This Week's Catholic Pervs and Paedos List > Catholic adoption agency wins suit; Priest Murdered in VN highlands; End celibacy rules

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Some good news for a change

Michigan can't force Catholic charity to place kids

with same-sex, unmarried couples: settlement

By Michael Gryboski, 

Mainline Church Editor Twitter| 

Friday, January 28, 2022

Reuters/Victor Ruiz Garcia

Christian adoption agencies and foster care groups that contract with the Michigan government won't be required to place children with same-sex couples, according to a new legal settlement.

In 2019, Michigan reached a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union, agreeing not to enforce a law passed in 2015 that allowed faith-based adoption and foster care agencies that contract with the government — among them St. Vincent Catholic Charities — to be exempted from state antidiscrimination law.

However, in a settlement filed in federal court on Tuesday, St. Vincent will now be allowed to be exempted from state anti-discrimination law when it comes to only placing children with opposite-sex married couples.

David Maluchnik, spokesman for the Michigan Catholic Conference, released a statement on the day of the settlement celebrating the result, seeing it as a victory for religious liberty.

“We are grateful that a law signed in 2015 with bipartisan support to uphold conscience rights will continue to benefit Michigan’s most vulnerable children who are served by a network of faith-based child placement agencies,” stated Maluchnik.

“Despite a coordinated and high-profile ‘sue and settle’ strategy that sought to find the 2015 law unconstitutional, Michigan’s child placement policy now enjoys federal legal protections that solidifies and strengthens the right of religious agencies to assist a range of children and families in search of permanent homes.”

Demetrius Starling, executive director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement on Tuesday that while they cannot force St. Vincent to adhere to anti-discrimination law, they will find other ways to make LGBT families feel more included.

“While this outcome is not what we hoped for, we are committed to providing support to the many members in the LGBTQ+ community who want to open their hearts and their homes,” Starling said.

“We are so appreciative of all families that step up to help these children — no matter their orientation or gender identity and expression.”

In 2015, Michigan passed a law that allowed religious charities who contracted with the government to be exempted from anti-discrimination law in accordance with their sincerely held religious beliefs.

St. Vincent Catholic Charities had testified in defense of the legislation, with a representative explaining that while they would refuse to place a child in an unmarried or same-sex family, they would refer that family to another agency.

In 2017, the ACLU filed a complaint against the law on behalf of two same-sex couples who were turned away from state-supported child-placing agencies due to their relationships.

In March 2019, in response to the suit, Michigan announced that it would require all groups contracted with the government to comply with state anti-discrimination law.

“This is a victory for the nearly 12,000 children in foster care in Michigan who need loving families like those offered by our clients,” stated Leslie Cooper, deputy director of the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, at the time.

“We are thrilled that the state of Michigan has committed to ensuring that all of the agencies it hires to find families for children in state custody comply with its non-discrimination requirements so that children do not lose out on families to care for them.”

However, in September of that year, Judge Robert Jonker issued a preliminary injunction against the settlement between the ACLU and the state, explaining that the “State’s new position targets St. Vincent’s religious beliefs.”

In June of last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia that Philadelphia officials cannot exclude a Catholic charity from its foster program because the organization will not place children with same-sex couples in accordance with religious beliefs.

Vietnamese Catholic priest killed in knife attack

while hearing confessions

By UPI Staff

   

The priest was buried on Monday at St. Martin Chapel in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, and lies among other Dominicans in the Cemetery of the Province. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A Catholic priest was killed in central Vietnam over the weekend by a man with a knife who attacked while the priest was hearing confessions, the Vatican said Monday.

The priest of Dominican order, Joseph Tran Ngoc Thanh, was hearing the confessions on Saturday at the Sa Loong Subparish in Kon Tum province, which is located in Vietnam's Central Highlands.

The Vatican said Tranh was stabbed multiple times shortly before the celebration of the Vespers Mass at a mission of Dak Mot, which is located about 275 miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City.

The Vatican said another person at the church was injured when he rushed to Tranh's aid, but survived.

"Messages of mourning and grief have poured in from the parish community of Dak Mot where the priest lived and worked, as well as from the Dominican Province of Vietnam," the Vatican said via Vatican News.

The attacker was arrested and is believed to be mentally ill.

Or, more than likely, demonically possessed!

Tranh, 40, was buried on Monday at St. Martin Chapel in Dong Nai province and lies among other Dominicans in the Cemetery of the Province.

"Please unite to pray so that Father Guise's soul may soon enjoy the glory of God," the Diocese of Kon Tum said in a statement.

