The Catholic Church seems to have found itself caught between worlds through the unfolding week of World Youth Day (caught between time references too), an event dominated theologically by doctrinaire and conservative hardliners, but one working hard to adapt the aura, energy and communications tools of youth to its cause. Pilgrims have shopped for merchandise, rocked out to White Metal and Godly rap and linked together through the web 2.0 nattiness of xt3.com.
But then there’s the corrosive little stain of clerical s-x abuse (one invisible to the normally penetrating gaze of the News Ltd press), the unfortunate remarks of certain senior clergy and the lingering issue of whether the pope will apologise to victims, merely make an acknowledgment of their suffering or ignore the whole business.
His Holiness has already shown a readiness to engage you on their own terms with the now fabled Pope txt of Monday. Time to flex the thumb one more time. How hard can it be?
“Ey r-pe victimz.
Jus wanna say soz bout the abuse an stuff.
I tink we should put all this bhind us. Hbu?
The priests r goin to jail btw 🙂
anyways I g2g cya l8er
1nce again, uber soz
gd luvs u, BXVI”
That’d be a start.
Dave, your reply and prior comment demonstrates prejudice in you rather than a “company” mentality in Pell and Fisher
JamesK, apologies from the catholic church about priest abuse, while few and far between today, were unheard of a decade ago. I am arguing that protests of the type seen at WYD have been probably the most significant factor in bringing them about. I am at a loss to understand what you think has brought about this change in the church if not protest. It’s certainly hasn’t come from their lawyers (who are of the ‘admit nothing’ attitude). You are quite right to state that editorials such as this one in Crikey won’t prevent abuse, but that’s because neither abusive priests nor likely victims read Crikey. If editorials like this appeared in main-stream media, on the other hand, then there is every chance they could cause likely victims or their parents to reconsider their total faith in priests not to breach a family’s trust, and thus reduce abuse.
JamesK, I’d agree with you IF the church had been in any way pro-active on this issue. Justice for victims has necessitated action of the type Bolt and Henderson have criticised. Your arguement is based on facts which are limited to the last month, but this issue is decades old and the church only has itself to blame for that. Other aspects of the WYD protests I supported related to the ‘thou shalt not annoy’ laws, which were shown to be of themselves unlawful and were simply ludicrous, although I hold the NSW Government to have been more responsible for these than the church. I have no probs with Catholics holding festivals, but the combination of Government support for the event putting this in the public realm and the church’s own actions on a bunch of issues means that any hope of ‘untainted celebration for Catholics’ was well and truly forfeited.
No Dave ! My original post was about this slimey and intellectually bereft Crikey editorial and not about your: “original issue raised by JamesK which was about Bolt’s quote” .
No need for you to stand on a soap box and lecture us on your views on catholicism in general and on its role in sex abuse in particular. We have heard it repeated by you on many occasions in the past. You have not engaged in a discussion here. We have just witnessed a series of rants from you.
You comment : “I’m sure there’s nothing I can say which will convince you that the Catholic Church has been anything other than wonderful in responding to sexual abuse of vulnerable people by priests” personally offensive. You are dishonest Dave Liberts and at least partially, knowingly so.
I disagree that justice for victims is as a result of anything that Bolt or Henderson have criticised. I do not even know how that could be reasonably inferred.
Conversely an ‘editorial’ such as the one above has done absolutely nothing for victims of child sex abuse by the clergy or more importantly to prevent it happening again.
The Victorian Government hands out $60 million to Bernie Ecclestone each year and Rudd/ Brumby has handed out $70million to Toyota shareholders. Rudd/ Brumby have justifiably been criticised and Toyota/Bernie Ecclestone have not been ‘slimed’ as a result.
Funny that…..