15 Comments

The headlines read as if he’s immediately guilty of all the crimes himself.

The push of politics over information.

I appreciate your work, gents.

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As usual, the report contains statements like "experts claim" without indicating who the "experts" are, and in what field they are expert. And obviously the lawyer presenting the case is bound not to believe Pope Benedict's version. It's to his advantage not to do so.

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This is why there should be women in leadership roles in the church. I am totally disgusted with the Catholic church! Those poor victims, victimized by supposedly good human beings.

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There are women in leadership roles in the Church. What we don't have is women clergy, and I don't see why the abuse crisis justifies introducing such an innovation. Do you think women are incapable of abusing people or protecting those who abuse?

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There is something about networks of males that makes abuse more covert and secret. You see it in politics, the entertainment industry, business, sport and sadly the Church. The combination of power and male privilege has been the cover for so much systemic abuse in our world. The power structure needs dismantling and women more welcome.

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Women have been made more welcome in positions of authority since the sexual abuse crisis. But I don't see why the hierarchy of the Church needs to be "dismantled" when work has been done to address the problem and sexual abuse in the Church is now very infrequent.

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One need only consider the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth's fund for those their members abused to know the if only women claim is nonsense.

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There you go again🙄 Guilty until proven innocent. And your comment makes no logical sense.

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Thank you for the explainer. Totally off topic, but the name of the city is either Munich (in English) or München (in German) – there's no "Münich".

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I believe Pope Benedict. I always have and l always will.

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Our Magisterium is stained with the Blood of the children who suffered and died including my brother...the coverup continues to this day. "Bishop" Juan Barrios was appointed by Francis who KNEW he was a pedophile and refused to accept it.

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If Pope Francis refused to accept it, then he didn't "know" it. He knew of the accusations, for sure. (BTW, the accusation, since proven true, against Bishop Juan Barros is not an accusation of pedophilia, but the cover-up of sexual abuse. That's still a crime, but they are not the same thing.)

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Jan 20, 2022·edited Jan 20, 2022

I commend Cardinal Marx's expressions of 'shame and shock'. He shows a good example of accepting his part in all that has happened without trying to minimise or justify it. If all those involved were so responsible we'd see a repentant Church ready for genuine renewal.

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Pope Benedict's heart can be read in every word he has written. He is the gentlest pope we have ever had and l have lived through seven of then do far.

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I think you need to update your story. You've put the best possible spin on Benedict's actions without mentioning the meeting he was at about an abusive priest despite his previous denial to the contrary. I really like The Pillar and its coverage of the abuse crisis has been quite good, but in this case I think you failed because of your fondness for Benedict. https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/24/europe/nato-deployment-eastern-europe-ukraine-intl/index.html

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