THE U.S. CATHOLIC CHURCH IS FACING AN UNPRECEDENTED WAVE OF SEX ABUSE INVESTIGATIONS

[phands]

Not really a surprising headline, but noteworthy in that more states have launched investigations. There can now be zero doubt that the RCC has lost its right to exist....

By Carter Sherman Oct 25, 2018
In the months since a Pennsylvania grand jury announced the names of more than 300 priests who’d abused at least 1,000 children, authorities across the United States have launched investigations of unprecedented scale into sex abuse within the U.S. Catholic Church.


On Wednesday, Virginia became at least the 15th state where officials have announced a plan to investigate sex abuse allegations within the Church. At the federal level, the Justice Department has subpoenaed records from at least seven of Pennsylvania’s eight Catholic dioceses, the Associated Press reported last week, in a probe believed to be the first of its kind, according to the Survivors Network of those Abuse by Priests (SNAP).


"And it is long overdue,” David Clohessy, SNAP's former national director, told CNN.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article...nprecedented-wave-of-sex-abuse-investigations

 

[Lion IRC]

And it is long overdue says the victims advocacy group.
...now, finally ready to tell their story to the authorities at long last.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Thank God! Now those dirty atheists will get what's coming to them!

 

[atrib]

And it is long overdue says the victims advocacy group.
...now, finally ready to tell their story to the authorities at long last.

Better late than never, I say.

But based on your previous posts on the subject, I think you are implying that some or all allegations of abuse may be false or should be disregarded because of delays between the alleged abuse and the incident(s) being reported to authorities. I agree with the broad principle that justice should be served swiftly whenever possible, and accusers should step forward as soon as possible to report instances of abuse. That being said, we also need to recognize the circumstances specific to the subject. The Catholic Church wields enormous influence over the lives of it's parishioners. The priests of the Church are not just respected members of the communities they serve, but are, in the eyes of many, direct representatives of god. Also, children can be unreliable witnesses, may not tell their parents about incidents of abuse they may have been subjected to for a long time, and many may not even develop the maturity to understand what has happened to them for many years, until they become teenagers or adults.

In a perfect world, all instances of abuse by members of the Catholic Church get reported immediately. But in a perfect world, priests do not molest children either, so there would be nothing to report. I think you will agree with me that we do not live in a perfect world. That justice can sometimes take years or decades to get going. But slow and imperfect as it is, it is the best system that humanity has been able to come up with, and late is better than never. Agreed?

 

[GenesisNemesis]

And it is long overdue says the victims advocacy group.
...now, finally ready to tell their story to the authorities at long last.

Yeah cause abuse doesn't take a long time for a person to process or anything. But let's ignore basic human psychology. You have to, if you're a religionist.

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

And it is long overdue says the victims advocacy group.
...now, finally ready to tell their story to the authorities at long last.

Yeah cause abuse doesn't take a long time for a person to process or anything. But let's ignore basic human psychology. You have to, if you're a religionist.

Not to put too fine a point on it but religion IS basic human psychology in action, something we ought all aspire to rise above.

 

[Lion IRC]

Yes, I agree, religion IS basic human psychology.
The other day I was counting religious/spiritual emojis. There's so many!
Churches, mosques, praying, bibles, Crosses, Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, rosary beads, dharma wheels, Star of David, menorahs...

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Yes, I agree, religion IS basic human psychology.
The other day I was counting religious/spiritual emojis. There's so many!
Churches, mosques, praying, bibles, Crosses, Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, rosary beads, dharma wheels, Star of David, menorahs...

Thank-you for demonstrating my point.