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Is the Roman Catholic Church in Freefall?

A staggering discovery ....... 22% of the Christian Brothers sexual predators.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse documented Christian Brothers activities in Australia and in particular in Ballarat. 22% of Christian Brothers across Australia have been alleged sexual predators since 1950, according to the royal commission. The commissioners concluded that the Christian Brothers "completely failed... to protect the most vulnerable children in their care" and that senior brothers–including Brother Paul Nangle, Ballarat's highest Brother in the 1970s–had deliberately misled police in more recent statements about their knowledge of abuse.[25]
There were allegations that during the 1970s sexual abuses took place at the junior campus of St Patrick's College and St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat, Victoria. After investigation, Brothers Robert Best, Edward Dowlan and Stephen Francis Farrell were all convicted of sex crimes. Dowlan and Best were later transferred to the senior campus, and continued to offend.[26] Four of the school's brothers and their chaplain, Gerald Ridsdale, were accused of sexually assaulting children — all but one, who died before charges could be laid, have been convicted.
In December 2014, a royal commission found that "Christian Brothers leaders knew of allegations of sexual abuse of children at four Western Australian orphanages and failed to manage the homes to prevent the systemic ill-treatment for decades." During the 2016 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat, it was found that 853 children, average age 13, had been sexually abused by one or more Christian Brothers. Child abuse complaints had been made against 281 Christian Brothers, and the Congregation had paid A$37.3 million in compensation.
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I can recall a childhood friend of mine, a Catholic, talking about "The Brothers" fondly, as being great guys.
 
Thor 2 said:
A staggering discovery ....... 22% of the Christian Brothers sexual predators.



I can recall a childhood friend of mine, a Catholic, talking about "The Brothers" fondly, as being great guys.
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Carrot Flower Queen worked with a group of lads who had all grown up together, been choir boys in a local RC church together, were still very close friends and all quite openly talked about the abusive priest, who had abused all bar one of them, at that church in positive terms, to the point that the one who had not been abused felt left out, that he was not "special" like the others. Grooming is an insidious, nasty process...

Needless to say all of them had episodes of depression and anxiety and all drank heavily, even by North East standards, but all insisted they were fine...
 
Carrot Flower King said:
Carrot Flower Queen worked with a group of lads who had all grown up together, been choir boys in a local RC church together, were still very close friends and all quite openly talked about the abusive priest, who had abused all bar one of them, at that church in positive terms, to the point that the one who had not been abused felt left out, that he was not "special" like the others. Grooming is an insidious, nasty process...

Needless to say all of them had episodes of depression and anxiety and all drank heavily, even by North East standards, but all insisted they were fine...
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Much of my interest in this subject came from the mid-80s after learning my first long-term romantic partner had been sexually abused by a prominent member of the laity of his local church and by other members of the church. This was CofE but High Anglican. Back then I have to say I struggled to believe from him the scale of the abuse (never mind comprehend), most of the male kids involved in the church were abused at one time and another. A few “chosen ones” would be taken on The National Pilgrimage and be swapped around like playing cards with the other abusers attending. Yet many of the kids would be disappointed if they weren’t picked to go on the ‘pilgrimage’.

Like you say grooming is so insidious, so nasty and warps victim’s judgement in ways hard to believe, even when you see the results close up. And the harm caused is lifelong.
 
Darat said:
Much of my interest in this subject came from the mid-80s after learning my first long-term romantic partner had been sexually abused by a prominent member of the laity of his local church and by other members of the church. This was CofE but High Anglican. Back then I have to say I struggled to believe from him the scale of the abuse (never mind comprehend), most of the male kids involved in the church were abused at one time and another. A few “chosen ones” would be taken on The National Pilgrimage and be swapped around like playing cards with the other abusers attending. Yet many of the kids would be disappointed if they weren’t picked to go on the ‘pilgrimage’.

