Roman Catholic Church lowers its standards

[Ben Kenobi]

You stated that the Vatican could not disclose the information because it is against the law. It's not.

There is no legitimate reason for the local authorities to have access to this information. Just because they want it doesn't mean they should have it. The Vatican is under no legal requirement to satisfy these information requests.

I'm not even convinced that it would help the victims in any way shape or form to disclose all the information. Some of the pertinent information, sure, and I don't see why the Vatican wouldn't release some information. But all of the information? No.

[Ben Kenobi]

I will give you credit. This is the first statement that you have acknowledged the problem and a desire to fix it.

I'm not your enemy Pax. Making me the enemy is counterproductive to your goals. Attacking all Catholics is absolutely ineffectual because it discourages folks from trying to keep things clean. This is what I am trying to get across to Ming and to rah to understand. Everytime they blame 'the Catholic church', that gives cover to the actual abusers.

[rah]

I love how ben still believes that they got everyone. It was a global problem and he states that a whole 3 bishops have been removed. Yeah, that must be all.
And yes, I have no proof. But your lack of proof should be a big concern to you. I know Catholics take things on faith, but this is a big stretch.

If it had only been 3 bishops do you think they have been the huge cover up?

[Ben Kenobi]

Answer the question. What would you want done to the child molester? 4th attempt at straight answer.

I gave you my answer, Pax. If it were my child I would feel like I had totally failed in protecting them. You're a parent. Tell me straight to my eye that you wouldn't blame yourself.

[Ben Kenobi]

I love how ben still believes that they got everyone.

Yes, I think they got all the bishops involved.

It was a global problem and he states that a whole 3 bishops have been removed.

Uh. Where did I say only three were removed? It's been more than that. I've mentioned three especially prominent ones in the US, but they are not the only ones.

And yes, I have no proof.

Well, then. Nothing can be done without proof, rah. You know that.

But your lack of proof should be a big concern to you. I know Catholics take things on faith, but this is a big stretch.

I have zero issues with presumption of innocence.

If it had only been 3 bishops do you think they have been the huge cover up?

I don't believe it was only 3 bishops, but neither do I believe that the coverup was as extensive as some have suggested. Again - remember, I have the inside view. I'm not relying on the press to shape my opinion. I have met some of the priests and bishops, talked to them over the years. Heard what they had to say.

It's not newsworthy when a bishop or a priest is faithful.

[rah]

So you wouldn't place any blame on the Church?

[Ben Kenobi]

So you wouldn't place any blame on the Church?

For the abuse? No. The abusers are responsible for their own actions. That someone chose to violate the trust put in them with children - that is on them. They could have chosen not to abuse. They could have stopped themselves and said, "this is wrong."

For the coverup? I blame the bishops who, when confronted with the issue, like Weakland, chose to cover not only their own sins, but acted to cover and conceal the sins below them. This made it exponentially worse. Had all the bishops acted with their proper authority and oversight, it would not have persisted as long as it did.

What I do hold the Church responsible for is the laxity of the seminaries in the 60s and 70s. Almost all of the abuse cases concern priests who were in the seminary at some point during this time. This is not a coincidence. I would love to believe that this wasn't done deliberately, but when I go through the documents of the time, some of the higher officials made statements that this was deliberate. These folks have all passed on. It makes me angry that this was done, but there is not much that can be done about it now, but try to clean up the messes left behind from decisions made 60 some years ago.

It's like a tsunami, the earthquake passed long ago and the wave has swept through. But we're still rebuilding today. I think that is the best analogy to describe things.

[kentonio]

Yeah it's all about the distant past, which explains why people like Father Curtis Wehmeyer were allowed to continue their abuse right up until 2011 despite the church heirarchy knowing about his previous behaviour.

In public statements, the archdiocese expressed regret for "the pain caused by clergy misconduct" and offered support to victims. And it emphasized that it immediately reported the allegations to police. "They did the right thing," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in September 2012.

The message from the archdiocese was clear – this wouldn't be like the many horrific clergy sex abuse cases that rocked the Roman Catholic Church a decade ago. Times had changed. The safety of children mattered more than the career of a predator priest.

The reality was far different. This wasn't the first time Wehmeyer had been in trouble. Top archdiocese leaders knew of Wehmeyer's sexual compulsions for nearly a decade but kept him in ministry and failed to warn parishioners, according to canon lawyer Jennifer Haselberger, who resigned in April, and dozens of other interviews and documents.

A memo written in 2011 obtained by MPR News from police shows the former vicar general – the top deputy of the archdiocese – did not want parish employees to know about Wehmeyer's past.

"At every step of the way, this could have been prevented," Haselberger said. "This is just failure after failure after failure after failure."

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/fea.../clergy-abuse/

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Umm, ok, Buster.

Perhaps you'd care to elucidate why you replied to a civil answer with rudeness?

Go check the post you're quoting for an edit notice - there is none, because I caught the typo myself right away. If that's your best shot, you need to find another hobby.

[Ben Kenobi]

If that's your best shot, you need to find another hobby.

After crowing like a pompous dick you whine after your ignorance was exposed? No wonder you left Texas. You couldn't hack it.

post you're quoting for an edit notice - there is none, because I caught the typo myself right away.

Whatever you say, Buster.

[Ben Kenobi]

And it emphasized that it immediately reported the allegations to police.

And he's gone. Isn't this what you wanted, Kentonio?

Wehmeyer's sexual compulsions

And what were his 'sexual compulsions,' Kentonio? He was a homosexual. Good riddance!

Wehmeyer had engaged in troubling sexual encounters — that he had approached young men for sex at a bookstore and cruised nearby parks.

Wehmeyer approached two young men ages 19 and 20 for sex at a Barnes & Noble store in Roseville. "It was really strange, the way he came on to us," one of the men, Andy Chapeau, said in an interview with MPR News.

Wehmeyer leaned close to one of the men and said, "Are you f—horny right now?"

An officer spotted the priest, wearing a plaid shirt and jeans, inside a pickup truck at a popular cruising spot at a St. Paul park one afternoon in 2006

I think you're right, Kentonio. Someone within the Archdiocese was protecting him. Wonder who.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

After crowing like a pompous dick you whine after your ignorance was exposed? No wonder you left Texas. You couldn't hack it.





Whatever you say, Buster.

Punishing someone with your eternal rudeness for trying one. more. time. to be civil? Check. Asking questions merely to bait an argument? Check. Cherry-picking and harping on trivialities because you have neither a case nor any discernible point? Check. Missing all points made by anyone else in plain English? Check.

It's Sean proving his reputation as the worst excuse for a human being on 'poly -a low bar to limbo under and nothing whatsoever to be proud of- all right.

Okay, you keep pretending to be even stupider than you are and not having anyone like you. Try not to get blisters from all the hatewanks, and don't ask me any more questions about anything ever. You are the kid who keeps swinging first, and I don't have time for you.

[kentonio]

And what were his 'sexual compulsions,' Kentonio? He was a homosexual. Good riddance!

You sick little ****, he was a paedophile who was protected by YOUR church until he was caught just a few years ago. If you had one single brain cell in your retarded ****ing head you'd condemn him and the rest of the people involved and just say that's not the church you know and you'll support anything that will prevent it happening again. Instead you twist and lie and make excuses. You're a pathetic little **** and the fact you're allowed near young minds ****ing sickens me.

As for your comment about homosexuals, if that doesn't earn you a ban then the mods here need to take a good look at themselves.

[kentonio]

*EDIT*

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Report the post, man. Don't hope they notice, report.