Well, well, well.....whaddaya know?

[Minimalist]

In 1997, when the recently "beatified" John Paul II was orchestrating the cover up! Guess they don't make saints like they used to.

http://apnews.excite.com/article/2011011...QJ8G1.html

DUBLIN (AP) - A newly revealed 1997 letter from the Vatican warned Ireland's Catholic bishops not to report all suspected child-abuse cases to police - a disclosure with the potential to fuel more lawsuits worldwide against the Vatican, which has long denied any involvement in cover-ups.

The letter, obtained by Irish broadcasters RTE and provided to The Associated Press, documents the Vatican's rejection of an Irish church initiative to begin helping police identify pedophile priests.

The letter's message undermines persistent Vatican claims that the church never instructed bishops to withhold evidence or suspicion of crimes from police. It instead emphasizes the church's right to handle all child-abuse allegations, and determine punishments, in house rather than hand that power to civil authorities.

Catholic officials in Ireland declined AP requests on the letter, which RTE said it received from an Irish bishop.

Child-abuse activists in Ireland said the 1997 letter should demonstrate, once and for all, that the protection of pedophile priests from criminal investigation was not only sanctioned by Vatican leaders but ordered by them. A key argument employed by the Vatican in defending dozens of lawsuits over clerical sex abuse in the United States is that it had no role in ordering local church authorities to suppress evidence of crimes.

Cue our resident catholic apologist in 5.....4....3.....2.....1.............

[Jaysyn]

Yeah, I can't wait to hear his explanation that they were in fact only doing this to help the poor misguided abuse victims.

Scum, the whole lot of them.

[Thor]

Yes, the church will handle punishing pedophile priests! When caught, the church "punishes" the sicko by sending him to a new parish where he has access to a fresh bunch of kids! Let's put the Catholic Church in charge of handing out punishments to everyone! Then they can send rapists to women's colleges, drunk drivers to beer factories and drug dealers to pharmaceutical companies!

Why anyone would continue to support an organization that covers up for child rapists just mystifies me.

[Minimalist]

Because they are....

[thesummerqueen]

Yeah, I can't wait to hear his explanation that they were in fact only doing this to help the poor misguided abuse victims.

He has no respect for the victims.

[cdog]

I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here'

The only surprising thing is that people still buy into such a bullshit organization. It's almost like something you would say jokingly about nazis or something - On top of all their other shit, they rape children!

[Nitsuj]

I'm getting worried about what my theology teacher is doing in his spare time...

[Rev. Rye]

Min, do you really expect that the Church will let a little thing like reality get in the way of lionising its heroes? Oh, and by the way, he's not going to be beatified for another four and a half months.

[Minimalist]

Min, do you really expect that the Church will let a little thing like reality get in the way of lionising its heroes? Oh, and by the way, he's not going to be beatified for another four and a half months.

And they aren't going to let a little thing like butt-fucked children slow them down, are they?

The answer to your question Rev is, sadly, no.

But the rest of us can trumpet their failings, can't we?

[Rwandrall]

"Let's put on paper proof that we are raping little kids ! There is no way this could go wrong !"

Stoopid, stoopid Catholics...