Dear Editor: I commend Pope Benedict XVI for not being intimidated by the petty gossip of the media and other false critics seeking to smear the pope and bring down the Catholic Church.
The Pope is completely innocent and is doing everything in his power to weed out those priests guilty of sexual abuse, and to justly compensate victims for their suffering. In fact he is the one above all else in society who has tackled these things head on.
Contrary to his critics the most comprehensive statistics to date indicate: 1) Priestly celibacy is not the issue – married men are more likely to abuse children than unmarried.
2) Child abuse is prevalent in all areas of society. Most child abuse takes place within the home.
3) All religious groups have pedophile scandals, and the Catholics (while the largest religious group) are at the bottom of the list statistically.
4) Catholic cases of pedophilia make more headlines because of anti Catholic prejudice and because the Catholic Church is bigger and more lucractive to sue. When lawsuits are looming people smell money. We must be wary of false accusations.
5) Most cases branded ‘pedophila’ are actually homosexual in nature, however the politically correct do not want this problem to be associated with homosexuality.
6) What we now call ‘cover up’ was often done in a different cultural context, when the problem was not fully understood and when all establishment organizations hushed scandals. They did so for what seemed good reasons at the time: protection of the victims and their families, opportunity for rehabilitation of the offender, the avoidance of scandal to others. It is unfair to judge events thirty years ago by today’s standards.
I am in no way wishing to be soft of pedophiles and those who covered for them, however justice and truth demand an objective analysis of the facts.
– Paul Kokoski; he is a resident and native of Canada and an avid reader of DNO.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of the management and staff of Dominica News Online and its parent company.
@DAMAGED GOODS FOR LIFE:
Why such things happened to you and others is beyond my comprehension. We cannot speak for and answer for people and their actions. It is not that I am not sympathetic to your cause. It is a good thing that your aunt was supportive. She is a loving and compassionate lady. God bless her.
Do not keep being angry at what occurred to you. As an adult and one who is working in such an environment, you should know that anger is not good for your overall health and will get you nowhere. You should not go through life being constantly angry. Try not to keep repeating this which makes you relieve those days and make you unhappy. Speak to Our Lord. He alone can help you overcome your hurt and pain and you know He will help you.
If you know what is contained in Holy Scriptures as taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ, He asked to pray and to forgive others. He said “Unless you forgive from the heart, neither will my heavenly father forgive you”. This is for each and everyone of us. Also, you are no longer a child but an adult and you have it within your power to forgive with the help of God. I do realize that only time heals.
Our Lord knows what happened to you. Know that He is saddened at what specifically happened to you as an innocent child and to other innocent children which should never have happened in the first place.
We have an enemy, the enemy of God and of our souls who is a great influence in tempting people. Human beings are weak of mind, body and soul. Whoever they are, they are prone to temptations and do succumb to the evil one who wants nothing good for us.
This evil one is also instrumental in keeping people as yourself always angry. Please keep this in mind. Since you have recourse to God, keep on praying and ask Him to relieve you of this burden of constantly remembering what occurred to you when you were just a young child. Repeating it too, can also make you bitter.
As the words of the religious song: “What a friend we have in Jesus. Take it to the Lord in prayer…” This song gives much solace. Only Jesus heals.
Keep in mind that Our Lord said: “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay!” Let the Lord handle it, in his own good patient time. “Let go and let God.”
Our Lord also taught us to pray for those who hurt us. Just consider what Our Lord went through and endured to the Cross for our sins. While on the Cross, He said: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” This is meant for us that we must forgive. We cannot enter God’s Kingdom of Heaven with an unforgiving soul. It is stated that “if we cannot forgive others, we better not say The Our Father.” This is spiritual food for thought.
May God bless you and grant you peace to overcome what occurred to you. It is not too late for forgiveness and peace of heart and mind so that you can enjoy the rest of your days in happiness and peace.
Do not give up on Our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church as well. Keep in mind that every Priest is not one and the same and everyone in the world is not one and the same. The unholy ones are/were only a small portion of the thousands of Catholic Priests.