Like you say grooming is so insidious, so nasty and warps victim’s judgement in ways hard to believe, even when you see the results close up. And the harm caused is lifelong.
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I have a number of stories about abuse involving figures in various denominations, all related to bairns I worked with over the years, which includes folk hiding themselves behind being on the body looking at child protection issues, parish priests covering up for them and attempting to intimidate witnesses and a whole rotten diocese in south west England...

Not to mention things I've heard elsewhere...

Any branch of the supposedly Christian churches have long used up any good will I might have felt towards them.
 
Thor 2 said:
I find this news item from the ABC interesting and amusing:
Tasmania's Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous has agreed to change a reading to be included in a graduation mass next week after backlash on social media and concerns it would be inappropriate.
St Mary's College, an all-girls' school in Hobart, had been told the first reading would be from Ephesians 5: 21-33, which includes:
"Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord, since as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife; and as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives submit to their husbands, in everything."
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Interesting that an Archbishop can be dictated to and comply after lay people complain about the wording of his sermon. High ranking clergy from the past would be revolving in their graves methinks.

Not the first time the good archbishop has been targeted by protesters:




Whatever has happened to the authority of the Roman Catholic Church?
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What surprises me, although it probably shouldn't, is that he could be clueless enough to have come up with that in the first place.
 
Trebuchet said:
What surprises me, although it probably shouldn't, is that he could be clueless enough to have come up with that in the first place.
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I'm not, that is part of the doctrine of the church, for the church those less faithful young girls who are becoming women and not remaining celibate all their lives need to be taught the doctrine so they know how to behave when they marry.
 
Thor 2 said:
A staggering discovery ....... 22% of the Christian Brothers sexual predators.

<snip>
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arthwollipot said:
That's a lot. I assume your quoted extract is from Wikipedia? Can you link?
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Thor 2 said:
It was taken from an ABC news item. I tried to find it again with no success. :(
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arthwollipot said:
Yeah I just had a quick look too. It's possible that it's been taken down.
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Allow me. Not the ABC though. But the facts are even worse.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made public shocking findings which identified that as many as 22 per cent of the Christian Brothers in Australia were alleged abusers. This staggering figure was second only to the allegations against the Brothers of St John of God, with the Royal Commission reporting as many as 40% of their brothers were alleged or have found to be abusers.
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https://koffels.com.au/christian-brothers-sexual-abuse/
 
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Thanks for that. I haven't heard of the firm before, but the article seems well-sourced and credible. I haven't dug into the references.
 
rjh01 said:
Allow me. Not the ABC though. But the facts are even worse.


https://koffels.com.au/christian-brothers-sexual-abuse/
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That pretty much jives with my observation of my high school. It was a Christian Brothers school and of the six monks who worked there and lived on the campus, two were removed for abuse allegations. There were rumors among the students about a third, the dean but he had a stroke and left before anything happened to him.
 
arthwollipot said:
That's a lot. I assume your quoted extract is from Wikipedia? Can you link?
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From an Australian lawyer:
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made public shocking findings which identified that as many as 22 per cent of the Christian Brothers in Australia were alleged abusers. This staggering figure was second only to the allegations against the Brothers of St John of God, with the Royal Commission reporting as many as 40% of their brothers were alleged or have found to be abusers.

The Royal Commission dedicated an entire case study – Case Study 11 – to the Christian Brothers, specifically to experiences of men who were residents at Christian Brothers institutions including, Castledare Junior Orphanage, St Vincent’s Orphanage Clontarf, St Mary’s Agricultural School Tardun and Bindoon Farm.
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ETA: D'Oh.
 
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catsmate said:
From an Australian lawyer:


ETA: D'Oh.
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It gets worse and worse! One has to wonder why these "Brothers" were so inclined to being child molesters, at a seemingly higher rate than priests.

It seems now these "Brothers" are headed for extinction however. I can't see any conservationists getting too upset about that. :rolleyes:
 
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