William Donohue often single handedly makes the case all on his own as to why anyone with a shred of morality ought to find it unconscionable to remain a practicing Roman Catholic. Donohue - who makes well in to the six figured by finding an anti-Catholic plot under every leaf and bush - has a new apologist propaganda piece out where his basic defense of the Church hierarchy's aiding and abetting of child rapists is more or less a bleat that "everyone is doing it"and he attempts to cite other institutions (e.g., public schools) as being worse than the Church. He conveniently omits, of course, that these other institutions don't hold themselves out as arbiters of morality in the manner in which the Church does, nor do they pontificate about who is "inherently disordered" while failing to take a good look in the mirror. Donohue's drivel makes nasty prostitutes look virtuous. Here are highlights of his ridiculous drivel from Spero News:*
Sexual abuse of minors is unfortunately a social problem that touches virtually every segment of the population where adults and minors interact on a regular basis. Nowhere is this less a problem today than in the Catholic Church.
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We know what's going on: get Catholics so riled up that they will demand the Church adopt the liberal agenda on sexuality. They just don't get it: it was the detour from orthodoxy that allowed the abuse scandal to take hold in the first place.
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No Mr. Donohue. That's not what's going on. The Church has engaged in a worldwide criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice and endanger children and youths while protecting sexual predators. It is way past time that Donohue and those like him got their head out of their ass and open their eyes. They have allowed their lives to be twisted and manipulated by a bunch of bitter old men in dresses who make the Mafia look honorable. The truth is sometimes unpleasant to face. but acting like a whore like sycophant does not solve the problem.
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Fortunately, there remain some Catholics who have (1) figured out that the Church hierarchy is a moral cesspool and (2) are basically asking WTF is wrong with the laity that they are allowing the hierarchy to get away with morally bankrupt and criminal behavior. One such piece is in the National Catholic Reporter. Here are some highlights:
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This past Ash Wednesday, while most Catholics were being told to turn away from sin, the faithful in Philadelphia were informed that the hierarchy had, once again, failed to do so themselves.
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After reading the details of this latest fallout of the church’s sex abuse epidemic, I am starting to wonder if there is anything left to say. For nine years we have heard unceasing, grim revelations about predatory priests and the bishops who protect them. Everyone knows it’s evil, it’s wrong, it’s the greatest stain on the sullied reputation of the Catholic Church.
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Even with so much already said, there is still one question that troubles me. Why are we, the Catholic laity, still letting the hierarchy get away with it?
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[W]hy isn’t everyone speaking out? Why isn’t every church-going Catholic demanding repentance and genuine reform from church authorities?
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[T]he sex abuse crisis is much deeper and darker. It’s about the rape, sodomy, and psychological abuse of children and adolescents by priests. It’s about church authorities going to great lengths to cover-up and to protect predators. The hierarchy cannot use the Bible, Canon Law, or tradition to defend themselves against these crimes.
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Many agree that the only way to get the church to respond in a decent and decisive manner is for the laity to withhold its money.
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Much as I agree that such a tactic would work, am I the only one sickened by the fact that depriving the church of financial support is the only way to shock them into acting with integrity?
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Again, I ask, how is the church still surviving amid such a legacy of sexualized violence? What other institution in the U.S. would still persist amid corruption of this nature? What is it that keeps all Catholics from calling the hierarchy to accountability for the crimes that they have committed against children and adolescents over many decades?
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If we truly believe that the Eucharist we receive is the body of Jesus, we must find the courage to oppose the religious leaders who continue to inflict harm on the body of Christ. So often we lament the lack of integrity in church authorities. But if we continue to remain immobilized by denial, weariness, or complacency, we may leave the next generations asking, where was the integrity of the laity?
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As I have noted many times before, the ONLY THING that will force accountability on the Church hierarchy is a massive defection of members - something that is hard to document given the Church's continued listing of individuals as members even when attendance and financial contributions have ceased absent a formal renunciation of the Church - and a massive decline in financial support. Practicing Catholics who continue to attend mass and to contribute money like mindless sheep are in reality accessories to sexual abuse and the obstruction of justice. Such individuals - including some of my family members - need to seriously open their eyes to reality and vote with their feet.
*
This past Ash Wednesday, while most Catholics were being told to turn away from sin, the faithful in Philadelphia were informed that the hierarchy had, once again, failed to do so themselves.
*
After reading the details of this latest fallout of the church’s sex abuse epidemic, I am starting to wonder if there is anything left to say. For nine years we have heard unceasing, grim revelations about predatory priests and the bishops who protect them. Everyone knows it’s evil, it’s wrong, it’s the greatest stain on the sullied reputation of the Catholic Church.
*
Even with so much already said, there is still one question that troubles me. Why are we, the Catholic laity, still letting the hierarchy get away with it?
*
[W]hy isn’t everyone speaking out? Why isn’t every church-going Catholic demanding repentance and genuine reform from church authorities?
*
[T]he sex abuse crisis is much deeper and darker. It’s about the rape, sodomy, and psychological abuse of children and adolescents by priests. It’s about church authorities going to great lengths to cover-up and to protect predators. The hierarchy cannot use the Bible, Canon Law, or tradition to defend themselves against these crimes.
*
Many agree that the only way to get the church to respond in a decent and decisive manner is for the laity to withhold its money.
*
Much as I agree that such a tactic would work, am I the only one sickened by the fact that depriving the church of financial support is the only way to shock them into acting with integrity?
*
Again, I ask, how is the church still surviving amid such a legacy of sexualized violence? What other institution in the U.S. would still persist amid corruption of this nature? What is it that keeps all Catholics from calling the hierarchy to accountability for the crimes that they have committed against children and adolescents over many decades?
*
If we truly believe that the Eucharist we receive is the body of Jesus, we must find the courage to oppose the religious leaders who continue to inflict harm on the body of Christ. So often we lament the lack of integrity in church authorities. But if we continue to remain immobilized by denial, weariness, or complacency, we may leave the next generations asking, where was the integrity of the laity?
*
As I have noted many times before, the ONLY THING that will force accountability on the Church hierarchy is a massive defection of members - something that is hard to document given the Church's continued listing of individuals as members even when attendance and financial contributions have ceased absent a formal renunciation of the Church - and a massive decline in financial support. Practicing Catholics who continue to attend mass and to contribute money like mindless sheep are in reality accessories to sexual abuse and the obstruction of justice. Such individuals - including some of my family members - need to seriously open their eyes to reality and vote with their feet.
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