I have now read them all. Good to see the outcome.

Shadow Minister,

There must be some reason that a group with pre-pubescent abuse well below population norms should have a warning like that tattooed on their necks.

What was that rule about the length of a thread ...?

Your suggestion naturally reminds me of this article which was cited in another thread:

http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/how_the_nazis_engineered_a_paedophile_priests_scare/

MJPB,

While I note that you restrict your defense of the church to pre pubescent (as the assaults are usually on pubescent children), the issue is more about the reaction of the church to these abuses.

Until very recently they adopted the three monkey approach.

Whilst the individual actions are the fault solely of the individuals, the cover ups are the fault of the church. The continued decades long abuse by some priests could have been nipped in the bud by any organisation that cared more for its flock than its reputation.

Shadow Minister,

I don't think there were any other organisations in those days that cared more about their flock then their reputation. However clearly at the time those Bishops in the Church that took that approach should have not blended in with other organisations. That said though that characterisation is an oversimplification. The main problem was the reluctance of the Bishops involved to take the responsibility and treat the issue as a religious one rather than a secular one. Yes the mental health profession claimed to be able to cure paedophiles but a priest willing to go with secular norms at the time should have been booted out. It wasn't the tendency that was the problem it was the fact that they acted it out.

More similar news on another of these cases:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQWrzPjAEtxgfa_tARqu5413A4PAD9FGJSKO1

MJPB

Secular norms even at that time did not include moving an offender from one institution to another unsuspecting one.

Whilst everyone is trying to hose down the Vatican's ignominous record of child abuse and working hard on minimizing the fallout by strenous damage control measures, have we forgotten the victims who still hurt from the shame they feel, their recurrent nightmares and the temptation to commit suicide to end their travail? And all the while these monsters of the Church and those who are shielding themselves continue to eat delicate meals, quaff their rich wines, swan around in their expensive cars mostly chauffer driven and go about in drag with the most outrageous hats and mitres whilst working hard at making pious and repentant faces to fool us all. They have decided to tough it out and wait for memories to grow faint.

socratease

But most of them are dead...or booted out by the current Pope.