Grand Jury report on Catholic Church sex abuse in Pennsylvania

[sangreporsangre]

Didn't see a thread on this so apologies if there was one, but I thought this was disturbing and sadly typical of the Catholic Church, which a lot of times seems more like some kind of money laundering pedo-cult than anything else. In Pennsylvania they just had a grand jury release a report on predatory priests and the coverups by the Church in that state going back to the 40s. They concluded that over 1000 kids had been molested by over 300 priests and covered up by high-ranking church officials over 70 years. Who knows what the real number is, and that's excluding Philly and Altoona-Johnstown dioceses because they had their own grand juries, for fuck's sake.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/14/us/catholic-church-sex-abuse-pennsylvania.html

Bishops and other leaders of the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania covered up child sexual abuse by more than 300 priests over a period of 70 years, persuading victims not to report the abuse and law enforcement not to investigate it, according to a searing report issued by a grand jury on Tuesday.

The report, which covered six of the state’s eight Catholic dioceses and found more than 1,000 identifiable victims, is the broadest examination yet by a government agency in the United States of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The report said there are likely thousands more victims whose records were lost or who were too afraid to come forward.

It catalogs horrific instances of abuse: a priest who raped a young girl in the hospital after she had her tonsils out; a victim tied up and whipped with leather straps by a priest; and another priest who was allowed to stay in ministry after impregnating a young girl and arranging for her to have an abortion.

The sexual abuse scandal has shaken the Catholic Church for more than 15 years, ever since explosive allegations emerged out of Boston in 2002. But even after paying billions of dollars in settlements and adding new prevention programs, the church has been dogged by a scandal that is now reaching its highest ranks. The Pennsylvania report comes soon after the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, who is accused of sexually abusing young priests and seminarians, as well as minors.

Some victims said in interviews that they were relieved to finally be heard and to have their perpetrators publicly named.

“I had gone to two bishops with allegations over five years, and they ignored and downplayed my allegations,” said the Rev. James Faluszczak, an Erie priest on extended leave who was abused as a child and who testified before the grand jury. “It’s that very management of secrets that has given cover to predators.”

For others, it was too little, too late. Frances Samber, whose brother Michael was abused by a priest in Pittsburgh and committed suicide in 2010, said, “It’s good that the public sees this, but where is the justice? What do you do about it? Why aren’t these people in prison?”

There's some really infuriating shit in there.

One example of a cover-up detailed in the report concerns the Rev. Ernest Paone, a priest who was caught molesting boys and using guns with young children in Pittsburgh. A fellow pastor intervened in 1962 to stop the police from arresting him. The district attorney at the time, Robert Masters, wrote to the diocese in 1964 to say that he had halted his investigation of the case “in order to prevent unfavorable publicity” for the diocese.

In testimony before the grand jury, Mr. Masters said that he had wanted the church’s support for his political career.

Father Paone was relocated successively to Los Angeles, San Diego and Reno in the following years, with Pittsburgh’s bishops attesting to his fitness as a priest. Among those bishops was Cardinal Wuerl, now the archbishop of Washington. He accepted Father Paone’s resignation from ministry in good standing in 2003, allowing him to collect his pension.

I'm just now reading through the actual report and already my blood is boiling because you see a lot of the actual correspondence from bishops and other higher-ups covering for the sick fucks. Lying to the victims, etc it's impossible to spin some of this shit.

http://media-downloads.pacourts.us/InterimRedactedReportandResponses.pdf?cb=42148

We see it again and again with the Church. We also see it other places, some places that you have a lot of money, power, prestige, patronage, politicking etc you get these situations where men are abusing children and their crimes are ignored or actively covered up. Saville, Sandusky, Hollywood, the list goes on. There must be tons of evil shit that we don't know about all over the world. A constant theme among these is that it only comes out years or decades after, sometimes when it's too late to do anything to certain offenders (Saville the ultimate example) or others who covered it up. It seems very convenient with the timing sometimes and also it seems like big shots who covered up for these monsters a lot of time face NO real consequence, like what's happening here.

Authority figures who actively and demonstrably protected men who they knew had molested children, like some of these senior Church officials, need to be executed. I don't care if it's been 50 years. The Church itself is fucked, we have seen all over the world that priests who molest children will be moved around and even can move up in the Church, like this Cardinal McCarrick. Imo the first thing they gotta do is get rid of the celibacy gimmick for priests. Only a weird fuck would commit to that so right off the bat you're increasing your chance of having sick pedos and molesters in your ranks. Other than that I don't know what to say, they need a massive purge and complete reorganization, actually a complete reformation if you will of their church but we all know there's waaaay too much dough involved for that to happen.

 

[Son of Jamin]

As a believer, it is unfathomable how men of God can use their authority to prey on children and vulnerable people!

