Oh those Philadelphia Catholic priests are at it again.
You know what I mean.
We like to tiptoe around this disgusting embarrassing subject by calling it things like,
"the issue" and "the scandal", then we all shake are heads and go about our daily lives not giving it a second thought.
Those who do give it a second thought are the child abuse victims of the 21 Catholic priests from the Philadelphia area who were suspended yesterday, the result of ANOTHER grand jury investigation that took place recently, concerning their sick behavior.
I'd love to print their names in BOLD, but you see, the church is still doing the cover up thing.
That may be the most disgusting aspect of this whole "issue."
I can look up and find all the sexual predators who live in my area by visiting the Megan's Law website. Finding out the identity of these Catholic Priests who prey on children again and again....well, it would be easier to uncover the identity of a CIA operative gone bad.
I'm telling you, this is one tight knit operation. I know this first hand.
You see, we're special here in the Philadelphia area because the archdiocese has been the subject of not one, but TWO grand jury investigations concerning sexual abuse by priests.
I'm so proud.
The first one, in 2005 turned up 63 priests who were not playing nice with children, and it showed there was an extensive cover up by the Church.
This latest investigation came up with 30 some priests. But Church goers in my area were put at ease when Cardinal Rigali said, " I assure all the faithful that there are no archdiocesan Priests in ministry today......who have an established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them."
But 6 days later, he suspended 3 Priests who WERE active. Oops, my bad.
Yesterday, 21 were suspended.
And what's with this "suspending" of priests? Suspensions are for NBA basketball players who miss the team bus. Suspensions are for High School kids who get 15 demerits for acting up in class. (In an effort of full disclosure, I was one of them.)
But Priests who have abused children sexually should not be suspended. I have other ideas, but they are unprintable.
So, the latest 21.....what is their fate? Oh, Cardinal Rigali really brought the hammer down.
They can't say Mass in public.
They can't rock that cool while collar any more.
They can't hear Confession.
Wow! That'll teach them.
There has been reports of Priests sexually abusing children in 23 countries around the world.
I'm just wondering what kind of demonstrations there would be if these accusations were against Walmart instead of the Catholic Church?
Fox News gave this latest Grand Jury report 1 minute and 36 seconds of coverage yesterday.
CBS news followed up with 1 minute and 23 seconds of air time dedicated to this latest abuse.
Lady GaGa gets more coverage.
For those Catholics who get great solace from attending Mass on a weekly basis, in spite of the turmoil that exists in the Church today, my hats off to you. And I'm glad.
I was raised Catholic. My resume shows 12 years of Catholic schooling, which means I can tie a neck tie in my sleep.
I was a much sought after alter boy. It seems I had just the right touch when it came to ringing those bells during Mass. If you rung them too loud, you'd hear about it afterward in the Sacristy.
I played CYO basketball. Our record was 24 wins, 1 loss. ( The only bit of good news in this post)
This post isn't written to get people to leave the Catholic Church. If you 're happy, I'm happy. This post is written for those of you in denial. In case you are still in doubt, feel free to visit
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/pa_philadelphia/Philly_GJ_report.htm#mulholland
and peruse at your leisure.
But for a more personal touch, scroll down to Father John Mulholland.
Father John was a friend of the family and unfortunately for my memory bank, he married my wife and I.
Here's the Cliff notes for Father John.
incidents: 6 male minors. 1 camp worker.
Case study: In 1968 a mother brought her pastor 2 sadomasochistic letters written by Father John to her son.
A later report of a boy being strung up and wounded by the priest.
At the time this Grand Jury report was printed, he was STILL ACTIVE.
Don't be denying this any more
You can't make this stuff up.
9 comments:
Thanks! I wasn't brought up Catholic, but I think if I dug I would find such behavior in other religions too. These men in leadership that should set a good example think they are above the law, they end up having egos that tell them it is OK. I saw this in the news, but appreciate your report.
Wow, Mark. I do not have the words to express what a powerful piece this is. It is more than sad--it's criminal that the church which values the sanctity of the life of the unborn postures itself as the protector of child predators. Thanks for the post.
OMG! Celibacy is completely unnatural and I've often thought the RCC was crazy for trying to enforce it. Maybe removal of certain male bodily parts should be a prerequisite to joining the priesthood! The secrecy around all this makes me ill! That and the enormous wealth held by the church in Rome that should be spent on helping people.
P.S. I'm not Catholic and, generally speaking, have a problem with organized religion. Hope you can forgive my bluntness.
I was raised Catholic and no longer have anything to do with the religion. I am appalled that this is STILL going on. I tried going back when my children were born and that was short lived when the priest blamed us for 9/11 on the Sunday we all needed comfort. The way the church operates is disgusting on so many levels. Your post speaks to me, Mark. How awful about the priest that married you...
Wow. Tough topic. I sure am glad you talked about it though, your right not enough media coverage, sad that they are being protected. String em up! Im not Catholic, I am sorry for the boys, I hope that they were able to find peace in their lives. They should be able to put this behind them, with the church protecting pedophiles, it must be tough for them. Thanks for making me open my eyes to it.
Mark, You are not only an excellent, sensitive, and insightful writer, you're one of the bravest I've come across in a long time. I am grateful to you for the BLOG... always... but this one. Wow! Thanks you.
A superb piece of writing once again. And yeah - hey, you can't hear confession. Well whoop de doo! This sort of thing has been tolerated by the hierarchy for years. Appalling.
Isn't it disgusting? Yes, celibacy is completely unnatural and it's ridiculous to continuosly mandate that these men live that life.
However, men who sexually abuse children are a completely different animal... that's not just about the task of celibacy, that's sickness. They use the priesthood to hide their sickness, to have a platform to prey easily on children. The use a position of power that is seldom questioned. How about a prison sentence and complete ban from the church?
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