RFK, Jr. Discusses Catholic Church Scandals

[GoLeft TV]

Run time: 10:13 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wT9tSYCK0E   Posted on YouTube: June 28, 2010 By YouTube Member: golefttv Views on YouTube: 4   Posted on DU: June 28, 2010 By DU Member: GoLeft TV Views on DU: 1227

 
Pope Benedict announced a few weeks ago that he would be meeting with the families of victims who had been abused by Church leaders. This was a result of the numerous recent complaints coming from parishioners from all over the world. But the current problems in the Catholic Church stem from the way the Church has been operating for decades – information is suppressed, dissenting views are discouraged, and the truth is kept secret from the world. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. talks about the history of the Church’s practice of hiding information with James Carroll, author of Constantine’s Sword.

[pundaint]

1. It's clear that the leaders of the Catholic Church are trying to sell us faith

that they don't possess. The scammers understand the con. The church, and most churches feed on the faithful.

[timefortherevolution]

2. MOST religions feed off the faithful.

Islam for extremists is really a mask for power and oppression too

[patrice]

4. Not if the faithful do not allow themselves to be fed on.

What you say applies to ANY collective, even the ones that you approve of. It's the nature of collectives.

.................................................

Zero sum thinking is so very crippling.

[pundaint]

14. Hence all that talk about sheep and flocks.

[patrice]

3. K & R! This is important information.

[defendandprotect]

5. You left out of the recap: "Feminist power is oppressed" . . . very important--!!

Thanks for this -- interesting -- informative --

Like James Carroll and have read his works.

I'd also suggest that the right wing within the church has also arisen to power only

through violence and strong oppression of more liberal voices --


Vatican II also kicked Papal "infallibility" in the arse . . .

as Pope John XXIII acknowledged the right to freedom of conscience in all issues --

and he stressed "including the right to use one's own conscience to decide for oneself

whether or not to use birth control."


Greatly admired Pope John XXIII -- and he did a great deal to foster peace in the world!



Also the "Misogyny" of the Church is too little discussed here --

Occasionally we see Celibacy challenged and the limits on the role of women in the church --

specifically as priests --

but this is overall a male-supremacist religion --

from the "one-all-male god" to the oppression of females!

[patrice]

7. Re internal Catholic oppression: Check out something called The Order of the Spur

[defendandprotect]

11. Actually, it's "Order of the GOLDEN Spur" -- or "Order of the Golden Militia" -- here's link --

Here's the link if any others are interested ---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Golden_Spur

[patrice]

8. And, then, there's also this, re the sisters:

http://ncronline.org/news/women/vatican-investigates-us-women-religious-leadership

[defendandprotect]

9. How's the RCC doing in Kansas . . ???

Thanks for the suggestion and the link --

I'll check when I can --

:)

[patrice]

12. Don't know a lot, since I no longer go. There was a move tto excommunicate

Kathleen Sebelius for her Pro Choice support.

There's the usual # of pedophilia cases in this region.

There's a radically conservative Catholic sect in St. Mary's Kansas

[defendandprotect]

13. Yes, remember the threat to Kathleen Sebelius for supporting CHOICE . . .

Re radical Catholic sects --

I'm hearing from a friend in North Carolina that there's a huge

right wing control of at least her church there --

very right wing area anyway -- very MIC --


I don't know anything about the church either -- "recovering Catholic" --

left as soon as I could -- after Catholic elementary school!

What an insane experience that was!

However, where I live here in Central NJ and from what I see as I go towards

the shore areas south of me ... the RCC is thriving -- huge real estate holdings in

expensive areas -- and expanding.

In my town, I was shocked to see the huge expansion of the Church here -- almost looks

as though the members are purposefully ignoring what other Catholics are rebelling against --

all of it from celibacy, male-supremacist views to pedophile priests.

That's the right wing for you!

I'm sure that they are also being very careful about the priests they put into these

wealthier areas!

[defendandprotect]

10. Re the link, specifically . . . women have the power to turn the RCC church to swiss cheese . . .

if they wish --

It has always been women who have kept the church going -- thru volunteering --

and in bringing new children into the world and placing them into the Catholic faith.

PLUS, the nuns, of course! When they left the entire Catholic school enterprise

failed. These nuns were essentially working for free!



PS re the investigation -- looks like a new witch hunt in the church?

[patrice]

15. I prefer to keep institution and the people separate. I REMEMBER being taught, in

high school, about the primacy of individual conscience and how "God's" love IS accessible to anyone. I also remember Cardinal Bernardin's teachings on the unity of ALL life.

The support of these wars by Christians in general, and Catholics in particular, has been anathema to me.

