Thursday, June 27, 2013

Italian Police Investigate Whether Catholic Priests Hired Rentboys for Sex in Churches

Yesterday porcine Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York was whining and spewing untruths in reaction to the Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Windsor.  Here's a sampling of Dolan's batshitery via the New Civil Rights Movement:
“Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation,” Dolan, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and thus the head of the Roman Catholic Church in America.

“The Court got it wrong,” Dolan added, in a joint statement with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chair of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

In typical false-framing and fear-mongering, the pair continued: "The common good of all, especially our children, depends upon a society that strives to uphold the truth of marriage. Now is the time to redouble our efforts in witness to this truth. These decisions are part of a public debate of great consequence. The future of marriage and the well-being of our society hang in the balance."
But just as always seems to be the case, as the Catholic hierarchy was loudly decrying gays as a threat to America and society in general, yet another scandal was breaking in Rome involving, yes, you guessed it, priests and underage boys.  As always, the bitter old queens in dresses cannot abide normal, well adjusted gays living their lives openly  and with legal recognition of their relationships even as members of the priesthood continue to engage in sex crimes against minors.  The hypocrisy is truly mind numbing.  The latest dirt comes via the International Business Times.  Here are excerpts:
Italian investigators have opened an inquiry into claims by a convicted paedophile priest that an underage prostitution ring has been operating inside the Holy Roman Church with clergymen hiring rentboys for sex inside churches.

Don Patrizio Poggi, 46, told Italian authorities that a former Carabinieri pimped boys for nine clergymen.

The boys were chosen because they were starving and desperate, he claimed, according to Il Messaggero newspaper.

The former policeman used to recruit the boys, mostly eastern European immigrants, outside a gay bar named Twink near Rome's Termini train station. He reportedly sat in his Fiat Panda - marked "Emergency Blood" to avoid parking fines - to make his selection.

He was helped in the recruitment process by a friend who ran a modelling agency. He lured underage boys into prostitution through "false work offers for modelling and acting roles", Poggi said.

The agent also looked for rentboys at gay discos, saunas and gyms across Rome. An accountant was also said to be involved.  The boys were paid €150-€500 (£130-£425) to perform sex acts in church premises across the capital.

Poggi reportedly presented documentary and photographic evidence to police in the company of two senior Vatican clergymen who vouched for his credibility.

Poggi identified the nine clergymen, including two senior church officials and a religion lecturer. Three people have been placed under formal investigation.
And meanwhile, there is this headline out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dolan's former archdiocese "Capuchins Protected Sex Abusers for Years."  Here are some highlights from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

It's been 44 years since Father Mel Hermanns sexually abused a boy at St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary in Fond du Lac County.

It's been 23 years since a separate case of suspicious conduct "involving physical activities with minor males" was reported.

And 20 years since the Capuchin priest's order paid for the seminary victim's counseling, and sent Hermanns to a treatment center known for its programs for sex offenders.  But Hermanns was not removed from ministry until just last fall, and even then there was little public notification.

Hermanns' name appears on a list of 23 current and former Capuchin friars removed for sexually abusing minors. It was released last week as part of an unprecedented audit commissioned by the Detroit-based Capuchin Province of St. Joseph, which operates parishes and other ministries in Milwaukee, to assess its sexual abuse policies and come to terms with its history.

The audit echoes the broader church's handling of the global sex abuse crisis, and provides insight into how one religious order systematically protected abusers and put the concerns of friars and their organization ahead of their responsibility to victims.
I'm sorry, but I would argue that the Catholic hierarchy and priesthood are a far greater threat to society and certainly the welfare of children than gay marriage.  One has to wonder why individuals like Dolan - who is rumored to have hidden millions in Church assets rather than pay compensation to abuse victims - are not behind bars at this very moment. 


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