Kon Tam, VN

Archbishop urges end to celibacy rules

The prominent German cardinal said some priests would be less lonely

if the 12th-century rules were loosened

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising, (FILE PHOTO)

© Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP

In comments published on Wednesday by Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich, said that discussion was needed as to whether celibacy was still in the best interests of priests and the Catholic Church.

“For some priests, it would be better if they were married – not just for sexual reasons, but because it would be better for their life and they wouldn't be lonely,” Marx told the newspaper in an interview. “We must hold this discussion.”

The German cardinal didn’t suggest that celibacy should be scrapped altogether but claimed there was a “question mark” over “whether it should be taken as a basic precondition for every priest.” 

He stated that, while celibacy has been a part of the priesthood for centuries, he can imagine a time when priests are married.

Marx’s diocese was recently shaken by a report into the handling of sexual abuse cases by clerics. Marx and his predecessors, including retired Pope Benedict XVI, were criticized for failing to act appropriately in response to allegations brought against members of the priesthood.

The cardinal is an ally of Pope Francis and has frequently urged reform of the Catholic Church. Last week, he stated that deep reforms were needed to overcome the “disaster” of sexual abuse.

Celibacy in the priesthood was only formally introduced in 1123 and again in 1139. However, the 12th-century move reflected historic traditions in the church.

The point is that far too many priests and bishops ignore the celibacy requirement, and no one enforces it. Celibacy should be an individual decision that is revocable when it becomes obvious that it is untenable. Laws like this only increase sins and open the doors for more sins. Sin is progressive!

There is no requirement in the Bible for priests or Bishops to be celibate, only righteous and faithful. The celibacy requirement makes that so much more difficult and even impossible for some.

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Church Should Make Celibacy Optional to Avoid Child Sex Abuse, Says Landmark Australian Report

Thank God for the Royal Commission and all that they have done. Their recommendations should be taken very seriously. 

I have long thought that the requirement for celibacy in the Catholic clergy was most unfortunate. As with the commission, I believe it should be voluntary. That is part of the problem, but I wonder if the acceptance of homosexuality in the church isn't a bigger part of the problem. As the article below states, most victims of paedophile priests are males. 

It would be good to know if such priests, etc., were practicing gays before they took their 'vows', or if they became gay afterwards.

© Tony Gentile / Reuters

Compulsory celibacy contributes to child sex abuse, says a newly released Australian report based on thousands of victims’ testimonies. It sheds a light on the heinous scale of abuse at all kinds of institutions.

Some 8,000 personal stories were heard by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse, which compiled the report that was released on Friday. The commission, created five years ago, said that it has so far analyzed the accounts of more than 6,800 people.

“The problems have been so widespread, and the nature of the abuse so heinous, that it is difficult to comprehend,” the 17-volume report said. 

According to the document, over 60 percent of the victims were male and more than half said they were subjected to the abuse at the age of 10-14. The majority of the abusers were male and adult. Some 36 percent of the victims claimed they were sexually abused by multiple persons.

Australian religious institutions are among those that “failed to protect children,” the report says, devoting an entire volume to Catholic Church.

“…Many children have been sexually abused in religious institutions in Australia. Based on the information before us, the greatest number of alleged perpetrators and abused children were in Catholic institutions,” the report said.

Celibacy may be “not a direct cause” but “a contributing factor” to sex abuse against children. “… Based on research we conclude that there is an elevated risk of child sexual abuse where compulsorily celibate male clergy… have privileged access to children in certain types of Catholic institutions, including schools, residential institutions and parishes,” the statement said.

The commission recommends that celibacy for members of religious institutions should be voluntary, calling on the Holy See to consider the issue. It reported that, for many priests, celibacy is implicated in emotional isolation, depression and even mental illnesses; and this can lead to “psychosexual dysfunction,” which in its turn causes risks for children. “For many clergy and religious, celibacy is an unattainable ideal that leads to clergy and religious living double lives, and contributes to a culture of secrecy and hypocrisy,” the report said.

The secrecy of confession should also be ended, the report stated, adding that the commission members heard that “disclosures of child sexual abuse by perpetrators or victims during confession were not reported to civil authorities.”

The commission received reports relating to some 4,000 individual institutions where sex abuse took place. While some of them terminated their activities, others continue to operate, the commission said.

“Many [Australian] institutions failed to protect children because their policies and procedures did not exist, were inadequate or were not implemented effectively,” the report said. According to the findings, many of those failings were “exacerbated by a manifestly inadequate response” to the abused person.

The failure is attributed not only to those institutions which provide services for children, but also to those which are linked to children indirectly. Police sometimes don’t take children seriously and “refuse to investigate their complaints,” the report states, adding that many children who “had attempted to escape were returned to unsafe institutions by police.”

