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Thread: Pope Francis Should Resign

  1. #1
    Williamsmith
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    Pope Francis Should Resign

    I admit to ignorance regarding the administration of the Catholic Church and to a superficial understanding of the heinous crimes of serial pedophilia committed by priests and then covered up by the Church hierarchy.......

    but in light of the revelations laid out by the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, and the outcry of church members worldwide, as we know Pennsylvania is only a symptom of worldwide abuse of children by the Church......Pope Francis, having been responsible for failure to act on this crisis and even indications of complicity in a conspiracy to cover up crimes committed against his on laity...should resign.

    The apocalyptic nature of this condition on the Catholic Church must be acknowledged and current leadership should be purged. Catholics are fleeing the church in record numbers. The Church has become a scourge against innocents, preying on the very people it should be protecting. It’s time we quit pretending that a bunch of men in robes knows more about being moral and righteous than the rest of us and assume perhaps they know only how to wear dresses.

  2. #2
    Yppej
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    They will never cease to attract pedophiles as long as they deny normal sexual desires and mandate that priests be celibate.

    Buddhist monks in Thailand and China have been involved in similar scandals. It is not something unique to Catholicism.

  3. #3
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    Have to add that this is not a new issue in the Church. I remember reading about a similar (although only one or a few priests) in the 70s. They were moved around and sent to psychiatric "treatment" centers.

    Throw in the nuns running schools and the Irish laundry scandal and I think it is more about power. Give anyone too much power over others and some will fail and take great advantage. The laundries were a profit making business for the church.

  4. #4
    Senior Member rosarugosa's Avatar
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    My contempt for the catholic church knows no bounds. I know many people love the current pope, but as far as I'm concerned, he is still the leader of one of the most evil organizations on the planet. (I was catholic until I became an atheist at age 11).
    I agree that denying normal sexual release helps foster the climate of abuse.

  5. #5
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Religion.

  6. #6
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Do you not think that pedophilia, pornography, sexual abuse and coverups have not been going on for centuries? The MeToo movement? The Catholic Church is not unique in this. Celibacy does contribute to the problem, I think, but it is going on in homes around the world.

    It may finally be the MeToo for the scourge of pedophilia that is long overdue.

    No, I do not think that the Pope should resign but rather provide leadership in leading the way ahead to deal with this. Simply replacing the current figurehead with another who has not demonstrated the leadership that the current Pope has shown will solve nothing. Those demanding he resign are noise makers trying to regain power for themselves. I am not a Catholic in any way, BTW.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  7. #7
    Williamsmith
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    Quote Originally Posted by razz View Post
    Do you not think that pedophilia, pornography, sexual abuse and coverups have not been going on for centuries? The MeToo movement? The Catholic Church is not unique in this. Celibacy does contribute to the problem, I think, but it is going on in homes around the world.

    It may finally be the MeToo for the scourge of pedophilia that is long overdue.

    No, I do not think that the Pope should resign but rather provide leadership in leading the way ahead to deal with this. Simply replacing the current figurehead with another who has not demonstrated the leadership that the current Pope has shown will solve nothing. Those demanding he resign are noise makers trying to regain power for themselves. I am not a Catholic in any way, BTW.
    Razz, let’s acknowledge that the Catholic Church is unique in its world position as a standard bearer for moral behavior yet protects and shields its priests from the application of criminal justice at the expense of the lives of innocent children. And also one should be aware that the leadership of the Catholic Church has been on notice regarding this heinous behavior for many years. That the current leadership has not only shown a disinterest in correcting it but there is evidence that it has been complicit in covering up crimes as accomplices. Only a true purge of current leadership can be the solution, and that includes the very popular but flawed Holy Father Pope Francis.

  8. #8
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    As an actual Catholic, I appreciate the concern and helpful advice from so many non-Catholic and lapsed Catholic well-wishers. I’m sure it comes from a place of love.

    My view is that the perpetrators of these crimes should be treated like any other criminals. I would also like to see the current Pontiff take rigorous action against any who failed in their duty rather than murmur sweet Marxist nothings to an approving press.

    Anything less would be a gift to the anti-Catholic bigotry that has stained the histories of this and other countries.

  9. #9
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    The conduct of the Catholic church hierarchy in response to sexual abuse by priests can only be described as depraved, but I'd be wary of these charges against the current pope. Francis is loathed by many conservatives in the church, so I'd reserve judgment in the absence of solid evidence.

    On other other hand, I've been told by Catholic friends that Benedict was up to his eyeballs in covering up sexual abuse, which may be the reason he resigned.

  10. #10
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by oldhat View Post
    The conduct of the Catholic church hierarchy in response to sexual abuse by priests can only be described as depraved, but I'd be wary of these charges against the current pope. Francis is loathed by many conservatives in the church, so I'd reserve judgment in the absence of solid evidence.
    Thank you for mentioning the internal politics at the Vatican.
    I read this story yesterday in the NYT which sheds some light on the motives the conservatives have in throwing Francis under the bus.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/w...gtype=Homepage

    I agree that the perpetrators have to be dealt with, skeletons have to come out of the closet and at this point the institution of the Church has to take a good hard look at itself. I personally believe that priests need to be allowed to marry, and I also think that Francis started out as breath of fresh air and I would like to see him continue to fight the status quo.
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
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