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1. It's understandable that some people would choose to leave. The whole issue is disgusting and devastating, and it pains me to see more and more come to light.
   Yet even so, I know that it is a good thing that it does: better that these evils come to light than have them fester under the surface, and God knows that those suffering should not have to suffer alone.
   Only in the light can they eventually find healing and solace, and I trust that they do.
   My other hope is that one day (soon!) we can get to the bottom of this sordid cupboard and that the Church can rise again, renewed, and is never dragged to such depraved depths again.

   Posted By: Trish

2. Scripture and the living tradition of the Church exhort Catholics to stand firm under trial, not be reeds in the wind or fair weather followers.
   We will never be tested beyond the power of God's grace if we remain open to receiving it: outside the sacraments, we limit our chances significantly.

   Posted By: John

3. Sic transit gloria ecclesiae...
   The Catholic Church is in deep trouble.
   The crisis is spinning out of control: it is not just a crisis about sexual abuse and the way these matters were dealt with.
   As often stated: abuse exists everywhere and the Church is not immune.
   The problem for the Church, however, is:
   1. the way in which these cases were dealt with (with little regard for the victims)
   2. more importantly the Church has taken upon itsself as a moral voice in the world: it tells people how to live their lives, it teaches about sexual morality and tells Catholics that contraception is intrinsically evil etc etc
   It is this hypocrisy, on the one hand hiding the matters of abuse away and on the other hand issuing documents about the evil of contraception and homosexuality, railing against condom use in Africa as people die from HIV etc that leaves people almost apopleptic with rage.
   No wonder people are leaving in droves.
   We need a circuit breaker; a clean break.
   A general council is needed where everything non-essential to the faith is on the table; celibacy, exercise of authority, role of women etc etc

   Posted By: Elias Nasser

4. John: It is with regret that I inform you that 'Church files of internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph
   Ratzinger, the future Pope, unearthed as part of a lawsuit, show that while officials tussled over
   whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal'. (New York Times March 26, 2010).
   This matter is now the most serious facing the Church.
   Unfortunately we may have to 'be reeds in the wind' so as to withstand the impending storm, before we can restore ourselves, our church, our image and our priests of integrity.

   Posted By: Mike b

5. With a Pope and so many Bishops who tried to cover up the horrendous abuse scandal 'for the good of the Church' refusing to face up to the reality and their personal guilt, does the Church need any enemies?

   Posted By: Rob Brian

6. Thank you, Mike B, but I'll wait for something more than a report in today's New York Times on this one.

   Posted By: John

7. Those concerned about the New York Times claims concerning the Fr Lawrence Murphy case would do well to read the contribution by Genevieve Pollock to Zenit, 25/3/2010.

   Posted By: Marco Elliott

8. Studies made in the United States have indicated that the incidence of child abuse among Catholic clergy is lower than that among comparable groups of men with access to children. Certainly, this matter has nothing to do with celebacy because the highest incidence of abuse is usually found among step-fathers who have privileged access to children for whom the feel no great responsibility.
   It is said that there is a high incidence of abuse among teachers in the public (government) schools in parts of the United States but that the teachers' unions prevent publicity about this.(The unions have stiffled publicity much more effectively than have religious bodies.)
   Also, there are much more stringent provisions against measures being taken against teachers in public schools than against clergy - in New York apparently, no action can be taken against a teacher more than 90 days after the alleged occurence of an incident of abuse.
   For clergy, cases have been trawled up over a space of 50 - 60 years when alleged offenders and witnesses may no longer be available.
   Also, the large sums of damages given for alleged offences, even after long lapses of time when witnesses may be unavailable, have encouraged spurious reporting.

   Posted By: Audrey Donnithorne

9. Germany has an unusual way of counting church membership. It's determined by the religious denomination recorded in your tax file, no matter whether you attend that church or not.
   Changing religion is simply a matter of amending your tax records.

   Posted By: Lance Eccles

10. Elias: I am in complete agreement - nothing short of a new council and a total and thorough investigation and analysis of all things 'church' (as opposed to all things 'Gospel', and there is a diference), will be acceptable, not only to society as a whole but to a growing number of those (left) in the pews and those who have left but, as yet, are still looking in from the sidelines. And the sooner the better.
    It has often been said that it was 'for the good of the church' that things were kept secret and covered up. Well, it didn't work!
    Had the love and motivation of Christ been the guiding force, that same love and motivation that shunned prestige and power and went out to the poor and rejected - had this been the motivation, we would not now be in this ever deepening tragedy.
    Not good leadership at all! Not happy, Bene!

