Thousands of children abused by Catholic clergy

[lllll]

An inquiry found members of the Portuguese Catholic Church abused nearly 5,000 children since 1950, but authorities can only take action against some abusers.
https://p.dw.com/p/4NPZa

Members of the Portuguese Catholic Church sexually abused at least 4,815 children over the past 70 years, a commission investigating the issue said in its final report on Monday.

The Portuguese inquiry, commissioned by the church in the staunchly Catholic country, published the results of its investigation after hearing from more than 500 victims.

"This testimony allows us to establish a much larger network of victims, at least 4,815," said Pedro Strecht, a psychiatrist who headed the Independent Committee for the Study of Child Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church.

He said most perpetrators were priests, and the abuse occurred in Catholic schools, priests' homes, confessionals and other locations.

The report found most victims were boys, barely older than 11. The youngest victim was reportedly a 2-year-old child.

It called for decisive action by the judiciary and asked for psychological care for the victims and the suspension of the statute of limitations for 30 years.
Only a few cases criminally investigated

The statute of limitations has expired on most of the alleged cases but the committee sent the names of church members reported to the Portuguese Bishops Conference and to the police.

Police have already opened several inquiries based on the committee's initial work last year.

One of the cases was about a 43-year-old woman who said she was raped by a priest during confession when she was a 17-year-old novice nun.

"It's very hard to talk about these things in Portugal," a country where 80% of people say they are Catholic, she said.

"I kept it secret for many years but it became more and more difficult to cope with it alone," she told the AFP news agency.

She eventually reported her attacker to the church authorities but said she was "ignored."

"[We want] to pay a sincere tribute to those who were abuse victims during their childhood and dared to give a voice to silence," said Pedro Strecht, president of the Independent Commission for the Study of Sexual Abuse in the Portuguese Catholic Church.

"They are much more than a statistic," he added.
Church prepared to 'take appropriate measures'

Portuguese bishops were due to discuss the commission's report next month.

The Catholic Church, which funded the commission's work, previously said it was prepared to "take appropriate measures."

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Lisbon in August, where he is expected to meet some of the alleged victims, according to media reports.

The pontiff promised in 2019 to root out pedophilia within the church.

Investigations have been launched in several countries, including Australia, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The Portuguese commission started its work in January last year after a report in France revealed around 3,000 priests and religious officials sexually abused over 200,000 children.

https://www.dw.com/en/portugal-thous...rgy/a-64685194

How can this be going on without interventions for such a long time?

[Daedius]

How can this be going on without interventions for such a long time?

They'd be known but covered up, the Church typically relocated offenders with no judicial punishment. Absolutely disgusting, governments should be fining the church for reparations. Abolish the use of kids (altar boys) while they're at it.

[PC2]

How can this be going on without interventions for such a long time?

It's because we currently don't know how to prevent this from happening without violating other people's human rights and freedoms. Parents shouldn't be forcing their kids to go to these places where their minds and bodies are often abused, but to be fair you could also make a similar argument about secular public schooling as well.

[unfilteredJW]

It's because we currently don't know how to prevent this from happening without violating other people's human rights and freedoms. Parents shouldn't be forcing their kids to go to these places where their minds and bodies are often abused, but to be fair you could also make a similar argument about secular public schooling as well.

Make that argument.

Because, to be fair, that's fucking bonkers to compare.

[Endus]

It's because we currently don't know how to prevent this from happening without violating other people's human rights and freedoms.

It would be trivial. Anyone involved in covering these kinds of crimes up should be prosecuted along with offenders. If a priest got moved to a new parish because of their "improprieties", and continued to offend, that means prosecution for every single Church official who oversaw that process, acting as an accessory to the crimes in question. If that means 90% or more of the Catholic leadership in a given jurisdiction goes to prison, so be it. Giving them an "out" because of their religious position is just corruption and not a question of "human rights and freedoms" at all in any way whatsoever.

Parents shouldn't be forcing their kids to go to these places where their minds and bodies are often abused, but to be fair you could also make a similar argument about secular public schooling as well.

Not without being an entirely dishonest conspiracy wonk, you couldn't.

Go on, show me a public school system today that's actively protecting its pedophile teachers.

[Edge-]

It's because we currently don't know how to prevent this from happening without violating other people's human rights and freedoms.

Yes we fuckin do, otherwise literally every organization with adult men interacting with minors in any capacity would be packed to the gills with pedos, and with their organizations spending millions and millions over decades to cover up and protect them.

