The figure of 4444 people reporting abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics between 1980 and 2015 has seemed staggering to some. I was surprised that people were so shocked.
It is important to note the figure only represents those who have come forward and reported their abuse to some 90-odd Catholic authorities.
The rule of thumb for police investigators like those from VicPol’s Sano Task Force, is for every victim who comes forward, at least four will not.
There are those victims who cannot come forward, who are deceased, their lives often ended by suicide or in a storm of recklessness.
There are others who won’t ever come forward. They may a feel a victim’s shame at the abuse they have suffered. More often they appreciate coming forward will come at significant personal cost, the prospect of family dislocation, the ugly business of clerical sexual abuse meeting religious clannishness.
What we can safely say is the real numbers of victims is much higher than the 4444 figure. We will never know the exact extent of it but a speculative figure somewhere north of 20,000 victims of clerical paedophilia since World War II is not an unreasonable one.
Full column here.
Power failures again in SA – no. not windy. Too hot this time.
Hang on Yvonne, wait for the soon to be posted reneweconomy link.
Still peddling false information razor. No surprises.
When the facts are written I will present them. where is your screaming at the AEMO for not allowing the Gas fired plant to come on line to keep people powered.
What do you now? NSW rolling blackouts but wait they have coal power how can that be??
http://reneweconomy.com.au/coal-reliant-nsw-faces-rolling-blackouts-as-accusations-fly-in-south-australia-40115/
Oh dear, the Australian Energy Regulator highlighting Queensland and NSW have higher prices because of their lack of renewable. razor you like the AER data don’t you. Not too mention then rolling blackouts in those states.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/high-energy-prices-blame-fossil-fuel-generators-not-renewables-84196/
No Surprises. “The Coalition has launched a campaign of half-truths and outright lies to demonise renewables, and Labor has shown itself to be stunningly incompetent in holding them to account – even with the reports from the CSIRO and Alan Finkel at hand.”
http://reneweconomy.com.au/greedy-energy-industry-too-clever-by-half-kicks-an-own-goal-91210/
I see the submersible canoe society is having to build a power station so the can power their efforts. What a dismal joke
Poor Dismayed off the air again Yvonne LOL. Bring back those Coal Fired Power Stations I say asap! The Chinese are whacking them in hand over fist.
Proving your ignorance again Yvonne. The Australian Energy Market Operator would not allow the Gas Fired Power station to come online. They preferred to keep prices artificially higher than needed and told the Privately owned SA Power network to load shed. You like razor just don’t like facts.
how can the market maker get away with that? pelican point operators had idle capacity?
I used to do a bit of derivative work on electricity, smoke. Ive never seen it done but it shouldnt be that hard to fiddle the market if you really wanted to. Enron managed it in the USA with fairly spectacular results, although that was a “free-er” market.
“You’ve got Pelican Point sitting there – the most efficient gas generator in the national electricity market – and it’s very much underutilised,” said Dylan McConnell from the Melbourne Energy Institute at the University of Melbourne. “That’s a commercial decision. Engie decided to sell their gas to the export market,” he said.
Right got it….no domestic reservation
What kind of people ban homosexuals from anything?
The trouble with homophobic abuse is that it very often leads to suicides in the gay community and that’s a very real and tragic reflection of a so-called civilised society. How do I know?
I know this because my brother did make it through his youth despite years of suicidal thoughts coupled with countless bashings by Qld police in the vicinity of a gay club & he was made to pay large sums of cash to these ‘criminals’ if he and his friends didn’t want to be locked up at the station all night. That fear of police stays with you he says, and so does no respect for them. I hope those cops can’t sleep at night. Ever. My wonderful brother now holds a Masters in Social Work & councils young students at a Qld Uni, some still subjected to ongoing hateful slurs & violent abuse.
Your last sentence says everything Penny.
