@Eleanor of Aquitaine: but anyone who remains a member of the Catholic cult in light of it’s recent history is culpable too. By staying as a members, all catholics are part of the problem and by association complicit in the cover up.

@ChuckE: not all Christians are catholic

@Dell: Crocodile Tears of ‘Papa’.!!!

@Mairtín: exactly. But you know he and all the others didn’t know.. They didn’t get any reports or hear so much as a whisper of it..

@Mr. Fantastic: when I said you I meant people following any religion while criticising another

@Mr. Fantastic: I should have said they, my apologies in being unclear

@Mr. Fantastic: If someone relentlessly defends a Church that shelters child abusers, they’re unlikely to be a fan of child abuse but they’re definitely a huge part of the problem.

That much is certain. Anyone who is trying to shirk the disgusting past and present of this institution is betraying the victims of abuse. Any ‘real’ Catholic wouldn’t be defending the Church at this stage, they’d be vocal critics, as many are.

@Mr. Fantastic: your argument would be fine if it was one leader or a handful of leaders or if it was for one period of time. This has been from the church’s beginnings and has been systematic. People burying their heads in the sand is not good enough anymore.

@Dermot Lane: It may be easy to say, and it may even be easy to accuse, but for some people, and especially a part of the older generation…being Catholic is a part of their identity. The beliefs, the ideals, the shared experiences with family members, friends, their local church and community…and which is actually personal and not tied up with the larger scandals which have embroiled the church. I was brought up a Catholic…like the vast majority of us here…like the vast majority of Irish people. It is just something which is part of the fabric of our lives, especially the formative years. And yes, I realize that for some people those formative years were tragically and unforgivably violated in the most brutal and evil fashions by some member of the Catholic clergy, and there was a systematic cover up by the Administration of the church and Vatican….but that entity is something which is largely divorced from the average Catholic. The average Catholic is somebody who is part of a community linked by faith and beliefs, by shared experiences and a devotion to something bigger than themselves…which is their faith, their community, their beliefs. And I am not a Catholic anymore. I am lapsed. I dont believe in God or any parts of the religion…I am essentially agnostic bordering on atheist. But it doesnt mean that I believe the church has NO place in society. Yes…it very much needs to clean up its act and own up to and not shout down any claims against it…but that is the church as an International Administrative organisation…that is the hierarchy…that is the Vatican and the College of Cardinals, the Holy See and the Bishops…that isnt the people sitting in the pews on a Sunday morning, or volunteering for the many religious charities and societies like St. Vincent De Paul. I understand that many people are angry, that many people are frustrated but honestly, taking this anger out on people who just want to believe in something and be a part of something in their local community is just wrong. There are many levels and many ranges which the word Catholic applies, and not all of them are bad, or secretive, or corrupt in any way…and they do not deserve your anger. In many ways, many parts which form part of the Catholic brand, and many people working within it are only there to try to do something good. Tarring the whole thing, and anyone who is even slightly associated with it, all for the misdeeds and wrongdoings of only a part of it….thats just wrong. Its very ill informed. Its actually ignorant and fueled by bitterness. So…by all means lay whatever charges you like at the door of the hierarchy…they maybe deserve it. The average Catholic on the street who just wants to be left alone to believe what they want and practice that belief as part of a community should be left alone…they bear no responsibility for the evils which are not perpetrated by them. And if it is identity politics that you want to play…then nobody should be free of persecution. If every member of a group should be judged on the misdeeds, wrongdoings and evils of one or a small minority within it….then we are all guilty by your reckoning of something…and we all should be ashamed…and you cant get any more Catholic than that…now can you??? But if you believe that you hold no shame for the misdeeds of any other…then you have to apply those same criteria to everyone else.

