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Originally Posted by Trigger  You can call it "media bias", but the truth of the matter is that the Catholic Church deliberately covered up their own sins, and they have shown little to no real remorse, IMO, over both the sins as well as the cover-ups.
If this decades-long scandal was the product another denomination, I have a feeling you'd be all over them. I have no problem holding my own church's feet to the fire here.
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I am incredibly upset about this ongoing sex scandal and I converted to Catholicism in the middle of it. I became Catholic because of the theologies the Church teaches are true, given to us by the Magisterium - a group over the course of two millenia that I am sure we can all agree brought together deficient human men to create something extraordinary and divinely inspired... our Church's backbone in the way of teachings via Tradition and the interpretation of the Holy Gospel.
Now, I am sad and angered that power has corrupted some of these individuals. We are all prone to bad choices from petty gossip, to covering our tracks (for example , I have even been known to not make a complete confession because I was too embarrassed to tell the priest all of it). We all like to protect ourselves and what we hold dear. IS THAT RIGHT in every instance? No. Was it right for these Bishops to protect pedophiles... ABSOLUTELY NOT.
With that said, I get really aggravated when I read these types of constant nagging comments about the actions of those in the Church hierarchy over the last few decades. Any practicing Catholic can only hope that those responsible and those who worked in conjunction with the perpetrators to cover up the sinful crimes have made a true and holy confession and have been absolved of their wrongdoing. And that they are truly contrite and sorry.
The Church has responded in agony and sorrow, with apologies and huge sums of money. This should never have happened in the first place - WE ALL AGREE ON THAT - but what at this point should the Church do that it hasn't done, Trigger?
The fate of the souls of all the men involved in these sex crimes should be of paramount importance to any Christian Catholic, we as a body are joined together to help each other gain heaven. If you want less than that for these men, please explain yourself. Jesus Himself was clear that sin is sin and separates us from God and we ALL need Him to be able to be sanctified and to be with God after we die - from SAHMs who yell at their kids to those who commit the most heinous of acts. All of us.
My eyes are almost bleeding with tears for the children who were abused and for their families who feel so incredibly betrayed by those they trusted most. The crime of sexual abuse by a man in a position of supreme trust is emotionally the most devastating. I empathize and pray for the victims daily. I cannot fathom their struggle and the damage they have incurred. I am NOT defending their perpetrators as much as offering that every single soul who has ever been born on this planet has required salvation and has not deserved it - no matter how small or how large the sinful crimes that have been committed.
Once again, I abhor what these men did, I abhor how power can corrupt even the most pious of souls and I abhor that any human being is struggling with a proclivity to sexually abusing children.
All are bad. No arguments here.
The vast majority of priests and religious are good and holy people, self-sacrifcing and driven to help humanity and that should not be overlooked. A few bad apples should not spoil the reputation of the bunch. The social justice mission of our Church is profoundly important and is being overshadowed by the actions of a very few men who succumbed to base, sinful desires or power and arrogance.
Our Church is altogether GOOD and not BAD despite your efforts to demonstrate otherwise and despite CNN and any other media network's efforts to diminish that work.
The Vatican was part of the system/problem.