My best, Bella
Well it’s quite obvious that SA has problems finding an operable mean btw it’s renewable power sources and generated power. I don’t know what I’m talking about when it comes to the technical details So Dismayed can relax. I’m not interested in, nor will I partake in, petty arguments.
Quite clearly there is a problem in SA that needs to be addressed.
There is a problem with the AEMO artificially keeping prices high. the gas fires power plant sat idle. the ignorance of the cons for sake of cheap points on display as usual. Never let the facts get in the way hey?
The current government obviously will do anything to stop renewables. That’s a given.
Their big donors depend on it but the reality is Australians no longer want our full energy investment to be spent on filfthy polluters.
I’ve just seen Morrison on the news hand around a piece of coal in parliament like he was proud of his ignorance. Pfft to their lies.
I’m so over parliamentary stunts particularly after yesterdays ridiculous debarcle.
Turnbull’s harbourside mansion is worth tens of millions I’m told but it just goes to prove what I’ve always said, wealth does not buy you class.
My best guess is that elitist display will come back to bite him sooner or later. The whole thing was a big old distraction that the Libs need, coming at a time when they announced even more gouging for families & welfare.
This is the worst bunch of inept dickheads Australia has ever had the displeasure to witness & I’d like you to know that I for one do appreciate your informative posts. I know you can easily stand up for yourself but this gal looks forward to each installment so stick around Dismayed.
My best, Bella
Hear, Hear, Bella, Hear, Hear.
It’s kind of like the whole “industrial revolution” didn’t happen here in Oz–or it’s being repealed. SA can’t get the lights on but intermittantly. The Vic Libs just said they’ll vote to permanently ban all onshore gas production. We can’t build a dam for hydro. Nuclear gives Aussies the heebie jeebies thanks to Helen Caldicott. And now we have to build a diesel generator to make sure we can keep the ship building industry at work.
I suggest we replace the chairs in all of the state legislatures with giant hamster wheels to produce electricity. These idots seem to think we can run a modern economy on hope and unicorn poo. “Australia is a lucky country, run by second-rate people who share its luck.”
Re your last I believe it was Paul Begala not Leno, mate.
I’ve seen two provenances for it and thought Leno wittier than Begala. But, I could be wrong!
It’s disputed but Leno was good at pinching gags.
If you ask me, Dwight – the problem boils down to having 6 governments running a country with a population the size of NY. They’re all squabbling amongst themselves and with the federal government. Overseas, they must think we’re crazy.
Scrap them and the deficit would fade into the distance.
Brilliantly put Dwight.
Irony is, Yvonne, the power useage probably comes from the airconditioners used to combat the heat…
Ive done some quick research on this and it appears the problem is the inability to ramp up base load quickly. Thats solveable in 4 ways: more plants (coal or gas) with permanent base load (thats quite inefficient by the way); better interstate connectors so excess capacity can be switched from other places; more renewables so there is a permanent minimum supply (and a better diversity of renewables); and batteries.
The problem isnt renewables per se. the problem is a lack of forethought and planning.
Incidentally, as any west australian familiar with the pilbara coast (and anyone who knows the story of the wreck of the Batavia) knows, the Pilbara coast is subject, from about september to March, to huge and constant winds (I mean 24/7 – no exceptions). That wind – which the Dutch used to cut their journey time to Jakarta (batavia) down to a number of weeks – makes an absolutely 100% reliable source for wind generated electricity during that period.
Agree Darren.
AC’s consume a lot of power – so when everyone turns them on at the same time (presumably when people got home from work?) an overload is going to happen.
We had power failures in Melbourne now and then in hot weather – probably for the same reason. But they were short and easily rectified.
It is significant that there was no wind when this happened so they did not generate enough power to cope.
What is puzzling is if they knew that, why there was no backup power? There appears to be a lack of communication/cooperation/planning. Whatever. Not good enough. Weatherall looked like a rabbit in the spotlights at his presser.
