The Vatican has issued a report on priestly child rape in Ireland. The Vatican is happy to see “the deep faith of many men and women” despite all this brouhaha about child rape. The Vatican knows what to do moving forward: it is to have “deeper formation in the content of the faith for young people and adults.”
And there’s another thing.
Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed primarily towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.
That’s the important bit. The power and authority of the (all-male, all celibate) priests and bishops. It’s the male celibate priests and bishops who do the Magisterium, and nobody else is allowed to touch it.
Something nobody is allowed to touch in the catholic church? well it is not going to be children!
In case you missed it, in the Netherlands recently some new atrocities committed by Catholic institutions have come to light: Not only were boys abused, they were also castrated, likely at least in part as punishment for reporting the abuse.
I read that document in full. Did it say anything useful? (Apart from the bit that Ophelia highlighted, that is.) It is almost entirely non-communicative discourse and the few bits that aren’t don’t actually propose any specific action.
I always just love this crap about the “magisterium” as if it was composed only of the papacy, cardinalate and the bishoprickacy. In fact, under catholic law, the ultimate magisterium is an ecumenical council of the clergy, the laity and the senior executives of RCC Inc. The last one was Vatican II. Until there is another such council NO-ONE has the authority to cancel, countermand or undermine any of the decisions that were taken then. The whole point is “vox populi, vox dei”. And it doesn’t matter one FF what the whole fucking executive suite f RCC Inc. thinks or says!!!!!
Thanks for the link Deen. Atrocity is certainly the right word. A catholic psychiatric hospital which performs castrations to “cure” homosexuality is the stuff of a particularly nasty horror film. Not as nasty as been allowed to bleed to death because you’re a women and every little sperm is sacred but still unimaginably horrible.
Oh, Francis, it may not be an actual *death sentence* but it’s pretty nasty if castration is the punishment for reporting that you’ve been abused by a priest.
Snap. I just did a post on this subject.