To wonder how anyone can support/like The Vatican?

[Kreacherelf]

www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/10/catholic-bishops-not-obliged-report-clerical-child-abuse-vatican-says

Yes, I know that many countries have dubious children's rights records.

However, The Vatican is one 'country' which simply takes the piss. How could any parent send their child here?

Here is the Vatican's press release in wake of the Guardian article.

"In response to queries from journalists, Father Lombardi said that despite recent reports, nothing has changed in Church policy on coooperation with civil authorities regarding sexual abuse. It can be found in the 2011 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Circular Letter to Episcopal Conferences, which states that it is important to cooperate with civil authorities in the exercise of their responsibilities and that civil law must always be followed."

Probably the last set of Catholic led mass murders would be in Croatia in 1941 to 1945.

When did you last nurse someone dying of aids? Tell a family their child had committed suicide?

I imagine many are aware of the words which the church uses about their dealings with abuse; however speaking for myself, it's more their actions which matter - and it has to be said that past actions hardly inspire confidence

Even the UN are dissatisfied, pointing out among much else that the Holy See still refuses to make files relating to their investigations public - and this 3 years after the 2011 letter mentioning cooperation with civil authorities: time.com/4481/u-n-slams-vatican-over-child-abuse-cover-up/

I hope OP doesnt watch the BBC or eat any Nestlé products either...

More here about church avoidance of the issue: ncronline.org/news/accountability/strange-disconnect-between-pope-francis-words-and-actions-about-sex-abuse

On March 19, 2014, Pope Francis said that Pope Benedict had supported "zero tolerance" for clergy who sexually abused children. On May 26, 2014, he pledged to apply the same "zero tolerance" standard. But the figures produced by the Holy See's representative at the United Nations, Archbishop Tomasi, show that the Holy See's tolerance is not zero but 66 percent. Less than one third of all priests against whom credible allegations of sexual abuse of children have been made have been dismissed

"I hope OP doesnt watch the BBC or eat any Nestlé products either..."

Neither the BBC nor Nestle set themselves up as moral arbiters of other's behaviour. Neither are they representatives on earth of an all loving supreme being.

My mother's side of the family is Irish. They were raised in a catholic area in Cork. My mother, and her 12 siblings, all faced abuse at the hands of the church. It was a long time ago, nobody has ever faced charges over it.

I get this. Many families have this story. At present my dd sings in a children's choir where some children suffered abuse in living memory (so, it wasn't all that long ago) though in that case charges were faced. I know abuse is a risk anywhere that children gather, because children are vulnerable. I am ever vigilant.

Abuse is horrific and ever present. Each of us has to decide how we live our life with that knowledge. Stories of abuse coming out from the church and from sports - where coaches prey on their young charges - and each person has to decide whether to let their dc be in the church or be in sports that require them to spend a lot of time with the coach in places where you might not see what the coach is doing. Remember the school master just convicted, who abused young girls in the school cupboard, in the classroom? Our children are at risk in places where they are supposed to be safe.

The church is full of evil, and also full of good. I think this decision is personal, for some people the evil overcomes the good, and that's their decision to make and I respect it. For me the good overcomes the evil. I will never form a view of the church based on the evil priests, no matter how many they are. This is not because I think the church is doing a brilliant job handling its evil priests, shunting them about from one parish to another. Same with some sports where a famous paedophile coach is just allowed to move on to a different team where the parents don't know his reputation. This is not acceptable.

But the church is not defined by the evil people within it, or even by the people who just look the other when they see evil instead of reporting it. Remember the shameful record of the church when the Jews were being targeted by Nazis and fascists? Looking the other way and saying nothing is what the church mostly did. Yet by it's nature the church will always have evil people in it. The church will never exclude evil people. What sort of church would that be, where only good people are allowed in? In fact the more evil you are, the more reason the church has to welcome you, in the hope of your redemption.

Well, I agree that neither Catholics nor Protestants have beheaded or tortured anyone in the UK for 404 years...........but that's not a very long time in historical terms.
Agreed, thankfully the world has mainly moved on from such barbarism. Not so the muslims . Beheadings, amputations, stonings, setting people on fire. Even killing each other. Evil beyond compare.

laceysue

People who commit the barbaric crimes you list are some Muslims not the Muslims. Just as most Catholic priests are hard working , dedicated men who are unfairly lumped in with a minority of paedophile priests, most of the worlds Muslims are reasonable, normal people who should not be lumped in with an evil (and tiny) minority of terrorists.

Of course Liinio that's a given, I didn't think it necessary to mention that just as no one mentioned that not all catholic priests are like that. I presumed it's obvious I only meant a minority, just as I took it as obvious they only meant certain Catholic priests, (even though they hadn't stated it.)