It shouldn’t be happening – and it’s obviously worrying the South Australians – who are buying generators for themselves. You’d want to be in the generator supply business these days! Even more worrying that a power source has to be built to provide guaranteed power to build those canoes.
As Dwight says here somewhere – it’s ridiculous. We’re looking a bit third world…………:(
When you can’t rely on guvmint to supply electrons do it yourself. Buy a diesel generatorand stop paying your power bills
We now have this other stuff now called Solar and batteries to store the power for use when required. Diesel, Kero? like Queensland. robin it is no longer 1950.
It seems your heartfelt undertaking to our conveyor to stop being an authority on stuff you know nothing about didn’t last long Darren.
“More renewables so there is a permanent minimum supply”. Don’t you understand that is a contradiction in terms, which got SA in the mess they are in now?
As for your reference to the Batavia, what are you talking about? The wreck of the Batavia is on the Abrolhos Islands, closer to Geraldton and not the Pilbara. The reason it got there was the muniteering crew who deliberately sailed of course, had sweet FA to do with the wind.
Now, Geraldton is the wind capital of the world, where the trees grow at right angles just to put up with it. Wind farms galore? Bullshit. WA has 10% renewables, the lowest in the country.
Out of touch much LoToD?
http://reneweconomy.com.au/high-energy-prices-blame-fossil-fuel-generators-not-renewables-84196/
Stick you alternative facts.
http://reneweconomy.com.au/like-trump-turnbulls-energy-policy-is-based-on-alternative-facts-25100/
It’s odd that a defused backbench Senator is more newsworthy than up to 40% of some Catholic organisations being accused of being paedophiles Bald. I’ve found not one report of Muslim clerics buggering young boys and girls as opposed to the Catholic and Anglican churches.
Dill Shorten on 7:30 report. Another ‘soft’ interview. Bill has nothing to say, Plenty of ammo to use be tactically bereft. My cat Moke could have done better Bald. If Malcolm is a Fizza Bull is a reverse Catherine Wheel. Jason, Andrew, Jim…strike up your dib for the leadership!
Is it true Soapy Mirabella will be put up for the Senate next time…hope not.
What about that guy who hit 300 in a T20. Indian I think?
Baseman, there was a case in Morocco a couple of years ago when an Imam was discovered raping a young boy in a local mosque. What happened to the Imam was to say the least, brutal and let’s just say he didn’t live to face the courts.
something similar happened 25yrs or so ago …..godfather and uncle dished out a helluva hiding, and the miscreant died sometime after from complications.
Terrible business
Good. Justice I say.
man-boy sex is quite common right across North Africa, the Middle East, and at least as far as Afghanistan, not sure about india but certainly in Bangladesh.
as is boy-boy and man-man sex.
it is very often the only sexual contact that single men have.
whooshkaa have excelled Jti, having all episodes of your podcasts in one location.
this link gets thrown out there frequently.
https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/ballarat-s-children
On abc news this morning they livecast from the hearings going on. One of the questioners, of the Archbishop from QLD, was going along the path that (and correct me if wrong) organisational/structural methods weren’t in place (presumably to prevent what has occurred) in which the Archbishop could question a priest as to their sexual activities. The Archbishop responded that he didn’t think he could do that (but he could listen if divulged; and presumably suggest or enforce a course of action). and if he did he could be told to mind his own business. Fair enough, or not? Could a General ask a subordinate their sexual proclivities/activities, or a headmaster the same, or a CEO? Beyond that what guarantee of an honest answer? The defence forces have had issues with bastardisation and sexual improprieties, schools of all types have had their issues with paedophilia and other inappropriate stuff as have many organisations. I am just wondering whether this line of questioning would follow the same line with other organisations, and whether it would be considered acceptable in other organisations? Consider the implications, or brouhaha, if that was to happen.
On the matter of aberration. I thought our PM was on fire today in QT.
