Text 6624, 98 rader
Skriven 2010-03-27 10:45:00 av TIM RICHARDSON (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av ROSS SAUER
Ärende: Catholicism in peril?
=============================
On 03-27-10, JOHNJWILSON said to ROSS SAUER:

-> But Cardinal Bertone halted the process after Father Murphy personally
-> wrote to Cardinal Ratzinger protesting that he should not be put on
-> trial because he had already repented and was in poor health and that
-> the case was beyond the church's own statute of limitations.


-> "I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of
-> my priesthood,"


I have a problem with the church (`any' church, including the Catholic church)
having the sort of power they've weilded over the centuries, since the time of
Christ.



-> Father Murphy wrote near the end of his life to Cardinal
-> Ratzinger. "I ask your kind assistance in this matter." The files
-> contain no response from Cardinal Ratzinger.


A church which does not give up those who engage in molesting children, bears
the weight of guilt right along with the perpetrator of such crimes. There is
no excuse for shielding someone who is nothing more than a pedophile in the
guise of a member of the clergy.


One would think that a church such as the Catholic church, would have put its
own reputation for spotlessness, over the sorry character-flawed individuals
in its midst who stoop to molesting children, and refused to shield them from
prosecution. Not to mention drumming such individuals out of the church
altogether!


JJ>Christianity says it's big on forgiveness...Too big?


When I was growing up, and had the principles of `Chritianity' fed to me on a
daily basis, a large part of the teachings of that Christianity involved
accepting responsibility for misdeeds, and taking whatever punishment was
meted out as part of the `forgiveness' process.


Forgiveness does not (and should not) involve the absence of punishment for
such criminal behavior as molesting children placed in one's care.


Where `forgiveness' is part of Christ's blessing.....acceptance of the
punishment accompanying conviction of the crimes, is also part of that
`forgiveness'. Its known (or `used' to be known) as `attonement'.


To be completely forgiven for a serious misdeed, one was expected to attone
for one's evil act. Part of the `forgiveness' process for clergy who molest
children should be removal from the priesthood (for life). Suspension of
participation in the sacrements until such time as the attonement process (the
prison sentence in this case) has been completed. And refusal of burial in
sacred ground, ever.


I further had a big problem with a church (the Catholic church) with its own
bank, with billions of dollars in its possession, and yet so many Catholic
organizations in poor countries having to rely on donations from private
sources in order to continue to help poor people. But that subject is left for
a different sort of argument.


I have always maintained that, where there are many professions in which
pedophiles and homosexual molesters are active, the priesthood is the most
common for a reason;


The catholic priesthood is easier to enter into, become ordained, and
assigned to a place where children are easily victimized.


Becoming involved in professions that offer similar opportunities, such as
teachers, or medical doctors, etc, are far more difficult to get into.


For one thing (probably the most common reason) it costs a great deal of money
to get a medical degree, or a teaching credit.


Not so the catholic priesthood. Its free.


Secondly, most who enter the priesthood do not have the brains to successfully
achieve degrees in medicine or education.




---
*Durango b301 #PE* 
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)