Catholic Church pedophilia scandal grows in Latin America

[Bluebear]

SAO PAULO – The detention of an 83-year-old priest in Brazil for allegedly abusing boys as young as 12 has added to the scandals hitting the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, even as Chile's bishops asked pardon Tuesday for past cases.

The allegations against Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa — and two other Brazilian priests — have made headlines throughout the world's most populous Catholic nation and come amid accusations of sexual abuse by priests around the world.

The scandal erupted when Brazilian television network SBT last month broadcast a tape of Barbosa in bed with a 19-year-old that was widely distributed on the Internet.

The station said the video was secretly filmed in January 2009 and sent anonymously to the network. It was not clear if the 19-year-old, identified as a former altar boy who had worked with Barbosa for four years, had previous sexual relations with the priest.

SBT reporters went to Barbosa's house and confronted him. Asked if he ever abused boys, Barbosa said he could only answer such a question "in confession" and cut off the interview.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100420/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_church_sex_scandal

[Skittles]

1. when will they just admit that the Catholic church has been a big giant pedophilia ring

[Divine Discontent]

2. that's more than likely the answer. I realize, and certainly believe, if they got rid of the

ridiculous rule about remaining single, that there'd be tons of them marrying men & women, so that effects this sexual prob they have, but, also, and just as strongly, is the fact that I think there's a large group of 'em that are just out for 10 yr olds in their midst, and the numbers prove it - and - the head of 'em has his dirty wrinkled hands involved in the mess.

[pnwmom]

3. The incidence of offenders isn't any higher than in any other organization.

Or than in other churches or religious groups.

Until recent decades, these types of offenses often were covered up in any sphere where they occurred.

[chollybocker]

4. Thanks for your apology.

:boring:

[pnwmom]

5. Thanks for yours. n/t

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[chollybocker]

9. Thank you for proving my point.

You are here to spread disinformation, and you failed miserably.

Now will you stop?

[pnwmom]

10. You're the one spreading disinformation. Show me some research

proving there is a higher proportion of child molesters among Catholic priests than among Protestant ministers, Jewish rabbis, Boy Scout leaders, or any other similar group. You won't find it because there isn't any.

The serious problem that has occurred is that some Bishops wrongly thought these men could be cured -- based on the "science" of the time -- and that it would be safe to let them get "treated" and then start over in other parishes. And that some Bishops offered settlements to victims that required them to remain silent about the abuse, which was also wrong.

That doesn't make the WHOLE Church a "criminal enterprise."

[DaveinJapan]

11. They had no right to decide whether their criminal bretheren could "cured" or not.

They should've reported the crimes. Instead they committed further crimes by shielding them.

And it went all the way to the top of the entire organization.

That sounds like a criminal enterprise to me.

There was a good question back there by the way. DO you donate money to this organization?

[pnwmom]

13. Yes, I have supported my parish with donations. Also DU, though not lately,

and also the Democratic party, frequently.

I am not going to stop being a Catholic because of the attacks here on DU.

And if you think Democrats can win elections without the support of substantial numbers of Catholics you are seriously deluded.

[DaveinJapan]

15. It troubles me greatly that people such as yourself financial support these criminals.

Forget about the "attacks" on DU, you should be considering giving up financing these guys because they are evildoers.

Just sayin. It would certainly bother me!

[pnwmom]

16. It troubles me that people like you ignore all the good that is done with the

vast majority of the donations.

[DaveinJapan]

20. Whatever good is done with the money can certainly be done just as well through other agencies.

Ones without such a horrific criminal record, I mean.

I just can't fathom wanting to support the very folks who perpetrated such an enormous crime. It's not as though there aren't plenty of other organizations doing good work that you could support instead.

[chollybocker]

12. "The serious problem that has occurred is..."

...the one that you continually fail to mention - the institutionalized abuse of children within the Catholic Church.

I already know that there are many Jews and Atheists and Boy Scout Leaders and swim coaches that are pedophiles - and they wind up in jail when they're exposed and tried before a court of law.

Whereas moving pedophiles from one parish to another is merely three-dimensional chess, Pope-style.

edit: there/they're

[Skittles]

6. yeah right

[Walk away]

14. How can you get an accurate count when the church hides all evidence of it's crimes.

These "polls" and "scientific studies" are useless. The catholic church is rife with pedophilia and is still successful at hiding most of it. How can anyone count something they can't see. In the "real" world criminals are at least charged with a crime, they have to face what they are. It seems that pedophile priests have their crimes wiped out with a little holy water and their records aren't shared.

Why would anyone accept your post or those studies as a fact?

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. Yesterday, LA local radio station played victim describing exactly what happened to him

anal rape with no lubricant...the now middle aged man is describing the attack he suffered as a little boy to get
people to understand exactly what's these priests did. The radio station played the tape that television stations wont, and some newspapers won't print. It was stunning to hear. We hear the term 'molestation' which is a soft description of the actual act of a grown man raping babies and children.

[malaise]

18. Won't be long before the Caribbean people start talking

Everyone knows it's been going on for decades - maybe longer. What a corrupt institution.

[SidDithers]

19. Shut 'em down...

how any compassionate soul can remain a member of the Catholic Church is beyond me. I hope they're bankrupted by worldwide civil suits. Whatever "good" the church does pales in comparison to the evil that festers within the church's heart.

Sid