Monday, March 22, 2010

Explain the concept of "respect" to me again father...

THIRTY-FIVE YEARS TO BREAK THE WALL OF SILENCE

1975 Two young victims in Ireland sign oaths cementing their silence over allegations they were abused by Father Brendan Smyth. It later emerged that (now Cardinal) Sean Brady was present at the meeting.

1986 In Germany, Father Peter Hullerman is convicted of the sexual abuse of minors and receives an 18-month suspended sentence, but continues to work in the church. It is alleged that he had previously been suspected of abuse, but had avoided detection by being transferred to another diocese. Pope Benedict XVI, then Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, was allegedly responsible for the transfer.

1997 Following his arrest in 1991, Smyth admits to 74 cases of sexual abuse over 35 years. He is sentenced to 12 years in prison, but dies shortly after sentencing.

2000 The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse is set up by the Irish government to establish the extent of sexual abuse of children in Roman Catholic institutions since 1936.

2001 Pope John Paul II orders bishops to report all cases of abuse directly to the Vatican and to prevent those accused from having further access to children.

2002 Cardinal Bernard Law, archbishop of Boston, resigns amid allegations he failed to act on cases of abuse within his diocese. Following his resignation he moved to work within the Vatican.

2004 The Christian Brothers, a Catholic religious order associated with boys' schools in Ireland, successfully sues the commission to keep the identity of all of its members, dead or alive, anonymous.

2009 The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse publishes its investigation. Known as the Ryan report, it details the findings gathered from 2,000 victims and the extent to which the institutions had covered up these cases.

20 March 2010 Pope Benedict XVI responds to revelations in a letter to Irish Catholics, as new cases of abuse emerge in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.

All this and we are cautioned by these scum bags to "respect" their beliefs.

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