Children have no voice! No voice among the police, the clergy, the government, the media, etc. This commission is the first time children's voices were heard on a national scale. 

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse was established in 2012 to investigate instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. The commission’s report from February this year found that more than 4,000 children, mostly boys, were allegedly sexually abused by Catholic priests in Australia over a period of decades.

Italian Priest Accused of Staging Orgies & Pimping Faces Defrocking

But part-time pervert OK to stay in priest-hood

FILE PHOTO © Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters

An Italian Catholic priest accused of staging orgies and pimping out some of his 30 lovers will lose his job regardless of what an investigation finds, the Bishop of Padua said. Another priest, who at least “occasionally” participated in the orgies, will likely retain his position.

So if you are only mostly a pervert, you're good enough for the Catholic priesthood. Good grief!

Father Andrea Contin, a 48-year-old priest at the church of San Lazzaro in Padua, has been under investigation for some time over allegations of staging orgies in his rectory and producing home porn videos, after three of his numerous lovers filed complaints early in December.

Unbelievable!

Since then, the alleged activities of the priest have included more bizarre details. The priest allegedly “always carried a briefcase full of vibrators, sex toys, masks and bondage equipment,” according to one of his accusers, as reported by the Corriere del Veneto.

Besides that, the priest allegedly encouraged a woman to have sex with a horse in addition to beating her in the rectory on several occasions. The priest had up to 30 lovers, with whom he allegedly traveled to naturist and swinger resorts in France and even pimped out at least some of them online. He also allegedly concealed pornographic materials in covers with the names of various popes.

While the criminal investigation on psychological and physical assault and facilitating prostitution is ongoing, the priest’s unholy activities have caught the attention of the Holy Father himself.

Pope Francis encouraged Padua Bishop Claudio Cipolla to hold a press conference on Thursday to present the opinion of the Catholic Church on the matter, and not leave the whole scandalous story to the hands of the tabloids.

The Bishop has been traveling to diocesan missions in Latin America but had to return earlier than initially planned “since the widening of the Paduan events, to address more directly the situation.”

“I am incredulous and pained by the accusations,” Bishop Cipolla said, comparing his position to that of “a father of a son who has fallen into disgrace.”

'Fallen' into disgrace; I'd say he 'dove' into disgrace!

The congregation can stay assured that the “shocking and scandalous episodes” won’t affect the Padua church’s activities, however.

Seriously! As if they have not already affected the church? How many times have parishioners taken communion from this sex fiend? Or confessed to him? How can you expect absolution from someone who is thinking about his next orgy?

“Our diocesan Church continues to be welcoming and knows how to heal its ills to the extent that it opens and goes out to all those who are in need,” the Bishop said.

The priest under investigation, who was suspended from his duties after the scandal unfolded, will most likely lose his position regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation, since his alleged activities were “unacceptable for a priest, for a Christian and even for a man,” the bishop said.

Another priest, named as Father Roberto Cavazzana, who admitted to taking part in and “occasionally” filming orgies will likely retain his position. Cavazzana’s case is “different,” since “his involvement was only partial and occasional – though not acceptable for a priest,” Cipolla said.

Well, apparently it is acceptable. This is just astonishing, yet doesn't seem to be too shocking to either the Bishop or the Pope. One wonders how much trash really goes on in the priesthood. We know there are/were thousands of pedophile priests, but how many more are sexually active.

Considering that priests are all unmarried, it is sin to be sexually active! Yet we know many priests and Bishops live in relationships, often gay relationships. How is that tolerated? And why is it better than allowing priests to marry where they can have sex without sinning? It makes no sense to me!

The Catholic Church - Homosexuality, Celibacy, Hypocrisy and Apostasy

Let me state right out that I am not a fan of the Catholic Church; I have done too many stories on the devastation of child sex abuse by priests and their enabling by Bishops to think that there is anything but hypocrisy there.

The problem with gays in the priesthood is a prime example. The difference between gays and straights is just this - gay sex. That is what homosexuality is about and that's all it's about! So, what are they doing in the priesthood? Do not priests take a vow of celibacy? Is that not why they cannot get married? Yet, while God-ordained sex is forbidden in the priesthood, gay sex is fine? Does that make any sense? You can be gay but you can't be straight, and be sexually active.

Being gay and not being celibate should disqualify priests or Bishops from serving in the church. The Catholic church is a magnet for gays and pedophiles and its hypocrisy stinks to the high heavens. 

Grindr scandal prompts Irish priest school

to crackdown on ‘vicious gay subculture’

© Peter Andrews / Reuters

Stricter rules are being introduced for trainee priests in Ireland, including mandatory evening prayers and supervised meals, after it emerged a number of priests were hooking up through gay dating app Grindr.

