Vatican: Abuse not just Catholic problem
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Vatican: Abuse not just Catholic problem
Spokesman says church aims to be a ‘protagonist’ against pedophilia
Reuters
Updated: 9:52 a.m. ET July 17, 2007
VATICAN CITY - Sexual abuse of children is not just a Catholic Church problem and other institutions should take steps to acknowledge and deal with such “wickedness” within their own ranks, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
The Vatican’s chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, also said the record $660 million settlement between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and victims of sexual abuse was an attempt to “close a painful chapter and look forward.”
“The church is above all clearly pained by the suffering of the victims and their families, by the deep wounds caused by the grave and inexcusable behavior of some of its members,” Lombardi said.
“It has decided to commit itself in every way to avoid a repetition of such wickedness,” he said, adding that the church now had a “a policy of prevention and creation of an ever more secure atmosphere for children and young people in all aspects of (its) pastoral programs.”
Lombardi reaffirmed a position taken by other Catholic Church leaders in the past — that other organized religions and institutions should also deal with pedophilia as publicly as the Catholic Church has been forced to by various scandals.
“The problem of the abuse of childhood and its adequate protection certainly does not regard only the (Catholic) Church, but also many other institutions and it is right that these take the necessary decisions as well,” he said.
Lombardi said the Church was aware of its educational responsibilities to youth and intended to be “a protagonist in the struggle against pedophilia,” which he said was on the rise worldwide.
Abuse dating back to the Â’40s
The Los Angeles decision involved 508 plaintiffs in cases dating back to the 1940s. The pre-trial settlement means Cardinal Roger Mahony will not have to testify in court.
The settlement reached on Saturday after 4½ years of negotiations came before the first trial was due to begin on Monday. Victims’ attorneys would have called Mahony to testify about the church hierarchy’s protection of abusive priests.
The Los Angeles settlement dwarfs other landmark payouts. The Archdiocese of Boston, where the U.S. scandal erupted in 2002, reached a 2003 deal for 550 people worth $85 million.
BostonÂ’s archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign in disgrace in December 2002.
Leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church were found to have moved priests who abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking them or reporting them to authorities.
In his interview with Vatican Radio, Lombardi spoke of the “sacrifices” the settlement would impose on the archdiocese.
The settlement funds will come from the archdiocese selling real estate assets, including the archdioceseÂ’s headquarters, insurers and various Catholic religious orders.
Before his election as pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger went out on a limb to decry the “filth” in the Church.
Benedict, who was elected in 2005, has taken a tougher stand on sexual abuse in the Church than his predecessor. Last year he disciplined Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 86-year-old founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ, who had been accused of sexually abusing boys decades ago. -
Wow. The RM Church sure knows how to take care of its flock. Insuring them against sexual abuse charges. What the hell. It's like as if they're saying, "We know, some of our high priests are kinky that way. This is the least we could do for them."
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Well, the minority doesn't represent the majority. It is true, though, the Church has grown amazingly bureaucratic these days.
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SturmDerSchatten said:
Well, the minority doesn't represent the majority.
I agree but it's a significant minority. Significant enough to require insurance coverage for sexual crime payouts. God must really love his loyal priests, protecting them from bankruptcy and all. In the first place, why would a loving God even allow such things to take place? -
Are you sure that you read carefully? It's a out-of-court settlement and not insurance.
And here we go again with the 'if God exists there would be no evil in the world' argument. -
So how do you address the Problem of Evil then? :pOriginally posted by Kuali Baba:Are you sure that you read carefully? It's a out-of-court settlement and not insurance.
And here we go again with the 'if God exists there would be no evil in the world' argument.
Although I feel that's not really the point.
Child abuse happens everywhere. However, Christians believe:
1. Christians have higher moral standards.
2. A divine entity protects them and answers prayers.
3. That a church is a sanctuary from evil.
This makes christians very gullible and vulnerable. Most christians tend to trust priests and people in positions of religious authority because christians believe that those people are less capable of evil. So it's relatively easy for a child molester to get into a position of authority where he has the potential to abuse it.
I have no evidence for this, but i believe there are more homosexuals and pedophiles in positions of authority in the church than in any other organization (except for those specifically catering to those groups). And I believe many homosexuals and pedophiles go into ministry because they think it will help them overcome their urges. However, they eventually realize that is not the case and they are faced with temptation everyday. I do remember there was a child molester's manual though that described methods to gain access to children and becoming a minister or helping out at a church was one of the most highly recommended methods. -
Kuali Baba said:
Sorry, forgot to mention another related article.
Are you sure that you read carefully? It's a out-of-court settlement and not insurance.
"Over the weekend the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $660 million to settle lawsuits from hundreds of sex-abuse victims. About $250 million will come out of the diocese bank account; $60 million will come from other religious orders and another $123 million from litigation with orders that chose to sit out the deal. Insurance companies will pay the remaining $227 million. Hold on—can churches buy insurance for sex abuse?
..."
http://www.slate.com/id/2170482/nav/fix/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.slate.com/id/2170482/nav/fix/ -
Originally posted by malayatheist:
Very interesting. Thanks for that.