Parents shouldn't be forcing their kids to go to these places where their minds and bodies are often abused, but to be fair you could also make a similar argument about secular public schooling as well.

You can't, this is horse shit, you're making shit up.

[mbit2]

Make that argument.

Because, to be fair, that's fucking bonkers to compare.

"The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-med...use-in-school/

Schools had more pedo cases than church. For whatever reason male teachers raping kids doesn't spread as much, whenever you see something its always look at that boy who fucked hot female teacher. *south park nice memes*

[Edge-]

"The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-med...use-in-school/

Schools had more pedo cases than church. For whatever reason male teachers raping kids doesn't spread as much, whenever you see something its always look at that boy who fucked hot female teacher. *south park nice memes*

Per capita or raw numbers?

And I'll note that the two institutions have has let's say...a slightly different approach to handling matters of potential child sexual abuse over the decades, shall we?

I'll note that the "100 times more likely" isn't actually what the report they're citing states because I bothered looking it up.

[Biglog]

"The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-med...use-in-school/

Schools had more pedo cases than church. For whatever reason male teachers raping kids doesn't spread as much, whenever you see something its always look at that boy who fucked hot female teacher. *south park nice memes*

i hope you realize and that the article you posted was an opinion piece, not a news article. That's why editorial articles including the one you linked are labelled as such. I see that happen here a lot and wonder if people understand that posting an editorial doesn't help their case, at all. CBS news article sure, but opinion, um no. Obviously (and even mentioned in the opinion article), there are exponentially more students in public schools than in church settings for abuse to happen. So it's silly to relate those numbers as some sort of conclusion of one being worse. Same reason there are more car accident fatalities than from motorcycle accidents too, because motorcycles are only 3% of vehicles on the road - not because they are less dangerous. Apples to apples and not using creative math, it's been a far far larger problem in churches than schools.

[Elegiac]

i hope you realize and that the article you posted was an opinion piece, not a news article. That's why editorial articles including the one you linked are labelled as such. I see that happen here a lot and wonder if people understand that posting an editorial doesn't help their case, at all. CBS news article sure, but opinion, um no. Obviously (and even mentioned in the opinion article), there are exponentially more students in public schools than in church settings for abuse to happen. So it's silly to relate those numbers as some sort of conclusion of one being worse. Same reason there are more car accident fatalities than from motorcycle accidents too, because motorcycles are only 3% of vehicles on the road - not because they are less dangerous. Apples to apples and not using creative math, it's been a far far larger problem in churches than schools.

It's also whataboutism. The only people disputing that sexual abuse of children is a bad thing are Republican politicians.

[PC2]

Make that argument.

Because, to be fair, that's fucking bonkers to compare.

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations. Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

On Twitter I follow channels that show school kids getting into physical altercations, which isn't surprising because when you coerce a bunch of kids to be in the same place together against their will then it's just a matter of time before they start abusing each other.

[Calfredd]

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations. Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

Preaches about optimism and positivity but then spreads negativity and malicious lies.

[callipygoustp]

Is it any wonder church attendance is at an all time low?

[unfilteredJW]

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations. Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

On Twitter I follow channels that show school kids getting into physical altercations, which isn't surprising because when you coerce a bunch of kids to be in the same place against their will then it's just a matter of time before they start abusing each other.

Absolutely fucking bonkers.

[Edge-]

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations.

Citation needed*

Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

Literally not happening anywhere and this is a malicious lie.

On Twitter I follow channels that show school kids getting into physical altercations, which isn't surprising because when you coerce a bunch of kids to be in the same place against their will then it's just a matter of time before they start abusing each other.

Stop following libsoftiktok lol, no wonder you have the worst takes imaginable.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Being an institution that is literally about ones soul, and life, as someone who isn't a Catholic I can understand the line between doing what is right legally, and seeing things from a moral perspective.

Meaning council, and forgiveness and providence.

However big business', big governments and even big governments. No matter how disciplined they seem will always have bad actors, people that do things outside of the approval of those in charge or the group as a whole.

That doesn't mean in most cases with big groups that if they have labels, and identity as a group that they shouldn't or can be expected to show accountability and responsibility, even for the actors who choices and actions they do not support. I do believe in guilt by association.


That said, I do understand the former and in this particular situation, we aren't talking about a government or a corporation, we are talking about a spiritual group who has a specific charter to try to guide and save especially those of their own members.

