Catholic Church funding guilty 'paedophiles' legal defence

[doggie]

The headlines are not the worst part. they spend the money on convicted pedophiles who are on trail for the second third and fourth times.

Their new logo Home of the catholic church should be a young boy with a circle and a x

THE Catholic Church has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees to defend priests and brothers who have already been tried and convicted of serious sexual assaults against children in their care.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/churc ... z2CPCrfiga

[Convicted Blossom]

And, when they didn't spend money on their legal costs, they "moved [them] on" to different schools, interstate and overseas.

The Catholic church knew what it was doing, it knew it was hiding and protecting sexual predators and it deemed that to be OK.

[rock_girl]

I wasn't even surprised when I read the article yesterday. The church wonders why it's losing the younger crowd in droves... well, that's part of the answer.

[doggie]

I wasn't even surprised when I read the article yesterday. The church wonders why it's losing the younger crowd in droves... well, that's part of the answer.

I don't really think they should fund the trail in the first place. but not the appeals and crap that's unacceptable. I mean how many employer's would fund a workers defense if they got caught doing the same thing?

[rock_girl]

I don't really think they should fund the trail in the first place. but not the appeals and crap that's unacceptable. I mean how many employer's would fund a workers defense if they got caught doing the same thing?

I agree with funding the initial trials, and possibly the appeals (I don't want to say I agree with this, but it's probably the fairest way of dealing with it) as there's no point swinging the other way entirely and assuming guilt at every accusation. Catholic orders aren't so much a job as they are a life. You enter into an order and they're responsible for everything, including not giving you enough cash to every squirrel away the amount needed to fund a legal defence. The alternative is for legal aid to pick up the tab, which just shifts the cost to the government. Once you're convicted and that conviction has been upheld you should be out of the order and not allowed to access its cash to fund any sort of legal battle. The church has no business sheltering these men.

[mirele]

I agree with funding the initial trials, and possibly the appeals (I don't want to say I agree with this, but it's probably the fairest way of dealing with it) as there's no point swinging the other way entirely and assuming guilt at every accusation. Catholic orders aren't so much a job as they are a life. You enter into an order and they're responsible for everything, including not giving you enough cash to every squirrel away the amount needed to fund a legal defence. The alternative is for legal aid to pick up the tab, which just shifts the cost to the government. Once you're convicted and that conviction has been upheld you should be out of the order and not allowed to access its cash to fund any sort of legal battle. The church has no business sheltering these men.

They do it because they believe, after ordination, these men have been given the special power to turn ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. It sounds crazy to us, but if you understand this super-special power and separateness, then you'll understand why this brotherhood will spend thousands on protecting pedophiles or shipping them overseas to offend again. Understanding, however, doesn't mean excusing and this super-specialness does not exempt these offending bastards from the full hammer of the law.

[Boltingmadonna]

Hundreds of thousands of dollars? Shucks, that's peanuts compared to the 7.6 million dollars the diocese of Philadelphia spent defending just one case. The bishops could, of course, let the accused fund his own defense, or rely on a public defender, as other people accused of crimes must sometimes do. Often, however, the bishop is also implicated, so the diocese has to bring out the big guns. There is no proper accounting to lay people of where their contributions go. Most parishioners want to fund their own parish, plus some good works. They don't want their hard-earned money to pay for expensive trials for abusers, or expensive bankruptcy lawyers. But they have no say in the matter. Which is just one good reason why I quit attending church and quit giving them money.

[rock_girl]

They do it because they believe, after ordination, these men have been given the special power to turn ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. It sounds crazy to us, but if you understand this super-special power and separateness, then you'll understand why this brotherhood will spend thousands on protecting pedophiles or shipping them overseas to offend again. Understanding, however, doesn't mean excusing and this super-specialness does not exempt these offending bastards from the full hammer of the law.

You're giving the church too much credit. It's not about Catholic doctrine so much as damage control and making sure no more money than is necessary leaves the church. Cheaper to pay QCs than it is to pay compensation claims. I say this as someone whose family is/was heavily involved with the church. I really wish I could elaborate on this a little more but given what I've said in another thread about a relative's abuse, I'm pretty sure I'd out myself and my family quite quickly! At any rate, the church is more a giant criminal machine than it is a cult, however ridiculous its beliefs.