Groups representing the victims of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland are largely disappointed with Pope Benedict XVI's letter on the subject.
The organisation One in Four says it had hoped that the pope would urge the Irish primate, Cardinal Sean Brady, to resign. Cardinal Brady is a controversial figure who is accused of helping to cover up paedophile abuse by the Irish church going back as far as 1975. The cardinal himself said this was “an historic day” and that the letter to Irish Catholics could mark the beginning of “rebirth and hope” for the church.
The pope's letter expresses deep regret about the decades of child abuse by Irish clergy and announces an investigation by the Vatican into affair.
The letter does not mention comparable cases of sexual abuse in other countries, including Germany and the Netherlands. The Dutch bishops do, however, regard the pope's expressions of regret and sympathy as relevant for Dutch Catholics.
Pope Benedict XVI (archive)
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No reference has been made of the sex abuse cases in Australia.
Many many here too have suffered terrible atrocities at such tender ages including orphans.
Money is always a catch cry for ignorant insensitve Catholics when damages have been paid which hasn't been very often. The Church has a bottomless pit when it comes to legal fees for Catholic solicitors whereby the abused has had to rely on Legal Aid which is always limited .
Unlike Germany, Australian polititions ever seeking the Catholic vote and taking the higher ground, leave it to the prelates to take responsibility, hopefully.
Being so far away, we have been vitually paled into existance and these now adult men have had to do the best they can and in many cases held to ransom.
The spirit grieves for them including mine.
For Sale 20 Pages of religious babble - full copy of papal bull along with apology. Full of magical powers, able to heal 50 years of trauma and discrimination at the hands of Catholic faithful and Catholic hierarchy. Can be used to replace broken childhood family, broken family, loss of family home, loss of business, murder, children's education, employment, car repairs, gas electricity and phone bills as well as other financial difficulties along with PTSD and the need for some anger management.
Will trade for 2 Big Macs and a Pepsi
John B, with all due respect, I hope there is a serious context to your comment.
If I have misunderstood you I'm sorry.
In the first of the fourteen sections of His pastoral letter on sexual abuse in Ireland, the Pope states that He wants "to carry forward the work of repairing past injustices and confronting the broader issues associated with the abuse of minors in a way consonant with the demands of justice and the teachings of the Gospel".
Will He implement Jesus Christ's recommendations in the gospels of Mark and Matthew and see to it that pedophile priests are EUTHANIZED OR CASTRATED?
Mark 9: 42-47 (King James Version) "And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:"
See also Matthew 18: 6-10
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