priesthood. The thing about the stories shad with me that were in common is that for many of them leaving the Church was almost as bad as the abuse for them, but every time they were around the Church the pain of the abuse was relived. Many expressed a desire to heal and one day be able to come back to the Church. It is the honest airing of "our" laundry that will help bring the issue fully forward, to be be finally dealt with and allow healing to begin for all parties involved. I think of times when I have lied by omission trying to hide something, those things eat away at us so much. In. Ugh the same way the Church trying to hide things will eat away at her too.

[Nihil Obstat]

The open letter that Mahony released earlier today was... unnecessary. It certainly does not help him look any better to anybody.

[eagle_eye222001]

This is not very charitable, and a very harsh view of those hurt by abuse. I unfortunately have met several people who have shared their abuse stories with me. None of them were still in the Church, most were very faithful. We have to remember that for many of these Priest who did these things they had to be around people, usually it is those of us who are faithful who are around. One person I know was abused while discerning the priesthood. The thing about the stories shad with me that were in common is that for many of them leaving the Church was almost as bad as the abuse for them, but every time they were around the Church the pain of the abuse was relived. Many expressed a desire to heal and one day be able to come back to the Church. It is the honest airing of "our" laundry that will help bring the issue fully forward, to be be finally dealt with and allow healing to begin for all parties involved. I think of times when I have lied by omission trying to hide something, those things eat away at us so much. In. Ugh the same way the Church trying to hide things will eat away at her too.

 

 

My statement was general to the average person who was not directly victimized by the crisis.

 

 

I sadly, and heartily understand why a victim would cease going.

 

Edit: I should have been more clear.

Edited February 2, 2013 by eagle_eye222001

[Era Might]

The open letter that Mahony released earlier today was... unnecessary. It certainly does not help him look any better to anybody.

 

The language of prelates makes me want to vomit. All of them, including the Pope, are just dripping with institutionalism and useless words. There's no simple wisdom of a St. Paul in them. Even when they talk about "healing" and whatever, just uselessness. I'm reading Cardinal Mahoney's letter right now. He says:

 

 

This morning I sent this letter to Archbishop Jose H. Gomez giving the history and context of what we have been through since the mid-1980s.  There is nothing confidential in my letter.   I have been encouraged by others to publish it, so I am do so on my personal Blog.  I hope you find it useful.

 

In this letter I wish to outline briefly how the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and I responded to the evolving scandal of clergy sexual misconduct, especially involving minors.

 

Compare that with St. Paul's letters, the personal power of what he says, and the spiritual power. He talks as if he was what he said he was, a witness to the Resurrection, to a supernatural community. He speaks with power, as a man speaking to other men, deeply personal.

 

Maybe the pope will say something publicly about this situation (unlikely), but you can bet it will be a bunch of useless verbiage. Until the church stops trying to be a respectable institution, and becomes a prophetic witness, it will continue to be irrelevant, rearranging chairs on the titanic, talking about "charters" and "zero policy" and "protection" blah blah blah. That's what christianity has become, a place where respectable people talk respectably.

 

 

 

But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.  And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity.  But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

 

-Galatians 2:11-21

 

Part of the discussion in this thread is about people leaving the church. I don't even bother to leave the church, I just find the whole institution a useless waste of space, and the prelates people who have to find something to keep themselves busy, so they call themselves our leaders. The church can celebrate itself and keep marching on with its sham of an institution...and I'll go on with my life finding the face of Christ in the shadows and margins rather than in the seats of power where the "leaders" live. The institutional church is too irrelevant for me to leave.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Era Might

[Nihil Obstat]

Fr. Z. and some others are hoping that Mahony will be removed from the College of Cardinals. I do not know how likely such an event is, considering that it is nearly unprecedented in the history of the Church.

[Maggyie]

Fr. Z. and some others are hoping that Mahony will be removed from the College of Cardinals. I do not know how likely such an event is, considering that it is nearly unprecedented in the history of the Church.

 

If they didn't throw Cardinal Law out, they aren't going to throw out Cardinal Mahoney.

[Nihil Obstat]

If they didn't throw Cardinal Law out, they aren't going to throw out Cardinal Mahoney.

I guess we will see. If, God help us, we have another conclave before he turns 80, I would not want him participating.

What all of this controversy does is call into question whether Mahony is competent to hold any leadership role whatsoever. Even though he is retired, he still works with some Church departments which I cannot now recall.

Edited February 2, 2013 by Nihil Obstat

[Winchester]

Most organizations cover up the sexual assault of children, and predators seek out the proper hunting grounds. The government puts the pieces of shyte back on the street to make room for those kidnapped over drug possession or sales. This is a society wide problem. It's a shame there were so many gutless wonder priests. Cowards, the lot of them.

 

There is one way to deal with a predator.

People who leave the church over the abuse crisis were hardly your solid faithful Catholic churchgoer.  The abuse crisis was the extra brick that broke the camels back.

Might be true of some, but forgive me if I think it unlikely that you've examined every case to such a degree that you could make such a statement.

Sexual assault really messes people up. Some recover, some don't. If I had my druthers, we'd put bullets in the head of every worthless rapist on this planet, including the priests.

[Jesus_lol]

 If I had my druthers, we'd put bullets in the head of every worthless rapist on this planet, including the priests.

 

I think the best thing the catholic church could do wold be o very seriously(and competently) investigate these, and try and unearth other such cases, then if they find evidence that there was abuse, then deliver the offending priest/etc tied up and bruised on the front steps of the local police station, with a folder full of evidence against them.

 

And in order to find these abuses, they would have to really start looking.