 

[Neph]

The Church itself is fucked, we have seen all over the world that priests who molest children will be moved around and even can move up in the Church, like this Cardinal McCarrick.

Yep, over in Australia we have Cardinal George Pell, who is now the most senior Catholic cleric in the world to face historical sexual assault charges. He's the inaugural Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in Vatican City.

Lots of allegations that he covered up child molestation, and now there's charges against him directly for it.

 

[sangreporsangre]

Yep, over in Australia we have Cardinal George Pell, who is now the most senior Catholic cleric in the world to face historical sexual assault charges. He's the inaugural Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy in Vatican City.

Lots of allegations that he covered up child molestation, and now there's charges against him directly for it.

This article mentioned that in Australia there was a royal commission that took 4 years to complete and covered the country as a whole. Is that where this guy's charges came out of? Did heads actually roll over that report or was it all just one big jerk-off session like so many public inquiries are about these types of things?

 

[Neph]

all just one big jerk-off session

 

[Anung Un Rama]

As a believer, it is unfathomable how men of God can use their authority to prey on children and vulnerable people!

They're not men of God. They're charlatans; wolves in sheeps clothing.

edit: I guess that doesn't explain the scumbag pieces of shit that cover up for them.

 

[sangreporsangre]

This also jumped out at me:

The Pennsylvania State Legislature has so far resisted calls to lift the statute of limitations, which has prevented childhood victims from filing civil lawsuits against the church after they turn 30. For many victims, it has taken decades to gain the courage to speak about the abuse, long past when the law would allow them to sue.

The grand jury and the attorney general strongly recommended that the statute of limitations be extended in civil and criminal cases. They recommended opening a temporary “window” that would permit older victims to file civil lawsuits against perpetrators, and the church.

The church has lobbied against any change to the statute or to open such a window, its efforts led by Bishop Ronald W. Gainer of Harrisburg, president of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. But abuse survivors and advocates say that in September they plan to begin a fresh campaign to press lawmakers and Bishop Gainer to drop their opposition.

What a fuckin scam that you can collect millions of $ and operate tax-free and then turn around and use that money to lobby for favourable legislation. I wonder if the activists will be successful, the church has deep pockets.

 

[Anung Un Rama]

The Church should be raided, from the Vatican to every corner of its presence. Take ALL of their documents and freeze ALL of their assets.
Auction it off and distribute it first to the victims, then to the poor.

 

[ShakatheG]

These white men are as bad as the muslim grooming gangs. Scumbags!

 

[babycart]

As a believer, it is unfathomable how men of God can use their authority to prey on children and vulnerable people!

1 Timothy 3:2-5
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

Sex and money: the problem of the Catholic Church.

 

[grimballer]

Catholic Church should reconsider their celibacy laws regarding priests.

Catholic priesthood is/was a perfect spot for closeted homosexuals

 

[Anung Un Rama]

Catholic Church should reconsider their celibacy laws regarding priests.

Catholic priesthood is/was a perfect spot for closeted homosexuals

It has nothing to do with being gay, but I agree the Church should allow clergy to marry.

 

[Billy no mates]

Still rotten to the core , despite the hip and groovy new pope they're so pleased about .

 

[TheTimeIsNotNow]

Religion of Peace

 

[danny23]

As a believer, it is unfathomable how men of God can use their authority to prey on children and vulnerable people!

Oh it's okay, they'll just repent, be forgiven and then go straight to heaven.

 

[Ichibanner]

My family sometimes brings up the fact that I don't go to church. I was raised Roman Catholic, went to Catholic school, and it was all that I knew until I reached adulthood. A classmate of mine was the victim of one of these predatory priests and that led me to forsake all religion. The priest befriended the family and started abusing the older brother. Once the older brother started puberty it was on to my classmate. Grooming, taking them to baseball games, acting as a friend of the family / adult supervisor of the children got the priest access to his prey.

The older brother got into drugs and OD'ed in his 30's. My classmate never achieved anything in life and is a hardcore alcoholic. I truly believe the POS priest destroyed their lives. This was within the Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania; specifically in a church in Mount Carmel.

 

[tkotom]

The Church should be raided, from the Vatican to every corner of its presence. Take ALL of their documents and freeze ALL of their assets.
Auction it off and distribute it first to the victims, then to the poor.

The Catholic Church - for all of its faults - is arguably the largest charity in the world.

 

[Billy no mates]

My family sometimes brings up the fact that I don't go to church........I truly believe the POS priest destroyed their lives. This was within the Harrisburg Diocese in Pennsylvania; specifically in a church in Mount Carmel.

And they wonder why your not keen on the whole church thing.....

 

[ShadBo]

The Catholic Church - for all of its faults - is arguably the largest charity in the world.

And?

They're raping children and covering it up, bro.

 

[tkotom]

And?

They're raping children and covering it up, bro.

Completely irrelevant to what I was replying to. And I despise organized religion more than most.