Hans-Ludwig Körber, Germany’s most prominent criminal psychologist (an atheist of Lutheran upbringing) is the director of the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry of the Free University of Berlin. His response to the recent revelation by DER SPIEGEL that 95 cases of abuse by clergy and lay people in Catholic institutions have come to light since 1995:

“Well, if DER SPIEGEL comes up with 95 suspects in 15 years, for someone who knows a bit of a criminology, that’s a surprisingly small number. It means that the current risk of sexual abuse in institutions of the Catholic Church is even lower than I would have suspected. On average, about 15,000 cases of child abuse are reported to the police annually. The church itself has about 600,000 employees, or about 1.8 percent of the population. So 94 cases since 1995 seems to be a dramatic improvement of the situation since 1995. In any case more than half of sexual abuse occurs within families. This is even more true of violence. In the current debate about the Catholic Church, sexual abuse and pedagogy through corporal punishment – which was common in all schools -- are so mixed up that one has the feeling that people want to stretch the numbers” (http://cicero.de/97.php?ress_id=9&item=4907).

Ahh...Severin, you are now blaming catholics in general for the paedophilia cover-ups including myself as originally indicated. I take exception to this factually not emotionally. As I stated in previous posts I have not practiced the catholic religion since the 90's. Read my posts. Further, I am not exonerated nor yourself as a fellow Australian who is now able [after being educated by the media] to assist in addressing the coverups made by other Australians regarding paedophilia and lies. The law will play a minor part as it usually does; the rest is up to fellow Australians and God "Our" Father.

Well TBC, what action do you intend taking also as a fellow Australian to stand up for the rights of all our Australian victims?

Severin, apart from your posts, what are your plans in ensuring that the law comes down hard on these paedophiles and catholic hierarchy who condoned and accelerated their crimes with the exception of labelling every catholic a knowing participant and/or condoning the inaction of investigations and charges?

Lets face it, both of you are Australians, taxpayers? and voters who should feel a moral responsibility to all of our Australian children and adults molested.

Apart from suggesting catholics take a stand TBC and discontinue using the church to pray and continue their religion, suggest a few other steps Australians, including yourself, are able to do, in order to bring the appropriate justice to those who covered up for the paedophilia within the catholic system.

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ [Severin].

Most Australians are well aware of their responsibilities raising their children, going well beyond, assisting other children and teenagers from other families, where molestation has taken a great part, inflicted by adults, in their families and extended families. These issues are addressed by other Australians, including myself in the roles I have taken, in our Australian society. Unpaid roles by the way, to ensure kids are not returned to their paedophile abusers. How many victims of Adults and families I have assisted is countless. I am only one of thousands of Australian people who assist children and families across Australia.

Many catholics who are assisting children in many ways, including abuse and paedophilia.

This is the reason I am upset on behalf of many catholics you are generalising about.

How would you both know, that somewhere, sometime during your lives when young, catholics did not have a hand in assisting your lives or family's lives in some way.

The above is outlined for another reason TBC and Severin.

Q: What strategies and 'action' do you intend taking to address the crime of children and adult victims caused by paedophilia within the catholic system?

It is every Australian's responsibility to ensure justice is taken.

Btw Severin: Many other Australians [catholics included] soldier on and address abuse issues on behalf of victims regardless of whether or not we are ill or dying. My illnesses in all probability would not be evident today had I not sacrificed most of my life assisting abuse victims. As I stated, am only one of thousands or millions of Australians doing this over many years.

I hope you recover and rest in all sincerity and spend quality time with your mother.

I am commenting on the resounding silence of the majority of mainstream Catholics [Severin]

Severin, your above generalisation is yet another in which you continually non-factually state that the majority of catholics either are silent on the crimes, are part of them, disgust you, and/or inactive [about the crimes].

Please answer my following question [for a change] given you avoided today answering my other queries relating to the crimes and cover-ups; yet are quite happy to continue slandering and generalising catholics' lives thoughts and actions; fellow Australians lives you know nothing about.

Q: How would you Severin know, what is occurring at present, within the lives of catholics, in relation to the crimes committed by those working within the catholic system; hence, state facts, not generalisations based upon emotion. Media coverage is not gospel/truth or non-media coverage via the internet television/news, current affairs programs are no indication as to whether or not 'the majority of catholics are silent'.

How do you hope to influence OLO posters with your anti-christian, 'verbal bash ALL catholics and christians campaign' using children and adult victims of paedophilia?

Give up slandering and blaming catholics generally Severin. Credit Australians with a little more intelligence as to your motives. A good deal of your posts are filled with anti-christian and anti-catholic generalisations and slander. Emotion based contempt towards Australians you know nothing about; yet slander and put in the same basket.

Cornflower,

Thank you. Sorry, I missed your earlier post. So, I hope I am not misrepresenting you in saying you do believe that there are guilty minders who keep things in-house, placing the Church above secular authorities. Should not the laity be more proactive? Should there be whistleblowers to inform the police? As I mentioned before, the bishops have typists and filing clerks, who must see things.

Hello George,

Even if priests show no statistical deviation from the general population regarding paedophilia, we are still left with issues of protection after-the-fact and the possibility over re-offence, where bishops act to over things up.

Before I entered academia, I worked with a Bank, wherein, I recall a branch manager agreeing to a personal loan to customer to pay $1,000 bribe to a policeman. The instant the paper work hit the system, the whole process stopped, the Bank called in the authorities; thence, the borrower, the manager and the policeman were all prosecuted. Likewise, I saw no cover-up for thieves on the staff. Yet, I suspect there are cover-ups in tobacco companies, churches, police forces and the military: Here there are industry interests and brotherhoods.

What does the much publicised copy of the Pope’s letter say to you?
If a CEO of a pharmaceutical company protected a serial killer chemist, arguing we must save the Company, what would you say?

Dawkins engages in a logical fallacy to assert that if memories “can” be implanted as is known as fact, that memories “were” implanted in fact.