This continues to be a problem in the United States, because of the insistence of the RC on handling this internally. The days are long gone when religions were entitled to a separate court system, but the Roman Catholic hierarchy continues to act as if they were a law unto themselves.
They have long used their global religion to shuffle priests to different jurisdictions to avoid prosecution -- and in doing so, they have shown a contempt for secular authority and a rampant and arrogant disdain for the victims of these priests. Their motives were clearly to avoid civil law suits, so they could hang onto every last dime instead of properly compensating victims, even when a substantial portion of that compensation would come from insurance.
There are always problems with sexual abuse of authority and influence by clergy, and by other professionals, including doctors, lawyers, psychologists and psychiatrists and other therapists. What makes the Roman Catholic church different from the other churches and other professions is that they do not cooperate as fully with civil authority, trying to dodge responsibility - primarily financial responsibility - instead of fairly stepping up to their duty and obligations.
So long as that is true, and so long as women have a subordinate role in the church, and so long as the RC uses their current criteria for admitting clergy which itself reflects in the church doctrine a failed approach to sex and sexuality and reproductive issues, they will continue to repeat the mistakes which create victims of their clergy in large numbers, here in the U.S., and worldwide.
There needs to be a change, and that should include demands from Roman Catholics that it happen NOW, instead of the RC taking political positions contrary to their tax exempt status. They have a failed focus and a very poor selection of priorities. Since money is what appears to drive the church hierarchy, perhaps the way to begin to get their attention, and resultant action, is to hit them harder in their precious pocket book.
from the FreeThinker
Victims organisation Broken Rites said it was aware of at least seven cases in which imported priests had sexually abused people, including one where the priest abused five women, four of them members of his own family, researcher Wayne Chamley said. He added:
Dr Chamley also said that Church lawyers tried to ‘king hit victims as hard as possible to demoralise them in negotiations for compensation.
Patrick Tidmarsh, a Victoria Police expert on interviewing victims, told the inquiry the Catholic Church had neither the motivation nor the ability to investigate abuse complaints.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that a former New South Wales priest claims to have witnessed a “system of cover-ups” within the Catholic Church to hide child sexual abuse.
Kevin Lee was ordained as a priest 20 years ago and worked as a police chaplain for some of that time, but was relieved of his parish responsibilities in Western Sydney this year when he admitted to marrying a woman in secret.
His comments follow those of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox who told Lateline on Thursday night that the Catholic Church is involved in cover-ups and paedophile priests have destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.
They have long used their global religion to shuffle priests to different jurisdictions to avoid prosecution -- and in doing so, they have shown a contempt for secular authority and a rampant and arrogant disdain for the victims of these priests. Their motives were clearly to avoid civil law suits, so they could hang onto every last dime instead of properly compensating victims, even when a substantial portion of that compensation would come from insurance.
There are always problems with sexual abuse of authority and influence by clergy, and by other professionals, including doctors, lawyers, psychologists and psychiatrists and other therapists. What makes the Roman Catholic church different from the other churches and other professions is that they do not cooperate as fully with civil authority, trying to dodge responsibility - primarily financial responsibility - instead of fairly stepping up to their duty and obligations.
So long as that is true, and so long as women have a subordinate role in the church, and so long as the RC uses their current criteria for admitting clergy which itself reflects in the church doctrine a failed approach to sex and sexuality and reproductive issues, they will continue to repeat the mistakes which create victims of their clergy in large numbers, here in the U.S., and worldwide.
There needs to be a change, and that should include demands from Roman Catholics that it happen NOW, instead of the RC taking political positions contrary to their tax exempt status. They have a failed focus and a very poor selection of priorities. Since money is what appears to drive the church hierarchy, perhaps the way to begin to get their attention, and resultant action, is to hit them harder in their precious pocket book.
from the FreeThinker
Allowing the RC Church to investigate itself is like ‘leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank’
– November 10, 2012Posted in: Catholic Church, Crimes of the Catholic Church, Global Catholic abuse scandal, Priests behaving badly, Religion and crime, Religion and politics, Religious child abuse, The Freethinker
THE latest revelation in Australia’s on-going state inquiry in the Catholic Church’s handling of sex abuse is that “fly-in” priests imported from abroad pose a danger to parishioners.Victims organisation Broken Rites said it was aware of at least seven cases in which imported priests had sexually abused people, including one where the priest abused five women, four of them members of his own family, researcher Wayne Chamley said. He added:
If it’s good enough for Australia to shanghai problem priests and send them off to Samoa or Rome [a reference to actions by the Salesian order], why wouldn’t overseas bishops do it to Australia?The Australian Catholic Church has not released the number of clerics imported mostly from India, Nigeria and the Philippines to ease the catastrophic decline in parish priests, but a study last year estimated they made up 20 per cent of Australia’s total of 1,500.
Dr Chamley also said that Church lawyers tried to ‘king hit victims as hard as possible to demoralise them in negotiations for compensation.
They wring their hands and speak in humble voices, but in the cut and thrust of mediation it’s boots and all.He added that letting the church investigate itself was like:
Leaving Dracula in charge of the blood bank.Dr Chamley condemned submissions to the inquiry by the Salvation Army and Catholic Church. The former, at eight pages, was “an insult” to the Parliament and people of Victoria, given the hundreds of child victims of abuse by its officers, and its response to victims was often:
Secretive, unco-operative, mean-spirited and legalistic.The Catholic submission, on the other hand, was notable for what it left out, including two Australian Senate inquiries that showed ”children who ended up in the ‘care’ of the Catholic Church were subjected to widespread sexual abuse, procurement for sexual purposes by other adults, severe and unwarranted physical abuse, criminal assault, prolonged solitary confinement, exploitation and unpaid child labour, slavery, starvation, administration of drugs and provision of alcohol” during most of the past century.
Patrick Tidmarsh, a Victoria Police expert on interviewing victims, told the inquiry the Catholic Church had neither the motivation nor the ability to investigate abuse complaints.
Where is the motivation for an organisation or person to pursue perpetrators when the consequences to that organisation are so severe? I can’t think of a single case where a priest has not been moved and re-offended, and moved again and re-offended again.He said a Church investigation could not bring the ”crucial independence” the police had.
Meanwhile, ABC News reported that a former New South Wales priest claims to have witnessed a “system of cover-ups” within the Catholic Church to hide child sexual abuse.
Kevin Lee was ordained as a priest 20 years ago and worked as a police chaplain for some of that time, but was relieved of his parish responsibilities in Western Sydney this year when he admitted to marrying a woman in secret.
His comments follow those of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox who told Lateline on Thursday night that the Catholic Church is involved in cover-ups and paedophile priests have destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution.
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