Dear Philips,

I don't think preserving their wealth
is a major concern. They've got enough
wealth to last several lifetimes, and
then some.
And it will continue to grow - thanks
to huge investments and legacies that
will accumulate. Cardinal Marcinkus,
former Pope's Banker, saw to that.

The Papal apology was not as you describe,
the "easy part." I imagine it was not an
easy decision for the Pope to make at all.
He would have received a great deal of
opposition from within the Church's hierarchy,
and its legal advisers.
But, it was a crucial one, if the Church
was to retain any credibility.

Coming from the Head of the Church, it also
is a step in the right direction.
As I said in another post, acknowledging
a problem, is the first step in fixing it.

We should not diminish the apology, on
the contrary, we should encourage that it
now initiates change within the Church.

I did not expect the apology to happen,
and the words the Pope used were strong ones.
They will go down in history.
No one can dispute that fact.

All we can hope is that the Pope's words will form
a base from which change will come within
the ranks of the Church.

The first step has been made.

I expected some type of apology. It's reached the stage where the Church had pretty much no option. I believe the apology is not 100% sincere. If it was, it would have come a very, very, very long time ago, and been often repeated in every country in the world many, many times.

The Church's wealth would most definitely be compromised if litigations were successfully launched and brought to fruition the world over. They can only be brought to full fruition if the Church willingly admits guilt, and as historically proven, the Church won't do that to the degree required in courts of law. There would be many, many thousands of such litigations and if fully successful the wealth of the Church would most definitely be reduced to a concerning degree.

The Church will fight tooth and nail to protect that wealth. It depends on that wealth. And they only too well know it!

At the end of the day, they know that God won't save them. To save themselves they have adopted certain "Earthly" legal procedures, where every "official" Church word and statement is carefully vetted from a legal perspective. They can't risk that "wealth".

Hopefully they will eventually be **FORCED**, via the legal systems throughout the world, to actually face up to their legal responsibilities

hi to all the forgotten australians ,and everyone else out their ,

thank you foxy for the reply ,

yesterday i placed a post in the daily telegrapgh

Readers' Comments
Pope sorry for church sex abuseArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print
July 19, 2008 04:05pm
POPE Benedict XVI has apologised to people sexually abused by members of the clergy in Australia.

He raised the issue during a ceremony to consecrate the altar of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney, where the Pope has been participating in World Youth Day (WYD) activities.

"Here I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country,'' Pope Benedict said in his homily.
Read Full Story

how about prime minister rudd apologize to all of us victims that were raped and abused in the state run instituions of australia , its about time the whole of australia stop the cover up and clean the slate apologize then its done , if the prime minister won't do it for us victims whats the good of being prime minister , , the more they keep covering up the rapes and abuse the worse it is becoming , so stand up for australians and the victims mr rurdd , we never asked to be raped and abused we were children for christ sake , from a real victim micheal brown
Posted by: micheal brown of argenton 7:07pm July 19, 2008
Comment 17 of 3

also i shall post the one that got placed in the un herald

it would be nice if the prime minister stood up for us all

foxy you need to read a couple of things col rouge has said in the last few days , bit up setting , to us victims

click on my user name and read what i said to him

just thought id let all olo know i do stand up for wanting the truth be told and justice for us victims
regards huffnpuff

Philips,

I think your post is right on the money. All the way through human history, the Church has been closely intertwined with authorities and those with power. Is it any wonder that the laws have never been used against them? They have, after all, been party to influencing those who've written the laws. Until now, the Church has been all flow and no ebb. Give it the chance to change its behaviour certainly, but if it can't, the full force of human laws should be forced upon it as it has influenced the laws to come upon others. That would truly be justice in action.

hi to all the forgotten australians ,and everyone else out their on olo

just posting the other comment that was published in the herald sun
yesterday

Readers' CommentsActivist wants abuse compensationArticle from: Font size: Decrease Increase Email article: Email Print article: Print
July 19, 2008 02:33pm
CHILDREN'S rights activist Hetty Johnston wants compensation for people sexually abused by Catholic clergy following the Pope's apology to victims.

Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI apologised during a ceremony to consecrate the altar of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney as part of World Youth Day activities.

"Indeed I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured and I assure them that, as their pastor, I too share in their suffering," Pope Benedict said in his homily.

Read full story

what a joke the pope has only apologized to the catholic victims of child abuse ,. yet the prime minister of australia should be apologizing to all the victims that were raped and abused in the states run institutions through out australia , and have the guts to addmitt the truth and stop the cover up of all the rapes and abuse that occurred in the states run institutions from the 30's , 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, . we ar5e real victims the states still continue to cover up and their senate inquiries prove our stories yet the goverment is still covering this up by not acting on and for the victims that were in these institutions where is our justice , where is our apology , we are still being raped by the goverment of australia , until they addmitt the truth then we can have some faith in our country Posted by: micheal brown of argenton 7:28pm July 19, 2008
Comment 6 of 7

so to all out their ,

their are still many other victims out here other than just the catholics

regards huffnpuff

we will no longer be forgotte

I think the scale and complexity of the problem of child sexual abuse, whether the crimes be committed via the Churches, State Institutions or other Authorities, means that true and complete reconciliation, understanding and restitution is a task so huge that it will probably never reach the stage of being complete. After all, how is it possible to "compensate" for a raped child? Nothing can compensate for that experience.........but that doesn't mean for one second that we as a society should not try!

Apologies, while important to the victims, are merely the first wavering steps towards "proper and full" recognition of past and present problems. The Institutions, Governments and Churches will probably remain suspicious of people claiming abuse and remain protective of their great wealth. Legal "force" is probably the only way, and unfortunately that can take many long decades of dedication from the victims and their supporters.