The Blue Cross:

This 'someone' is myself who stated in an earlier thread, that the Catholics I know and have known back in my city/large country town of 54,000 never knew of paedophilia being present in the city with 2 large catholic schools of at least 1,000 in each plus over the years. Further, the majority [having known many catholic families over 40 years], would not be the type of catholics to sweep paedophilia under the carpet.

It was not stated 'TBC'that 'no catholic knew this was going on would remain silent'. Not my words or thoughts and no-one else's in this thread either. Why would a person declare such a generalised statement The Blue Cross? Obviously an Australian cannot speak for the whole catholic population around Australia.

In awe of the church ALL THE TIME! You exclaimed The Blue Cross.
No, TBC, 'some' catholics or people may be in awe of the Church all the time; not the catholics I grew up with in my city/large country town. They were the most down to earth humorous outgoing people who did not hold the priests and catholic fraternity on a pedestal. These catholics never took religion seriously as they were out the door before the priests concluded the masses on sundays. They would prefer a beer and chat or recommence their week breaking the commandments. By far, I have met and mixed with many other denominations through my life who take religion seriously and are in awe [of religion itself]! Best wishes and respect to them having said this.

Best look up the Australian catholic population, the numbers in the educational arena and acknowledge how many people around Australia catholics or 'catholic raised' you are trying to cast under suspicion. Friends? Work colleagues? A doctor who assists you in being healthy to enjoy your life? Your dentist?

Yes, there will be people investigated caught and charged within the catholic system down the track who covered up for these paedophiles, which in my opinion, will not be many 'out of catholic office' catholics.

Main priority: every Australian paedophile caught and charged.

Yes, The Blue Cross, some of these people who assist your life and health may just be the 'dimwitted and easily led' individuals you have previously referred to in your rant against people of catholic faith.

Get real and look around prior to your generalisations and emotions assuming people of catholic faith are easily led and non-supportive of investigations and charges brought against paedophiles who are catholic. Stop #@$$%%%^ generalising.

You are generalising about every day people who you work with, are friends with, who heal you in your life. How much experience socially do you have with people socially, through charities and organisations apart from your work or homelife?

Start thinking laterally The Blue Cross to avoid your tunnel visioned narrow minded ignorant viewpoint based entirely upon 'emotion' and your upbringing.

That is why when religion is raised every person's opinion is emotive including mine; however there is a difference between you and myself.

I have respect for other people's individual beliefs and religions if not involving murder and crime. I do not generalise as you do about catholics or any other religion's general participants being dimwitted or easily led.

Only a totally narrow minded individual who needs to get out there in life and mix with a few more people, in order to educate he/she more would generalise and assume that people with christian faith are dimwitted or easily led.

George,

The term "the exception that proves the rule" means that the exception that supposed stands out, is still so weak that this implies that if the exception is still sub standard, the rest must be awful.

The head master only tried to communicate with the parents of boys that might have been affected. He did not communicate this to the rest of the school community, or to the public, or to the police. To do any less would probably attract criminal liability.

Where you provided an example where there wasn't a direct cover up, it is by no means an example of pro actively tackling the problem. If this is in the entire world the one beacon of Catholic transparency, then the rest must be pretty shocking.

Shadow Minister,
>>The head master only tried to communicate with the parents of boys that might have been affected <<
I still do not understand why you think that by writing the letter the headmaster "tried" to communicate, and why with the parents of grown-ups (former students).

Neither do I understand why you think writing a letter to 600 recipients, publishing it on the college's official website, and later also a “personal statement” in response to various letters (apparently of support) from parents of present pupils (www.canisius.de/aktuelles) does not constitute “communication to the rest of the school community, or to the public”. After the five spoke, the headmaster knew that among the 600 there must be former victims who would show the letter to the media.

>>If this is in the entire world the one beacon of Catholic transparency, then the rest must be pretty shocking.<<
I agree with the implication; the problem is with the number “one” in the premise.

I can only repeat what I wrote before, namely that as “shocking as the rest must be”, the urge to protect one’s own reputation (until forced by external pressure to go public), combined with naive, outdated ideas about the psychology of pedophiliaand pederasty, was the same in other family and educational situations where pedophilia occurred. And let me also repeat that I do not state this to exonerate Catholic institutions.

Have a gander at this lot:

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=546

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=545

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=544

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=542

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=541

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=540

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=539

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=538

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=537

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=535

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=534

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=533

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=532

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=531

http://www.molestedcatholics.com/index.php?id=530

and there's much more.

The Blue Cross,

Have read my posts heer and other threads you would have realise that first and foremost I agree with you the police have to be informed and invetsigatoe matters. Super-added this requirements is that cover-ups are addressed from the inside-out. The laity must pressure priests to report their bishops to report the cover-ups to police. The Police are outsiders and can only act on what they are told. If clergy are too tight lipped, Catholics have to save their Church against the foolsh and sometimes criminal activities of the clergy. The ultimate arbiter is the judicial process, wherein there is a presumption of innocence, but that doesn't that clerics should not face their civilian peer in a trial.

Like with the tabacco industry the police need "insiders" rat-out the peers. Ratting-out paedophiles and their minders is okay in extreme circumstances.

A Royal Commission is warranred, unlike any previous Commission. This the powers and terms need be very wide and if a priest one he knows about a bishop, he is jailed at the Governors please. If thats means half the clergy end up behind bars, that is acbeptable, where they are covering for paedophiles.

If the Catholic Church cooperates it can a establish a vital, relevant religiuos body. Maybe a much smaller niche, but one more consistent with its alleged humanist founder.