After the preceding article I found this comment particularly astute: "Why is laicization the penalty for assaulting a minor?! This is insulting to lay people! VAT2 says lay people are to be holy. Do we believe that? Just assign abusers to unwashed hoi polloi laity? Why not excommunication? We apply that for grave sin? Not grave enough? #clericalism" This person has a great point. The "punishment" of a priest who abuses minors is to become one of us? The point where I would disagree though is that excommunication is the answer. A man who would live the life that these men do would not care. Did they ever have any faith at all anyway? Besides excommunication can be overturned in a few weeks if the penitent expresses sorrow. What I think should be instituted is prison time. The Vatican has a prison. Use it! Why is it that if you abuse a minor and are not wearing a collar you go to jail, but if you are wearing a collar nothing happens to you?
I agree. The video with Mr Grein speaks to this a little bit. One of the worst crimes perpetuated against the victims of clergy sexual abuse is a loss of faith and even complete disbelief in God as a result. This is a horribly grave sin (IMO the MOST horribly grave sin one can commit) against another human being and IMO should be treated as a capital offense worthy of incarceration at the least regardless of age and prior status. In the interview of Grein he states that McCarrick's count of abuse victims known to the Church is 70 people. Meanwhile out of the blue Pope Francis declares all death penalty sentences off the board for the Church at a time such as this? Very soon I suspect that we may potentially find out about a great deal more that has been going on in the veiled inner circles of the ranks of some American clergy. I suspect that if in Feb there is not sufficient consequences for the crimes committed by these men and women of the cloth that someone is going to leak some very damaging documents regarding the Church in the US. Otherwise, I do not think we would have heard word one about a 300 page report in the first place.
Mr. Grein stated that he has more information that he has only revealed to a few people. He said that if “dies” the information will not die with him. Sadly, more to come. But I see it as Our Blessed Mother is cleaning house. This has been going on for decades...it’s finally coming to light. Time to drain the swamp.
Yes...why? What a set up they’ve concaucted. Civil authorities were often afraid to go after this powerful group. They had special protection for years.
The Church will be reduced in its dimensions, it will be necessary to start again. However, from this test a Church would emerge that will have been strengthened by the process of simplification it experienced, by its renewed capacity to look within itself… the Church will be numerically reduced.—Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), God and the World, 2001; interview with Peter Seewald
After watching that video with Dr Taylor, it is very easy for someone who is distant from the topic to have doubts about the things he is saying. But we must remember that we are talking about a young boy age 11 being subjected to horrific things that happened in the 70's. His knowledge of sex and relationships are just barely starting to form and he has no recourse to help him mentally understand what is happening. Back then homosexual activity was not "out of the closet" like it is today. There was no internet to help you google what all these thing were about. The people who were suppose to protect him didn't. You cannot blame him for having an attitude of cynicism even with JPll. To ask why did he not say something sooner or even suggest why a 20 something old man would let this continue is not a question we should be asking of this man. Why do 50 or 60 year old people worship the devil. They should know better shouldn't they? If the devil exists the God must exist. Why wouldn't someone want to go towards God instead of evil. Possibly they have not formed a conscious? They did not mature? They had no role models in heir lives to lead them towards the light. To suggest that a victim of any sort of abuse should have walked away or sounded the alarm instead of staying and letting the abuse continue imho shows how narrow minded and ill informed we all are when it comes to abuse. Sometimes the mental aspect if far much worse than any physical damage that is done and to be able to think rationally is something that is next to impossible. I ask you to think about your own personal insecurities and then try to imagine what is would be like to have this multiplied a 1,000 times worse and then not having anyone to help you. For years you are in just survival mode. Then you don't want to rock the boat and make things worse. Can you fathom what could be worse than being an alcoholic, a drug addict and then to be continuously molested by a priest who was a family friend held in high esteem. I can't and I pray to God every day for not subjecting me to that kind of test.