CotC….on fire maybe, but is that the point of QT.? I found the whole thing pathetic, because what did it achieve? Zero, nought, nothing. What he’s doing is showing us all is that his back is to the wall and he can’t think of anything else to do. The polls aren’t going to move away from the Labor Party, because he’s put on a vaudeville show. I just wish they all, Bill Shorten included would grow up.
And where are the answers to the Centrelink debacle, the Medicare stuff ups, the Nauru and Manus Island issues? I love good comedy, but this was embarrassing.
Jay Leno — “Politics is just show business for ugly people.”
Penny, you may have noted that I prefaced my short quip at 5.54pm with the word “aberration”, so I don’t disagree with your appraisal re the present PM’s ‘out-of-character’ role during Wednesday’s QT. But then again, the parliamentary pantomime twas ever thus, don’t you think?
In comparing MBT’s performance with pollies of the past, you must have been beside yourself with absolute discomfort if ever you caught PJK in full flight.
Or perhaps you were too young to be exposed to such displays (wink, wink).
Carl, I thought it was good theatre but designed to impress his colleagues rather than put down Shorten. I thought the Rudd arrangement that meant a sitting PM couldn’t be challenged without clearing huge hurdles was stupid. I’m starting to think it was very clever. Even though I think Shorten is a dud, the one thing that Turnbull can’t throw back at him is that his own leadership is shaky. It is an attack that both sides have used when the going got tough but the new Labor arrangement has neutered it.
I reckon that Rudd rule, designed by Rudd to save himself, was the only thing that saved Shorten when his ratings plummeted, Mac. Maybe it can now be regarded as a pretty smart move.
Mac, I thought the “Rudd arrangement” included Labor leaders, whether they were PM or not.
Re our present PM, it remains to be seen whether he can sustain his new-found parliamentary persona during QT. I think not.
I see the “parasitic sycophantic” cons support vitriolic dishonest personal abuse now. Turnbull has let the country again by his cheap personal attacks thereby empowering the eternally outraged cons and right wingers to use the same method even more than they usually do and legitimised this ugly type of political cheap shots. turnbull is unfit to lead he again exhibited the same lack of control he did on election night. All his disgraceful outburst has done is incite and divide just like trump. Absolute disgrace.
This is your parasitic sycophant deer leeder dismal
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/blogs/tim-blair/bill-tells-it-straight/news-story/2ee9384e488b6e3876d50c635f3a0694#.VY5H0savDNc.facebook
Brilliant Robin, a very funny skit.
Oh, don’t be so humble Dismayed! You’re not that great yourself.
You use every conceivable flaky opportunity to whine, moan and snivel about “cheap personal attacks”, and worse, coming from those you don’t agree with, whilst at the drop of a hat you have zero qualms about labelling others as being blood-sucking, disease-ridden, toady, lickspittles.
Its an absolute disgrace alright.
As someone who claims he only attacks when abused first I note your use of the term ‘parasitic sycophant cons’ must be some term of endearment to the people who posted on this thread.
The PM has made the term “parasitic sycophants” acceptable he was obviously projecting his own failings as cons do.
razor stick to turning a blind eye when it suits and benefits you.
JtI – There should be absolutely no prevarication under any circumstances, of the extent of the outrage on vulnerable innocents, perpetrated under the guise of religion. Attempts of the level and depth of such infamy being deflected devalued and diminished by so many of those who claim to preach the gospel, is as crushing as it is abominable.
Jack, your relentless empathy and energy together with that of your like-minded friends and colleagues, in exposing the plight of those disparate, desperate and wounded souls overshadows, surpasses and engulfs much of what the so called “true believers” regard as a pathway to sainthood.
Whilst there were/are many “black sheep” in the various flocks within our communities presenting themselves to do good deeds, one hopes the prevailing view is that many such members were/are not so afflicted. Aberrations occur amongst many groupings within our societies and the subject at hand indeed raises the question of just where one should seek refuge, guard against and prevent such abominable behaviour as you have so often outlined..