People are not without faults and are not perfect. This is why rather than lambaste those who hurt us and hate them and keep anger in us, we must pray to God and ask Him to assist us in this respect.
Our Lord is waiting with His hands wide open to welcome, to forgive and to heal.
There are some good and faithful Priests. Thank God the unholy ones are weeded out. Our Lord must have said: “Enough is enough. It is time to get them out.” The Catholic Church does not need such unfaithful Priests just as It does not need unfaithful laity members. Once again, may God bless you and grant you peace.
The pope is an old man right now and he will be judged by god.peace be on earth.
Easter Sunday Mass, the Vatican Declares Endemic Church Child Sex Abuse Scandal as ‘Petty Gossip’
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Cardinal+defends+pope+denounces+gossip/2762255/story.html
Evidence Pope Benedict Helped Shield Pedophiles
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/03/more-evidence-emerges-tha_n_524192.html
Evidence catholics in Dominica support pedophilia
look at this article on DNO,
Babylon is fallen is fallen and has become the cage of every unclean bird. Come out of her my people, She has caused all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. Only God is infallible. Worship Him who made heaven and earth the seas and all that is in it .
Sir/Madam,
If it were other persons in our society that had committed these crimes, they would have been brought to justic. Why aren’t the catholic priests being punish for the crimes they committed against these young boys? If an ordinary person in society had done such, without any doubt, he/she would have been charge with such crime. There are persons who committed atrocity against humanity, and were charged with such crimes; why can’t these priests face the same punishment? Crimes that have been committed years ago, but these people have to pay for these crimes; why it can’t be the same for these Roman catholic priests? I am hopeful that some form of justic will be served.
Thanks
The Catholic church has lost its morale credibility. Period!
KOKOSKI, READ!!! it is evident you did not read. Leave this forum. You are NOT welcome!
Did you all even read the article and consider the facts?
I am not a catholic,,, but comment on what is presented,,, not what u heard about from all kinda sources. Dominicans for you. Facts people,,,, not what u want to conclude.
To Read:
The facts are a million pages long and dating before this century. Some of the comments made direct reference to non-feasance and dereliction of duty by the Pope; but others correctly reasoned that the doctrine of infallibility which defies all ontological underpinnings of canon law, has no basis in civil law. The Church has to answer for its sins.
It seems obvious, that since the Holy Roman Catholic Church has given the Pope a direct line of communication to God, he is capable of relaying judgment from outside the realm of civil human existence and ignore the moral foundation of society – a contradiction of the standards for determination of sin.
This form of moral absolutism is dated and can be found in Papal Bulls by Popes Nicholas V and Alexander VI of 1455 and 1493(inter Caetera) respectively. Read them to understand how the Catholic Church has (dis)regarded the non-European countries and its seminal role in degrading, destroying cultures alien to the Christian faith.
But when it breaks into the breeches of its own youthful fellowship with impunity, there can be no defense. At all.
The Pope and the Catholic church officials must take full responsibility for allowing pedophile priests to continue to abuse children even when they knew they were guilty. The church officials kept moving them to other parishes to abuse more children. I am catholic, but feel that the church had so much power that they could do anything and get away with it, plain and simple. The Pope much stop crying foul, because he and many other priests are guilty of contributing to the wickedness against chiildren. As so called ‘men of God’ They did not put the welfare of children first. They protected their wicked brothers and must now atone for their crimes. . John Paul 11 promoted Cardinal Law of Boston even after in 2002 he resigned in shame over the same scandal of his repeated failure to remove sexually abusive priests from ministry. Can you imagine? What nessage was the Pope sending to good catholics and the victims?
The Pope must put in place NOW! a new policy where the church officials hand over suspected criminal priests to the police. ANY priest who is accused of abusing a child should be treated like a criminal and dealt with accordingly. Catholics must think twice before sending their children as altar servers and donating, as much of the church’s finances go to settle lawsuits of criminals. They also need to screen potential priests differently. This evil men must be weeded out once and for all!
