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VICTIMS OF CLERICAL sex abuse have gone to the International Criminal Court seeking to have the Pope prosecuted for crimes against humanity.
The case brought against the Vatican by two American lobby groups, the Centre for Constitutional Rights and the Survivors Networks for those Abused by Priests, alleges that top Catholic Church officials “tolerate and enable” cover-ups of sexual abuse. It specifically names Pope Benedict XVI as having either known or “consciously disregarded” information about priests’ crimes.
Pam Spees, chief attorney of the CCR, said: “Crimes against tens of thousands of victims, most of them children, are being covered up by officials at the highest level of the Vatican. In this case, all roads really do lead to Rome.” She continued:
The Vatican officials charged in this case are responsible for rape and other sexual violence and for the physical and psychological torture of victims around the world both through command responsibility and through direct cover up of crimes. They should be brought to trial like any other officials guilty of crimes against humanity.
The two groups have stated that rape, sexual assault and torture are all named as crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and said people with “superior responsibility” over the priests who have committed crimes can be criminally liable.
However, Reuters reports that it is unlikely the ICC will take on the case. The court was only set up in 2002, while most of the incidents cited took place well before then. A law expert suggested to the agency that any case would have to prove that there was a “common plan” in the Church to commit crimes against humanity.
fantastic move and about time some one stood up to these bullys. the pope and berty in jail. what a wonderful story that would make.
Or hanged also would brightness my day.
Hangings’ too good for em!
The Church must be made accountable for its crimes and its contempt for the rule of law.
As good as it sounds this isn’t going to Happen not yet at least. The church has too much power and influence for this to occur and I dont like this fact, but because of the new generation of thinking this church it’s ways and it’s powers are fading.Thank god haha
The Church is losing its influence and its power is decreasing rapidly. An Irish School teacher with a part time job as Taoiseach seems to have started something.
Even: "Or hanged would also brighten my day."
Send him to Texas. They still have the death penalty.
Why Texas??? I know a good football pitch in Afghanistan.
I know lots of dark alleys in ireland.
Couldn’t care less where the pope and his cronies hang out!
Well of course some of us think he is a great man, a great Pope for the times we live in. He has done more work to clean out the Church of this filth. if the ICC took the case, which it won’t, but if it did it would find him innocent as they would find no plan or no conspricary – they would find individuals that acted on their own but no plan to commit crimes against humanity – in fact they would find a church has done more good to humanity than any other organisation in the world.
- i await the usual insulting bigoted comments i recieve when someone stands up for the church on this website or goes against the popular thinking
What has he done to clean out the filth?
or goes against the popular thinking?
Of course you will be attacked if you disagree with the majority. You just need to really wonder, why you, are in the minority. The answer is that you are wrong, or maybe you are biased through connections. Or maybe you are trolling.
Sometimes individuals acted on their own, we all know that. But the church, as a whole entity covered up every crime. Priests were moved, voices were quashed. Filthy, dirty gangsters.
Sure, hasn’t Christina Gallagher taken a leaf outta the Catholic handbook and made herself a few bob off the backs of sorry individuals?
Perhaps I should start my own church, it’ll buy me a house/ mansion. What’s that sound? I think I hear the Virgin Mary talking to me. . . .. . . . . . oh wait, it’s just my wife yelling at me to take out the washing.
And what about the Secretum Pontificium under which cases of abuse were sealed under pain of grave ecclesiastical penalties including excommunication? This was a process initiated by Ratzinger himself under the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Pope is not a great man. He is an evil man. He and his cronies hide billions in wealth while many of the Church’s own followers are dying of hunger. His Church raped and abused children for centuries. His Church abducted babies from mothers who had had the misfortune of being pregnant while outside wedlock. His Church forced women, particularly in Ireland, to work as slaves. His Church enforces the concept that women should be treated as second class citizens. His Church interferes in the affairs of people not subscribed to its teachings or beliefs. His Church interferes in the internal affairs of sovereign states. The Church, and by extension the Pope, is an evil, corrupt, disgusting, hypocritical organisation which prays on people’s belief in God to its own ends.
