Vatican letter warned against reporting child abuse to the police
By Peter SmithJanuary 19th, 2011, 7:00 pmComments (23)
In a development that the Catholic Church is quickly characterizing as totally not a big deal at all, the AP has obtained a 1997 Vatican letter forbidding Irish bishops from reporting priests suspected of child abuse to the police. Those who disobeyed were threatened with harsher treatment when the cases eventually reached church authorities. According to the New York Times, abuse victims have called the revelation "a smoking gun" that could be used as evidence in criminal cases against the church, which has denied ever impeding criminal investigations pertaining to child abuse.
The church has responded with its usual denial and willful obliviousness; Vatican spokesman Reverend Federico Lombardi said, "It's not new. They’ve known about it in Ireland for some time." Which, as a total non-defense, would be hilarious if it weren't so ghoulish and maddening. "I mean yeah, your honor, I did kill that guy — what, you didn't know that?" Boy, is that religious organization venal. Let's hope this document gets them in exactly as much trouble as they deserve.
Commentarium (23 Comments)
With God having these kind of representitives on Earth, why did he need to create Satan?
Because he didn't. He is a fictional creature.. A fictional creature can not create another fictional creature..
Anyone who thinks a book that starts with a talking snake and ends with a three headed dragon belong in "Non-Fiction" they are clearly insane and a threat to the safety and security of every living person on the planet :)
in the beginning there was godzilla
and he fought Ghidorah (3 headed dragon) for our sins
true story
Why do we even let these people out in public alone? I mean really.. Call it any other thing... "Oh have a personal relationship with this lil gnome here.. He talks to me.. Oh no.. no one can see him...
*listens for the sounds of the doors being slammed closed in the mental ward.*
CRAZY IS CRAZY.
i have to agree. If there is pure evil on Earth, the Catholic Church leadership embodies it.
the catholic church is the false propher.
Come on, guys. What's a little buggering of the alter boys among priests?
Like anyone should be surprised.. They've been "buggering" minds for centuries...
The Vatican has also declined to rescind the Papal Bull. The decree whereby all Natives encountered in the New World (just about everything aside from Europe without a standing army or King) should be converted or massacred.
Caption for the picture above, "Hey now... let he whose organization hasn't killed hundreds of millions, cast the first stone.... Riiiight?"
Why Ireland in particular? Why didn't the Vatican issue the same directive to priests elsewhere? Or were the Irish the only ones to raise the issue?
The Irish had a HUGE problem with molesting priests. There was an orphanage that reported abuse going on for decades.
Fuck the vatican.
I think what these priests did and the cover up is terrible, but it makes me feel sorry for all the good priests who are now viewed in a negative light.
Sinead O'Connor sez: "Well DUH!"
this is just horrible...
WTF??
Calls to mind a limerick
"There once was a Bishop of Birmingham
Who'd bugger young boys while confirming 'em
While studying Jobe
He'd lift up his robe
And pump episcopal sperm in 'em."
"Hypocritical Christian." Isn't that called a redundancy?
Most of the problems of the world are, and always have been, caused by religion. For example, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and family planning clinic bombing in the USA. Then there were the crusades, the inquisition, and the dark ages. Get the idea?
Humanity will never truly be free until the black yoke of religion is lifted by the clear light of truth and rational thinking.
Yeah, what "James Smith" said, if that really is his name.
Umm, I am not fond of religion either. But isn't it funny how you pick one religion over another to shit on? Is there a reason why that is?
Perhaps because the Catholic Church systematically has sex with children? Fine reason to target them I'd say.
I always wondered why hatred feels so good? I think it brings with it an emotional clarity like being in love. The clarity does it
Hate seems easier too to bring about. Hence the Satan myth and the black stone the arabs love to hate so much.
Jeebus works in mysterious ways....it;s all about football
Child abuse do happens It happened to me because I am an unwanted child and I spent several years of my life being picked on, treated like an outcast and an outsider and they all do treat my kids the same damn way and they never had no kind of mercy on me and no mercy on my children either.