Pope Benedict Failed To Act Over Abuse

[Stickybottle]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60070132

Wow what a surprise !

Not

[Khandro]

douglas answers for me

[andy-hughes]

douglas - // Let me get this straight, "A priest cannot understand a father's or mother's love for their child, it is utterly alien to them"

but

An atheist ex BT worker and part time DJ understands the innermost workings of the mind of a priest. //

The scenarios are there douglas, I did not create them, but they are there in the lives of every priest on the planet.

If you are not father to a child, or indeed mother to a child, then that experience of parenthood is denied to you, that is a simple fact.

It has nothing to do with the way people think, it is about feeling something that you either can, or cannot feel.

I repeat my comparison with my wife and daughters' period pains, i can empathise from here to wazoo, but do I know from direct experience how it feels? Clearly not, nor will I ever.

No, I don't claim to ' understand the innermost workings of the mind of a priest'.

But I do maintain that some experiences are part of some peoples' lives, and not others, be that through biology, or lifestyle choice.

I am not claiming that concept as mine, it's a simple fact, and if you think about it rationally, instead of misunderstanding it in your eagerness to get your personal animosity in - again - you will see the truth of it.

// Quite, quite remarkable although not surprising given your imagined expertise in every subject that spews from your keyboard. //

I don't 'imagine expertise' - I have expertise in some areas, and opinions and views on the rest - you have trouble accepting that I distinguish between the two.

You'd like to believe that I don't distinguish, because that gives you a stick to beat me with, but as usual, your animosity clouds your judgement - again.

[andy-hughes]

Khandro - // douglas answers for me //

Then you are letting your hostility cloud your realistic analysis of the point I am making cloud your judgement and rationality in the same way it clouds his.

[douglas9401]

Self serving drivel, in my opinion.

[andy-hughes]

douglas - // Self serving drivel, in my opinion. //

You'd better let Khandro know that you think that about your posts thus far, for some inexplicable reason, he is adopting your posts as his own.

[douglas9401]

We've reached that level, I win.

[andy-hughes]

douglas - // We've reached that level, I win. //

If that makes you happy, then you can smile until bedtime.

[Khandro]

Why should a good priest be unable to advise on pastoral as well as spiritual matters? Being unmarried matters nothing at all, - it might even be an advantage. He's most likely also to have come from a family, with his own parents & siblings.

The priest probably know more about what happens within families than most people do, - he's heard it all.

[andy-hughes]

Khandro - Glad you have decided to un-hitch your wagon from Douglas's pointless and fathomless hostility, and speak for yourself - far better not to get stuck with someone who lets his anger cloud is logic and judgegment, it affects how he posts, badly.

Anyway, to address your individual and self-written view -

// / Why should a good priest be unable to advise on pastoral as well as spiritual matters? Being unmarried matters nothing at all, - it might even be an advantage. //

Really?

Hi, I'm your surgeon, performing your appendectomy today.

Of course, I have no experience of surgery myself, but I have talked a lot to people who do, so that's near enough I'm sure you'll agree.

I don't actually need experience, it might actually be better that I don;t have any ...

Do I need to go on, or does the paucity of your argument begin to look familiar now?

// He's most likely also to have come from a family, with his own parents & siblings. //

Absolutely, everyone has parents, a lot have siblings, but saying that coming from a family empowers you to advise others about marriage and children is rather like saying because I wear glasses, I can address the next International Opticians Seminar.

// The priest probably know more about what happens within families than most people do, - he's heard it all. //

No, he's heard the bits that people are comfortable telling him about, and that is a very long way from 'it all'.

I am surprised at you Khandro - your lofty disgust at the machinations of the Catholic church are well known on this site - it's interesting that you are now defending their practices, and their personnel.

I'd like to hope that you are not doing a Douglas - so keen are you to leap in and register your personal animosity that you neglect completely to think about posting something that will stand up to even basic scrutiny.

I don't think you'd do that - but then I wouldn't imagine you'd piggy-back onto his ill-thought-out illogical hostile histrionics, but you did.

[Khandro]

^^^^^ It's probably best to leave your verbal Diarrhoea to stand as a fine example of your self-professed comprehensive knowledge without further comment I think.

[andy-hughes]

Indeed, especially when it vaporises the planet-sized hypocrisy of your defence of a faith and its servants which you have loftily sneered at on here for decades.

[tomus42]

Has anyone in the cathedral church ever been known to act over child abuse? That would be a news story.

Failure to act and cover ups are the default.

[Khandro]

tomus. //Failure to act and cover ups are the default.//

There's perhaps, as usual, something greater than what we see on the surface; the 'good' priest (or pope!) is trapped in an awful dilemma in that if he becomes aware of a sin through confession does he report that sin to another authority?

To the Catholic Church, the answer is clear: the Seal of the Confessional must never be broken under any circumstances, even in cases of grave criminality.

[andy-hughes]

If anything underlines the Catholic Church's twin pillars and obsessions - secrecy and power - it's the sanctity of the Confessional.

Why use your power to stop pain and death when you can hug the secrets to your breast and let that power warm your frozen heart.

[naomi24]

AH, // I don't claim to ' understand the innermost workings of the mind of a priest'. //

You're giving a good imitation of someone who does then.

[andy-hughes]

Thanks, that means a lot xx.

[SparklyKid]

Another boring and tedious day of AH having the last word.

[andy-hughes]

SparklyKid - // Another boring and tedious day of AH having the last word. //

Feel free to advise the community at any time exactly what the restrictions are that mean you are compelled to visit the site every day and post your pointless moaning.

Maybe we can do something to help you.