This is a developing story. In Geneva, there was a U.N. panel with representatives of the Holy See concerning clerical sexual abuse of children.
From what I can tell, this seems to have been a bit of a kangaroo court, though it is a court without legal authority. It seems to have been a “court” to court the court of public opinion.
Hell’s Bible has a piece HERE.
BBC HERE.
Independent HERE.
I am listening at the moment to a BBC Radio discussion about this event/topic. They are pretty much beating up on “the Vatican” for not doing enough, much as certain people perpetually beat up Pius XII for “not doing enough”. In other words, there is no chance that “the Vatican” can ever do “enough” to satisfy people who are determine to tear at the Church.
As I listen to the BBC radio broadcast I hear language like “the Vatican is finally being forced to answer questions….”
The basic issue here is that some people want to hurt the entire Catholic Church because of the sinful crimes of individual priests or mishandling of cases in individual dioceses. The idea: a priest committed a crime, therefore, try to sue “the Vatican”.
To a certain extent, the populism of Pope Francis had turned the page on this controversial topic. However, I suspect that there will not be a strong attempt to revive this in the MSM, Francis’ popularity notwithstanding.
UPDATE:
At this moment I am listening LIVE GMT 18:38 EST 13:38 – angry liberal dissident Irishman and SNAP involved. Let’s beat up the Church!
I should mention that a producer of the BBC Radio program… programme… reached out to me to be on, but I couldn’t do it. Probably for the best.
– loony Irish guy dragging it off topic
– SNAP lady is attacking Bp. Finn
– a smart woman (don’t know her name) is doing a good job defending reality
– a priest, Irish-born, from South Africa is on: trahison des clercs comes to mind
– picking on prelates in England for not being available to talk (at the drop of a hat)
– SNAP still sharpening claws on the Church (I don’t believe that SNAP is really interested in protecting children: they’ve moved on to revenge)
Here is a some of the audio. I didn’t get in at the beginning of the broadcast, so you enter abruptly in medias res. I got over a half hour of the program… programme.
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As long as the Church or the Vatican or the bishops don’t want to use the word “homosexuality” to describe the problem, I am pretty much unsympathetic what goes on in the public forum. It is just too frustrating to see major institutions, the Church, the UN, whatever, unable and unwilling to admit the evil of homosexuality.
Well, that’s the BBC for you.
I don’t often listen to the World Service (and I think I’ll skip this particular programme), but their domestic output is consistently ignorant of Christianity and antagonistic towards Christ’s Church.
As long as the Church or the Vatican or the bishops don’t want to use the word “homosexuality” to describe the problem, I am pretty much unsympathetic what goes on in the public forum. It is just too frustrating to see major institutions, the Church, the UN, whatever, unable and unwilling to admit the evil of homosexuality.
While I agree, what would happen if they did? Then hell would really break loose over “the Vatican”.
Meanwhile, the California diocese of Stockton declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy becoming the 10th American diocese to do so as a result of legal claims due to allegations of sexual abuse by its clergy. Bishop Stephen Blaire, the ordinary, said, “”Very simply, we are in this situation because of those priests in our diocese who perpetrated grave, evil acts of child sexual abuse.”
According the the Wall Street Journal, “[t]hrough 2012, the Catholic Church in the U.S. has paid out an estimated $2.2 billion to cover settlements.”
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304549504579320810491585726
or
below is my first attempt at hyperlinking via a word; I hope it works:
See WSJ link HERE
I might take it seriously if the UN did not have a long history of fostering acts which result in sexual abuse. Mote beam analogy comes to mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_sexual_abuse_by_UN_peacekeepers
The smart woman was Caroline Farrow, Fr Z.
I find this article by Austen Ivereigh of Catholic Voices Uk to be a good summary of what is really going on. In essence, it’s nothing spectacular: The Holy See signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child back in 1990 and so has to make a progress report every four years. Germany, Congo and Yemen were in the exact same situation today.
It’s good to see Bishop Charles J. Scicluna on board to offer his expert knowledge today.
All I have to say to the BBC is, Jimmy Savile. Where’s the UN investigation of other religious, news, entertainment, educational and civil leaders on their conduct in abuse cases?