I do think the state in this case and the law should divorced from any obligations to consider the above. If any group is breaking the law they should forced to go before justice, and there shouldn't be any political considerations much of which in my opinion has protected these Catholic clergy.

- - - Updated - - -

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations. Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

On Twitter I follow channels that show school kids getting into physical altercations, which isn't surprising because when you coerce a bunch of kids to be in the same place together against their will then it's just a matter of time before they start abusing each other.

The problem is though, public school teachers who do what you state, never actually and specifically held themselves up to a standards to begin with as a whole, nor preached that as a whole and organization of teachers, they wouldn't.


And in terms of level of severity or even quantity, The Catholic Clergy has been much much worse. Teachers also don't benefit from nearly as much political favor or influence. The Clergy on the other hand goes back hundreds of years.


So tit for tat, there is no comparison in terms of over all HARM

[Endus]

Plenty of public school teachers are brainwashing their students with their woke ideological nonsense

Again, all "woke" means is "understands that systemic injustices exist and that we should work to ameliorate/eliminate them".

If you've got a problem with "woke", you're explicitly pro-bigotry and pro-injustice.

which isn't much better than religious leaders teaching kids about their supernatural explanations.

Except that instead of the supernatural, "woke" principles are just about having a basic modicum of respect and empathy for your fellow humans.

Apparently, that bothers you.

Some of these public school teachers are confusing kids about their biology and encourage them to chop off parts of their body before they reach maturity in their twenties...

Oh, so you're a transphobic hatemonger. Shocking. Not really. What you just said is propaganda aimed at harming children. That's your goal here.

On Twitter I follow channels that show school kids getting into physical altercations, which isn't surprising because when you coerce a bunch of kids to be in the same place together against their will then it's just a matter of time before they start abusing each other.

If you're forcing bullshit like transphobia and other petty bigotries upon them while raising them, yeah, it's hardly shocking they learn to attack those they've been taught to hate, because that's literally how you've chosen to raise them.

That's entirely on you raising your kids that way. Hate is learned, not innate.

[mbit2]

i hope you realize and that the article you posted was an opinion piece, not a news article. That's why editorial articles including the one you linked are labelled as such. I see that happen here a lot and wonder if people understand that posting an editorial doesn't help their case, at all. CBS news article sure, but opinion, um no. Obviously (and even mentioned in the opinion article), there are exponentially more students in public schools than in church settings for abuse to happen. So it's silly to relate those numbers as some sort of conclusion of one being worse. Same reason there are more car accident fatalities than from motorcycle accidents too, because motorcycles are only 3% of vehicles on the road - not because they are less dangerous. Apples to apples and not using creative math, it's been a far far larger problem in churches than schools.

They cite data about known cases as you say yourself which allows to compare and the only reason its an opinion piece is because they obviously can only theorize about % not caught.
This isn't rocket science, pedos obviously go where kids are which surprise surprise includes school. Your grade school math is silly. Obviously more people means more victims but it also means reducing by just 1% on 100m saves a lot more kids than a perfect 100% for 100k. Its precisely why improving the thing everyone uses is more important.

Also if it wasn't obvious: church is not a problem when you avoid it in first place. School is however mandatory and concerns everyone.

[Endus]

They cite data about known cases as you say yourself which allows to compare and the only reason its an opinion piece is because they obviously can only theorize about % not caught.
This isn't rocket science, pedos obviously go where kids are which surprise surprise includes school. Your grade school math is silly. Obviously more people means more victims but it also means reducing by just 1% on 100m saves a lot more kids than a perfect 100% for 100k. Its precisely why improving the thing everyone uses is more important.

Also if it wasn't obvious: church is not a problem when you avoid it in first place. School is however mandatory and concerns everyone.

Again, this remains a horseshit false equivalence, since the point here is that the Catholic Church has a long international history of defending and supporting pedophiles in their ranks, who they knew were molesting and raping children, moving them from location to location before they could get caught by authorities.

Unless you can show similar conduct in entire public school systems, you don't have an equivalence to draw. Nobody's disputing that pedophile teachers don't exist. We're disputing that there's any kind of systemic support and protection for such teachers, who are pretty much immediately fired and prosecuted when their actions are discovered, everywhere.

[Edge-]

They cite data about known cases as you say yourself which allows to compare and the only reason its an opinion piece is because they obviously can only theorize about % not caught.

The study, nor any articles based on it, do not do this. The author makes that "100 times" claim but in no article that I've read does she or any of the outlets actually show where that came from.