Your ‘pen’ in this instance Jack, and always has indeed been mightier than the sword.
The Royal Commission Hearings into Child Abuse established by Julia Gillard is currently in motion….
7% of Australia’s Catholic priests have been ‘at it” sexually abusing kids from the 1950’s to the present day.
The figures are even higher amongst some of the church’s religious orders.
40% of all teaching brothers in the St John of God order are being investigated for abuse and ‘grooming’.
22% of the St John Bosco Order are also being investigated for serial abusing. Then of course are the large number of priests, some 900 defrocked by the Vatican.
Recently I heard a report that in the Newcastle district alone $20million had been spent on legal fess defending priests and compensating the abused. I hope this does not come from hard-earned ‘plate money’. Our compensation is miniscule compared to the USA where it runs into hundreds of millions…why? Because the Catholic church in this country is quite cunning. The church as an entity cannot be sued like in the USA.
The worst aspect of this is the manner in which Bishops and the Vatican have failed to confront the abuse.
In many cases priests have been just ‘moved on’ to practise their abuse elsewhere or even worse sent overseas to seek refuge in the Vatican.
In some Diocese 15% of priests were found to be perpetrators by the Commission. This demonstrates that paedophilia is rampant in the Catholic church is concealed and is even protected by the confessional.
4444 people reporting abuse at the hands of Catholic clerics between 1980 and 2015 is staggering as you say Jack but what about the ones we don’t know about? Iceberg? Tip?
The Royal Commission was one of best things Gillard ever initiated much to the chagrin of people like Paul Kelly. It was disgraceful for Kelly (once the doyen of journalists) to berate Gillard for saying her commission was “driven entirely by politics” , “gesture politics”, “a serial exercise in populist politics” back in 2012. I wonder if Kelly holds the same view after the wonderful work and revelations the commission has brought to our attention.
This adds new meaning to ‘suffer unto me the little ones’
Well said Bassie……
I think Julia should be given heaps of credit for the RC.
There were many efforts to water it down but she stood her ground.
Yes, it was probably the best thing she did.
Shocking Mr Insider I am one of those shocked. Is it the fact that, as I understand it, as a Catholic Priest you cant have sex as normal people and they take it out on the less fortunate, the most vulnerable? I am at a loss to explain such depravity from an organisation allegedly preaching Godly love! Shameful.
The ill informed Bishop of Brisbane says celibacy is not an issue and cannot be used as an excuse. The whole celibacy thing is a con invented by the clergy hundreds of years ago so their assets could not be passed on to the families of priests. Come to think of it, many of the apostles, past Popes married. Jesus was married and had kids according to a heap of theologians. Mary Magdalen? Between the ages of 12 and 30 nobody knew what Jesus was doing. I assume he wasn’t being celibate.
Read letter XIX of C S Lewis’s Screwtape Letters. Because they are separated from the normal humanising aspect of their sexuality it pushes out in a more brutal perverted manner.
Don’t frighten me any more than I am already frightened!
Malcolm delivered the most screamingly funny attack on Shorten’s social climbing in QT today ! Hilarious. Worth a look if it’s on iView. Turnbull at his best.
I don’t often watch QT, but if it’s as good as that, it’s better than going to a comedy!
Here it is for those that missed it – pure gold
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-08/turnbull-and-shorten-trade-barbs-during-question-time/8252540
Sorry I can’t agree Yvonne.
I’m afraid I can’t see the funny side of two desperate parasites ranting insults at each other when they’re both paid by the taxpayer to do their jobs.
Having a dummy spit only serves to further demean what is loosely called parliament in this country.
Is it any wonder at all now, how One Nation came to pass.
Say, if you happen to run into Bob Brown around town, could you, on my behalf, BEG HIM to give it all another shot. Real men with real empathy like Bob are quite simply gone from politics and we’re left with the unwanted scraps.
