Vatican hits back at sex abuse critics
The Vatican has lashed out at criticism over its handling of its pedophilia crisis, saying the Catholic Church was ''busy cleaning its own house'' and that the problems with clerical sex abuse in other churches were as big, if not bigger, The Guardian is reporting.
The British newspaper describes a "defiant and provocative statement" issued after a meeting of the U.N. human rights council in Geneva in which the Holy See says most of the Catholic clergy who committed such acts were not pedophiles but homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males:
The statement, read out by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to the United Nations, defended its record by claiming that ''available research'' showed that only 1.5 per cent to 5 per cent of Catholic clergy were involved in child sex abuse.He also quoted statistics from the Christian Science Monitor newspaper to show that most US churches being hit by child sex abuse allegations were Protestant and that sexual abuse within Jewish communities was common.
Speaking after a representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union accused the church of covering up child abuse and violating several articles of the Convention of the Rigts of the Child, The Guardian reports, Tomasi said sexual abuse was far more likely to be committed by family members, babysitters, friends, relatives or neighbors.
The newspaper says representatives of other religions were "dismayed by the Holy See's attempts to distance itself from controversy by pointing the finger at other faiths."
Comments
I am upset by such statements from the Vatican. What goes on elsewhere is irrelevant with respect to sins committed by it’s our own clergy. Statements as the one made are wrong and only make the make the Church look defiant rather than contrite. The Church needs to clean its own house and acknowledge wrongs of the past including any cover ups. As well as make as full a restitution as possible to victims.
Posted by: ravensfan | September 30, 2009 9:48 AM
Bravo Ravensfan--the church will do nothing of the kind. Habitual lying about the church's purity, by the Church's upper echelon, is a genetic flaw. Mutations get passed down and do not change back to normal.
Your intellectually failed anon
Posted by: Anonymous | October 1, 2009 1:02 AM
The Catholic Church has lost its way. The statements from the Holy See border on deranged. I am quitting the Catholic Church for good.
Good riddence. Save the children.
Posted by: LongView | October 2, 2009 5:16 PM
It's about time the Catholic Church hit back. The Church in the U.S. has spent countless $millions in restitution to victims of pedophilia and has made fundamental changes in vetting clergy and laity alike to do everything possible to prevent a reoccurence of it. Yet little credit is given by the "press" or anyone else because it's either (a) "not news" or (b) it doesn't further the agenda of those who benefit from continuing the negative publicity. The Catholic Church is made up of people, and people are imperfect. All we can do is work hard to protect the defenseless and pray that our efforts at reform will be successful. If others feel that this is a "Catholic Church" problem, they are deluding themselves.
Posted by: Bob Bugle | October 2, 2009 6:13 PM
Fantastic post Bob! Very true indeed!
Posted by: TonyRomo | October 7, 2009 1:25 PM
The Catholic church is made up of people--yes indeed, but it is also made up of a hierarchy that includes in its ranks many blind dictators-- if they are flawed they should bug off and not dictate to their laity and to others the so called boundaries of God approved behavior. If the Catholic Church did that it would be spared the excoriations of its critics.
Anon of Ravensfan fame
Posted by: Anonymous | October 7, 2009 10:33 PM
Anon – Speaking as a Catholic myself I’ve often felt that too many in the Church are too concerned with protecting their positions and the Church’s as a whole rather than what I believe is their true purpose. My parish has a mission statement which I think sums it up well “to worship God; proclaim the gospel; teach and explore our faith; welcome all; serve all; challenge each other to grow in faith; and further the presence of God in the world. The leadership should be setting the example and should be held to the highest standards. That’s why the Vatican’s response troubles me. It does the Church no good to white wash it’s sins of the past. Instead it needs to follow its own guidance as stated in the CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH #1459
“Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused. Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also called "penance." “
Posted by: ravensfan | October 8, 2009 9:55 AM
Gosh, Ravensfan, I love what you've written there--you learned your Catechisms well--nothing like an insider who knows the tenets of the inside to bring down the excuse mongers. I always thought Christianity let off the sinner too easy--belief in Jesus enough for absolution--apparently that's not the case. Sounds like Christianity too prepares a bed of nails for the sinner to lie on before being truly forgiven. Makes me rejoice that Clay cannot disappear into the miasma of heaven based on mere belief in Jesus but instead will have to lie on a bed of nails if he is to get there (metaphorically speaking Ravensfan--don't start pointing out the inaccuracy of my statement by giving it a literal interpretation--Clay will, if he ever gets to this blog blather something or other about Jesus being a loving God who will never under any circumstance, favor a bed of nails for his followers--do not emulate the Clay model Ravensfan and embrace the concreteness of the concrete mind).
Ravensfan's zero anon
Posted by: Anonymous | October 12, 2009 1:52 AM