Sorry, forgot to mention another related article.
[b]"Over the weekend the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to pay $660 million to settle lawsuits from hundreds of sex-abuse victims. About $250 million will come out of the diocese bank account; $60 million will come from other religious orders and another $123 million from litigation with orders that chose to sit out the deal. Insurance companies will pay the remaining $227 million. Hold on—can churches buy insurance for sex abuse?
..."
http://www.slate.com/id/2170482/nav/fix/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.slate.com/id/2170482/nav/fix/[/b]
I was aware that insurance companies did cover part of the claims from the general lawsuit protection fund. However, I was unaware that the insurance companies started putting sex-abuse riders.
It does make sense though. It's no different than asking for additional payments to cover terrorist attacks. -
An interesting article about the fight between the churches and the insurance companies over who should pay.
http://www.caroptionsonline.com/2002news/2_10_sb2.htm
The Christian Science Monitor also has an interesting take on the issue.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0405/p01s01-ussc.html -
But I think what the spokesman said is true, that it is not restricted to the RC Church... things could be happening in the child care centers or happening to children looked after by maids... for all we know... even as we speak...
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My beef was with the 'God would not allow this to happen' assertion. The world is a scene of a struggle between good and evil, and we are given the free will to choose the path we wish to take.
Unfortunately, yes, people in general place plenty of trust in the clergy, muftis, monks, etc, believing them to be immune to temptation when they aren't. They face personal struggles daily just like everybody else. But parents won't take their kids seriously when they say 'Pastor has been asking me to do weird things', would they?
It takes almost 10 years to study and become a Roman Catholic priest, and they rarely come into contact with children in the seminary, and I doubt a paedophile would wait that long. Those who are in denial, and others who find that they're not suited to the priesthood, have chances to back out before ordination. Priests interact with young alter servers most regularly, and it's likely that the few who succumb to temptation simply turn to the ones they meet most often.
The offenders should have been disciplined more severely than they were, especially the repeat offenders. They should not be immune from the law in the same way Fr Joachim Kang wasn't.Originally posted by Phaze:So how do you address the Problem of Evil then? :p
Although I feel that's not really the point.
Child abuse happens everywhere. However, Christians believe:
1. Christians have higher moral standards.
2. A divine entity protects them and answers prayers.
3. That a church is a sanctuary from evil.
This makes christians very gullible and vulnerable. Most christians tend to trust priests and people in positions of religious authority because christians believe that those people are less capable of evil. So it's relatively easy for a child molester to get into a position of authority where he has the potential to abuse it.
I have no evidence for this, but i believe there are more homosexuals and pedophiles in positions of authority in the church than in any other organization (except for those specifically catering to those groups). And I believe many homosexuals and pedophiles go into ministry because they think it will help them overcome their urges. However, they eventually realize that is not the case and they are faced with temptation everyday. I do remember there was a child molester's manual though that described methods to gain access to children and becoming a minister or helping out at a church was one of the most highly recommended methods. -
I agree.Originally posted by AndrewPKYap:But I think what the spokesman said is true, that it is not restricted to the RC Church... things could be happening in the child care centers or happening to children looked after by maids... for all we know... even as we speak...
By the same token, the church is a human institution - no better or worse than any other human institution of the same nature and should be treated as such. -
I see the point you are trying to make...
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You are correct to say that most paedophiles probably wouldn't wait so long. One of the articles mentioned that most of the abuse is performed by church volunteers who are under almost no scrutiny.
The free will argument is full of problems as well - even starting with the very definition of free will. But I won't get into that now.
Originally posted by Kuali Baba:My beef was with the 'God would not allow this to happen' assertion. The world is a scene of a struggle between good and evil, and we are given the free will to choose the path we wish to take.
Unfortunately, yes, people in general place plenty of trust in the clergy, muftis, monks, etc, believing them to be immune to temptation when they aren't. They face personal struggles daily just like everybody else. But parents won't take their kids seriously when they say 'Pastor has been asking me to do weird things', would they?
It takes almost 10 years to study and become a Roman Catholic priest, and they rarely come into contact with children in the seminary, and I doubt a paedophile would wait that long. Those who are in denial, and others who find that they're not suited to the priesthood, have chances to back out before ordination. Priests interact with young alter servers most regularly, and it's likely that the few who succumb to temptation simply turn to the ones they meet most often.
The offenders should have been disciplined more severely than they were, especially the repeat offenders. They should not be immune from the law in the same way Fr Joachim Kang wasn't. -
but let's not bash them horny priests, we might just need them in case...
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Well, you do get fakes everywhere now and then. Although, sensationalism seems hardly the way, does it?
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Though one man's sensationalism is another man's concsiousness raising.Originally posted by SturmDerSchatten:Well, you do get fakes everywhere now and then. Although, sensationalism seems hardly the way, does it? -
spelling error!!!Originally posted by malayatheist:but let's not bash them horny priests, we might just need them in case... 
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Let he who does not spell incorrectly cast the first stone.Originally posted by SingaporeMacross:spelling error!!!