I believe that the life and death of a man named Yeshua illustrates the freedom needed to find the truest truth you can. That's what all of us are supposed to be doing and churches, ALL churches, more often than not impede that instinct. And I believe Jesus was killed by his Church-State for being too free and every innocent person anywhere in the world who dies, for whatever cause, at our behest IS, in fact, for real and truly Jesus being killed again and again because of our sins/flaws/errors/shortcomings/or whatever.

[defendandprotect]

18. Well, I'm speaking of women, in general -- and nuns, in general --

however, I generally try to keep the challenging and questioning directed to the

church -- the institution, itself --

Sometimes that's a little difficult because we have obviously had a right wing coup

within the church vs Vatican II -- and neeedless to say liberal/progressives within

the church and liberal concepts, like liberation theology.


Meanwhile, the more that this church in modern times continues to suggest the spiritual

inferiority of females as they seek to become priests, the more difficult it has to be

for members to ignore the issue that this is a male-dominated church -- in fact, as

the video points out -- a misogynist church!

And this certainly isn't hidden from members -- members who have daughters, mothers,

sisters, aunts, nieces -- which should be a concern to them as far as their treatment

by the church.

Vatican continues to fail to acknowledge the full personhood of females as it acknowledges

the full personhood of males.


I believe that the life and death of a man named Yeshua illustrates the freedom needed to find the truest truth you can. That's what all of us are supposed to be doing and churches, ALL churches, more often than not impede that instinct. And I believe Jesus was killed by his Church-State for being too free and every innocent person anywhere in the world who dies, for whatever cause, at our behest IS, in fact, for real and truly Jesus being killed again and again because of our sins/flaws/errors/shortcomings/or whatever.

Certainly I am anti-organized patriarchal religion --

I do feel there is a universal spirituality but that it has nothing to do with a god in the sky.

Or any other fashioning of a "one-male-god" - nor concepts of Hell which is the invention of

organized patriarchal religion.

Agree that "Jesus" was challenging the Hebrew faith and its misogyny, among other issues --

including the violent "god" of the Hebrew Bible. But I do think that "Jesus" was a myth like

the dozens of god myths before him. All part of oral teachings of the times -- using symbolism.

I also think it is true that the Hebrew Bible was written to cement patriarchy.


But coming back to the women of the church -- there is great power there which isn't being used.

IMO, nature is all --






:)

[defendandprotect]

6. We also have to make this clear: "Pope Benedict led cover-up of child abuse by priests" ....

Pope 'led cover-up of child abuse by priests'
by EWAN FLETCHER
Last updated at 22:00 30 September 2006

Comments (4)Add to My StoriesTop: Tom Doyle and, bottom, Pope Benedict
The Pope played a leading role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests, according to a shocking documentary to be screened by the BBC tonight.
In 2001, while he was a cardinal, he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety.
The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.
The Panorama special, Sex Crimes And The Vatican, investigates the details of this little-known document for the first time. The programme also accuses the Catholic Church of knowingly harbouring paedophile clergymen. It reveals that priests accused of child abuse are generally not struck off or arrested but simply moved to another parish, often to reoffend. It gives examples of hush funds being used to silence the victims.
Before being elected as Pope Benedict XVI in April last year, the pontiff was Cardinal Thomas Ratzinger who had, for 24 years, been the head of the powerful Congregation of the Doctrine of The Faith, the department of the Roman Catholic Church charged with promoting Catholic teachings on morals and matters of faith. An arch-Conservative, he was regarded as the 'enforcer' of Pope John Paul II in cracking down on liberal challenges to traditional Catholic teachings.
Five years ago he sent out an updated version of the notorious 1962 Vatican document Crimen Sollicitationis - Latin for The Crime of Solicitation - which laid down the Vatican's strict instructions on covering up sexual scandal. It was regarded as so secret that it came with instructions that bishops had to keep it locked in a safe at all times.
Cardinal Ratzinger reinforced the strict cover-up policy by introducing a new principle: that the Vatican must have what it calls Exclusive Competence. In other words, he commanded that all child abuse allegations should be dealt with direct by Rome.
Patrick Wall, a former Vatican-approved enforcer of the Crimen Sollicitationis in America, tells the programme: "I found out I wasn't working for a holy institution, but an institution that was wholly concentrated on protecting itself."
And Father Tom Doyle, a Vatican lawyer until he was sacked for criticising the church's handling of child abuse claims, says: "What you have here is an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy and to punish those who would call attention to these crimes by the churchmen.
"When abusive priests are discovered, the response has been not to investigate and prosecute but to move them from one place to another. So there's total disregard for the victims and for the fact that you are going to have a whole new crop of victims in the next place. This is happening all over the world."
The investigation could not come at a worse time for Pope Benedict, who is desperately trying to mend the Church's relations with the Muslim world after a speech in which he quoted a 14th Century Byzantine emperor who said that Islam was spread by holy war and had brought only evil to the world.
The Panorama programme is presented by Colm O'Gorman, who was raped by a priest when he was 14. He said: "What gets me is that it's the same story every time and every place. Bishops appoint priests who they know have abused children in the past to new parishes and new communities and more abuse happens."
Last night Eileen Shearer, director of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults said: "The Catholic Church in England and Wales (has) established a single set of national policies and procedures for child protection work. We are making excellent progress in protecting children and preventing abuse."
Panorama: Sex Crimes And The Vatican is on BBC1 tonight at 10.15pm.




