Does the Catholic Church hierarchy condone child abuse?

I heard this story on the news last night, and sadly I wasn't so shocked! The catholic church has done even worse things than this (let's not forget the inquisition). It has nothing to do with God and what he wants, it has nothing to do with Jesus. The church is worse than any mafia! They're only there to manipulate, to frighten, and to control. It makes me sick.

I believe in God with all my heart, but these people have nothing to do with him. And since you asked, it seems like they do have a lot of sympathy for child abusers!

No, silly, do you?

The offender is currently incarcerated, so, even if the Catholic church is not a regular Justice system , the general population of the world will see to it that Justice is served! Thank God!

That is a terrible story!

I'm Catholic. The loss of life is very sad. Was the child's life truly in danger? Maybe the church did not think so, that is why the Doctors involved were excommunicated? As far as I can tell, the Church are not Doctors, so they could not make such a decision as to whether or not the child's life was in danger. Personally, I would think that a nine year old should not give birth. But, if her body is having a "monthly" fertility time, then, maybe her body is really ready for babies? I honestly do not know. Is this a weird body anomaly due to all the wacky hormones injected into beef cattle and eaten by humans? from exposure to pesticides? endocrine disruptors? early puberty is a bad, bad, bad thing. Children look like adults. They start to have wacky adult feelings for the opposite sex, and still want to play with toys like children. They do not have the adult mentality to deal with the raging hormones.

Of course, the girl is not at fault here, the incestious father is! TERRIBLE AWFUL MAN. Justice will be served. Thank God for the rest of humanity that has the morals and decency to lock him up away from the rest of the general population! Where would the church lock him up? they do not have the facilities. Silly YA posters. Justice will be served. anyway.

I don't think they intended to condone child abuse (but then again, you do hear all those stories about Catholic priests raping boys). Even if they didn't mean to condone child abuse, I seriously think they need to reconsider their views though. If the mother wouldn't have survived, then the two kids wouldn't have survived. Then you would have three deaths. And if the Catholic Church didn't think that the 9 year old mother was going to survive, then that's just moronic. There is no way that a 9 year old can support two kids, let alone even one. Who should we believe: medical practitioners who actually have medical degrees, or a hope by the church that everyone would survive?

<<What does the cover up child sex abuse within the Catholic Church do to the authority of the Pope?>> It does nothing to the Authority of the pope because the authority of the pope is not derived from the clergy involved in the sex scandals. <<Catholicism consists of a hierarchy of the Pope, Bishops and Priests and teaches that these can act as intermediaries between God and humanity,>> Not quite. Catholic Clergy have the Teaching Authority of the Church. Therefore, clergymen are the instrument throughwhich God imparts His Dogma onto the Faithful. <<that they are in some way chosen by God and can grant (partially at least) salvation and absolution through confession>> The priesthood is a calling. Therefore it can be said that those men who are priests are called by God to fulfill that ministry. ALL the Faithful, laity and clergy, have a calling to fulfill. <<(and in the Middle Ages salvation could be bought through indulgences). However how can Catholics really believe the Pope is chosen by God if for example Pope Benedict XVI knowingly covered up child sex abuse and did not take sufficient means to stop it from happening.>> Because the presence of controversy in the Church doesn't mean that God is wrong. We're all sinners, clergy and laity alike. Perhaps YOUR ilk is wrong to presume that priests are "perfect". Think about it. Would anyone really be all that amazed to see a morally upstanding person make it to the papacy? No, of course not. However, to see a person - with all the same moral frailties as the next - ascend to the papacy, and fulfill that mission - that's impressive. God clearly has His Fingerprint on that. <<In any other institution if one found ones colleagues were abusing children one would not hesitate to contact the police.>> What you have to understand is that the Church is not "of the earth". Therefore it is not subject to earthly authorities. The Church appeals to the One Higher Power than anything earthly. It's God's "judgement" that really matters, not so much what some legal system thinks. <<Surely if these men are supposedly chosen by God they would not advocate child abuse?>> No one in the Church is actively advocating child abuse. <<Isn't the very fact that the Pope did not act combined with the many failures of past popes (the uncomfortable ease at which they did not oppose fascism or the holocaust) surely an insurmountable objection to the Vatican and the entire Catholic Church having Godly authority?>> First, a pope is judged on his own accord, not on the accords of previous popes. Second, the Vatican did everything it could to resist Fascism and rescue Jews. <<In The Times today Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins claimed that the allegations of sex abuse are merely a 'conspiracy' and even defended the secrecy and cover up by comparing it to not wanting to 'wash your dirty laundry in public'.>> Oh, so that explains it - the Times. The media, especially the "elite media" is no bastion of theological integrity. It does not understand Catholic teaching, so it does not understand the Church. The Cardinal is right. The clergy sex abuse scandals never should have happened, but the fact it is happening doesn't justify the media hype. It is legitimate news, but the media is mistaken in it's "over kill" of the coverage. <<Surely such apparently 'Godly' men would realise that the rape of children was a little more serious than dirty laundry and making this comparison is an insult to the 1000's (or more) that have suffered throughout the centuries.>> You didn't understand the metaphore. More important than the sufferings of ANY victims - to you - is making sure that ALL CATHOLICS EVERYWHERE suffer by your negative comments. You're making victims of all Catholics, not just the ones abused by the pedophile priests! And that makes you better than the average Catholic, how exactly? SHAME ON YOU, for using the Church's bad behavior (real and imagined) to justify your own bad behavior towards Catholics!

1) Does the Catholic Church hierarchy condone child abuse?

No - obviously. Though there have been *individual* members who have shown this attitude - and have to answer to their superiors when they are caught out.

2) The person responsible for the girl's abuse was not excommunicated because his crime was not as serious, as heinous, as the girl having a life-saving abortion.

Now, look at this from the Roman Catholic point of view. To them (and many other Christians as well), a fetus is just as much a person as you or I or, in this case, the mother. Having an abortion, from this Christian perspective, is no different than paying someone to crush the skull of your own 5-year-old child with a golf club. SO, the question from the pro-life point of view is: Is molesting a child as vile as murdering two of your own children?

3) This is the same group who have conspired for decades to protect priests who sexually abuse children by moving them from parish to parish.

No, it is not. Individual officials did *that*. The abortion stance of the Roman Catholic Church is official church doctrine, not the sin of an individual in authority who (improperly) tries to cover up another's sin.

Jim, http://www.bible-reviews.com/selector_rc.html

I read this story too and I didn't know what to do after wards, scream, cry, laugh, curse... it's surreal.

Of course in paper they do not condone child abuse but their actions say something else. Like many people in the US it seems that as long as you're a fetus you have human rights but once you're out of the womb you have the right to remain silent and vow your head in acceptance. I don't know if this is it but one of the things that are wrong with most religions is that they rule over the bodies and the lives of women when their laws and authorities are created for and by men. The Pope cannot die in childbirth so why should he care? let a little girl loose her life because as long as you live on earth you may suffer and be a martyr.

Screw that, if I was the mother of that little girl I would sell my soul to the devil if it meant I could help my child keep the little life she has left.

To the likes of Pepe:

Even if it is conceded that abortion is akin to murder then why does the Catholic Church not excommunicate each and every Catholic murderer especially ones that have killed children?

Sounds like bull-corn. Your cool.

No, they do not.

They are a cult.