Catholic church - time to call it a day?

[Chil1234]

I truly hope that the latest scandals and accusations have hit the catholic church hard or preferably killed it stone dead. If it were isolated incidents or if the problems had been handled considerately, it might be put down to the vagiaries of life or the human condition. If other religious organisations had the same breadth of complaints one might make a faith connection. But it isn't the case.

The catholic church's position of absolute authority, of 'doing God's work', and expecting unthinking obedience, has resulted in apalling corruption and terrible abuse..... from the Magdalen Laundries, the Holly Mount Orphanage, the organisations that shipped children off to terrible conditions in Australia to the cover-ups surrounding abusive priests today. People in my own family have been direct victims of 'pastoral care', having their lives ruined when they most needed help. It's not enough to say that the church does a lot of good work or that there are good people in the organisation... that does not compensate for the instutionalised megalomania and abuse of privilege.

When the Pope visits I, for one, will not be there to greet him. Shame on the lot of them

Scale? So if it was just a couple of minors sodomised it's alright?

Mathanxiety - No way am I saying all gay men are paedophiles. You can't imagine how wrong you are.

I'm saying that a predatory paedophile would find it easier to hide his preferences & actions in a priesthood formed of all men, where homosexuality is common but is officially banned, which creates a culture of "don't ask, don't tell" and then gives easy access to children.

I don't know the answer, but I do know that until the catholic church accepts it is a culture where such acts can easily recur, more children are going to be damaged.

Really? I would say the OP was quite a sweeping, offensive generalisation.

I'm sure the police would have had time to deal with it don't you think? And the counselling services fir the victims? And even compensation?

It's not about Catholicism. It's about a huge, powerful organisation thinking it is above the law.

I never said it was alright! Noone thinks that, the point is that abuse isn't evident in every single Catholic church and so I do not see why people would say the whole Catholic church was rotten.

No one on this thread has bashed any individual Catholics who were not involved in the crimes or the cover up. The institution has been criticised, whether fairly or not is the debate we're having.

And as for this being the worst atrocity in the Holy Church of Rome, well it's certainly the worst this century. It's one a long line of murder, torture, war and oppression sanctioned by various popes, and I certainly don't think it will be the last.

The Head of the Catholic church is pretty rotten and a higher proportion of Priests are rotten, than accountants/police men/doctors etc etc. No other organisation on such a vast scale has condoned the rape of children the way that the Catholic church has. They still fail to acknowledge their own role top down.

So I suppose that now we know the current Pope has assisted at least one child abuser by covering up or enabling the cover up of abuse, should he be allowed into the country.

I am coming round to the view that the invitation should be withdrawn until Mr Ratzinger has stood down and someone else taken his place. To do otherwise seems like we are condoning his actions by welcoming him.

Some of the vitriol expressed towards Catholics on mn is very disturbing indeed and I expect making a lot of mners very uncomfortable. I would bet that a lot of people who are Catholics would actually really hesitate to say "I'm a Catholic" at the moment.

Catholicism is not a club, it is a way of life, it is my faith.

I do not condone the actions of the Priests involved, in fact I abhor them. A lot of work needs to be done to bring justice to those who need it and it is going to be a difficult but necessary process to ensure that this can never happen again. The process has started and as Catholics we need to ensure that it does not stop. Each and everyone needs to work to rid the Church of evil.

By staying in his position as head of the Catholic church he is assisting in it's demise. If the Catholic church had a huge culling of everyone involved in any part of the horrific abuse the Catholic church would rise up out of this crisis.

Ohyou.....what do you think the Pope should do?

ohyoubabbadkitten I can say with totally happiness I Am A Catholic. I am proud of it while seeing that terrible terrible things have been done.

The level of anti Catholic feeling on here in the last few weeks has really upset me. Poeple saying they won't take their DC's to mass as they 'might be abused' that all Catholics 'should feel personally guilty' for what has happened. Even that giving money to the church 'funds the rape of children'.

Yet the number of threads asking how to get their non Catholic child into RC school continue.

He needs to hand over all knowledge of any abuse to the relevant legal authorities. He needs to apologise publicly for any part he had in not preventing abuse and on behalf of the Church in general. He needs to pray for forgiveness and above all he needs to ensure that this can never, ever happen again.

Oh and personally I think London should be raized to the ground. The number of murders there show that it really is beyond hope...

Do you think he should give up his post?

You have to wonder if the church had many more women in higher positions if this would have been allowed to continue.

I do. No-one is having a go at innocent Catholics and I do not doubt their decency and faith for a second.

But if the documentary evidence exists that shows that the pope knew what was happening and covered it up, then how can anyone revere a person who did that.

Surely all respect for his judgement and decency is destroyed.

StrictlyKatty, I am glad that you are happy to say it.

You know, I quiver a bit (because I have a very human desire to be liked!) but I have an ancestor who was martyred for his faith in times before when Catholics were persecuted and that reminds me not to be a coward.

The Pope does not resign. The Pope is changing the Church for the better but it has over a billion members so it takes time.

The Pope is not a bad man, and has committed no crime. The hate some people have for him is quite unhealthy.

For those of you with faith in God can you really be lead by this man. Perhaps this Pope's path is to give up his position to save the church, I heard Jesus did something along those lines.

No Posieparker, I don't think he should give up his post. (I'm not sure he can...?) I think that renouncing sin fully and showing the way forward would actually serve better to ensuring this doesn't happen any more.

Seriously? He failed to report child rape.

Ohyoubadbadkitten I do want to be liked but not an the expense of my soul I just feel so passionately that the Church does such good that to hear people say it should be destroyed hurts me.

And wow about you ancestor, I always question whether I could have been a martyr. Tbh my flesh is very weak and I don't feel I could have done it. At least I feel that I can defend something I love with my words without my pityful body getting hurt

What if he were a head teacher? A member of his staff raped children and he didn't report it to the police because the staff member had cancer and was terminal.

Smallorange I think SolidGolBrass is being pretty judgy in her post above. Inote she has not responded to my post, she implies that anyone who claims to be a Catholic is guilty by association, and i think it is a bit harsh.