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Recent Comments

1. The problem facing Bishop Malone is that what has been exposed is only the tip of the iceberg. This has the potential to destroy the Diocese financially.He has made bad mistakes in his handling of the situation in the past, but I believe he has learned from that.I actually feel sad for him because I think he is a good man who has been placed in a terrible situation because of the disgraceful actions of others.

   Posted By: JFH

2. I want to say to the victims of clergy sexual abuse that I am so sorry that this happened to you. I am sorry that your innocence was taken from you and for all you have had to suffer because of that. The truth of this scandal must be told by the Church - in Ireland and here in Australia.

   Posted By: JFH

3. Just a reminder about the requirements for posting on the CathNews discussion board. The full terms and conditions are on the front page of the website, and I would be grateful if you read and abided by them.
   I would also like to remind would-be posters of some general principles. Firstly, the discussion boards should be calm, reflective and generous places for posters to find themselves. Please keep that in mind when you write. (Please do that succinctly – no more than 250 words at most. Dividing a post into two halves of 250 words each, while inventive, will not be allowed. And no capitalisation except where required.)
   Secondly, the CathNews discussion board is not the place to push a particular political point of view. By all means discuss the issues of the day, but party politicking will not be allowed.
   Thirdly, abusive language, snide remarks and petty snits will also be eliminated before posting. Something seems to happen to some people when they get behind their keyboards and start to write from the anonymity of their coward's castles.
   Over the weekend, one poster decided to castigate the Sisters of Saint Joseph - now celebrating a wonderful milestone for their congregation - about the fact they were not wearing habits any longer. The same poster then called for death to carry off quickly one of the people quoted in a particular story and then, when I wrote and asked him to desist, decided to have a shot at me. This behaviour is simply not good enough, and that poster is now off the board permanently.
   I am also testing the email addresses which turn up in the in tray for the boards, and material from the ones I find which are not functioning will not be considered for posting. Peter in Canberra and Myrtle Moodley, if you would like to see your posts back on the discussion board, please use a proper email address.
   And finally, emails which contain actionable material will also not be allowed. By all means, be passionate in your responses, but remember that libellous material will not be posted.
   Failure to observe these basics will result in the email being deleted. Continued abuse of the discussion board will mean that the offender will be suspended for a week. If behaviour does not improve, the offender will be permanently banned.
   Shortly, CathNews will be adding a blog page to the site, so those of you who wish to write longer, will have a place for those pieces to appear. The same rules about civility and legality will also apply on the blog pages.
   The discussion boards on CathNews have the potential to be a wonderful place for discussion and debate, for broadening views and discovering a whole range of ideas. They are a resource for the subscribers of CathNews, and must be treated with respect.
   Wishing you all peace and grace
   Christine Hogan
   Communications Manager
   Church Resources
   

   Posted By: Moderator

4. Thank you,Moderator, for your reminder.
   And thank you to all who work to reveal this scandal and for support to victims. May their small numbers continue to increase.

   Posted By: Anne

5. It's tough for so many Bishops at the moment being so badly let down by their clergy. For Newcastle, Bishop Michael is the right man in the right job, at the right time. God bless you Bish!

   Posted By: Mark

6. I don't think there is any argument that bishops, as Mark writes, have been 'so badly let down by their clergy', but I would add that I think the clergy (and the laity) have been equally badly let down by the hierarchy, from the Pope down.
   When you read the pieces concerning the Irish revelations and the subsequent response from the Irish Papal Nuncio and the Pope himself (dating from the two decades when he was head of the Vatican Department - aka John Paul II's Grand Inquisitor) there seems to be massive guilt on both sides - all under the misguided notion that "a conspiracy of silence: would be in everyone's best interests. How wrong was that! Thank God for the secular media - we would never have found out about all this if it has been left to the heavily censored church media!

   Posted By: Richard Flynn

7. Perhaps now, the leadership level of the Church will start to draw on the input from the many gifted and committed lay people instead of just turning to 'like-minded and formed clerics' to wrestle with this tragic problem. Such a group is far from edequate in genuinely attempting to address the issues related to sexual abuse by clergy.
   I recognise that sexual abuse is not confined only to the clergy but in this discussion, it is the clergy we are wishing to support as well as to discern the chaff from the wheat

   Posted By: Alison Conlan

8. I pray for Bishop Michael, and all who are in postions of power, for humilty and perserverence - two attributes I believe Bishop Michael has. May he be sustained through this most difficult time, and may he receive what he needs to see this through to completion and prepare for his retirement.

   Posted By: Clare McConville

9. Christine: Thank you for your listing of the requirements of posting. Some guidelines were badly needed.
   Might I suggest further that no comments be posted without the full name of the person who posted them. If people are sincere in what they write, why would they not want to affix their name to it? It annoys me that people would want to hide behind anonymity.

   Posted By: Fr Ronan Kilgannon

10. Richard Flynn: The secular media, far from encouraging openness, has probably inhibited it by their sensationalist Catholicophobic attempts to portray every incidence of abuse by anyone who happens to be a cleric as a symptom of a systemic problem with the Church itself.
    Even today, there are some people who have been convinced by the secular media’s constant propaganda that sexual abuse is particularly common among Catholic clergy and that Catholic leaders have handled allegations of it particularly badly compared to the leaders of other organisations.

    Posted By: Ronk

11. It's probably a good idea to allow anonymity in blog sites such as Cathnews. This is particularly where the subject material may concern some very local knowledge or compromise some person who's position otherwise may not be known on some subject.
    This compromise may occur in areas of employment or public affairs. At the moment, information on the comment section is lost anyway as it cannot be searched by name, thus in time leading to anonymity.

    Posted By: Lewis P Buckingham

12. Bishop Malone is one of the good guys who learned from his mistakes. If only his cry for help would make someone in the Vatican realise what the abuse issues take out of everyone concerned, especially the victims and their supporters.
    The Irish Bishops have not been heard* why would Bishop Malone be any different?
    * Three resigned and their resignations have not yet been accepted. And yes, resignations are required for gross dereliction of duty.

    Posted By: Elizabeth

13. Just why should a bishop have to seek permission from the bishop of Rome for assistance? Why cannot the Australian bishops give the nod?

    Posted By: Francis

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