The older stories are not to be found on the web.

The parents complained to the Bishops office.

Had the newspaper not exposed the story, the chucrh was not going to discipline anyone.

There were even parents from the school supporting the teacher!

AS for the teacher not being a Catholic... so what?

The Bishop-Pope is the employer (or is God?) and has a duty of cre that extends to all in the school, staf, students and parents.

It is very sad that you, and people like you, bother to spruik for the unsupportable behaviour of those who pretend to 'know better'.

They are just human, like the rest of us, but they believe in something that has yet to appear to anyone, other than dead saints of course.

Grow up a little.

The solution is largely in the Catholic Church's own hands as suzeonline's comments allude. Full cooperation with authorities, beyond apologies and vague directives are required. Moreover, lay Catholics have to lead their leaders, to purge the Church of those guilty of cover-ups, not only the active criminals. If that course leaves the pruned rose bush bare, so be it.

The main obstacle is bishops will place the "universal church" in shelter mode, perpetuating the problem. Secular jurisprudence could be the Church's best friend, but these guys are too insular to recognise this fact.

Though a religious skeptic myself, I feel those whom chooose to believe deserve to be able to worship in a respectable organisation. I am not sure the Catholic Church meets that standard, yet it can be, if makes hard decisions and takes the firmest action.

Shadow Minister,
Let me repeat, you asked for an example I provided one. I don’t know what rule it proves since you did not spell it out. Neither did you say by what criterion legal (in what country) or moral (with respect to what code of conduct, Catholic or what) was it “close to the absolute minimum required”.

Of course, I agree that by far not all abuses of minors came to the light this way. Without quoting comparative statistics, the “cover-up” reaction - I think the term “wegschauen” (looking the other way) used by the Canisius headmaster is often more appropriate - was not worse, if not better, than in other educational institutions and family situations where abuse of children unfortunately occur, and the family or institution is more interested in the protection of its own reputation, than in doing all it could - including filing charges and thus going public - to alleviate the suffering of the victim(s).

This is a fact, not an excuse: The outrage over this sort of thing happening under the auspices of an institution that claims to stand for higher moral standards is justified; and the more so from those of us who have been, and are, granting them this claim

George... "lay Catholics have to lead their leaders" this, sadly, applies to all of us, never mind 'the Catholics'.

The truth is, 'leaders' cannot be trusted to lead.

It is, in fact, the role of the led, to police the leaders at all times.

Being cast into the role of 'leader' is but to be given a sub-contract to deal with a range of issues on behalf of others.

It is not, in fact, carte blanche to invent 'new things' to impose on everyone.

Sadly, that is how 'the led' view it, not to mention those ego-blown nitwits who believe their own bulls..t and then lead us all, not into temptation, but a bloody great chasm, which is where we seem to be now.

But... who to 'blame' and cast the stones at?

The pyscho-socio pathetic leaders... or the dimwitted and lazy led?

My money is on the led, because anyone who believes they are 'a leader' and behaves in that manner, needs to have a close eye kept on them.

Funnily enough, I gave a P&C presidents speech on exactly this theme, at a Y12 'badge giving' nonsense, and warned the rest of the school, the 'unbadged', that their work as school leaders had just begun... their task was to keep an eye on the exalted ones (one of whom was one of my sons), selected for an easy life by the school admin', and that they should not just abdicate their 'thinking' to the leaders... just look around to see what happens.

Parents were outraged! But my son told me that a few students spoke to him the next day and said they had never thought about things like that, and appreciated being told by an adult, by a 'leader', that all was not so simple.

Ah, who can imagine a Rudd, Abbott or a state premier, never mind a power-seeking clergyman, doing that?

It seems that only TV style 'Current Affair' nonsense, commercials, bad newspaper reporters, shockjock nitwits, and celebrity personalities are able to resonate in the empty heads of our national citizenry though.

TBC,
>>George... "lay Catholics have to lead their leaders" this, sadly, applies to all of us<<
I never said/wrote that.

George..indeed, apologies to you, it was Oliver.

"Moreover, lay Catholics have to lead their leaders, to purge the Church of those guilty of cover-ups, not only the active criminals."

I am sorry about my mistake.