The figurative tightening of the cilice is being introduced at Ireland’s National Seminary in Maynooth will require student priests to eat breakfast and evening meals with senior staff in the college instead of dining wherever they want.

Shortly after the evening meal, the 55 men will also now have to attend an obligatory rosary at 9 p.m., according to the Irish Independent.

That will do them a lot of good: Matthew 6:7 - "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words."

The trustees of Maynooth also plan to review social media usage by trainee priests, as well as what is described as the "appropriate use of the internet.”

The new rules are being brought in with the hope of limiting “any sort of behavior or attitude which contradicts the teaching and example of Jesus Christ.”

It is here where gays point out that Jesus never said or did anything about homosexuality (in the Gospels). Neither did he mention child sex abuse, or rape, or torture, or beheading, etc., etc. Does that mean He approves of them? 

Who do you think appeared to Abraham to warn him of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah if not the pre-incarnate Christ? Genesis 18:1 - And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre... And as He bargained with Abraham, He said, And he said, 'I will not destroy it for ten's sake'. Genesis 18:32. Leaving no doubt about Who did the destruction. 

Did He then change His mind about homosexuality? That we certainly would have heard about, but we didn't! Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.

The move comes following revelations that there is a “gay culture” at the seminary with a number of the trainee priests using the gay dating app Grindr.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin told the Irish Times in early August that he was sending three student priests from his diocese to Rome instead of Maynooth as there was “an atmosphere of strange goings-on” at the Irish seminary.

While the new rules have been ridiculed on social media, one Irish bishop Pat Buckley, who has conducted his own independent ministry since 1986, says the trustees haven’t gone far enough.

“They should have put a ban on mobile phones because that would have sent a very clear message to the seminarians and to the Irish population that people, whether they are straight or gay, on mobile phones looking for promiscuous sex is not allowed," said Buckley, who is himself gay and in a civil partnership.

Amazing - he can't live with a woman, but he can live with a man. The Catholic restriction against marriage in the priesthood is quite simply absurd. It contributes greatly to the pedophilic culture in the church and its acceptance renders the entire church apostate at best.

Buckley also described the training college as having a “vicious gay subculture.”

Child Sexual Abuse Can Shorten Life Expectancy, Shrink Brain, Royal Commission Hears

ABC News, Australia
By court reporter Peta Carlyon

Commissioners at the Ballarat hearings of the
royal commission into child sexual abuse

There is still a long way to go in understanding how best to help victims of child sexual abuse, which can shorten a person's life expectancy and result in the shrinkage of their brain, a royal commission is told.

Psychiatrist Dr Carolyn Quadrio, an Associate Professor at the University of New South Wales, appeared as a witness at a Ballarat hearing of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

Dr Quadrio told the hearing the sexual abuse of children damaged brain development and, at worst, resulted in shrinkage of the brain and a shortened life expectancy of 10 to 20 years.

I expect most of this 10 to 20 year shortfall is a result of the high rate of suicides and the dangerous, destructive lifestyles that many victims live.

"The child feels worthless, betrayed ... they feel dirty, defiled ... they blame themselves," Dr Quadrio said.

I have seen exactly that in numerous testimonies.

"It's extremely damaging for the child's psychological development.

"I think when children are being treated badly, they begin to think 'I'm being treated badly, I'm bad.'"

Dr Quadrio said the grooming of children by predators was "very psychologically abusive, because it's a manipulation of the child's mind."

"They become aware they've been manipulated ... you're dealing with character disturbance."

She told the commission there was "a very strong relationship between abuse and suicide".

Holistic approach needed for abuse victims

Dr Quadrio said the professions of psychiatry and psychology had a long way to go in properly understanding how to work with victims of child abuse.

"I don't think there's enough understanding of the problem of shame. I don't think it's very well understood," Dr Quadrio said.

She said the broadly used method of diagnosis and medication often was not enough for survivors of abuse and they needed "a more holistic approach".

Dr Quadrio told the hearing, "there are a proportion of abused children who go onto abuse themselves".

But they were "by no means the majority" she said.

"It causes dreadful anxiety [in survivors], they feel contaminated.

"They can hold back from their own children because they feel afraid that this thing's going to come out of them in some way."

Dr Quadrio said, in her view, there were no effective screening methods for potential paedophiles infiltrating an organisation.

"Often offenders won't show any abnormalities," she said.

"It's not like there's a test you can do."

She said although "I don't think celibacy drives child abuse," men who were already attracted to children "would feel more comfortable in the priesthood, because the celibacy vow is not going to bother them".

This is what I have been saying, that the priesthood is Nirvana for pedophiles.

Child abuse survivors finished giving evidence last week.

The hearing continues.