Salon.com > Catholic Church sex abuse

Cardinal “Tyranny of tolerance” O’Brien is a hypocrite of the worst order

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 16:39:00 +0000

He was a homosexuality-condemning cardinal who is now embroiled in a tale involving his alleged "drunken fumblings" and unwanted advances toward other men. Well, at least this one's a Catholic Church scandal that doesn't involve children. Progress, maybe?

It's been a week since Cardinal Keith O'Brien stepped down as the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, amid accusations by three priests and one former priest of "inappropriate" contacts with them, some of which dated back 30 years. His resignation spared him the deeper scrutiny that would have ensued had he chosen to go to Rome to choose the next pontiff, a spotlight-shunning optimism he made obvious when he stated, "I do not wish media attention in Rome to be focused on me — but rather on Pope Benedict XVI and his successor." Though O'Brien didn't address the charges in his public statement of resignation, the Scottish Catholic Media Office announced that he "contests these claims and is taking legal advice." He later dismissed "their anonymous and non-specific nature."

Even in retirement, the pope gets immunity

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:20:00 +0000

As leader of the Catholic Church, a pope wears many hats – and not just the big and pointy kind. He is the bishop of Rome. He is heir to the seat of St. Peter. He is the guy who runs the Pontifex Twitter account. He's also head of the Holy See. And as such, he gets some interesting perks. Like diplomatic immunity.

When the 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI steps down from his job later this month, he will no longer be a head of state. Perhaps that's why he's chosen to stick around Vatican City. As Reuters noted recently, staying at the Vatican – its own distinct sovereign territory – means he'll be able to enjoy his retirement in the comfort of "legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world." How convenient!

Another Catholic sex abuse cover-up

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:13:00 +0000

It's been a good 10 or so days since the last time the Catholic Church revealed itself to be somewhat less than forthcoming about the decades of sexual abuse perpetrated by trusted members of its own ranks. So it should come as a demoralizingly thorough non-surprise that it's time again for another revelation of harrowing behavior – and systematic deceit. On Monday, the Los Angeles Times' Victoria Kim, Ashley Powers and Harriet Ryan published newly released internal documents revealing how Archbishop Roger M. Mahony and his adviser Msgr. Thomas J. Curry conspired together in 1986 and 1987 to "shield abusers from police."