Ironically, Cardinal Mahony concelebrates Mass and has an audience with Pope Francis on the same day. http://www.cardinalrogermahonyblogsla.blogspot.com/2014/01/mass-and-visit-with-pope-francis.html
I am familiar with SNAP because I was sexually abused by my religious superior while in seminary – a little known crime that happens far more often than any care to admit. The organization functions at two completely different levels:
Local SNAP groups provided tremendous support for abuse survivors, especially those who are just coming to terms with what happened to them and feel incredibly isolated. I could not have gotten the help I needed had it not been for a local SNAP support group. My fellow abuse survivors showed me that I was not alone, and further helped me to find a therapist who specialized in the treatment of clergy abuse survivors. My doctor helped me to get healthy, and I am able to remain a faithful Catholic because of the treatment I received.
At the national level, SNAP is a business. The national organization is financed by plaintiff’s attorneys – and these attorneys often attend the national convention to troll for new business. When these plaintiff’s lawyers file their lawsuits, SNAP works with them to launch a media offensive. The lawyers hold a press conference to make a big splash in local media, and SNAP leadership shows up to provide the right talking heads and letters to the editor to support the lawsuit. They also help through the internet. On more than one occasion, a group will launch a website to cover the story when the lawsuit commences and are closed down as soon as a settlement is reached.*
If, however, your case is outside the statute of limitations, the lawyers know they won’t make any money from you. They’ll give you a sympathetic nod and move on to the next potential client as quickly as time will allow.
In similar manner, national SNAP does not provide >any< financial assistance to abuse survivors. If you need money for therapy: Nothing. If you need help paying your rent (and other bills) because you can't work: Nothing. That should tell you a great deal about what SNAP is really all about.
It's a shame, because the local folks are good people who provide critical assistance to people who have nowhere else to go.
* The one good thing SNAP does at the national level is maintain an Internet database listing priest abusers. Seeing my abuser on the site gave me the strength to address what happened to me.
Many of the “experts” on human rights on this panel come from nations that are known for oppression and/or persecution of Christians! And they are critiquing the Holy See’s handling of clerical abuse cases?!? Really? The pot calling the kettle black?!?
Peter Damian…Interesting. I didn’t know that SNAP actually did any good.
I had a friend who grew up in a Catholic orphanage in New Jersey (her parents were alive, but her father had left and her mother just couldn’t take care of her) and had no problems and in fact had a very happy childhood with the nuns. She joined the order when she was 18 and had several happy years…until Vatican II struck, and they had some psychotherapist come and tell the sisters that they were repressed and they really needed to “explore”…and she said that all of a sudden, the place turned into a snakepit. She left when the superior turned up tapping at her door one night.
Virtually the same thing happened to an older friend who was a Franciscan friar, except that he didn’t leave, but sort of barricaded himself off and devoted himself to an alcoholic outreach program that he ran. This was after the provincial invited in a psychotherapist who came and told the friars that it was perfectly “normal” and “okay” (a big shrink word in those days) for them to “express themselves” with the other brothers.
Nobody has ever examined the influence of these completely nutty and usually non-Catholic or non-religious therapists, brought in by bishops and superiors who seemed to believe that V II theories required this, on religious orders and the people in them. Personally, I think this had a lot to do with the so-called clerical child abuse scandals, which usually didn’t involve children per se, but adolescents of either sex, and also sometimes even resulted in the abuse of adults by persons in power.
Traductora, here in Los Angeles there was an entire order of Nuns that let their hair down when psychologists got to them through the Spirit of Vatican Council II. They are all gone now.
Theodore & Jbas
My thoughts exactly. The UN and BBC pontificating on child abuse? Give me a break.
“Nobody has ever examined the influence of these completely nutty and usually non-Catholic or non-religious therapists, brought in by bishops and superiors who seemed to believe that V II theories required this, on religious orders and the people in them.”
It is because they look like experts and, so, get trusted. As long as they are able to ally themselves with physical medicine instead of philosophy, they will be accorded this recognition.
The Chicken
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/santa-marta-31290/
This morning at St Martha’s House Pope Francis talks about Church scandals in his homily.