I couldn’t have said it any better ! My sentiments exactly!these poor victims...we couldn’t even being to imagine the mental state that abuse would do to you. Most of these victims express similar feelings and behaviors...drug abuse, alcoholism, and suicide. We cannot expect of them what they cannot give. They are barely hanging on to life, let alone faith. God help these dear, poor souls...pray for their healing....and protect them from the evil one who wants to silence them. Dear God, they’ve suffered enough. Without their testimony, more victims will exist. This is hard for them...it takes great courage...they need our prayers and gratitude.
Yes, very many of the victims express the feelings and behaviours you list. Some of them go on to become predators - carbon copies of their abusers. Does that mean they are no longer victims? I don't think so, but they still need to be dealt with to break the cycle. I think that McCarrick may well have been abused as a lad. James Grein said something about McCarrick making his victims act like little boys in sailor suits. I wondered whether that was when McCarrick last felt secure and loved - before he lost his father. McCarrick needs to be punished but I hope that when the punishment is being meted out someone will sit down and explain to him that it is necessary to save little boys like he once was from having their innocence taken away and groomed to be the monster he became. If McCarrick was ever a victim, he needs treatment no matter how old he is despite, or perhaps because of, what he became. A former victim/now abuser McCarrick being punished without receiving treatment would be more about vengeance than justice. That's probably a very unpopular view but I believe that it is the Christian response. I'm still not convinced that James Grein's older relatives were completely ignorant of what was happening to young McCarrick. I don't buy the Orphan Annie/Daddy Warbucks type portrayal. That's not an accusation against James. Also, has anyone established what was the monastic community in St. Gallen? There is a convent just outside the town that's referred to as a monastery but I couldn't find anything about a male monastic community in St. Gallen at the time McCarrick was there. While the church is administered by the diocese, the civil authorities own and run the library and the adjacent buildings and have done for a very long time. It seems to me that James is mixing up actual memories with speculation - his own speculation and that of others. Understandable but not particlarly helpful in the pursuit of the truth about who abused/groomed the young McCarrick and who aided and abetted the older McCarrick. That kind of information could be vital in protecting many vulnerable young Catholics from now on and not only in the US. Nobody can undo what happened to James but we all are obliged to do everything we can to prevent it happening again.
I concur with your analysis of this. I also had questions about james’s Grandfather....etc. I think he loved them and could not imagine that they might even be aware of the predatory nature...if it did exist. Maybe believing that was beyond his ability...? There are gaps in his story...for a multiple of reasons considering his compromised youth. I see you concerns as well. In my observation, I see JAMES as a very manipulapited victim, with sever emotional scares, but a sincere desire to be reunited with the church....and to unmask the evils ...from the top...who used, abused and scared his entire life. If it weren’t for his testimony, more victims would result. He has still not released the full story, He has said that there are five individuals who know all of it. He said that if he should die( or be killed) that the truth will not die with it. Im certain that there is more to come. Victims remain victims...scares and all....until they die. There is a pattern of corruption in the church and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt all day before mccarrick. I do agree that McCarrick was probably a victim as well. I would never presume to judge his soul...only God will...I hope with mercy if he was himself a victim. But we can judge his actions....we need to protect innocent children. It’s sooooo very sad.... No happy endings for anyone here...no victory in this for anyone.... Jesus...have mercy on us all....no judgement on salvation....only God has that prerogative. I hope He is merciful to me at the end of my life. Hell is a place you wouldn’t wish on anyone.... Praying that everyone repents.
Surely the Gallen mafia is known by all of the hierarchy. So why does those within the hierarchy not speak to this evil organization? What are they afraid of? Why is the Church no longer excommunicating "Catholic" Freemasons, who I assume it would be a essential to belong to in order to be within the Gallen mafia. Why does the Church hierarchy, starting with the popes, not speak to this evil group? Once this satanic group is unmasked and the light shines upon them, they will run like the cockroaches they are. All of these evil organizations seem to have their tentacles tied to Freemasonry, just as Father Gobbi said.
