sparkindarkness | The Catholic church is still not getting it

This post is about the Catholic child abuse scandal and their reactions, cover ups and defence of it. As before, this post has been cut to prevent triggering people

Cardinal Angelo Sodano has joined the pope in deriding people criticising the church. Again, using the “petty gossip” attack. They need to stop this. People outraged by the protection of paedophiles, and horrified by the huge and mounting evidence of scandals and cover ups from across the globe are not engaging in “petty gossip.” It is demeaning, insulting and offensive to characterise outrage over such vile crimes in such a manner.

To add some more fuel to the fire, the Vatican Catholic Radio has launched another desperate defence of the Catholic Church and its defence and protection of paedophiles. Cardinal Julian Herranz has decided that all of these criticisms are due to an anti-catholic HATE campaign. Because the Catholic church stands for life and marriage of one man one woman. yep, that’s right – you’re all only criticising paedophilia because you are being used by pro-choice and pro-gay groups!

Angelo Soden would also like to add that we’re all attacking the pope because he “embodies moral truths that aren’t accepted.” Y’see, I never thought that the raping of children was a moral truth – and if it is I am bloody ecstatic that it isn’t accepted. Oh, and the critics are using the “shortcomings and errors of priests.”

“Shortcoming” and “errors.” Abusing children is not a shortcoming. Protecting paedophiles isn’t an error. This dismissive language about the gross and vile abuse of children is beyond insulting, it’s beyond offensive. This shit is evil. Defending it is evil. Downplaying it is evil. Excusing it is evil.

I am trying to get my head round this. Do they not realise what a truly awful crime the rape of children is? Because the more and more they say this the more it becomes clear that these crimes aren’t all that important to them. The way they are treating this scandal is increasingly making it seem that they consider the abuse of children to be… what? A misdemeanour? An unfortunate, unseemly habit? A vaguely embarrassing personal flaw? Certainly not worth this outrage! Certainly not something SERIOUS!

Do they think they’re being treated harshly? Have they SEEN to way paedophiles are generally regarded? Have they seen the average person’s reaction to revelations of paedophilia?

Considering we’re talking thousands of children being abused – and that abuse being covered up, protected and perpetuated – I think the world is being ASTONISHINGLY gentle with the church.

Meanwhile Fr Raniero Cantalamessa has tried to explain his anti-Semitic comments by raising a straw man. Apparently he had only meant to point to “the use of stereotype and the easy passage from individual to collective guilt”.

Even putting aside the extremely offensive hyperbole of comparing the criticism of the Catholic church to anti-Semitic persecution, this argument is still grossly wrong.

Individual guilt? Yes, individual priests are guilty for their abuse. No-one is blaming the Catholic church for having paedophiles within their ranks – the numbers are frighteningly large but paedophiles are naturally drawn to professions that give them access to vulnerable children – especially roles where they are inherently trusted by both the children and their families. This would only be exacerbated by the catholic culture of hushing up such crimes rather than exposing them and punishing them – or even trying to prevent future crimes. Despite the cover up, people are not blaming the Catholic Church for paedophilia, not seriously. Put down that straw man.

They are blaming the Catholic church for defending, protecting and enabling paedophiles. And, yes, we have passed on from individual to collective guilt – because YOU HAVE COLLECTIVE GUILT. Bishops and Cardinals across continents have covered up these abuses and faced NO repercussions – they have even been raised and promoted. The pope himself is strongly – and directly – implicated in some of the cover ups. Faced with criticism for this gross crime, we see these ridiculous and offensive defences trying to down play it, trying to ignore it, trying to distract from it – it’s more paedophile defence, more support of child abuse, more dismissing of the damaged done.

That isn’t individual guilt. That is collective guilt – because the institution is collectively guilty. We are not confining the blame and the criticism to individuals because it doesn’t REST in isolated individuals – the blame rests in the system. In the systematic cover up on a grand scale. In the systematic privileging of reputation over the suffering of children. In the systematic indifference to the pain of the victims. In your collective and repeated protection of child rapists over and over and over and over again. In you repeated and disgusting attempts to deflect blame and attack the victims. THIS is where the blame rests. This is where the guilt belongs.

Collective guilt attracts collective blame. And you will not reclaim ANY moral high ground (not that I ever really ascribed such a thing to the Catholic church) nor, more importantly, prevent any further abuses (and certainly not find all of the abuses and victims that have suffered) if you do not acknowledge that and work to fix it.