@Karen Wellington: well maybe…but then is anyone who has ever given a piece of clothing to St. Vincent De Paul not doing the same thing??? They are contributing to something which is at its very core Catholic. Or should we only promote and give to those Catholic entities which are not linked with paying the wages of priests??? Im not condoning any part of the ugly past and present of the Catholic church…but at the end of the day the parish priest is a good person in most places. I know personally very well that this is the case…from actual personal experience with a family member who the parish priest had been there for in lots of ways through a very hard time…and I will always be grateful to that man for his kindness and his comforting a family member even though I rarely go to a church, and only then for weddings and funerals…and I dont support them financially. But without that man, that priest that service, that relationship which my family member benefited from is gone. So why shouldnt the Catholic Community sponsor a priest willingly…the priest in their parish who in return ministers to them willingly…is that not a contract with the priest and not with the Vatican??? Those people who sponsor him a living are not enabling a paedophile or protecting one…they are giving to a covenant which they do so willingly for their community…nothing else in most other ways.
How would you have a priest survive Karen??? By begging for alms???

@Dell: God bless the child that suffers from the hand of any man, woman or another child.

@Gillian Scully: i agree with your sentiment Gillian. I don’t believe in a god so I believe it is up to us to make sure they are listened to and treated with compassion, love and not accused of slander.

@Mr. Fantastic: moronic comment. You can’t see beyond the dichotomy as usual, cling to the whole ‘well look at them not us’ ignorant nonsense.

@ChuckE:

Yes that makes them just as bad, that’s why true Christians need to stand up to these false Christians and report any evidence of abuse to the authorities. IMO Pedos, Sadists and degenerates joined the church because they seen it as an easy way to get to children, not because the followed the ways of Christianity and Jesus Christ.

@Dermot Lane:

No, not all Catholics are part of the problem and complicit, these filthy Pedos and Sadists are there to undermine the church, they are not Christians… Search “Bella Dodd” & “Manning Johnson”.

@Karen Wellington: then u Karen, as a taxpayer, are culpable for all the ills in our society such as awful healthcare, unequal pay, injustices against travellers and refugees .. or perhaps a better and more reasoned approach is to remain as part of that society and the political process and work to eliminate the ills of our society. Much like many good Catholics try to do within the church.

@Eleanor of Aquitaine: sorry but there’s no other word. All Christians condone violence. The pope is their boss so either agree with him or you are not on his side. Remember he has a direct line to the Christian made up god

@jon-boy55: you’re dead right Jon, they should take a leaf out of Australia s book and lock him up.

@William Bright: But Pope Francis was lenient on convicted abusers, too, reducing their punishments.

What exactly is his policy? Lenient on child rapist priests and tough on their victims?

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/02/27/pope-reduces-sanctions-against-some-paedophile-priests/

@Malachi: if I knew who my bishop is I would as him to rescind yer man’s invitation to Ireland.

@Dermot Lane: I thought he had a bit more to him. I was wrong.

@Jane: I did hope so myself for a while

@Paul J. Redmond: the church is playing the long game.

They know that as an organisation they’ll outlive all the abuse victims. All they have to do is last a few more decades and the vast majority of victims will be dead.

@Barry Somers: that’s assuming they are not creating more victims as we speak. I think that’s a big assumption.

@Jane: oh they are, we’ve heard very little about African country’s so far and parts of Asia. There will be more victims

@Jane: Religious orgs are inherently backward Jane.They are legacy control structures borne out of pre-science attempts at rationalizing our environment.

@Chris Finn: victims exclaimed the same no doubt without the lol

@Kate Flaherty: I agree

@Ian Phillip Creaner: I’ll be a good year in the egg selling business…

@john Appleseed: I wonder would the gardai allow a peaceful protest.

@Martin Ryan: if you notify the right people and tick all the bureaucratic boxes they cant stop you…

@Ian Phillip Creaner: there should be how much will it cost to host his visit…modern forward thonking gov my a***

@jp tobin: 20 million roughly

@Paul Whitehead: he is doing what the church always does, attack victims or people who are showing them up

@Havana na na na: He’s going through the scores of abortion porn pics he has to pick out a few to send to Meehole along with his letter, angrily written in green biro, of course.

@Anthony Clark: what evidence does he have that the victims are lying