Ted Folkert, August 20, 2018

“How long has this been going on” sounds like a line from the song of a jilted lover.

But, no, this time it refers to the pathetic predation of perverted Catholic priests, an estimated 300 Catholic priests, who violated the trust of their superior positions in violating the minds and lives of thousands of helpless children. We don’t know how long or how many, although they are now coming forward with incidents of the perversion, an action that the victims feared during their periods of sexual abuse by these pitiful, perverted, sexual predators.

The pope says: “we showed no care for the little ones.” Wow, what a self-serving statement. How about saying: “we raped little ones who were in our trusted care?”

And has the church excommunicated these creeps, have they charged them with any crime, have they demanded any punishment? Did they ever intercede to protect these children or was everyone involved in the game? Ignoring a crime to protect someone from prosecution surely is no different than complicity to commit.

Was it caused by some oath of celibacy which restrained them from sexual involvement that forced them to resolve their sexual desires in such a way that perhaps didn’t violate their oath? Were these activities ignored by the bishops and cardinals to protect their beloved priests or were they all complicit as well? Did the bishops move these predators around to other locations so they wouldn’t be exposed assuming that they would discontinue their wrongful and criminal ways? Were sexual predators attracted to these church positions because of the availability of potential victims? Were the church officials aware of such? Did they do anything to prevent such practice? Did they do extensive background investigations on priests who would have authoritative contact with helpless children? Where were the bishops and cardinals while this was going on?

If it can be shown that knowledge of these crimes was known by church hierarchy, those so revealed should be punished in the same manner. They should receive criminal sentences, not just a demotion in their position. They should be removed from public society and spend the remainder of life incarcerated from contact with potential victims.

It is hard to believe that knowledge of this widespread, disgusting travesty was not well known by the hierarchy of the church or law enforcement officials. No widespread criminal activity could possibly exist without complicity and looking away for the benefit of the perpetrators and the detrimental results to the victims.

It is also hard to believe that many of the parents of abused children were unaware of these horrendous violations of sexual abuse that could and often does adversely affect the lives of the victims for many years and sometimes a lifetime.

There is no punishment equal to the severity of these crimes, crimes which adversely effected the lives of these helpless victims, but at least these miserable creeps should be tarred, feathered and the hung from the flag pole of the church they served. They should all be punished with extensive incarnation and public scorn.

However, we hear no such suggestion from the pope or other church officials. It seems that priests are immune from prosecution for crimes for which an ordinary citizen would be charged, convicted and sentenced as a criminal, with mandatory incarnation and a ban from contact with any minor ever again.

And, has the church indicated a plan to reconsider their requirement of celibacy, a requirement completely adverse to human nature?