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-407808/Pope-led-cover-child-abuse-priests.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/new...

"What you have here is an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy and to punish those who would call attention to these crimes by the churchmen.


I'm not able at the moment to connect to this link but will look for another way to recapture
the info --

The document . . .

The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs...men_englis...

[WileEcoyote]

16. Relatively small problem compared to:

The Grand Old Pedophiles.

I mean at least the media is pointing out the problem. Not so with these "Good ol Boys". Most of which have been arrested and CONVICTED on child molestation charges.


Republican Party Chairman Donald Fleischman
Republican prosecutor John David Roy Atchison
Republican city councilman John Bryan
Republican legislator Ted Klaudt
Republican city councilman Joseph Monteleone Jr
Republican congressional aide Jeffrey Nielsen
Republican County Commissioner Patrick Lee McGuire
Republican prosecutor Larry Corrigan
Republican Mayor Jeffrey Kyle Randall
Republican County Board Candidate Brent Schepp
Republican Congressman Mark Foley
Republican executive Randall Casseday
Republican chairman of the Oregon Christian Coalition Lou Beres
Republican County Constable Larry Dale Floyd
Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich
Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy
Republican petition drive manager Tom Randall
Republican County Chairman Armando Tebano
Republican teacher and former city councilman John Collins
Republican campaign worker Mark Seidensticker
Republican Mayor Philip Giordano
Republican Mayor Tom Adams
Republican Mayor John Gosek
Republican County Commissioner David Swartz
Republican legislator Edison Misla Aldarondo
Republican Committeeman John R. Curtin
Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth
Republican zoning supervisor, Boy Scout leader and Lutheran church president Dennis L. Rader
Republican anti-abortion activist Nicholas Morency
Republican campaign consultant Tom Shortridge
Republican racist pedophile and United States Senator Strom Thurmond
Republican pastor Mike Hintz
Republican legislator Peter Dibble
Republican advertising consultant Carey Lee Cramer was sentenced to six years in prison for molesting two 8-year old girls, one of whom appeared in an anti-Gore television commercial.
Republican fundraiser Lawrence E. King, Jr
Republican lobbyist Craig J. Spence organized child sex parties at the White House during the 1980s(More on this later)
Republican Congressman Donald "Buz" Lukens
Republican fundraiser Richard A. Delgaudio
Republican activist Mark A. Grethen
Republican campaign chairman Randal David Ankeney
Republican activist and Christian Coalition leader Beverly Russell
Republican Judge Ronald C. Kline
Republican congressman and anti-gay activist Robert Bauman
Republican Committee Chairman Jeffrey Patti
Republican activist Marty Glickman
Republican legislative aide Howard L. Brooks
Republican Senate candidate John Hathaway
Republican preacher Stephen White
Republican talk show host Jon Matthews
Republican anti-gay activist Earl "Butch" Kimmerling was sentenced to 40 years in prison for molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her
Republican Party leader Paul Ingram
Republican election board official Kevin Coan
Republican politician Andrew Buhr
Republican legislator Keith Westmoreland
Republican anti-abortion activist John Allen Burt
Republican County Councilman Keola Childs
Republican activist John Butler
Republican candidate Richard Gardner
Republican Councilman and former Marine Jack W. Gardner
Republican County Commissioner Merrill Robert Barter
Republican City Councilman Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr
Republican activist Parker J. Bena
Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, Larry Jack Schwarz
Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate Robin Vanderwall
Republican city councilman Mark Harris
Republican businessman Jon Grunseth
Republican campaign worker, police officer and self-proclaimed reverend Steve Aiken
Republican director of the "Young Republican Federation" Nicholas Elizondo
Republican president of the New York City Housing Development Corp. Russell Harding
Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, Richard A. Dasen Sr
Republican city councilman John Bryan killed himself after police began investigating allegations that he had molested three girls, including two of his adopted daughters, ages 12 and 15.

www.clickondetroit.com...
Republican prosecutor John David Roy Atchison was arrested for soliciting sex from a 5-year old girl, then killed himself three weeks later. At the time of his arrest, Atchison was an "assistant U.S. attorney" appointed by President Bush's attorney general.

www.ocweekly.com...
Republican congressional aide Jeffrey Nielsen was arrested for having sex with a 14-year old boy

www.armchairsubversive.org...
Republican Party leader Bobby Stumbo was arrested for having sex with a 5-year old boy.

