Showing posts with label Scandals of the Catholic Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scandals of the Catholic Church. Show all posts

Monday, October 22, 2018

Polish Movie 'Kler' Stirs Up Debate in Poland


Polish-language movie 'Kler' (clergy or priest)
Image courtesy: www.imdb.com/

A recently released Polish-language film, Kler (cleric or priest), with the main theme of how some Catholic priests deal with money, power, and sexuality, has generated hot debate in Poland. Conservatives have slammed it for smearing the Church with negative stereotypes and giving a wrong image of the priesthood in Polish Catholic Church. Others have praised the film for portraying the truth. Some viewers told a news agency that Poland needed this moment of truth. 

 Directed by Wojciech Smarzowski, an established Polish film-maker, the Kler portrays three priests -- the first one, an alcoholic priest, falls in love with a woman and encourages her to have an abortion, the second priest is accused by his parishioners to be a pedophile, and the third one is an archbishop, having connections with political higher-ups in Poland, lives a life of luxury, corruption, and blackmail. The film has been inspired by the biblical message, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15).  

 Film Director Smarzowski said: "... I guess the most important factor is that I am not the only person in Poland who is disturbed by the fact that the Church is above the law... I consulted priests and former priests, who aided us at every stage of the production. They helped me with the script, the choice of locations, the costumes, the on-set work and, later, the editing process. Those who want change in the Church shared their experiences and other observations. They liked the film and considered it to be Christian, and they said it didn't insult the Christian faith...."

 For more on the film, click on the following: 

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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 12:00 AM 0 comments
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Monday, October 8, 2018

Reactions of Members of the Catholic Laity and Clergy to Present Sexual Abuse Crisis


Reactions on the Recent
Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis Worldwide

The clergy sexual abuse cases that came to the limelight recently in a series of storms -- one more dreadful, shocking, and shameful than the next one. Some Catholics in the U.S. said, "How could this happen again?" Another person said, "Your faith is shaken." 

 "I'm horrified," Ellen Ahmad told CNN of the Pennsylvania grand jury report. "It's so sad. As a Catholic, I'm ashamed."

 In the U.S., some Catholic lay groups are demanding more responsibility to investigate clergy sexual abuse as the hierarchy has shamefully failed to address the crisis. 

 Some big donors of the Catholic Church in the U.S. stopped their regular quota of donations. Some other wealthy Catholics decided to compile their "Red Hat Reports" on red-hatted American cardinals until the next papal conclave (election of the pope). In these reports, they will track which cardinals took appropriate measures on sex abuses and how many others failed to do so and why.

 Some laypersons even started to sue the Vatican and certain U.S. dioceses on the issue of clergy sexual abuse.

 For more on reactions, please read the following:
(Updated on Oct. 15, 2018)


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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 2:25 PM 0 comments
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Saturday, September 29, 2018

Pope Francis Defrocks Chilean Priest Fernando Karadima For Sexual Abuse


Father Fernando Karadima on the court date 
on Nov. 11, 2015, in Santiago, Chile
Photo courtesy: Getty Images

Pope Francis in an unprecedented move has defrocked Father Fernando Karadima (88) of Chile who was previously in 2011 was found to be guilty by the Vatican of several counts of sexual abuse and sentenced to a life of 'penance and prayer.' 

 Father Karadima was a charismatic, convincing, and fluent speaker with wide influence among both the Chilean hierarchy and laity. He was involved in numerous sexual abuses and was accused as early as 1984. Chilean Church authorities not only failed to take action but also helped cover up his grave sins and crimes. This is called participation in others' sins. The laity everywhere in the world is taught on this participation, but the members of the hierarchy rarely apply this to themselves. There was a time when even Pope Francis thought abuse victims were spreading calumnies against Father Karadima! 

 After receiving a 2,300-page report on sexual abuse of a number of priests in Chile, Pope Francis called all Chilean bishops and cardinals to Rome to deal with this. All the bishops and cardinals then wanted to submit their resignations. The pope accepted only a few resignations. 

 For more on Father Karadima and Chilean clergy's sexual abuses, please read the following: 


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(Updated on Sept. 30, 2018)

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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 2:28 PM 0 comments
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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Shocking Report of Sex Abuse In Two Boarding Schools of Benedictine Monks in England


Ampleforth College, a Benedictine boarding school in Yorkshire, England
 Photo courtesy: www.theguardian.com/

Downside Abbey, another Benedictine boarding school in Somerset, England
Photo courtesy: www.4Search.com/

According to the report by the Independent Inquiry into Chil Sexual Abuse (IICSA), that investigated sexual abuses in the £34,000-a-year Ampleforth College and £33,000-a-year Downside Abbey, teachers and staff -- many of whom were Benedictine monks -- were directly involved in the sadistic sexual abuse of students. Both the co-educational schools are attached with the Benedictine abbeys (monasteries). 

 Allegations starting from the 1960s included "a wide spectrum of physical abuse, much of which had sadistic and sexual overtones." Among the victims were some seven-year-olds at Ampleforth and 11-year-olds at Downside. 

 The report said the authorities at both schools tried to "avoid contact with the local authority or the police at all costs," even if they knew serious abuse had happened on the campuses. 

 For more, plead read the following:


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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 9:03 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

German Catholic Clerics Involved In Massive Child Sexual Abuse Scandal


Catholic Dioceses in Germany
Map courtesy: commons.wikimedia.org/

An official report on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Germany reveals about 1,670 priests, deacons, and male members of certain Religious Orders sexually abused 3,677 children between 1946 to 2014. More than half of the victims were boys, aged 13 years or younger. 

