How many claims of sexual abuse within the Catholic church would you imagine have occurred since the year 1950? I can tell you that just last year, the number of claims reported in the US was around 400. So how many, according to a survey commissioned by the bishops, would you say have been claimed since 1950?
14,000
The cost to the Catholic church, in the US alone, in legal fees, litigation and settlements, has reached an astounding 2.7 billion dollars. Yes, billion.
And now, here we go again. In the last few months, what the US went through in 2002, when the Catholic sex abuse scandals exploded here, is being replayed on a global stage. The claims are reaching the top of the Vatican this time around, with allegations raised against the sitting Pope himself. Seems the latest defensive act from the Vatican and other Catholic sources, is to condemn the public for suggesting that the Pope himself is in any way culpable in any sex abuse case or cover up. The Vatican had to recently scramble to clarify a statement by the Pope’s personal preacher, who suggested that claims railed against the Pope are similar to the "collective violence" that the Jewish people have suffered.
And of course the Catholic League has thrown their (or should I say "his") voice into the mix, making a tour of media outlets to suggest that any Catholic sex abuse scandal is less about abuse and more about homosexuality, despite the fact that the theory has been rebuked and denounced by researchers. Abuse and sexuality are not bound together, and the fact that most of the victims have been boys is explained by researchers as the factor of availability. Boys are more easily available to priests than girls. Bill Donahue, of the Catholic League, calls the whole thing a big gay cover-up
The fact that sex abuse in the Catholic church has been reported since the 50’s, that the number of cases to date is 14,000 and that there seems to be no end, not even so much as a waning in the number incidents, none of this seems to be that much of an issue with the Catholic League, who lists their number 2 purpose for existing as…
When Catholics are the victims of a bigoted portrayal by the media, the Catholic League issues news releases bringing the matter to the attention of the public. It may also encourage a boycott of the program’s sponsors.
Recently on Real Time With Bill Maher, this topic came up and Bill was asked if he was actually saying he’d like to see the Catholic religion shut down. His answer? A resounding "Yes!" And I agree. The thing I still can’t understand is the complacency of Catholics in general. Children are being abused on a regular basis, the Vatican has no interest in putting a stop to it, and in a country that spews nonstop about how important children are, why haven’t Catholics stepped up to the plate and stopped attending Catholic church? It’s stunning to me, particularly when the most common response to that question is "The services are beautiful".
Tell that to all the children who will live with aftermath of their abuse for the rest of their lives. Go tell them you still support the Catholic church because "it’s beautiful". Americans are quick to talk about what’s right and wrong, but when it comes to making a sacrifice in order for the greater good, most often they just really don’t care.
Read about the latest Catholic scandals here…
