Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ireland's Massive Catholic Church Abuse Scandal


Here we go, this is being called the largest child molestation scandal in Ireland's history.  Thousands of former students have come forward with stories of abuse and molestations while the Dublin Archdiocese is accused of shielding hundreds of priests from prosecution.





A new 2,600-page report on physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in Catholic-run Irish schools is “a map of an Irish hell,” said the Irish Times in an editorial. The numbers speak for themselves: 800 abusers, 200 schools, 35 years, many thousands of victims.

Read More: Catholic_Abuse_Scandal






Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has issued an ultimatum to four bishops: resign immediately or be fired by the Vatican. The four bishops, implicated for their roles in Ireland's child molestation scandal,  are Bishop Raymond Field, Bishop Eamon Walsh, Bishop Martin Drennan and Bishop Jim Moriarty. Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowan has joined the call for the bishops to resign.

Read More: Ultimatum







Father Thomas Naughton pleads guilty to five "sample" counts of child molestation. Naughton was convicted of similar charges in 1998 and the cover-up of his assaults is part of the scandal. Naughton received five three-year sentences, to run concurrently, with the final year suspended in each case.

Read More: Father_Naughton








Two more bishops have resigned in Ireland's widening child abuse scandal. A total of four bishops have now stepped down, with pressure building for the fifth bishop named in the Murphy Report to do the same. Bishops Eamonn Walsh, Raymond Field, James Moriarty, and Donal Murray have all offered their resignations in the last ten days. The Dublin Archdiocese is accused of shielding more than 170 priests from prosecution, usually by transferring them to other parishes.

Read More: Resign




After meeting on December 11 with the leaders of the Irish Catholic hierarchy, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his “outrage, betrayal, and shame” at the revelations that sex-abuse complaints had been covered up in the Dublin archdiocese. He offered his prayers for the victims and vowed that “the Church will continue to follow this grave matter with the closest attention in order to understand better how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence.”

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3 comments:

  1. Although the bishop of the child abuse scandal in Ireland will resign, will help the victims and their families who have been emotionally traumatized, not to forget the alienation from God caused by such “STALWART DEFENDERS” of religious faith! Where does the responsibility lie? Enforced celibacy has no biblical foundation at all! Why was it instituted in the first place? And why was such a perversion covered up for so long by an organization that claims to be the guardian of Christian ethics and morals? And why was this allowed by the authorities for so long? Were church and state in each other pockets? May we hope that the discussion with the Pope will HELP clear up ALL THE TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES, DOGMAS AND RITES that CONTRADICT the teachings of the greatest Prophet of all times, Jesus of Nazareth? AND PERHAPS, WHILE THEY'RE AT IT, start compensating for ALL THE wrongs DONE OVER THE ages?! What would Jesus of Nazareth say if He came to the Earth and saw what the church – which claims to speak for Him – has made of His life’s work? A small group in Germany called “The Free Christians for the Christ of the Sermon on the Mount in All Cultures Worldwide” is against such shameful sham Christianity. They announced a lawsuit against the Catholic Church. As they put it, they do not want to remain silent anymore on the “brazen labeling fraud,” with which Christ is mocked and His name abused to such an extent. They demand that the Catholic Church no longer call itself “Christian.”As a Christian. Perhaps your readers would like to check them out: http://www.christus-oder-kirche.de/christ-or-church/index.php There seems to be a grassroots movement to bring this up for discussion on the internet. Surely this could be very healthy for our society!

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