Connecticut bishops fight sex abuse bill

Connecticut bishops fight sex abuse bill

www.cnn.com

From Jamie Guzzardo, CNN
April 11, 2010 10:30 p.m. EDT

Hartford, Connecticut (CNN) -- "A bill in Connecticut's legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from the state's Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure."
The proposed change to the law would put "all Church institutions, including your parish, at risk," says the letter..."

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.nbcconnecticut.com

Doing away with the statute of limitation on sex abuse. Good. It's about time substantial and meaningful action is taken to root out, expose and prosecute these perverts in the Catholic Church. Hopefully Connecticut is just the beginning. They won't be able to sweep it under the rug forever. How much has the Catholic Church already payed out in out of court settlements. Millions. Let's see them try to settle out of court now...

www.cnn.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

"The proposed change to the law would put "all Church institutions, including your parish, at risk," says the letter...""

Oh please. What about the children. That's the only thing these parishes should be concerned about. My God!

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are


I am proud to have given you OP your first stars and flag.

Only criminals want protection and we the people should not give it to them. To black mail a congregation into voting against this act otherwise your local church may be closed is a desperate measure to insure the richest organization will not have to pay what is due. All those who cover up and protect criminals normally go to jail unless of course you are the pope and above the law. Children need protection and this act will try and tip the scales of justice closer for the first time in the protection of our children. If a sex offender knows at any time his victim can seek justice he might just might not do the crime.

We must protect the children at all costs and if the church needs saving then it is up to their God and not the members of the church!!!!
Thank you for your thread....

edited to fix as usual grammar

[edit on 4/12/2010 by IceHappy]

Originally posted by IceHappy

....

Only criminals want protection ....

I think the statute does need repealing, and I too want to get the perverts out of the Catholic Church's clergy (and ANYWERE else).

But I take exception your notion that only criminals want protection.

I won't bother with what ifs, and where-to-for arguments. But I can assure you that without statutes of limitations the law could (and would) be abused to no end by sleazy lawyers who extort the accused... and use mere accusations as weapons of coercion.

In this case, the statute needs to be repealed and redefined to remove protection for institutionally protected abuse; because corporations and mega-institutions (like churches) abuse their legal "person-hood" allowing clusters of offenders to hide beneath the 'cloth.'

But it never was "just" the Catholic church... mark my words because the truth will soon make itself evident... this plague of abuse extends far beyond the convenient, and expedient Catholic church scapegoat. Some already know this, others more ignorantly behave as if being a Catholic priest automatically means your a child-molesting pervert - which seems to imply that it happens in no other 'institutions of faith.'

[edit on 12-4-2010 by Maxmars]

Originally posted by Maxmars

Originally posted by IceHappy


But it never was "just" the Catholic church... mark my words because the truth will soon make itself evident... this plague of abuse extends far beyond the convenient, and expedient Catholic church scapegoat. Some already know this, others more ignorantly behave as if being a Catholic priest automatically means your a child-molesting pervert - which seems to imply that it happens in no other 'institutions of faith.'

[edit on 12-4-2010 by Maxmars]

I agree with you completely. And I'm not trying to scapegoat anyone. But the guilty are guilty, and the institution that protects them is gulty as well. Period. I think that the fervor over the Catholic Church is it's complacency. A church should be held to a higher standard. After all, they hold everyone else accountable in "the eyes of God'...

I live in CT, in southwest CT, near the NY boarder. A few years ago, i was talking with a guy online, turned out was 19 years old. In my city, stamford CT, he admitted to me, he has regualr sex with 2 preists in 2 local churches! He simply IMD me thinking i was gay, which im not, i am stright, for the record, and started telling me this disturbing news..
HE told me, it started when he was 13, confession booth..giving oral pleasure to a preist, then many encounters, wtih anohter one at another local church. I told the 19 year old, dont you think this is wrong? his only answers wee he is gay, and even preists need love too
I am glad he told me this, as i DEF will not partisipate in any local church activitys, especially since no one will really investigate this. being he was 13 when the preist came onto him...that is by law, pedophilia as well.. thier should be cameras set up in churches, i mean i know its spiritual privacy and all...but coming onto a young just starting peuberty teen for sexual pleasure is wrong, let alone being a preist!

no jail for the priests...

just let them have one hour in closed room with the parents

Haha, I love how they put:

It will put your church at risk.

Risk of what? Having less sex offenders around their kids?

The church really needs to stop putting itself first as opposed to the people, which is what they preach.

Love the people, God for the people etc...

They are worried that TONS of priests will be charged and marched into jail adding more fuel to the fire with this very hot topic.

~Keeper

BISHOPS plural?!?

How many bishops does a tiny state like Connecticut need?!?

And I agree that the church is wrong to protest this move.

What Maxmars says is true. It will lead to abuse. The witch hunt is starting. While it will be a bad process, i hope that in the end our nation is better for it.

it is telling that these bishops are protesting. Very telling.

Originally posted by heineken
no jail for the priests...

just let them have one hour in closed room with the parents

Spot on. I'm sure the kids' parents would love the opportunity for a little eye for an eye action.

Mark 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." And they were amazed at him.

Of course, the wording varies slightly, depending on translation. But regardless, the patron of the religion gave them instructions on how to deal with issues such as this.

