Umm did he used to point at people with his middle finger and then tell them to come over here. Oh father Gillespie
Umm did he used to point at people with his middle finger and then tell them to come over here. Oh father Gillespie
check...and agree. was hoping to get a message to her because it is embarrassing. I like her and hope her rep stays A+ regardless of politics.
What also makes me sick is the greed of the Church. We were also accosted to give more and more money. My grandpa’s were blue collar guys. Coalminers (one a bootleg miner) truck driver, small tavern owner. They gave tons of money to the church. By no means were we rich, but did ok by coal region standards. However, that extra money sure would’ve come in handy. Others who were less well off also gave lots more than they should’ve.
Most gave generously as possible to support our local churches, which we were always told were out of money. They used scare tactics to get more money and it worked. Today my families churches are closed despite having plenty of money in the coffers. The places of my families weddings,funerals and baptism’s are gone (St. George, Shenandoah). Money donated to support the local churches, schools and communities by local people with little to spare has been shipped off to god knows where. Many feel duped, double crossed etc.
Most gave generously as possible to support our local churches, which we were always told were out of money. They used scare tactics to get more money and it worked. Today my families churches are closed despite having plenty of money in the coffers. The places of my families weddings,funerals and baptism’s are gone (St. George, Shenandoah). Money donated to support the local churches, schools and communities by local people with little to spare has been shipped off to god knows where. Many feel duped, double crossed etc.
Well, that's 41 years ago now, I don't remember all the little mannerisms. But my old principal was a strange duck, that's for sure. He left after Freshman year - it's hard to separate out all the facts from the rumors and stories. But the record shows he liked young - as in teenaged - girls.
The other guy, there were definitely rumors, but I never heard anything to the level of that described in the GJ report. Really bad stuff.
The damage done by these termites is incalcuable. And I believe the actions of the bishops in covering up for the chomos is every bit as bad. Of course you find that more than several of the bishops were bent themselves. Weakland in Milwaukee, McCarrick in DC, there was a guy in Florida - just OTTOMH.
I don't think the covering up is as bad as the actual perpetrators. And here's why their justification comes from the fact that they believe the almighty God is the only one that has Sovereign power over them not the police and not the law of the United States so when their mind in which they are taught and drilled into them that forgiveness is the ultimate answer in some sick way they believe they are doing the right thing
Never heard that one. Looking back on it, the guy checked every possible box for grooming behavior and made up a few of his own. I guess even when I was a kid, he knew I was not a candidate.
I just read a story in the Allentown Call. I did not know about the car accident thing, I've been in Pittsburgh now for a long time. Glad to hear the old perv is taking the dirt nap.
His escapade I guess was Bethlehem, not Allentown, and then again in Greensburg.
So you think he offed himself? Fine by me.
100 percent and he's just one of the many cases that went before the law and the law failed.
I think Beaver County just did something with their CYS as a result of this.
I think Beaver County just did something with their CYS as a result of this.
As a Catholic and given the revelations of the past 20 years there are two kinds of Catholics emerging, the institutional kind and the faith kind. Sadly I have become a faith Catholic, choosing not to remain associated with the institution.
yes....and that is the bad part. My local church, that I almost never attend, has some awesome people that do awesome work. My local church does a ton of work helping the elderly (meals on wheels, clearing house for appliances, yard work), counseling, financial guidance, etc. In many cases, the local church is the only entity that does these kinds of things.
And this is exactly why I hate the bishops. God only knows how many Catholics have been chased away by their malfeasance. And I don't blame them.
You can forgive the Diocese for having pedo priests - it's a big organization and bad apples slip in, as they do everywhere else. But when they are found out they must be dealt with forthrightly. Not excused. Not transferred around to another unsuspecting community. I mean turned over to LE and dealt with.
The whole idea of Christianity is forgiveness and redemption of a fallen world through Jesus Christ. Christ through his earthly ministers offers the forgiveness. But the wages of sin must always be paid. You are forgiven your sin - but you still gotta go to jail. Give to God what belongs to God, and to Ceasar what belongs to Ceasar.
It's the coverup. It's always the coverup.