Regards, Bella
RE Bob, Bella. From the times I have bumped into him, he seems relaxed and enjoying life in a quieter lane. At the moment he is campaigning to save the Tarkine from logging. It’s what he does best – standing in front of the bull-dozers. It’s very effective too.
Re Turnbull’s Cristal speech. Don’t you think Shorten has had it coming? He has enjoyed himself ridiculing Malcolm constantly with his politics of envy stuff. . About time if you ask me – and it was a wonderful piece of off-the- cuff rhetoric. It certainly brightened up the end of QT.
I happened to watch the whole session yesterday.
What was disgusting was the laughing, guffawing and shouted comments from Labor during Turnbull’s congratulatory speech to the Queen on her 65th anniversary that opened QT. . Even the speaker was disgusted. Whatever one’s belief in the monarchy, it was an eloquent compliment on an amazing 65year reign.
Unfortunately that behaviour has been list in the aftermath.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, not so?
It was a good spray, no doubt. Malcolm had to show the troops he has the mongrel in him when required and he did that.
Like Juliars effort at Abbott that was a carefully constructed spray that probably took weeks of effort to rehearse. The turnip could never speak off the cuff
Rank Hypocrisy as usual from the cons.
These blokes are pulling in a screw of nearly a million a year to put on a performance like this. And did you see Mad Barnaby Joyce? I am sure I saw him reaching for his blood pressure tablets.
Dill Spewin’ is a mug for going there
Question time is to ask question to try and hold the government to account. This latest omnibus bill has many losers if passed, especially young Australians. The PM has shown just like on election night he is NOT fit to lead. All it has done is get the right wing fruit cakes all amped up. Disgraceful personal attack by turnbull. He is NOT a leader. He is just like abbott when challenged. Disgraceful. Turnbull let the whole country down today.
AWWW Your poor deer leeder walked into a sucker punch. Awww please Mr umpire he his not allowed to do that fowl fowl.
Go bury your head dismal
Robin you are delusional. It appeals to grunts like you because it appeals to base emotions of conflict. You lack the emotional intelligence to understand it undermines this country and empowers grunts like you to amp up hate speech. To further diminish the role Leaders of community have. The fact you think it is great proves why it wrong.
query the bill by all means .. Dills harbourside bullshit doesn’t help, as he found out.
the omnibus isn’t reported in the news , trumbles bluster gets the airtime
Yes proving he has failed the Nation and pushing us down the disgraceful trump path. He is not a leader. leaders do NOT empower hate speech like he did yesterday.
Me delusional dismal. You drink delusional if you think that bottom feeding scumbag you call deer leeder fit to lead. Your lack of ability to see your own bias has made you a paranoid miserable excuse for a human bean
Imagine what he would be like off camera, Yvonne say to Brendon Nelson, or anyone else in his own party that he thought beneath him (most!). Perhaps a brief glimpse into his polarising popularity, as i’m sure he can be equally charming. makes me think of Ted Bundy!!
Good on you Jack, for keeping the focus on the police cover up.
I was listening to an interview on RN this morning with someone who has written a book on the church and abuse – with regard to the effect that the vow of celibacy may have on the activities. Much has been made of this.
I have sometimes pondered on this and wondered if it could have been a scenario where persons inclined towards paedophilia, or even homosexuality, which was hidden in the closet in those days, saw the church as a readily available source of victims or homosexual partners.
Did these priests/brothers actually have a vocation for the priesthood – or did they sign up to get access to get to these innocent victims, not really being interested in the religious side of it at all?.
The answer is probably all of the above, Yvonne. I don’t think celibacy is the real issue. If clerics had consensual sexual relations with other adults, I don’t think too many people would mind and certainly there would be no crime committed. Some seminaries like Corpus Christi produced a staggering amount of convicted priests while St Francis Xavier in Adelaide produced none. So there are cultural factors in some places but not in others. Also worth remembering trainee priests joined seminaries and brothers’ training colleges at very early ages, sometimes as young as 15 or 16. These were kids developing in every sense of the word but whose psycho-sexual development froze, their physical attractions sticking with boys and girls.
