Monday, November 11, 2013

The first rule of Catholic priest child sex abuse, is that we don't talk about Catholic priest child sex abuse.

Courtesy of Opposing Views:  

A Roman Catholic priest has come forward and said his attempts to speak about sexual abuse in the church led to his firing from Congregation of the Holy Cross in Montreal, Canada. 

The priest, Rev. Andre Samson, first spoke about the church’s unfortunate history two years ago after Congregation of the Holy Cross issued an apology and paid $18 million to victims of sexual abuse. 

Samson, a former military chaplain, was interrupted by his colleagues at lunch one day when he began telling them the story of an 18-year-old who had confessed to him that he was psychologically tormented after being abused by a Catholic priest when he was younger. 

“The community superior became enraged,” Samson said. “He said, ‘Don’t talk about this here. It can’t be. We don’t talk about this here.’ ” 

Later that day, Samson says the community superior forbid him from eating lunch in the dining hall. About one month ago, he went to a different superior and asked for help in overturning his expulsion from the dining hall. The superior declined to help him. 

Last week, Samson was fired. He says the officially listed reasons for his firing were all minor – like failing to wear his collar correctly. Samson maintains that the real reason for his firing is his shunned discussion about sexual abuse in the church. 

“I find this difficult because as priests we give our lives to the church,” he said. “And it’s sad how we can be betrayed by this church.” 

Samson took his story to the press in order to raise public awareness about the silencing he received in the church.

It is certainly no secret that I don't have much affection for most religions, but Catholicism holds a very particular place on my shit list for not outing pedophile priests, for covering up their crimes, and for moving them around the world which allowed them to continue to prey on children, sometimes for decades.

They chose to protect their religion, and their fortune, over protecting the lives of the innocents who came to them in faith and trust. 

What they allowed to happen should signal the end of their existence, and yet they continue to convert impressionable people from around world.

The new Pope may serve to convince some that the church has changed, but cosmetics only give the appearance of change, and do nothing to deal with the rot that lies within.

15 comments:

  1. I kind of know what Samson experienced. I think it was 2002 when the Boston Globe started to investigate this (good for them). I was having lunch with friends and casually mentioned that I’d heard of priest abuse, but thought it was very rare. A man at the table, and not even a Catholic, I don’t think, started to scream at me, “Don’t talk about that! Don’t talk about things like that.”

    On the drive home, I got the strange feeling that I had ventured into a secret club for men, a place where they could murmur about some bad father, bad cousin, bad uncle or bad priest, with no woman overhearing. They, and only they, would decide what to do, which was usually nothing. A woman like me should have been stopped at the door.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Balzafiar5:02 AM

      It is possible that he was a past victim and could not handle talking about it or even a casual mention of it. Or perhaps he was protecting someone else at the table. There are just so many possibilities...

      Delete
  2. Anonymous4:47 AM

    Yup. and their track record on the suppression of women isn't so great either

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    Replies
    1. Gotta include gay people in that. After all, they are, "intrinsically disordered."

      Delete
    2. Leland10:47 AM

      "intrinsically disordered".

      I Love that. (I'm using irony here!)

      Those priests are the ONLY group of people in an animal species - in the entire world - who consider the practice of celibacy (in theory, anyway) as normal and the gays are "intrinsically disordered".

      HEY YOU IDIOTS! At least with the gay community they share something in common with over fifteen hundred species of animals!

      Figure THAT one out you ignorant PIGS!

      (My apologies to the pigs.)

      Oh. And as far as I am concerned, ANY priest found to be abusing a child (or children) should be a.) immediately excommunicated and B.) strung up by his nuts and left for the vultures!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous5:47 AM

    Palin's m'eh endorsement of Christie. Continues tradition of platitudes instead of substantive policy solutions.

    http://www.nbc40.net/story/23932234/alaskas-palin-lukewarm-on-christie-talk-for-2016

    Wasn't it a free market approach all this time? Isn't that why the ACA was passed and ruled constitutional through the commerce clause by the Supreme Court?

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  4. Anonymous5:50 AM

    An institution develops "momentum" that is difficult to brake........in the Roman Catholic Church,that's nearly 1800 years of momentum......"The Name Of The Rose" illustrates institutional rot from the beginning.......nothing has changed....nothing.....this may indeed be the last Pope.....

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  5. Anonymous5:55 AM

    Sadly, pedophiles live in their own world. For the most part, they are exposed when discovered. They do time in jail, and neighbors are notified when they are released.

    The church, however, covered up the crimes and protected the criminals. These men will never be prosecuted. There are no warnings that a sexual predator lives amongst them.

    As long as the church is willing to continue to protect the creeps, then the public has the right to assume that all priests are pedophiles. Watch for the mass migration away from the church.

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  6. Anonymous8:50 AM

    I simply find it hard to believe that the catholic church has not been dismantled after all of these scandals. How anyone not completely and utterly brainwashed could attend services or call themselves a catholic is beyond me. This is utterly shameful stuff, and it seems to be par for the course for the priesthood, a long tradition of diddling little boys.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leland10:52 AM

      Hhhmmm. And what percentage of the world's catholic population are poor, ignorant people trying to simply scratch out a living? Do you think they have been told about the scandals? Do you think they even have time to CONSIDER the scandals?

      I know there are a fair number of catholics in the US, but my question is simple: How many of them are the practicing type?

      Delete
  7. Leland10:54 AM

    Hey Gryph, I seem to recall a posting you made about maybe this pope being different. I posted then that I would "believe it when I se it".

    Ain't gonna happen!

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  8. bernard law1:30 PM

    Catholics protect their child rapists like Jesus would protect children.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anita Winecooler5:47 PM

    It's a damn shame that the actions of so many clerks, priests, deacons, arch bishops, bishops, cardinals and popes reflects so poorly on the one or two good priests who only want to talk about what happens to the innocent victims. This entire "celibacy" thing helps them to counsel married couples about marriage and family life, in what respect?
    Pedophilia isn't treatable, but by their own words and actions, it's pretty damn easy to forgive/ignore/and abet.

    Nuns, on the other hand, truly "get" what living a "Christ like" life. And do good work for the less fortunate, poor, hungry, and sick in society.

    The entire patriarchal structure needs to be changed, and that ain't happening no matter who's Pope.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nuns have sexually abused children as well, and Jesus was not a humanitarian...He came to save our souls.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous4:52 PM

    The term "pedophile priest" is erroneous and creates a lot of ignorance. The vast majority of the cases of child sexual abuse, 2002-2013 were of older boys, not pre-pubescent children, and your cartoon does a gross injustice to the vast majority of priests --priests who do not sexually abuse children and teens.

    ReplyDelete

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