The institution does wonderful work all over the world. Catholic Charities is the largest philanthropic organization in the world. Thousands of churches and faith communities provide life giving and life sustaining aid on all continents. The sanctity of marriage, of life, of support for those in need are a part of the institution that must be respected.
I have read and studied the conduct of the Church in the decades long struggle to deal with child sexual abuse. Wisconsin, Boston, Pennsylvania and now Chile and Argentina are so damaging. I walked out of the movie "Spotlight" nauseated. I was angered by having to be "trained" to work around children when I was on a Catholic School Bd. of Ed. and when I served on a parish council. The institution has failed in so many ways that I cannot fathom offering support any longer. I am at peace with my decision and can deal with those who don't see me in church any more. The institution will have to earn back my loyalty while the faith that it is built upon remains with me. There are many like me.
Then he's not going to Heaven.
I know my religon, the good Sisters pounded it into me.
Where the prick goes to is not up to me. I worry about my own self, which is a full time job. What Christ does with him is none of my business.Then he's not going to Heaven.
I know my religon, the good Sisters pounded it into me.
My wife and I are very active in our local catholic church; particularly as volunteers with kids. The background screening and constant "child at risk" continuing education items that we have to go through and attend just to be basic volunteers around the kids is impressive. However, I have to tell you that the Church itself, despite all of this mess, still doesn't get "it" when it comes to this issue, IMO.
For example, I sit through a yearly video on sexual predators. You will find a softball coach, a teacher, and a neighbor/park creep trying to "lure kids." But you know what you won't find in the video? A priest. Same goes for educational materials to the volunteers. These materials are more focused on the evils of pornography and drugs, signs of a bad home life for identifying possible at risk victim kids, and getting kids who seem suddenly "off" to open up to you so you can try and determine if something bad is going on. Nothing on what to do if you suspect a child predator is a priest or what some of these priests did or said to avoid getting caught. I know the Church has that information, share it head on and stop trying to hide it. Information is power, especially in this case.
There is no way to root out child predators from every walk of life/profession. Local news had a story on a multi year investigation into a school teacher/camp counselor and his 5+ victims just the other day. However, the Church has the resources and the size to clean most of this up, but they have to want to do it now and make the hard changes that come with it.
For example, I sit through a yearly video on sexual predators. You will find a softball coach, a teacher, and a neighbor/park creep trying to "lure kids." But you know what you won't find in the video? A priest. Same goes for educational materials to the volunteers. These materials are more focused on the evils of pornography and drugs, signs of a bad home life for identifying possible at risk victim kids, and getting kids who seem suddenly "off" to open up to you so you can try and determine if something bad is going on. Nothing on what to do if you suspect a child predator is a priest or what some of these priests did or said to avoid getting caught. I know the Church has that information, share it head on and stop trying to hide it. Information is power, especially in this case.
There is no way to root out child predators from every walk of life/profession. Local news had a story on a multi year investigation into a school teacher/camp counselor and his 5+ victims just the other day. However, the Church has the resources and the size to clean most of this up, but they have to want to do it now and make the hard changes that come with it.
Totally agree. I'd be far more forgiving if the church were more open, allowed their practices to be audited, and had a history of hammering priest-offenders. But to your point, this was exactly what Jim Clemente warns about and why we missed a huge opportunity during the JS fiasco.
..so, this is the kind of stuff that really pisses me off. apparently, netflix has a show coming out named "Desire" that depicts a 9 year old girl getting off while watching a John Ford movie.
With all the problems we have as a society, is this kind of show really necessary?
With all the problems we have as a society, is this kind of show really necessary?
The good news is plenty of people can decide not to watch it. It is sad that some go that far for shock value, but I'm not so sure I like the idea of censoring the press or the arts because you don't like what they may say or paint or portray.
Clemente's report is one of the best resources on this topic that I have ever seen. I use some of its information when speaking on this topic to the kids we volunteer with. And yes, I talk about potential threats that include priests and other figures in higher authority, like JS, with them. It's too bad that most people saw the report as a Paterno apology piece rather than a resource.
