Vatican : Abusers going to hell

[SoylentGreen]

Vatican prosecutor: Abusers going to hell - World - NZ Herald News

The Vatican prosecutor of clerical sex abuse warned perpetrators on Saturday that they would suffer damnation in hell that would be worse than the death penalty.

"it would be really better that his evil deeds cause him death in his lifetime" under secular laws than suffer "more terrible damnation" in hell.

Scicluna drew on a passage in St. Mark's Gospel saying those who harm children would be better off tying a millstone to their neck and throwing themselves into the sea.

Seminarians and other pontifical university students in Rome wanted to gather for prayers for the victims of clergy abuse and for the healing of the church's wounds from the scandal over its concealment of abuse.

Participants at the ceremony asked for prayers "for the victims of abuses perpetrated by men and women of the Church,

Prayers were also offered for clerics and other religious who committed abuses

Earlier in the week, the Catholic news agency Zenit reported that several seminary students, including ones from Britain and the United States, decided to have the prayer service in response to Pope Benedict XVI's harsh letter to Irish bishops in March.

On Friday, the head of the Italian bishops conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco told his churchmen that it was "possible" that sex abuse by clergy might have also been covered up in Italy,
. But he didn't blame Vatican policies that kept the abuse secret for making the situation worse and he issued no punishment for the Irish bishops

.

You might want to read the article to get the full picture. I have broken it down and rearranged it to the three parts that interested me.

The first part seems to be saying that the churches position is that the priest pedophiles would be better dead than still be around embarrassing the church.

The second seems to say that all the church is prepared to do is pray.

Which seems to be confirmed by the third in which they still refuse to accept any sort of blame.

[Jack]

Rather convenient for the church that millstones are few and far between these days. There are so few that several priests would have to share each one. I read that first paragraph as an excuse for not subjecting abusers to the legal system. It seems the church is saying that their punishment, damnation to hell once the abusers die, is more fitting than allowing the priests to face civil law and its consequences. Again, how convenient.

[Philip Lu]

Before the Catholic Church defined it for me, I never knew molesting small children was a sin!

[Logical]

Before the Catholic Church defined it for me, I never knew molesting small children was a sin!

It's only a sin if the public knows.

[Dan74]

Why does this guy think he can say who does and who doesn't go to hell? Only God can judge that.

[minorwork]

Why does this guy think he can say who does and who doesn't go to hell? Only God can judge that.

Ah, come on. Charles Scicluna just did it. Read the link again. The perpetrator's punishment is being taken care of, supernaturally, so man's puny justice system needn't bother itself. The supernatural punishment is more than puny man can ever mete out, so just forget about it.

[Jack]

The supernatural punishment is more than puny man can ever mete out, so just forget about it.

Add the perception that it's the victim's fault and you have the Vatican attitude toward priestly child abuse.

[Diogenes]

The first part seems to be saying that the churches position is that the priest pedophiles would be better dead than still be around embarrassing the church.

Actually according to scripture and Christian writings of that period this is true...for instance in the words of Ignatius

' better for a man to keep his peace and be
than to say he is a christian and be found not to be '

early christians believed that calling oneself a christian and acting un-christian was worse than not being a christian at all...you were, in effect, defaming and disparaging ( bringing ill-repute upon ) the name of Jesus and his teachings

which was a main reason why many christians allowed themselves to be tortured and killed rather than deny or disparage their faith...as Clement said:

' pray for me each night so that I may not only be called a christian
but be found to be one '

there was, in the beginning, a strong belief that a christian should act like a christian...that a man is known to be a christian through his actions.

...............................................

As for the rest...clearly the ' church ' hasn't really represented christianity since Irenaeus ( circa 170AD ) when he systematically went about destroying the letters and manuscripts, and dispersing the members, of his opposition in order to unify the church under himself...

catholic; means to unify, universal, the universal church...the catholic church...which began under his rule.

For the first 150 years though... christianity was made up of many churches/sects, and not all of them believed the same thing.
And for the next 150 or so years until the First Council of Nicaea there wasn't a consensus, even in the Catholic church, of what should be considered canonical.

[Logical]

It doesn't matter. Christ paid for everyone's sins. All the priests should need to do is ask for forgiveness. Isn't that right?

[minorwork]

It doesn't matter. Christ paid for everyone's sins. All the priests should need to do is ask for forgiveness. Isn't that right?

Are you claiming that as a logical proposition? If you are, then yes that is all that needs to be done by the priests ... plus repenting. Then they get to face the music in the world. The world be not nearly as forgiving.

[Logical]

Are you claiming that as a logical proposition? If you are, then yes that is all that needs to be done by the priests ... plus repenting. Then they get to face the music in the world. The world be not nearly as forgiving.

I am not, I am pointing out the hypocrisy of the Church. They are a center of mass population control. When faced with a problem that would loosen their grasp they will readily change their beliefs.

[minorwork]

I am not, I am pointing out the hypocrisy of the Church. They are a center of mass population control. When faced with a problem that would loosen their grasp they will readily change their beliefs.

I second that. Though I'm not too sure if they would agree with your use of the term "readily." Kicking, scratching, and biting might be more descriptive of their eagerness to change.