Your last sentence makes a very significant point Jack. I hadn’t thought of that but it makes a lot of sense. I hope it has been addressed.
Maybe so, JTI, but I cant shake the feeling that if there had been married priests in the catholic church, interaction between the offending priests and married priests (and their wives) would have winkled them out faster (sorry, no pun intended) and priests committing these offences would have been much less tolerated by those in authority.
I saw a survey once many years ago conducted by the church in Rome where priests asked about their personal life. It was anonymous but found nearly 70% of Italian priests had an active sex life.
If you missed it trendsetters you should google for Dickie Fidler’s interview with Jack about Day and what went on in Victoria. Riveting stuff.
If I may put my oar in here, I don’t think celibacy is the issue. I have known some terrific priests, one who left the priesthood when he had to admit his homosexuality, but who still plays a predominant role in naming and shaming the paedophiles within the Catholic Church. He still regrets not speaking up a little more forcefully against Cardinal Pell. You would know who he is JTI.
I also know that whilst priests (and nuns for that matter) take vows of celibacy, there are quite a few who have consensual relationships with adults. And that’s fine as far as I am concerned, but the fact that the Catholic Church knew what was going on with these child abusers and still let it happen is what I can’t forgive…….
I listened to the excellent Religion & Ethics Report on RN on the way home tonight and an “expert” was being asked about celibacy. He estimated that world wide 50% of Catholic priests are celibate (or not). It wasn’t just a number out of the sky, he drilled down to it.
An interesting comment was that priests in Japan regard celibacy as not really a convention they even need to observe. I’d love to know if Japan has had the same abuse issues Australia and the rest of the world has had.
Must be the same talk I referred to in my comment below. He was on the Breafaast show with Fran Kelly earlier. That was what prompted my comment below initially.
It is not only cattle ticks involved in child abuse but even the salvos got a guernsey a well. Members of all religious groups have imposed themselves on children. I can remember 60 years ago being the target of a member of the temperance society. Fortunately his fiddles never got in the way of a healthy appetite for singing syrup in my more mature years. I think that people who have implied power will use it impose themselves on kids who do not have the ability to defend themselves
One thing we can say, is it is almost always the most pious who are the most dangerous to be around.
Yep for sure, Jack.
Same thing when I was in business. We used to say that, in the event of theft or fraud, it was usually the longest serving, most trusted employee that would be ripping you off.
just another reason to avoid the sanctimonious, whatever it that they are congratulating themselves on.
Interesting post Yvonne.
I too used to think celibacy had to be the common denominator with these abusers, however, I’ve seen for myself just how deliberately nasty priests and nuns can be towards young children. Actually, those two years I foolishly sent my son to a ‘highly recommended’ catholic priimary school for grades 1&2 taught him and myself that the roman catholic church may be special for little girls but the priests hold a special kind of loathing for non-catholic little boys who were often verbally denounced by the frock wearers as non-persons in the eyes of their ‘god’. Even little baptised catholic boys got cuts on their tiny hands from ‘the ruler’ administered by a man of hate not faith.
A person ‘inclined toward paedophilia’ I’d agree would certainly have a reason to join the priesthood but a normal homosexual man has absolutely zero interest in having a sexual encounter with a child, especially not of the tender age that priests set out to destroy.
I’m not surprised by how many child victims of sexual abuse still remain silent stretching back over the years & years this scourge has gone unpunished but how can we be certain the church will ensure this will not be happening today. We know just how keen they’ve been to lie their way through the RC especially that sanctimonious Pell.
Regards, Bella
What I meant whe creferring to homosexuality. Bella, was not a penchant for children, but for their fellow priests. They lived in male only circumstances.