Pre-insulting those who may disagree is not as effective as providing clear, unambiguous examples of how the church’s good deeds have outweighed it’s misdeeds throughout history.
And there’s a reason the thinking is popular.
Well Jimmy, here’s one for you to consider; the position of the Pope has killed more people throughout history than any other individual in the history of the world. Now the Pope oversees the world’s largest paedophile collection. What a wondeful man he must be. If you think Texas has a tough death penalty, you should review some of the Pope’s previous methods.
Sorry, I mean “its”.
A look through his Facebook page shows he’s not a troll but is actually as deluded as he presents here.
If the pope is as good as you say and is doing god’s work, why does he need a bulletproof pope mobile? Surely that’s a lack of faith?
Who’s red-thumbing here? Seems to be against the run of play. Read carefully before thumbing, and where possible, outline reasons. Thanks.
Hi everybody. I’ve had to delete some comments on this thread – our policy clearly forbids personal abuse of other commenters. Please have a read of the full policy here: http://www.thejournal.ie/comments-policy/ . Thanks.
The Church is being exposed for what it is Jimmy and I feel sorry for people like you who simply dismiss reality in favor of the lie. The Church has only acted in self interest it never cared for the people. If it had the power it would still be burning people at the stake and killing dissenters. It is however not just the “Catholic Church” that are barbaric but a lot of other religions are just as bad if not even worse than those people in the Vatican.
You also need to understand that people who differ in opinion to you and your “Church” are not bigots but people who can form an opinion and think for themselves, perhaps you should try this sometime for yourself.
Look folks i cannot reply to all the insults and errors in your posts but lets face facts there is not enough evidence against the Pope or the holy see to bring a case against them to the ICC becuse they are not guilty of the alleged offience – fact
On a side issue, it always strikes me as odd that when a story appears on the journal.ie about a specfic issue to do with the catholic church the debate goes off on a complete 360 degree tour of all the ills of the catholic church, its always complete with character assaisnation of the church defender, things the church did 400 or 500 years ago that no one can prove and is always topped off by how stupid the church defender is. Its very predicatable folks.
Jimmy, my response was an impartial request for you to clarify what good deeds to humanity could outweigh the misdeeds of the church. It was neither insulting nor sensationalist. I have received no such clarification, but if you do feel inclined to respond with something other than a dismissal, we’d all be edified. Whanever you find time. Thanks.
And the defence of “you can’t prove it” smacks of Bart Simpson by the way.
The truth is very predictable Jimmy, free your mind.
As someone who is defending the Church Jimmy, you are a Church defender. So why did you call yourself stupid when you mentioned about “how stupid the church defender is”? I’m confused! Unfortunately you also seem to be blinded by your faith when it comes to the Catholic Church. The Church actively participated in the cover up of child abuse and the incarceration of women for the “crime” of being pregnant (and there are many reports on this, not just from Ireland, but from Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, the USA, Canada, Mexico, etc. including reports on Bishop Roger Vangheluwe of Bruges, the Mount Cashel Orphanage in St John’s Newfoundland, Louisiana priest Gilbert Gauthe, the abuse in Munich and Freising under the authority of Ratzinger, etc.). Unless of course you believe that the Church did not know what its own members were up to or that it has no authority over its own members.
The reason religious people get a bashing is because when obvious bad doing by their leaders happen, instead of admitting they ,made a mistake or are bad people you jump to their defence. People have no problem with you believing in who/whatever you like, but when you jump to the defence of the leader of an organisation now tangled up in a padophile ring and refuse to see why people are angry and upset, then you’re going to get a hard time.
Funny, Jimmy, that you should mention things that supposedly happened centuries ago that no-one can prove.
