BEWARE:

The atheist and his damned rainbow flag.

Dan

What an idiot! He has further further queered the pitch for George Pell, who should not be in jail. What hope is there now that people already Catnolic haters will change their minds!

Everybody has a moral duty to report child abuse. The injustice against Pell does not change that

Church attendance has fallen firstly because it is no longer socially expected.

Formerly, even people who were not at all religious went to church to socialise, to meet friends, to hear news and gossip, to show themselves, their wealth and their status. Their absence is not a loss - if you go to God's house, you should do so to meet God!

Also television and the internet damaged church attendance just as they damaged so many other institutions, including the family. Many just find it too difficult to digitally disconnect even for an hour or two.

I commend Peter Comensoli for his statement: God should always come before society and humanism. Sadly when the author writes: "Not so Commensoli. He would rather leave the perpetrator of sexual abuse go free than report him to the authorities", he fails to recognise the ultimate and highest authority, God!

If priests are "required" to report anything they heard in confession, then all confessions will simply cease, and that is a great pity because confession is an amazing spiritual and therapeutic technique. Forget about the trappings of absolution and penance, just the ability to communicate one's guilt unreservedly to some other living soul is invaluable for sanity and spiritual growth, and this would not happen without the assurance of absolute confidentiality and non-judgement.

God's healing grace can transform everyone, even a paedophile: pray, repent and confess!

Yup, it does seem only those unable to shrug off their early brainwashing are still attending Church services and trusting birds of a feather with the indoctrination of their children.

I say this given the number of high profile tip of a massive tip of the iceberg, who've been defrocked or exposed recently.

Moreover, one notes that no action is taken in most of these cases until the offender has exhausted all legal options, regardless of cost! All while compensation is little more than tokenism or shut up money!

It seems all the empathy and FINACIAL support is being directed at the perpetrating offenders and held back for the offending paedophile priests', bishops' and cardinals' victims?

And then wonder why this fable and fantasy-based paganism has fewer followers and their critical FINACIAL support!

The MAN-MADE confessional seal is only around 700 years old and does not belong to early esoteric Christian, pre-Constantine, belief! Nor Sun worshipping pagan, Constitane's approved practice or official allowed belief!

And given that is so, cannot be defended as a central plank upon which (paganised) Christian belief stands!

Anyone who knowingly protects and shelters known and perhaps still offending paedophiles are as bad (or worse) as (than) them and an also-ran, criminal. after the fact, offender! No question!

Think, given no exposure or outing, some of these high profile offenders could nominate a Pope or even go on to fill that position!

Former Catholic/Altar boy.
Alan B.

1/. If a priest does not report illegal activity. "I robbed" "I murdered" Then he has no right in telling others how to beg=have morally.
2/. Of course church attendances are down as more and more people are using their brain and realizing what a giant con religion is.

Does anyone know if it is down on absolute numbers or relative figures?