Having read this very touching and graphic testimony from the individual who wrote under the caption ‘Damaged Goods for Life’ I am angry now to the point of bursting just thinking of how many other children could be facing this horrific situation as we speak. I believe that governments the world over should step in and launch criminal investigations into the operations of the Catholic Church. Alll priests should be rounded up and interrogated, alter boys and girls both past and present should be questioned, those blind bidow Catholic parents who refuse to safeguard their children must be rounded up. This nonsense must be stopped once and for all before it’s too late!
A participated online Petition demanding Justice
Have a look to this petition demanding an independent international investigation to be launched into the Roman Catholic Church to determine the extent of abuses and bring the perpetrators and their protectors to justice in criminal court:
Bring Pope Benedict XVI to Justice
http://www.repetitionr.com/repetitions/bring-pope-benedict-xvi-to-justice/3e7da956-8ff5-102d-8483-0030483394fa
Amazing!
…and furthermore, you are a syncophant who angles on controversies in order to satisfy your inadequacies.
You are what we call a true catholic fundamentalist: Blind to all atrocities committed by the church.
You make it a personal crusade to submerge the innocent victims in the name of self-aggrandizing. You put your cow dung in journals all over the world in order to fulfill your own shortcomings.
That is the arrogance and condescending attitude that upsets victims like me when people in high places in the Roman Catholic Church see it fit to jump to the defense of this type of historical cover up and abuse that went on and still goes on to this day in the church.
Case in point, I am 43 years old and on that fateful day back in Dominica when I went to the church for catechism classes, I was about 7/8 at the time and I vividly remember every second of the abuse I suffered like it was yesterday.
It started with the Priest or Father as we called him, always choosing me to help collect the hym books and the other religious instructions booklets and works sheets that we used for classes, and when I went to the back of the vestry with the materials.
He would wait till I got to the deemly lit room shut the door and invite me to come sit on near his desk. After which he would begin smiling at me and held my hand in a guiding action that lead me to sit on his lap. He proceeded to massage my shoulders and proceeded to my inner thighs area, buttocks, back, head and my private area.
The second time this happened I was saved by the bell, when he heard someone coming to see him and quickly pushed off him and said I should pretend to be packing up the books on the shelf, which I did.
Unfortunately, the next week every act that I mentioned above took place and it he went on to command me to perform oral sex on him and he on me, (obviously at the time I had no idea what was going on in my body). I still cringe and tear up remembering how he painfully sodomised me, that distinct smell of wine on his breath and when he was done, he made this ghastly noise and ‘said to me clean up’.
He always said ‘god loves you and father love you to’ when he was finished. That systematic act (what I have since learned over the years to be sexual abuse) continued, even after I made my FIRST COMMUNION, and through my CONFIRMATION LESSONS and after I was confirmed by Father.
By that time I was now in my early teens and beginning to wonder if this was going to be my life and had no idea how to stop this. Suicide thoughts began crossing my mind ever so often when I became anxious about going to church or going to see Father, as I thought if I was dead I would not have to go through this abuse over and over again.
People ask whether I did tell my parents about what happened and the answer is always yes, but because they were devout Roman Catholics and still are to this day, my mother and father always replied when I told them, ‘you making up stories again’, ‘how you like to lie so on Father’, ‘Father is a blessed man of god’! The rest of my family in Dominica wasn’t at all sympathetic to my pleas and like my parents just laughed at me and branded me a liar.
My saving grace when that I had an aunty in Toronto who I used t write to and she in turn wrote to me asking how I was doing at school and at home, etc, etc. I opened up to her in a graphic way and she understood what was going on then, as my parents nor did any family member utter a word to her.
She told my parents that she wanted to send for me to leave with her and go to school in Toronto and they agreed and supported me, nurtured me and guided me through this very difficult period in my life as a teenager, and she got me psychological help and counselling. She is and was my best friend as well as my aunty to this day.
Years after I met several of the boys who were in my ‘catechism’ and ‘confirmation’ classes in DA and other areas around the world where some of them have moved to now, and to my surprised we all asked each other if that had happened to us and we all realised Father had abused all of us boys in some way or another, not always leading to penetrative sex with some, but again that doesn’t make it right as abuse is abuse regardless of the kind.