    Posted By: OYWT

11. Audrey Donnithorne: Your comments are most timely and deserve development and more space somehwere. Thank you.
    Lance Eccles, I wonder how many other of our contributors knew about, or even bothered to investigate, German church statistics. Equally odd methods of 'sheep counting' are followed elsewhere in Europe, eg Scandinavia.
    Today, in the secular press, the Pope is branded as 'the biggest sinner'. The source for this breathtaking revelation? An unnamed Swiss nation in a Swiss newspaper!
    The complex of motives behind the activities of many journalists and public commentators is perhaps hinted at by one ant-Christian, anti-Catholic Sydney journalist asking if it is not possible to bring down the structure of the Church.

    Posted By: Marco Elliott

12. Apologies! In my posting it should have read 'an unnamed Swiss national'.

    Posted By: Marco Elliott

13. If the Archdiocese of Munich lost 472 of its 1.8 million registered church-taxpayers in a single month, there will be nobody left in only 329 years!

    Posted By: paul

14. To Mike b and Rob Brian: The New York Times article concerned the case of an abusive priest, Fr Lawrence Murphy. The article would have us believe that Cardinal Ratzinger was part of some conspiracy to protect this priest. In reality Cardinal Ratzinger only became aware of the case against Fr Murphy 20 years after the abuse had been reported to both diocesan officials and the Milwaukee police. (Interestingly the New York Times seems not at all concerned that the police did nothing.)
    The only reason Cardinal Ratzinger was involved in this case at all was because some of Fr Murphy’s abuse occurred in the confessional. Because of Fr Murphy’s poor health, Cardinal Ratzinger decided not to proceed with a Church trial against him. Fr Murphy died a few months later.
    The real story can be found here at Zenit: http://www.zenit.org/article-28750?l=english. A chronological account of the events can be found here: http://www.zenit.org/article-28769?l=english.
    

    Posted By: Colin

15. Let us pray for Benedict, our Pope. May the Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
    

    Posted By: Fr B

16. Those who are using the opportunity of others' terrible suffering to call for the dismantling of the Church will be sorely disappointed. She will come out of this better than ever before, not the least because she remains the Body of Christ, even if still imperfectly human.
    The good Pope too, is stronger than many think. He will weather this storm. Just as appalling as the original abuse by the clergy is the tendency of others to hijack the issue to wreak havoc on the Church and to attack the Pope for their own self-interest. It's an insult to everyone.

    Posted By: Trish

17. Colin: If only we could get this into the heads of the anti-Christian, anti-Catholic brigade, especially in the gutter press, not to mention certain deluded special interest groups within the Catholic Church, particularly in the West.
    Paul: Thank you. It is this sort of comment that should be printed as a footnote to the ill-informed, purple prose, anti-Catholicism currently passing as journalism in the Australian media.
    Fr B: As an Eastern Catholic, I join with you whole heartedly in urging prayers for the one who presides in love over all the Church - Benedict XVI, the Blessed Pope of the Old Rome. May the Lord grant him many years!

    Posted By: Marco Elliott

18. The facts of the Murphy case
    1. Murphy was reported to the police and to the Archbishop of Milwaukee of that time in the 1970s.
    2. The Archbishop talked to Murphy who denied everything. The Archbishop chose to believe Murphy. He moved from the Deaf School in 1974.
    3. The police dropped their investigation for reasons unknown as the police investigation has been ‘lost’. The police say they have nothing on file.
    4. 25 years later, the victims make another complaint.
    5. The civil authorities still refused to do anything because the statute of limitations had run out.
    6. The Archdiocese sought permission from Cardinal Ratzinger’s office, CDF, to try Murphy on the basis that he had breached the confessional (at that time, CDF did not have authority to hear sex abuse cases).
    7. They were told to go ahead with a canonical trial.
    8. Murphy, who had had several strokes and was old and frail, and who had not offended in over 20 years, wrote and asked for them not to try him.
    9. He was given this mercy in a letter signed by the secretary of CDF. presumably because he did not think he would live long enough to see the trial completed.
    10. He died 4 months later.
    ‘The Church’ isn’t responsible for a cover up, nor is the Pope. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee might have been responsible for a cover up. The civil authorities in Milwaukee also have a case to answer.
    

    Posted By: AlexP

19. The more things change the more they remain the same.
    They strew palm fronds and shouted hosanna to the son of David and a week later the same crowd shouted that Pilate release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.
    Who remained steadfast when He was ridiculed and humiliated? Very few -His mother, 2 other women, and the disciple John were there. The others hid in fear and trembling.
    So too today, we have a choice. Do we deny Christ or do we stay? The Mystical Body is sorely wounded.
    Does not faith demand that we stay knowing that He is with us all days and that the gates of hell shall never prevail against Her?
    Trust in Jesus. He keeps His promises.

    Posted By: Honoria

20. 'Leaving the Church'? I doubt it. Most likely the nett loss of 472 Catholic nominal members (not worshippers as the article claims) is mostly if not entirely due to deaths during the freezing weather Europe has experienced recently combined with German Catholics' disastrously low birth-rate.

    Posted By: Peter G

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