Priest question

Energizer420 · #1 12-18-2002, 01:43 PM

why are priests that moleste children not convicted in the court of law. I am not christian but it bothers me that someone who is not a priest or bishop would serve jail time. Why is it fair that priests just get defrocked. My opionion is just because they are part of the church and in a spot of power i dont think that they shoudl be allowed to do what they want and hurt innocent children who really cant do anything about it. What do u all think of this????

Optimist Prime · #2 12-18-2002, 01:50 PM

I think they should too, go to jail I mean.

lifesaver · #3 12-18-2002, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Energizer420
why are priests that moleste children not convicted in the court of law. I am not christian but it bothers me that someone who is not a priest or bishop would serve jail time. Why is it fair that priests just get defrocked. My opionion is just because they are part of the church and in a spot of power i dont think that they shoudl be allowed to do what they want and hurt innocent children who really cant do anything about it. What do u all think of this????

May of them have ended up in jail. Its just often that in some loactions, the preiests are dead now or a statute of limitations has passed, etc. The reasons you are hearing so much about it is because of the civil suits. Those have a lower standard of poof and no stature of limitations, often.

Winterbloom · #4 12-18-2002, 03:19 PM

The abuse scandal in the Church is a horrible, horrible thing, and we've really only seen the tip of the iceburg. However, what you must remember in this entire ordeal is you're dealing with many things--the Roman Catholic Church, which is an international organisation and secular laws, which have varying statutes of limitations.

Most of the accusations of abuse have come out 10, 15, 20 years after it happened. By this time, the abuse statute of limitations has well run out, and the only recourse is civil court. There is no jail time possible for a crime on which the statute of limitations has expired. This is why crimes like homocide have no statute of limitations, so the case may be re-opened whenever new evidence comes to light.

Consider, then, the position of the Church. There is a handful of priests giving the rest of the clergy a bad name. They cannot be sent to jail for their actions, but they are costing the Church a lot of money. The logical recourse, then, is to expell the priests. Most of these are old men who have done nothing save minister for their entire lives. What will they do with their remaining years? What skills do they have, and would people even trust them? Defrocking a priest is a harsh sentance from the Vatican, especially as the mark of priesthood is said to be indellible. This removed that which God has ordained, and is as close to excommunication as the Vatican is willing to get.

I agree, these crimes are horrible, and I don't like everything the Vatican is doing. But the way they are being treated in Protestant America is equally wretched. Protestant clergy people abuse children as well, and cover it up. Don't kid yourselves. Any position of power, be it temporal or spiritual, lends itself to such acts. Yes, the scandal in the Church is horrific. But don't think that it hasn't happened anywhere else.

~Emma

juniorgrrl · #5 12-18-2002, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lifesaver

May of them have ended up in jail. Its just often that in some loactions, the preiests are dead now or a statute of limitations has passed, etc. The reasons you are hearing so much about it is because of the civil suits. Those have a lower standard of poof and no stature of limitations, often.

Lifesaver is right about the statute of limitations being longer for civil actions.

For example, in LA, the statute of limitations for a tort is 1 year. However, if its child abuse its 3 years from the age of majority, and if its permanently scarring child abuse or sexual abuse, its 10 years from the age of majority (18).

Plus, there's this idea called contra non valentum (also known as the Discovery Doctrine to you common law people) that basically says that a person must know they have been wronged before prescription can begin to run on a claim. For example, if you are knocked into a coma by someone and you don't come out of it for 2 years, and you had no family around to file on your behalf, prescription does not begin to run on the claim until you wake up and realize what has happened.

UofIL AXO · #6 12-18-2002, 03:21 PM

I'm taking a class on child abuse, and the sad truth is that if people wait long enough to report, it can no longer be taken to court.

I can't think of the exact amount of years off the top of my head but no longer than 10 after you turn 18, possibly less.

Also, memories that are recovered during therapy sessions, etc. are highly debated and controversial, so those might not even get taken by the District Attorney.

Sadly, child abuse cases are rarely taken by prosecutors!

I will also note that child sexual abuse is a much larger problem than I'd ever imagined until I started reading research on the matter. The recent media attention on priests is just a very small portion of the cases out there.