Pope's Handling Of Abuse Case Not That Big A Deal
The Times continues its "what did the Pope know and when did he know it" series today, this time with a story that claims Benedict "was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested," having been appraised that "a priest, whom he had approved sending to therapy in 1980 to overcome pedophilia, would be returned to pastoral work within days of beginning psychiatric treatment. The priest was later convicted of molesting boys in another parish." Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is unimpressed.
Let's say Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, now the pope, did in fact learn of the transfer. So what? Wasn't that what he expected to happen? After all, we know from a March 16 Times story that when Ratzinger's subordinates recommended therapy for Hullermann, he approved it. That was the drill of the day: after being treated, the patient (I prefer the term offender) returns to work. It's still the drill of the day in many secular quarters today, particularly in the public schools. A more hard-line approach, obviously, makes more sense, but the therapeutic industry is very powerful.
I am not at all aware of any public schools today where teachers who sexually molest their pupils are given their jobs back after a brief spell of therapy, but if that is in fact the case then I have been underestimating the power of the teachers' unions for way too long. In any event, a response of "So what?" is astoundingly offensive, particularly if you read the documents concerning Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, the American priest who molested hundreds of deaf students. You can find them here, but I should warn you that they make for horrifying reading. This, for example, comes from an interview with Murphy by the archdiocese of Milwaukee, and is a profile of his victims. The fact that it's handwritten somehow makes it even more terrible.
But, you know, that was all a long time ago, and they did things differently then. So what?
We'll all be dead eventually anyway. Jesus. Lighten up.
The only inevitabilities are death and child molestation. Take a chill pill guys! Sheesh!
If there really is a God, these guys are all fucked.
I think it's more likely that an actual God would be either some sort of unbelievable monster or an insecure narcissist. These guys'll be fine.
"Hi. You're My type."
ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE! We had three teachers removed from my high school for "indiscretions" (one male teacher having a relationship with a female student, one female teacher having a relationship with a male student, one male teacher who was a little too eager to show off his porn to students; this combination is also know as "the sampler platter of shame."). None were allowed to return.
Our superintendent was arrested for a relationship he had with a male student. It was later discovered that in the district where he had previously worked he had been asked to resign after a polaroid of him kissing a male student on a school bus began circulating. They determined it was easier to have him resign and write him a GREAT letter of recommendation than it was to investigate and remove him. But that's different than what the grumpy Catholic man is alleging. Also, the police confiscated his couch as "evidence" in the molestation case. Gross, right? We were all so sad, thinking of his wife and daughters sitting on milk crates glumly watching TV.
Anyway, with the exception of the superintendent who was pawned off on us like a lemon on a used car lot, none of the people involved ever worked with children again to my knowledge after their "indiscretions" first came to light. And he hasn't again again, but a criminal conviction and jail sentence for child molestation is pretty high barrier. I don't think any priests get to go back to work after a conviction either.
I recently skipped my 10 year reunion.
Gomorrah High, class of '98.
Further anecdotal evidence from local school district:
- Female high school teacher fired after discovered having sexual relationship with female student. Not allowed to return to district, unemployable in other districts.
- Male middle school teacher fired after found with porn on computer, a computer students also used. Not allowed to return, ended up working at Sears.
Not to sound all militant, but if schools can be this hardass on teachers who pull this crap, why can't the church take this line with its criminal priests?
There are more teachers (and more people who will become teachers) than there are priests or people who want to be priests. Add the whole "we are Men with a direct line to God and thus can never be wrong" to the dwindling numbers and you've got the ideal climate for covering up dispicable behavior.
Apparently Donohue and Michelle Rhee have strategy sessions together. /DC city politics joke SORRY.
Has that been an issue with Rhee? I thought her whole thing was drumming out unacceptable-for-whatever-reason teachers, to the consternation of the unions. (I'm not in DC, so my awareness is limited.)
'lacking in social skills'
#understatements
I think they are referring to the deaf kid not the perv.
Also – whatever happened to eunuchs in the church? Can't we put THEM in charge of the chilluns?
@kitten: yeah, working on my first cup of coffee (thanks)
Though I am sure the perv is lacking in social skills too. But it states "hero worship of LM" LM is the perv.
They could do double duty in the choir as castrati.
That's what I'm sayin'!
Also the fact that they're deaf – it's really disturbing to me how sexual predators truly seek out the weakest in the pack, which is why it ENRAGES me when people equate homosexuals and pedophiles in order to scare people.
They truly are sexually dysfunctional, I don't need to 'coerce' a man my own age to sleep with me or tell them 'not to tell' (frankly I have to beat them off with a stick HEYO!!!)
Why should the Pope be held accountable for the atrocious and despicable practices of the Catholic church just because he had a direct role in implementing them? And besides, he probably didn't read the memo, and ignorance is well-established defence.
Blame the therapeutic industrial complex.
Yes, that is possibly the lamest thing I've ever seen.
So his argument is "the public schools do it so it's ok that the church does it." Besides being a horrible slander against public schools, this is exactly the sort of relativism that folks like Donohue claim to be so vehemently against.
Not to inject the site-who-must-not-be-named, but this is topical and too good not to share.
Short version: Journalist sent to cover possible abuse in Vienna Boys' Choir is named Roger Boyes.