Ready to be pissed off? Weakland says he didn't know priests abuse was crime.

[WillParkinson]

In the early years of the sex abuse scandal in Milwaukee, retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland says in his soon-to-be released memoir, he did not comprehend the potential harm to victims or understand that what the priests had done constituted a crime.

"We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature," Weakland says in the book, "A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church," due out in June.

Weakland said he initially "accepted naively the common view that it was not necessary to worry about the effects on the youngsters: either they would not remember or they would 'grow out of it.' "

http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/45191277.html

[tj2001]

1. Freakin' evil

"The youngsters either would not remember or they would 'grow out of it' "????

WTF.

[dalaigh lllama]

2. The "common view" ?!?!?

He thought his idea that sexual abuse of kids was not a big deal was a "common view"? What an asshole!

[LaurenG]

3. Ignorance of the law is not a defense.

Yuck! :mad:

[queerart]

4. Diseased Sewer Rat......

Who in the name "Decency" paid this insect to write his memoir?


Is this a new way to funnel money to priests without being scruntinized?


Is he donating the proceeds from this book to kids abused by the Clergy?

[plantwomyn]

5. What pisses me off is that this is in the GLBT forum.

WTF?
Maybe what should be pissing you off is that "Christians" didn't and don't give a shit when females, child or adult are abused or used by Priests. Only when males were are involved is it a scandal. It seems it's okay that priests have "relieved" themselves heterosexually since the invention of the "church" in violation of there "sacred" vows. And by the way, they don't think this abuse of power is illegal or immoral either. They just confess and absolve one another weekly. I'm just amazed they have time to molest anyone given all the hail marys and rosaries the have to do for penance.

[Toasterlad]

6. There's More Than Enough Outrage for the Catholic Church to Go Around

Getting outraged by a priest fondling a little boy doesn't mean we can't be just as outraged by a priest fondling a little girl. The fact that all the media focuses on is the boys is beside the point. Rational-thinking people know that the church, itself, is an evil institution responsible for some of the largest atrocities in history, all the way up to their present-day practice of enabling and sheilding pedophiles.

[plantwomyn]

8. Actually the Media isn't the only one that focuses on the boys.

The Justice Department does too. Just look at the lack of prosecution of heterosexual pedophilia. Hell half of the advertising agencies in the world would go out of business if it were truly frowned on when for grown men to ogle teenage girls. But I guess that's beside the point.
What isn't is that this isn't just a "present-day practice". It's been going on all along. Priests have been "assigned" to third world countries when "treatment" didn't stop their predatory abuses. The "church" sends them to say the Philippines, to prey on unsuspecting flocks with less likelihood on the "media" focusing on them. Places where corruption is so rampant that pedophile priests aren't front page news.

[WillParkinson]

10. It was in the GLBT forum because...

The man just recently came out of the closet as being gay. The original message regarding this was posted in the GLBT forum, so I put the follow-up in the same place.

Apparently the mods felt differently, so here it is.

[dsc]

11. In fairness sex, presuming it is concentual, with an adult female

is no where near as abusive as sex with a child of either gender. I can still see that it is wrong for priests to engage in but it isn't even 1/100th as bad.

[Fresh_Start]

7. In his defense, he also supported the common view

the relegating women to second class would not have any effects on the women or their children either
:sarcasm:

[RetiredTrotskyite]

9. Yeah, Right...

like hell this creep didn't know that sexual activity with minors harms kids! I guess if all else fails, maybe "I didn't know.." will work. Nope, Rembert, it won't wash here. This is why the RC Church (and most others) sicken me. I'm glad the victims of these crimes are coming forward and suing these bastards!