Republican Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld authorized the rape of children in Iraqi prisons in order to humiliate their parents into providing information about the anti-American insurgency. See excerpt of one prisoner's report here and his full report here.
www.armchairsubversive.org...
media.washingtonpost.com...

[defendandprotect]

20. Amazing . . . !!

The rise of the right brings increased sexual abuse of women and children!

Oppression and sexual abuse --

[WileEcoyote]

21. I'm kinda hoping the imminent fall of Pope Bent-his-dict

will result in a concurrent expose of the Grand Old Pedophiles.

The two aren't necessarily related but always a possibility for some crossover element to come into play. Say some priest rats out so and so to get immunity and the whole house of cards falls.

This WILL happen to the GOP eventually. I fully expect to live to see it happen. Just won't hold my breath waiting.

My point being: The GOP can't expect to get protection from their twisted, sick games forever.

[defendandprotect]

22. Love your vision . . .

and hope you're right --

Look how long it took for the Irish and the Canadians to uncover all that was

happening with abuse of children and young women -- often for money -- and deal

with it. In Canada, the orphanages -- children labeled "mentally retarded" in

order to get them into institutions and make money from them.

The sexual abuse of children in Ireland goes back like 90 years?

And the Italians say that sexual abuse has been going in in the Vatican/Church

since the beginnings of the Church!

In Ireland and presume elsewhere, young girls were locked up and forced to labor

in Catholic laundries! This happened based on suggestions of sexual misbehavior

by the girls! Madelaine Laundries? Think that was the name of the film.

I guess the oldest victims we hear about are 50 to 60 now? Imagine before that

time it was even easier to keep all of this secret.

Also recall the original Church schools run by our government to destroy native American families,

their children, their languages, customs -- sexual abuse there, murders, hangings, beatings,

torture.

Coming back to your hope . . . I think we came close in the MURDERS in the Vatican a few

years ago. It was presented to the public as an adulterous wife and her lover being killed by

her husband. In fact, it was a homosexual love affair -- and both males were connected to

the Swiss Guards -- one was the head of it, as I recall!!

There's a book on this ... trying to remember the name of it --

And then there were the murders surrounding the Vatican Bank scandal -- and think that they

actually got bailed out by Opus Dei which gave them $1 billion to cover things up??!!

Also, a few months ago, I heard that US government was opening an investigation into whether

the RCC used the money given to their "faith-based" religious organizations to pay off their

pedophile lawsuits . . . !!

Democracy is the enemy of organized patriarchal religion -- which is good.

What's bad is we seem to be losing any hope of actually having a democracy!

[WileEcoyote]

23. Where there's smoke there's fire.

We can't simply witness some 80+ Grand Old pedophiles being arrested and CONVICTED on child sexual assault charges without realizing there was massive complicity along the way.

Plus this has to be just the tip of the iceberg.

So mark my word: The GOP will fall from the child exploitation within their ranks. And fall hard.

Just a matter of time. In the meantime? Watch them sweat. Look for perspiration dripping down their cheeks in high high places.

Just like the Pope. This shit doesn't happen in a vacuum.

Bent-his-dict was put in power because they could count on him to cover-up. It is certainly the job he's doing now. Isn't it?

So why would he cover up? This makes him look AWFUL!

Answer: Because he knows that all roads lead straight back to him.

Again: Watch for it!

[defendandprotect]

24. Fingers crossed . . .

Rumors about the actual purpose of the Swiss Guards abound --

As for Benedict, specifically, he certainly is part of the right wing coup in the

church which, I would suggest, includes the murder of Popes.

There are some interesting books on this -- two or three I've read - but at the moment

can't recall the titles.

As for the GOP, certainly Justice Clarence Thomas is a prime example of the sexual

perversion of the right wing.

There were other instances -- the Franklin case, if you recall it during the Reagan years.

Also, rumors about Poppy Bush -- and W, of course.

There's a lot more on the internet and books on this case, but this will give you an idea
of it. And, it came right into the Reagan White House!

http://www.franklincase.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6:the-franklin-cover-up-by-john-decamp&catid=7&Itemid=15

[bitchkitty]

25. Magdalene laundries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalene_Asylum

[Rmbn]

17. "Creationism lost its best argument when the catholic church stopped burning people at the stake"

They are peddling a long expired product. They are helped by people unwilling to grow up, people who either want to keep their imaginary friend or don't know any better.

[defendandprotect]

19. Interesting quote . . .

who said that?

Thomas Jefferson spoke about how difficult it can be for people to shed the

brainwashing they get from religion --- he compared it to a monkey and their

fear of snakes -- impossible to get rid of!

And, remember, kids are put into these organized religions at very, very young ages --

before the age of reason! Before they have an opportunity to explore their own minds

and their develop their own conscience.