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RSS FeedMedia coverage of Catholic priest pedophiles is biased and prejudicial
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| Agree | 45% | 10 votes | Total: 22 votes | |
| Disagree | 55% | 12 votes |
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Add to FavoritesArticle: Yes, the constant mention of abuse when speaking of the Catholic Church is definitely a form of prejudice and would never be allowed in other Religious Organizations,
profes sions, race and/or sex.
When some people behave in such a manner it only shows that (a) the person(s) who is/are asking the question over and over again is prejudice or (2) they are not too intelligent because the Priests who abused children only make up five (5)percent of Priests and Nuns dedicated to serving the Catholic Church.
I know there should never have been even one (1), but then there should not be one (1) in any profession, race and/or sex either. It should never be allowed to happen and once someone is exposed it should not be constantly brought up when other members of that group gather together for other special occasions.
It is not allowed to be done in any other profession and should not be allowed to be constantly done regarding the Catholic Church. As stated, it only shows how much prejudice that certain members of the media and entertainment business have against the Catholic Church.
The media and or entertainment business would not get away with constantly bringing up every politician, teacher, religious leader from other religions and/or entertainment celebrities who have abused children, cheated, misused funds and/or raped other individuals and they should not be allowed to get away with it concerning the Catholic Church. The percentage ratio in the Catholic Church is the same in all of the professions mentioned.
We are not supposed to judge an entire race, sex or religion by the handful of people who commit acts that would bring shame against their race, sex or religion and it shouldn't be allowed to happen in the Catholic Church either.
Why aren't the sayings "One rotten apple does not make the whole barrel rotten?" and/or Five criminals from any race or profession does not make the whole race, profession criminals.
Why should it be allowed to constantly happen in the Catholic Church?
Every time a school/college is mentioned the medial does not list (a) how many students have died as a result of drinking; (b) how many rapes have taken place at this school/college; (c) how many students quit or failed; (d) how many students were abused by such and such a teacher.
If it were allowed in such cases there would be marching by Civil Rights groups to put an end to such prejudice, why isn't it done with the Catholic Church also.
Even in Hollywood, the papers and magazines are full of entertainers who are constantly in drug rehabilitation centers. That does not mean that every entertainer is on drugs; anymore than a handful of athletic stars make every other athlete guilty of using steroids or other drugs.
Doctors, nurses, lawyers, everyday workers all have their own share of people who not only fall into the category of abusing others, they also have codes that protect each other and do
all they can from having the truthful scandal come out. There is the blue code of police officers, the white code of the medical profession, the black tie code of Wall Street and many other codes from every profession. People do not run to the press and say "Have you heard" and when it does come out in the open, they do not start every game, show or speech with "How do you feel about those in your profession who have brought shame upon your profession."
A handful of people do not make make every other person in their line of work guilty of the same crime and it should not make every priest, nun, deacon, and/or Catholic guilty of child abuse or of covering up a scandal.
It is about time that we Catholics and any fair-minded person will realize that and speak up so that it would not be allowed to happen to the Catholic Religion anymore. We should all
band together and defend the other priests, nuns, deacons and other Catholics who have dedicated their lives to serving God and all the people who they help such as the homeless, sick, troubled, abandoned and so many others who are in need of helping hands. We should let the voices of the ninety-five (95) percent be heard and stop letting the ones who have betrayed all of us stay in the limelight and we should let the people who never sing any of our praises know that we are tired of their putting a black mark on us.
Learn more about this author, Frances Ruocco.
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Disagree
There are few acts in life that could be more heinous than the sexual violation of a child; among these is the sexual violation of a child by a member of the cloth. Given the virtues that the Catholic church espouses and expects its congregation to uphold in the name of God and Jesus, it is the epitome of hypocrisy when a priest violates these mandates in any form. To violate this doctrine by victimizing a juvenile member of your congregation by abusing the authority and trust vested in you by your sacraments is nothing short of evil.
To suggest that media coverage of such vile acts is biased is to suggest that one should even attempt to look at such horrible transgressions with an unbiased eye. Having made the choice to violate not only the trust of the parishioner but also to misuse the authority invested in them but God, any priest who commits such a callous act does not deserve an unbiased approach. While our legal system is based on the premise of assumed innocent until proven guilty, the dastardly acts committed by priests against those who are truly innocent surely do not deserve to benefit from such consideration.
Even after exposing repeated instances of sexual abuse by church officials the Catholic Church went out of its way to cover up the scandals. Transferring priests out to other diocese and hindering investigations under the guise of protecting religious freedom and information, the church showed it's willingness to put its own interest ahead of its followers. The Catholic Church did it's best to stonewall investigations into inappropriate abuse, in many cases succeeding in drawing out investigations beyond the statute of limitations. Unsuccessful in its attempt to hide all offenses the Catholic Church was finally forced to publicly acknowledge the epidemic of sexual misconduct of many of its members. Not only has the Catholic Church provided a nest for the breeding of depraved pedophiles, it has also helped to shelter such monsters from justice, thus allowing them continue to prey on their innocent victims. It's a shameful practice that has cast a shadow over the church and organized religion in general.
Having the media shine a light on the transgressions of the church is an eye opening development in a long an sordid history of abuses. Too long have the monsters of the Catholic Church abused innocent children, too long has the church protected these criminals. Now that these evils are coming to light we want to cast blame on the media for taking a biased and prejudicial approach to their reporting. The mere thought of blaming the media for the indiscretions of the church is ridiculous. Regardless of how the information has been gathered and reported to the public we cannot lose sight of the harm and injustice that the Catholic Church has allowed to transpire unchecked for so many years. If blame is to be cast by an accusing finger in any direction it must first be directed at the Church and the dozens of priests who have victimized so many of the flock they are sworn to protect and serve.
Had the Catholic Church been diligent in its teachings and watched it's sheppards as much as it watches its flock such misdeeds would not have been allowed to happen. Not only are the perverted and misguided priests who committed these terrible acts responsible, but so is the entire Catholic Church. The Church is responsible for allowing such monsters to be bred in its seminaries and for attempting to cover up the acts and protecting the guilty. Bringing this information to the forefront of the public's knowledge is not biased prejudicial, it is responsible and helpful. Even if the information reported is hearsay, the public deserves to know about any allegations of abuse perpetrated by a priest. If for no other reason than to bring the public's view of priests more in line with the reality of today. Our media sources should be commended for doing their civic duty and alerting the public to the evils that the Catholic Church is capable of. Evils that the public often turns a blind eye to in the interests of faith.
Learn more about this author, Joseph Whalen.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
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