I and my fellow victims all felt relieved and realised we were not crazy and wasn’t making up stories or telling lies on Father as we were all accused of at the time and not one person believed us, apart from in my case where my aunt did. (ISN’T THAT A SHAME IN THE NAME OF RELIGION AND CHURCH THAT PEOPLE BECOME SO BLINDED.)
Even now that we have grown up to be adult men, some of us formed relationships with wives and partners, some of us have had divorces and break ups, inability to maintain positive and productive relationships, fighting alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence and self harming to name a few.
We are all still a ,work in progress’ and some of us had the sense to continue therapy and counselling for ourselves but unfortunately some have gone on to the other extreme and are just continue perpetuating what an adult who was a in a position of trust did to them, which isn’t their fault but they cannot see that.
Before people like you are quick to jump on their high horse and do what has historically and customarily been the case, (DENY) IT EVER HAPPENED) relating to such cases in this so-called modern day 21st, just like you are doing now is a CRYING SHAME!
What about us the victims of these life changing, life altering despicable crimes that people in the church in positions of power committed against us then and still continue to commit today? Were we asking for it? Were we the ones who are in the wrong? Are we not worthy of anyone jumping to our defence like you are doing now for Pope Benedict?
As for the author’s assertion that most perpetrator of child abuse is more likely to be committed by a married men than single men is a whole lot of bolony………………How do you explain explain people like me being abused by our teachers, priest and other clergy of any kind who (are in a lot of cases unmarried or single)?
I also did my under-grad and post-grad degrees in Child Abuse Investigation Studies and currently work in such an environment, and I see abuse takes place in the home as we all know, but it also takes place in the churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, schools, play groups or after school clubs, scouts, guides, brownies, Sunday school, summer camps, need I go on……………. where people are in positions of trust and they choose to abuse this trust like in my case and trillions of others around the world…………………..So wake the hell up, and stop going on the defensive as religions such as yours and others have a lot to answer for on this subject! SWEEP IT UNDER THE CARPET AND NOT LET THE DIRTY SECRETS GET OUT SO IT DOESN’T LOOK BAD ON THE CHURCH, IGNORE THE INNOCENT VICTIMS WHO WILL SUFFER FOR LIFE AS THEY ARE NOT WORTHY!!!!!
And don’t even get this twisted about people trying to equate ‘pedophilia’ and ‘homosexuality’ as one of a kind, as you and I know they are two different issues altogether and the issue here is systematic child sexual abuse that has been going on in the Roman Catholic Church for decades now, without being properly addressed and every time something comes out it is looked at as a smear campaign.
In the name of all the victims of child sexual abuse around the world from the hands of a priest or whomever, I say our voices will continue to be echoed and we are really not interested about ‘bringing down the Roman Catholic Church’ as you say, but just want all those predators and pedophiles under the guise of wearing a dog-collar, to be found and punished for ruining our innocent lives as we did not asked to made into ‘sex slaves’ or abused.
Our voices both dead and living will continue to sing in unison till be we are heard and the likes of you will not silence us.
I AM SO ANGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dear Mr. Kokotete,
I see that you are still not taking your medication. Why did the doctors release you from the psych ward?
Freedom of the press allows you to permeate this site with your disease-laden diatribe.
Did you read my comments to your last letter to the editor?
Let the priests them get married like everyone else. A hard wood is unconscionable.
I am a catholic too. The world has evolved and times have changed. We can make all the excuses to keep priests celebate but the fact remains that majority are NOT. While very few are celebate, those who are not pedofiles are homosexuals or have their women on the side. The church cannot remain in the dark ages while its priests and followers and caught up in the modern day global village. Its time for change and that includes getting rid of homosexual priests, reporting pedofiles and allowing those who want to be married and remain priests the opportunity to do so. Being called to serve the lord should not hinge on being celebate.
Open letter to Paul Kokoski.
