Suffer the Little Children...

Like many of us over the last few weeks and months I have been made well aware, via news stories and associated articles, of the trials and tribulations of the Catholic church and its offices.
Apologies are now coming from those offices, relating to the Priests of the church who have abused children mentally, physically and sexually.
Just a pity it has taken so long for the acknowledgement and apologies to appear. It's almost as if it's only because the relatively recent disclosures, reports and worldwide news stories have brought the evils perpetrated to light, and to a larger global audience.
Surely not? Can it be the apologies are only forthcoming because the game is up?

The current abuse allegations only cover the last four to five decades but I don't doubt that this has been going on for a lot longer.
The crimes are heinous enough, but what I find most galling is that not only are the apologies apparently considered to be all that is required in this matter, the blame isn't even laid at the feet of those directly involved.
It's someone else's fault, or the corrupt modern society we live in...

First up to the plate, sorry pulpit, was Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Pope Benedict's number two, who said homosexuality, not celibacy, is linked to paedophilia.
Ah. That clears it up, then.
It's only those poor Priests who have been tainted by homosexuality, that evil incarnate that should be burned from our world, that are to blame - not the heterosexual but celibate brethren of the church.
Indeed it's not the fault of the church at all, as clearly they make every effort to cleanse their flock of that heinous sexual deviancy. Some have simply slipped through the net.
Uh huh.
It's one thing to abhor and condemn homosexuality, but to then use it as a get-out clause?

Shortly after that announcement Mexican Bishop Felipe Arizmendi blamed eroticism on television for child sex abuse (as well as Internet pornography) and the temptation of such.
Make your minds up - homosexuality or televised eroticism?
You would think the Cardinals and Bishops in question would get their House of God in order first and the stories straight, before going on record.
Unless they were knee-jerk reactions and not proven or accurate statements.

"The sin of temptation" is something referred to time and again in churches, sermons and by good Christians.
So here's the thing - avoid temptation, and if you can't, leave the employ of God and go find sex, love and happiness with like minded adults.
Porn on the telly or the Internet? - don't watch if it's a sin or if it will lead to temptation.
Eroticism on the telly or the Internet? - see previous
Porn in the magazines and the papers? - see above
Eroticism in the magazines and the papers? - ditto.
And correct if me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Internet porn and eroticism on television are fairly new inventions - certainly as regards how far back many of the known or confirmed abuse cases go.

Some statements did carry a weight of genuine shame and a desire "...to bring the perpetrators to justice."
That comment came from The Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and it formed part of a joint statement on behalf of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales where the "...inadequate response by some church leaders" was also referred to. 

However, whatever the apology, wherever the blame, it's not really as simple as that, sorry.

There are decades, if not centuries, of cover-ups of abuse to face retribution for, so here's how the apology should be presented:
The Catholic church should stick its hand deep into the cassock and fork out as much money as the victims require in compensation for the abuse at the hands of those they trusted.
The church is not short of a penny or two, so let's say that a Trust Fund be set up for the victims, with a seed of £10,000,000.
This fund will be handled by an independent board.

Of course, aren't the offices of the Catholic church just going to ignore such demands and continue to offer too little too late apologies?

Is the Pope German?

Oh, and no-one's God was hurt during the making of this article - although I would imagine any omnipotent being would be sickened and embarrassed by the actions of some of his employees.

Ross Muir
April 2010