This one goes straight to the pope

.
more out today:
AP EXCLUSIVE: Future pope stalled pedophile case - Yahoo! News


"The future Pope Benedict XVI resisted pleas to defrock a California priest with a record of sexually molesting children, citing concerns including "the good of the universal church," according to a 1985 letter bearing his signature. ....................

The diocese recommended removing Kiesle (KEEZ'-lee) from the priesthood in 1981, the year Ratzinger was appointed to head the Vatican office that shared responsibility for disciplining abusive priests.

The case then languished for four years at the Vatican before Ratzinger finally wrote to Oakland Bishop John Cummins. It was two more years before Kiesle was removed; during that time he continued to do volunteer work with children through the church. ..................

But the future pope also noted that any decision to defrock Kiesle must take into account the "good of the universal church" and the "detriment that granting the dispensation can provoke within the community of Christ's faithful, particularly considering the young age." Kiesle was 38 at the time. ..................."


.

When priests engage in this kind of activity it's like a policeman burglarizing homes or a doctor deliberately infecting his patients.

When priests engage in this kind of activity it's like a policeman burglarizing homes or a doctor deliberately infecting his patients.

Whoa..a biting, but very true comment. Maybe this will help get the Chruch out of its fantasy land and become a little more secularly realistic--I think it will better the world and the Catholic Church in the long run.

Church Inc's crisis PR campaign began with denials and pointing the finger at the media. It painted itself as the victim. The CEO remained silent.

Realizing these tactics are not working, they are softening their stance and indicate that are going through a process of reform.

Here are my unsolicited suggestions for Church Inc to survive this scandal:

The CEO should deliver a press conference during which he will admit that abuse and coverup were rampant for decades. He should apologize to victims, their families and all of the good employees and loyal customers. During this press conference he should deliver the following reforms-

1) The Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (responsible for dealing with sex abuse cases) should be replaced with a human resources department.

2) The new HR department will enforce guidelines for what is/isn't appropriate behavior for employees. For instance, it would never be appropriate for employees to be alone with customers (especially those who are minors) in areas marked as being "for employees only" (e.g. dressing rooms, sleeping quarters, etc.). Cameras should be installed in all common areas of Church Inc property for the protection of employees and customers.

3) When informed of any allegations of abuse by employees, it shall immediately contact the police and suspend the employee with pay pending an investigation.

4) This new HR department shall not conduct its own internal investigations.

5) If any employee is convicted of an abuse crime, HR will immediately fire the employee.

Common sense stuff folks...

At the conclusion of the press conference the CEO should indicate that there is no one more commited to ensuring that these reforms are real. To back this up he should offer his resignation.

Church Inc's crisis PR campaign began with denials and pointing the finger at the media. It painted itself as the victim.

Now that this hasn't made this go away they are softening their stance and claiming that they are going through a process of reform.

Here are my unsolicited suggestions for Church Inc:

The CEO deliver a press conference during which he will admit that abuse and coverup was rampant. He should apologize. He should resign acknowledging that he didn't personally do enough to protect the kids. He should offer his resignation as evidence that true reform is here and that the refor

Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.

Ironically if Church, Inc manages to stay ahead of the curve on this major scandal, by doing just what you say Geo, it could actually give some folks a real reason to rejoin the flock and increase attendance.

If those kinds of reforms are proposed, I'm not buying it for one second. This image immediately comes to mind.

Ironically if Church, Inc manages to stay ahead of the curve on this major scandal, by doing just what you say Geo, it could actually give some folks a real reason to rejoin the flock and increase attendance.

I agree with you completely. This is the case for all corporations and nonprofits. If there is scandal and you handle it appropriately you can come back stronger than if the scandal never happened in the first place.

If those kinds of reforms are proposed, I'm not buying it for one second. This image immediately comes to mind.

And truth be told, I cite those reforms (at least partially) in a tongue in cheek fashion. It is only relatively recently that the Vatican proudly announced a "zero tolerance" policy with respect to molestation. This made me immediately think- what was your f-ing policy before, you SOBs???!!!

So while I believe these reforms are necessary, I find it ludicrous that they even need to be implemented/that they don't already exist.

What other organization has such policies or lack thereof related to criminal activity like the church? What other organization has such a cultural benefit of the doubt for such behavior?

And truth be told, I cite those reforms (at least partially) in a tongue in cheek fashion. It is only relatively recently that the Vatican proudly announced a "zero tolerance" policy with respect to molestation. This made me immediately think- what was your f-ing policy before, you SOBs???!!!

So while I believe these reforms are necessary, I find it ludicrous that they even need to be implemented/that they don't already exist.

What other organization has such policies or lack thereof related to criminal activity like the church? What other organization has such a cultural benefit of the doubt for such behavior?

I didn't read your post carefully enough. If the pope were actually to resign, I might, might be convinced of the sincerity. That would be unprecedented. I still can't get Lucy holding the football out of my mind though.

You seem to forget that the church likes to wait several hundred years to apologize for it's mistakes.

This is all kind of ridiculous. How does infallibility fit in with apologies and resignations?

A Church Mary Can Love

.

Op-Ed Columnist - A Church Mary Can Love - NYTimes.com

"... a pious soul who dies, goes to heaven, and gains an audience with the Virgin Mary. The visitor asks Mary why, for all her blessings, she always appears in paintings as a bit sad, a bit wistful: Is everything O.K.?

Mary reassures her visitor: Oh, everything?s great. No problems. It?s just ... it?s just that we had always wanted a daughter." ........

"In my travels around the world, I encounter two Catholic Churches. One is the rigid all-male Vatican hierarchy that seems out of touch when it bans condoms even among married couples where one partner is H.I.V.-positive. To me at least, this church ? obsessed with dogma and rules and distracted from social justice ? is a modern echo of the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized.

Yet there?s another Catholic Church as well, one I admire intensely. This is the grass-roots Catholic Church that does far more good in the world than it ever gets credit for. This is the church that supports extraordinary aid organizations like Catholic Relief Services and Caritas, saving lives every day, and that operates superb schools that provide needy children an escalator out of poverty.

This is the church of the Maryknoll Sisters in Central America and the Cabrini Sisters in Africa. There?s a stereotype of nuns as stodgy Victorian traditionalists. I learned otherwise while hanging on for my life in a passenger seat as an American nun with a lead foot drove her jeep over ruts and through a creek in Swaziland to visit AIDS orphans. After a number of encounters like that, I?ve come to believe that the very coolest people in the world today may be nuns.

So when you read about the scandals, remember that the Vatican is not the same as the Catholic Church. Ordinary lepers, prostitutes and slum-dwellers may never see a cardinal, but they daily encounter a truly noble Catholic Church in the form of priests, nuns and lay workers toiling to make a difference." - NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
.
I would like to see grass root efforts for reformation in the church. Maybe a non fundamentalist Catholic Church ....... ?



.

Or we could just all get together and help others and do all sorts of good without the church...

Much less overhead.

Or we could just all get together and help others and do all sorts of good without the church...

Much less overhead.

And fewer costume changes.