The expert that the Boston Globe cited in the spotlight series, Richard Sipe, estimated that 6 percent of priests were pedophiles, and I think that estimate is still regarded as accurate at least in the U.S. So in a US population of 400,000 priests, that means 24,000 out there having sex with children. That helps you understand that the Pa. grand jury report, as comprehensive as it is, is still only getting at a small fraction of the cases.
On the other hand, 6 percent is 6 percent, it's one in 16. Most kids growing up Catholic did not come in contact with these people. The vast, vast majority of parish priests are innocent of this.
That is a huge number given the context. Now I never really considered the seminary, but I wonder what kind of selection process they use. You would think that psychological testing (as well as thorough background checks) could disqualify a lot of these guys from getting in the door.
Of course in the era when the bulk of the pedos were doing the bulk of their thing, these tools either didn't exist, or weren't being used.
Yes I sat through the videos and lectures and all the while thinking that a pedophile could just as easily endure the "training" and then go about his business. It's what happens afterwards to protect children and to teach them that matters most. The long history of looking the other way, dissuading children from reporting, and silently paying off victims needs reversed, big time. I will feel better if I know that bishops and cardinals are being trained and that the Vatican will come out from hiding. John Paul II received sainthood after the crucial time when a lot of this was going on. I can't get over that.
Honestly. I was wondering if I was the only one who spotted this open pedophila.
One thing is noticed about this report is that there was so many contemporaneous complaints against these priests. Yet not until Aaron Fisher in 2009 did any boy make a contemporaneous complaint about a sex act with Jerry Sandusky (and even then, it took extensive therapy before Fisher came to the conclusion his relationship with Sandusky was sexual). This should really make you wonder. Complaining about a priest in the 1960s/70s/80s had to bear a lot more stigma than a football coach in the 1990s/00s. Still not one boy ever told anyone, let alone an authority figure, that Jerry Sandusky touched him sexually.
C'mon man. Do you really think there was some kind of "pedophile ring" involving the second mile.
And there’s the possibility of maybe they didn’t care.
The vast majority is quite disengenuous. Are you okay with that number in any organization? Knowing this I would not allow my children near a Catholic Church ever.
May I recommend the Polish National Church or the Ukrainian Catholic Church? They have married priests w/ families.
No I'm not. Even if it's only 1 percent of priests, that means the risk is high. You definitely would want to have very clear procedures where your kid would never be alone with a priest. (Or, for that matter, alone with a coach, or a camp counselor, or a scout leader). There are pedophiles in a lot of places, not just churches. Safety is in good procedures -- not letting kids alone with an adult in that sort of context.
For the Catholic Church, I think the question has been -- and will always be -- whether the lifetime oath of celibacy actually attracts people with pedophile tendencies. People who have those tendencies, who fantasize about children, especially if they believe in God, they may think going into the priesthood is the best way they can keep themselves from acting on those fantasies. If you wear the collar, you swear celibacy, you're "married" to God, maybe God will help you keep your zipper zipped, that's the thinking.
I don’t think that’s the issue either. Allowing priests to marry doesn’t mean those men eont be pedophiles. Or that single men still won’t join.
The issue is the culture. They didn’t care. I don’t see why they would now.
Read the bible. The simplistic parable of Adam and Eve explains it. They lived in a perfect world with no problems to manage and broke their vow. God, then, challenged them as human beings; to put them on earth, live their challenges and earn their ascension into heaven. As such, humans have been given the ability to make choices. We are blessed with great things and awful things. Some more than others. Life is about, what the football players call, the grind.
In football terms, without loss there is no win. Without sacrifice there is no exultation. Without conflict, no progress.
I look at a guy like Trace McSorley, who . has probably won more than his share of games in HS and on College. He started as a Sophomore at an elite program and an elite level. I don't know his personal life, but in football terms, I am sure he lives that pass against Pitt (as a soph) and that pass against USC (in the Rose) more than any other plays. I am sure that drives him to practice more and more and more.
Believe it or not, I don't care. But that is what the bible teaches.
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I know in your world these people are like unicorns....they only exist in fantasy land.
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