Holding the Catholic Church accountable for its crimes

[Anonymous]

http://www.slate.com/id/2267098/

[Anonymous]

ok. so the church is guilty for its role in the sex abuse scandal and some lawyer thinks there is a legal angle to prosecute the pope.

what here is worth discussing, the first part which is old news, or the merits of the second, which will never happen?

[Anonymous]

OP. I think Hitchens makes for very good reading. He's an dying atheist (lung cancer) so I know he has a lot fury towards religion and he's unrelenting in his criticism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ok. so the church is guilty for its role in the sex abuse scandal and some lawyer thinks there is a legal angle to prosecute the pope.

what here is worth discussing, the first part which is old news, or the merits of the second, which will never happen?

A class action against the Roman Catholic Church and the present Pope? If it hasn't been done some greedy lawyer or law firm will file suit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ok. so the church is guilty for its role in the sex abuse scandal and some lawyer thinks there is a legal angle to prosecute the pope.

what here is worth discussing, the first part which is old news, or the merits of the second, which will never happen?

A class action against the Roman Catholic Church and the present Pope? If it hasn't been done some greedy lawyer or law firm will file suit.

It's never going to get anywhere. Do you know how difficult it is to file a suit against a foreign head of state? What's the point of discussing it. The lawsuits will all be domestic suits because the courts have jurisdiction over the diocese, and the diocese have more than enough assets to pay claims. That's what greedy lawyers care about, and they are already doing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I think Hitchens makes for very good reading. He's an dying atheist (lung cancer) so I know he has a lot fury towards religion and he's unrelenting in his criticism.

I wouldn't describe Hitchens' attitude toward religion as fury-- more like disdain, and it completely precedes his cancer diagnosis. (which I believe is throat cancer, not lung, but I could be wrong on that)

[Anonymous]

The Catholic Church has been allowing/committing/promoting crime for many centuries and gone unprosecuted - see the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Can't see anything changing now either....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Catholic Church has been allowing/committing/promoting crime for many centuries and gone unprosecuted - see the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Can't see anything changing now either....

The Crusades were not a one-sided conflict. You've heard of the Moorish invasion, yes?


And in any event, Western Civilization really IS superior. To disbelieve this really is to disbelieve in democracy, representative government, and fundamental human rights for all citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Catholic Church has been allowing/committing/promoting crime for many centuries and gone unprosecuted - see the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Can't see anything changing now either....

The Crusades were not a one-sided conflict. You've heard of the Moorish invasion, yes?


And in any event, Western Civilization really IS superior. To disbelieve this really is to disbelieve in democracy, representative government, and fundamental human rights for all citizens.

If you are at the point where you feel the need to defend the Crusades by playing tit-for-tat about the Moors, then you have out-Catholic'd the rest of us and even the pope. Even JPII has apologized for some of the things done during the Crusades. And in case you didn't notice, the Moors weren't even in the Holy Land. They were from Morocco and came over that way to Spain. Maybe you are mixing up your muslims.

But bottom line: do you really want to be the apologist for the Crusades? What's next, deny the Holocaust?

[Anonymous]

Yes, the Catholic Church needs to continually make sure that they have systems in place so that children are never exploited by those who should shepherd them. In America, they began this process in the 90's with Europe following in their wake. While much could have been handled more adroitly, at least the wheels are in motion.
But where is the outcry against prison rape in the US? This is a huge institution that WE ALL fund. Should we all be sued? This is also a vulnerable population. The Catholic Church has actually addressed/is addressing sex abuse. Meanwhile, Eric Holder missed the June 23rd deadline to put prison reform into motion: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2010/06/23/eric-holder-misses-deadline-for-implementing-prison-rape-standards/
Why aren't you rallying outside the DOJ on your way back from the Catholic Church accountability rally?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Catholic Church has been allowing/committing/promoting crime for many centuries and gone unprosecuted - see the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Can't see anything changing now either....

The Crusades were not a one-sided conflict. You've heard of the Moorish invasion, yes?


And in any event, Western Civilization really IS superior. To disbelieve this really is to disbelieve in democracy, representative government, and fundamental human rights for all citizens.

If you are at the point where you feel the need to defend the Crusades by playing tit-for-tat about the Moors, then you have out-Catholic'd the rest of us and even the pope. Even JPII has apologized for some of the things done during the Crusades. And in case you didn't notice, the Moors weren't even in the Holy Land. They were from Morocco and came over that way to Spain. Maybe you are mixing up your muslims.

But bottom line: do you really want to be the apologist for the Crusades? What's next, deny the Holocaust?

Actually, I'm not Catholic. The point was poorly made but really intended to express that it was a long two-sided conflict (which is indicative of complexity in a legal claim, not merely "right" and "wrong"). Moreover, it is ancient (middle aged, as it were) history. You'd have better luck suing Spain or England or France for settling the new world than suing the Pope for the Crusades.

[Anonymous]

It's only two sided if you think that these two different muslim groups are on the same "side".

[Anonymous]

Again, good luck with that lawsuit. While you're at it, there are dozens of recent "crimes" that could take precedence. Give them a shot too while you're at it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP. I think Hitchens makes for very good reading. He's an dying atheist (lung cancer) so I know he has a lot fury towards religion and he's unrelenting in his criticism.

He is dying from esophageal cancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Catholic Church has been allowing/committing/promoting crime for many centuries and gone unprosecuted - see the Crusades, the Inquisition, etc. Can't see anything changing now either....

The Crusades were not a one-sided conflict. You've heard of the Moorish invasion, yes?


And in any event, Western Civilization really IS superior. To disbelieve this really is to disbelieve in democracy, representative government, and fundamental human rights for all citizens.

If you are at the point where you feel the need to defend the Crusades by playing tit-for-tat about the Moors, then you have out-Catholic'd the rest of us and even the pope. Even JPII has apologized for some of the things done during the Crusades. And in case you didn't notice, the Moors weren't even in the Holy Land. They were from Morocco and came over that way to Spain. Maybe you are mixing up your muslims.

But bottom line: do you really want to be the apologist for the Crusades? What's next, deny the Holocaust?

Actually, I'm not Catholic. The point was poorly made but really intended to express that it was a long two-sided conflict (which is indicative of complexity in a legal claim, not merely "right" and "wrong"). Moreover, it is ancient (middle aged, as it were) history. You'd have better luck suing Spain or England or France for settling the new world than suing the Pope for the Crusades.

I think it would be simply wonderful for some big law firm to take on the Vatican and sue, not just for the Crusades, but for the Spanish Inquisition, Mary, Queen of Scots death, and so many other misdeeds condoned by various Popes. If that Monument to Greed law firm building, Arnold & Porter, would do this then think of all the lawyers who would be employed.