Paul Kokoski:
Over the years you have been relentlessly trying to support the RAT-zinger’s defense for Catholicism against “modern errors” as reported in the Post, or “errors of modernity” as you emphasized in the Times, since 2005. Not excluding the Miami Herald, National post of Canada and Los Angeles Times to name a few, you have been bombarding every forum possible to appease the enraged victims, patch the irregularities of the religion, and expunge the blatant cover-ups that ensued.
The other emissary, Ricardo Di Cecca, who has been running the same game by forwarding mass e-mails to every medium, is equally culpable in trying to perpetuate a pristine image of a religion infested with criminals, rather than seeking the help of the legal systems to bring these animals to justice.
In your attempt to mitigate the atrocities of the religion you have tried to change the definition of the term sex-abuse to be considered as “normal and harmless forms of discipline”, suggesting that what society needs today is just “more discipline”. This is outrageous! It is no secret that so many people are opting to leave the catholic religion and seek solace in alternative faiths.
Please go do your proselytizing somewhere else, or channel your efforts in aiding the legal system and helping the millions of victims worldwide, rather than planning a defense strategy for an otherwise badly managed organization. The doctrine of infallibility only goes so far.
What the heck this man wants to justify child molestation for? IT is wrong , no matter who does it to an innocent child!!!!!!!!!! Magwa sa the enablers most also take responsibility too. If it doh have
sootiweh it doh have voler.
I am not one to bash catholic church or any religion, but there is absolutely no excuse for sexual abuse. You think even the the church pay the victims, everything is fine? It will never erase the haunting and emotional scars.
The catholic church is my favourite church. Having said that:
– only God knows if anyone is innocent or not, and that includes the pope.
– The pope, as head of his church must accept ultimate responsibility for its actions in whatever form.
It does not do for him, as the proclaimed leader of the one-and-only true church, to be compared with others for the sake of saying that his organisation is not as bad as others.
– for the sake of the continuation of all the good this church has done I hope that there will be a transparent investigation of these allegations with the interest of the victims foremost in mind, those found guilty punished and measures introduced to effect the necessary changes to prevent such abominable deeds in future. The survival of the catholic church is indeed at stake. It is not about just one man!
–
The pope need no defense. He just need to apologize and compansate the people who have been wronged by the church. I am a catholic, but I believe that the Pope and the Vatican has to deal with the serious issue of child molestation by the preists. All the little boys they prey on. to just try to pretend it does not exist, wont make it go away. We have to deal with it head on, why now the catholicchurch is spending so much time trying to round up the sheeps that have left the flock., without reform the church is doomed. The Pope has to explain why; as he was responsiblle in dealing with the issue of boys being molested by the priests, and he must recognized that it is not only the irish we deserved an apologies. What makes them more important to anyone else?…
Paul Kokoski, under other circumstances this would not be presumed to be prejudicial except for the unalterable facts of crimes against humanity committed by the Roman Catholic Church for thousands of years from Australia to Zimbabwe.
If it were not for the false sense of pride, Dominican men and women who were abused by the members of the clergy would stand up. There are children fathered by priests throughout the Caribbean and South America and mothers supported by and sharing accommodations with members of the clergy.
These are not allegations and tales. The Diocese of Camden, New Jersey went bankrupt attempting to pay court imposed reparations to victims of sexual abuse from the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church is not the only faith that has some bad apples among its fruit basket; but in light of the inquisitions, witch hunts,political murders by Italian Popes, incest by the Medicis, how much more can we take?
What is most troubling is the apparent lack of belief in the fundamental tenets of the faith by the officers of the church. Obviously, sinfulness is automatically forgiven them and they in turn forgive those that they abuse. All the mystery and superstition of the church has been reduced to a sham because we are led to believe what is spiritual is in reality mind control.
You are so correct! Numerous Dominican young men who were acolites (I am not certain that I got the spelling right) have been sexually abused by Catholic priest and they need now to exhibit some backbone and speak up. Having said that though, I am also cognizant of the fact that sexual abuse is a subject area inheriently filled with taboos and embarasment particularly to the victims.