@Jimmy O’Brien….. come on Jimmy, answer Mike’s question
“not enough evidence against the Pope or the holy see to bring a case against them to the ICC becuse they are not guilty of the alleged offence” What planet are you on? How many more children have got to raped and buggered by catholic priests for you to admit that they are in the wrong, Ratzinger before he was pope dealt with numerous case of child abuse and instead of kicking out the pedophiles he sank back in church/cannon law bullshit and allowed some abusers to even continue in the church. Jimmy, defender of the faith you are once again standing up for a pope and a church that is beyond defensible.
The Pope is great. End of story.
That’s a great joke, Louise! Would you care to enlighten us as to how he is great?
And please bear in mind that Ratzinger himself knew about, and facilitated the cover-up of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
"Only a sith deals in absolutes" Obi-wan Kenobi
http://baconandbrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/pope-benedict-palpatine.jpg
Marvellous, Louise. Care to expand? No?
Sadly, Louise, this story goes on and on.
Louise i completely agree with you
Brain, don’t feed the troll!
@LOUISE LOWE…Great at protecting Kiddy Fiddlers
Does he look holy? No, Happy? No, Peaceful? No, Angelic? No, Inspiring? No, Approachable? No, Does he captuate all I believe Gods servant on earth should? Certainly not!!! I’m a catholic realist for the record.
The pope gets voted in by OTHER MEN, there’s NOTHING supernatural in the choice. The office of the pope is a politcal one, and there have always been plenty of perks. Look no further than the Borgias and the Medicis for crying out loud. How people can believe that there is ANYTHING DIVINE in the appoinment of the pope is way beyond me.
In the above photo he certainly looks like ‘The Emperor’. And his position is very similar. I bet someone with good PS skills could cloak him and shoot some blue electricity from his palm. “Feel the power of the DARK side”.
And you’re right there Michael, he displays none of the charm that the last Pope had.
Your wish is my command :-)
http://www.catholica.com.au/gc1/tm/images/RatziStarWars_300x290.jpg
The “empreror” from Star Wars.. LOL
Here again for your delectation, an auld classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ9sJVJMiYM
Why someone has to wait to bring a special law to prosecute pope. If the crime is committed against humanity then it should be punishable.
It was about time ! But hey , the pope is a human too ! Hope this time he gets to confess his sins in a court yard ;)
Perhaps hanging the leader of this kiddy fiddling organisation would help Ireland’s flag fly a little higher at a time when our spirits are flagging and beaten, the catholic church is rotten at the core….the church screwed us and then the banks screwed us….we need some justice and accountability in the form of hangings!!!!
Satan is alive and living in the vatican.
Last seen wearing a gold frock and red shoes
Heads an organisation of kiddy fiddlers
While this brings me great hope, and joy in the fact that no-one is above the law…the fact that ye had to pick this year brings me doom and gloom…on a purely selfish note…my assignment in public international law this year is to defend the indefensible Slobodan Milosevic and when ye add the Pope into the list…well, it gives the other side a REALLY good point. But otherwise well done! It’s about time the Church dealt with the legal issues they’ve skirted for the last oh….12 centuries. You’d think being oppressed for the first few centuries of its life would teach it to show understanding and protect its weaker members.
Not to diminish the serious sin of the RCC but Please examine the Jehovah’s Witnesses who go door to door and come on our property.
Jehovah’s Witnesses pedophiles.
Many court documents and news events prove that Jehovah’s Witnesses require two witnesses when a child comes forward with allegations of molestation within the congregation. Such allegations have customarily been treated as sins instead of crimes and are only reported to authorities when it is required to do so by law, (which varies by state).
It has also been shown that child molesters within the organization usually have not been identified to the congregation members or the public at large. These people engage in a door to door ministry, possibly exposing children to pedophiles.
The Watchtower corporation has paid out millions in settlement money already.
– Danny Haszard abuse victim
FMI
dannyhaszard(dot)com
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