The research study, conducted by experts from the universities of Giessen, Heidelberg, and Mannheim, adds, too, that the actual number of victims is likely to be much higher. 

Catholic bishops later expressed their shame and regret and apologized for the shocking abuses. "Sexual abuse is a crime," Cardinal Reinhard Marx, head of the German Bishops' Conference, told reporters. "I'm ashamed for so many (of us) looking away, not wanting to recognize what happened and not helping the victims. That goes for me as well."

For more, please click on the following: 


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Posted by Jerome D'Costa at 9:38 AM 0 comments
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Friday, September 21, 2018

India's Jalandhar Bishop Mulakkal Arrested For Alleged Serial Rape Of A Nun


Left and Right: Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar Diocese
in the State of Punjab, India
 Photo courtesy: www.english.manoramaonline.com/

Nuns in Kochi, Kerala, demand arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal
of Jalandhar for his serial rape of a nun
Photo courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com/

After a three-day police questioning, Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar Diocese of India, accused of serially raping a Missionaries of Jesus nun (Sister), has been arrested on September 21. This is perhaps the first case where an Indian Catholic Bishop has been implicated in the clergy sexual abuse. 

Bishop Mulakkal has been denying the allegations all along since the nun registered a complaint with the Kerala police in last June. 

The non-action and delay, displayed by the Indian Catholic Church and Vatican authorities, garnered widespread protests and anger all over India. 

 For details, please click on the following:


(Updated on Sept. 28, 2018)


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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Clericalism And Its Corroding Effects in the Catholic Church


Pope Francis 
Photo courtesy: Conde Nast Traveler
“There is that spirit of clericalism in the Church, that we feel: clerics feel superior; clerics distance themselves from the people. Clerics always say: ‘this should be done like this, like this, like this, and you – go away!’” It happens “when the cleric doesn’t have time to listen to those who are suffering, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned: the evil of clericalism is a really awful thing; it is a new edition of this ancient evil [of the religious ‘authorities’ lording it over others].” But “the victim is the same: the poor and humble people, who await the Lord.” -- taken from Pope Francis’ homily in a Mass in Casa Santa Marta, December 13, 2016 (courtesy: https://aleteia.org/2018/08/23/5-of-the-many-times-pope-francis-has-railed-against-clericalism/)

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines 'clericalism' as a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy [consisting of priests, monsignors, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope]. 

 Let's see below the quotes [taken from an article, 'Clericalism,' in  BishopAccountability.org website] on clericalism: 

 “I speak, of course, of clericalism, that culture of self-interest which promotes and sustains the presumption of superiority among clergy and their practice of protective secrecy. It is something that priests share with all would-be elites, such as professional associations in law and medicine, bureaucrats and the military.” - Michael Kelly SJ, in "Next Item on the Catholic Reform Agenda", Pearls and Irritations (May 2, 2014)

“By clericalism,” Shaw writes, “I mean an elitist mindset, together with structures and patterns of behaviour corresponding to it, which takes it for ­granted that clerics—in the Catholic context, mainly ­bishops and priests—are intrinsically superior to the other members of the Church and deserve automatic ­deference. Passivity and dependence are the laity’s lot. By no means is clericalism confined to clerics themselves. The clericalist mindset is widely shared by Catholic lay people.” – Russell Shaw (Quoted by Richard John Neuhaus, “Scandal and the Scandal of Clericalism,” First Things, April, 2008)

”True clericalism is an anomaly and an aberration in that it engenders disdain and disrespect for others, especially for those who are not clerics (ordained). Hence, real clericalism is when a deacon, priest or bishop has an attitude of superiority over his flock in that he believes he is ‘better’ than they are, whether spiritually, intellectually or otherwise. Clericalism patronizes and denigrates the unordained (laity). It seeks to be treated with privilege rather than seeking to be of service.” – Robert Trigilio, (in “Need to explain to the Laity,” The Black Biretta, 13/01/2014)

“It also happens to me that when I meet a clericalist, I suddenly become anti-clerical. Clericalism should not have anything to do with Christianity. St. Paul, who was the first to speak to the Gentiles, the pagans, to believers in other religions, was the first to teach us that.” – Pope Francis (in his interview with the La Repubblica newspaper, Italy, Oct. 1, 2013)

“It’s sad when you see a man who seeks this office and who does so much to get there and when he makes it, he doesn’t serve, but struts like a peacock, living only for his own vanity,” – Pope Francis (In his weekly general audience at the Vatican, Nov. 5, 2014)
To understand more on different aspects of clericalism in the Catholic Church, please read the following: 


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(Updated on Oct. 4, 2018)

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Saturday, September 15, 2018

Vatican Magazine Asks Church Officials To Stop Using Nuns As Servants With Little Pay


A nun cleaning a floor
 Photo courtesy: Donne, Chiesa, Mondo (1 Marz, 2018)

Nuns washing and drying clothes
Photo courtesy: Donne, Chiesa, Mondo (1 Marz, 2018)
The Vatican magazine, Donne, Chiesa, Mondo (Women, Church, World), published as a monthly supplement of the Vatican daily newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, in its March 2018 issue on the theme of  'women and work,' describes how priests, bishops, and cardinals in many cases treat nuns (Sisters) as menial servants often with little pay for preparing meals, doing the laundry, cleaning the household and office spaces, and performing other chores. 

There are nuns who work in schools and other institutions, but there are some others who specifically work for the members of the hierarchy (priests, bishops, and cardinals). These males with the sense and culture of clericalism, do not understand what it takes for the nuns to work for them without receiving due recognition, respect, and monetary remuneration. 

For more on this issue, please read the following:



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