It appears as if the deification of our children throughout society has provided the opportunity to reassess our assumptions about our institutions. The THOUGHT that there might be something questionable about the church a century ago would have been considered blasphemy.

gj

I just gotta shake my head when I read crap like this.

For goodness sake these priests are out of touch with reality.

reply to post by Maxmars


Wish I could award you more than one star for that post

The hysteria's been whipped

People respond like those whose emotions and outrage wear a sign, saying 'Manipulate and Arouse Me'

I'm all for protecting a child's right to be a child, with all that entails. Kids are trusting, they're innocent (those who haven't been sexualised by the perverted media owners with their agenda, that it).
Children are physically smaller, weaker. They're in awe of and intimidated by adults/bigger people, particularly those holding some form of office. Those who exploit these inherently childlike qualities and violate kids are reviled by all decent people

However, we'd have to be deaf, blind and dumb not to recognize that there's an orchestrated beat-up in progress, re: the Roman Church. And a steady percentage of society is desperate to have 'someone to hate'. They've been handed the Roman church on a platter and provided with knives, courtesy of the same media (and its backers) which is whipping-up the hatred. 'Look here, look here at these Roman Catholics --- they're bad ! Break them. Break them now. Drive them down and destroy them. ---- but don't look over there, at that other religious group. And don't look behind you or you might see the paedophiles in that very powerful religous gang.

Yes, they all have more than their share of perverts, but let's forget about them --- concentrate instead on those Roman Catholic clergy.

Here, we'll help you --- read this filth we just published about the Romans. Doesn't it make you sick ? Doesn't it make you want to scream ? Don't you just hate them ?

Ok, go on now --- vomit it all up in forums and blogs and Faceboook. Kill those bastard Romans ---end them now ! And don't you worry about the paedophiles who're at it right this minute within other religions. Ignore them. It's the Romans who're the target here '

OR --- liken it instead, to the education industry. Which contains entire squads of child-lusting paedophiles and child abusers (mind rapists included)

You know they're thick within schools everwhere, within the administration. But would you like to see schools closed ? Yes ? But how would you cope if your children were home, 24/7 ?

The 'Law' --- the 'legal fraternity'. Want to see the law-industry closed down ? But then who'd protect you and your property ? Who'd dispense with your stalker and make you safe ? How would you be able to sue anyone and obtain 'justice' ?

But why shouldn't the law-industry be closed down ? Expecially if you've been keeping an eye on the Hollie Greig case

Cool heads are needed. Stay calm. And watch the media beat itself to death in the effort to whip-up and arouse your emotions. Sit back and watch and refuse to be manipulated. Take notes. Consider. Scrutinise all the religious bodies and their record and histories. Weigh it up. Draw your own conclusions. Don't allow your beliefs to be 'formed and shaped' by those who regard you as just a 'plasticine brain'.

Things have to change, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater leads to regret. Calmly, work to keep the best, and discard the rest

I am divided on this issue. Where I can understand that this would be a means to where it can put the pressure on the church, so that way they will take care to police and start taking steps to remove those priests who are suspected and or accused of such, on the other hand I am against it. There are very few crimes in our societ where there is no statue of limitations on them. I think that they need to be more willing to put a priest into prison for the max terms and more parents need to be aware of what their children are doing. But this can not be a witch hunt or about taking away from the churchs, cause evertime something like this, that happens damages all churches and religious institutions, not just one. I also believe that they need to take on more of the hirearchy of churches as well, especially the bishops, archbishops and cardinals who know about and try to supress such and send them to jail as well, that way it would send a very strong message that this kind of activity will stop or not even the halls of the church will protect you from the law.

reply to post by heineken



Spot on.A mate of mine spent 15 years in prison for cutting off the balls of the kid that raped his daughter.
ALL child sex offenders need their balls cut off.

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are

Thank you OP for your support! I was only speaking about the church because they were the ones mentioned in the article with threating behaviour . Anyone else who thought I was singling the church out is second guessing me or not have read the article.

I do not believe there should be a statue of limitation on child abuse, ever. Unfortunately I have experienced this first hand. Private military school and my mother left me with known 2 different molesters two different times. She is gay and her life style was more important than my safety! I have only asked my mother 10 years ago which when I was 47 if she knew Frank liked little kids. She said yes he served a year in prison for little girls. I was shocked and reply apparently he also liked little boys too. I have dealt with this but it took me all these years to ask questions of my mother. I have my answer and dealing with it my way which is not everyones way. Yes I think she should have jail time for this but IMHO not at her age now but that is my choice! Not every victim feels this way which is okay by me. I feel I do have a right to my opinion and also feel there should be a better way than the court system not because of another poster calling lawyer names but it would nice if there was a more positive way of justice. Currently the only civilize way of dealing with a complaint like this is through the courts. Regardless of the posters idea of how lawyers are is the only legal method available...

Each person has a right to deal with their own trauma, however, there are many cases of victims going to court some 40 years after the offense.

Justice should not have a shelf life.

And now that the Chuch is aware of what's going on in Connecticut they're "making changes" to their policy on sex abuse allegations. Of course. Close the barn door after the horses have left. I don't think they can put any good spin on what's gone on for decades by making changes now, only after things are getting too hot for them.

"Vatican to change sex allegation policy while statutes change threaten lawsuits"
www.salient-news.com...