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Catholic Church's Ongoing Child Rape Problem • James Campion The grand jury described the church's methods as "a playbook for concealing the truth" after FBI agents identified a series of practices they found in diocese files.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.
- Matthew 23:13

Holy shit.
A few weeks ago, a grand jury report shed light on internal documents from six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania that show that more than 300 "predator priests" have been credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims. And it could be more. "We believe that the real number of children whose records were lost or who were afraid ever to come forward is in the thousands," the grand jury report states.
Also from the report: "Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades. Monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals have mostly been protected; many, including some named in this report, have been promoted."
Promoted.
Rape = Promotion.
Let that sink in. I’ll give you a minute.
How’s that sitting with you?
I repeat, holy shit.

Let me ask this question as succinctly and as straight forward as I can: If there is an organization that has repeatedly been outed for decades with the perpetuation of child abuse and systemic pedophilia that has run rampart throughout the Catholic Church all over the world, but specifically here in the U.S., why should it be allowed to continue as such?

This is a serious issue. Right? Children being raped by priests and the institution hiding it from the public and the continued protection of predators against children being either mostly ignored or at least in a twisted sense being accepted as some kind of “new normal” these days is sort of important, no? And this in an era when outlandish reactions to say something like ISIS in the Middle East and the embarrassingly moronic current reaction by this federal government and many of our citizens to illegal immigration, both of which is treated as if the wolf is at the door. But where is the outrage and special taskforce or movement to oust the Catholic Church from our shores as a dangerous, predatory, criminal organization?

Where is the major presser from Attorney General Jeff Sessions – obsessed with jailing brown people and pot users – about launching a major investigation, fuck that, a War on the Catholic Church?

Three hundred priests protected by an organization that systemically rapes children, boys AND, by the way, girls, lest we get the usual “gays are predators” nonsense from the Bigot Brigade. This happens. Here. In our country; where we have concentration camps for the children of illegal immigrants. A multi-billion dollar untaxed conglomerate is raping kids and not only making excuses for it and/or covering it up, but spending millions to do so.

Millions of dollars, I might add, given into baskets by Catholics, who unfortunately for them are complicit in this unchecked horror show.
Paying for rape.
This gets a HOLY SHIT.
The grand jury described the church's methods as "a playbook for concealing the truth" after FBI agents identified a series of practices they found in diocese files.

And to make it even more sickening, this has been a discussion of fact for more than half a century here and for over a century in counties like Ireland, which has now begun a rightful public uproar for the church to do something about it, like holding the current Pope responsible. None of this, though, seems to resonate here, where there are now Religious Freedom Task Forces. What is that? A group that decides the best way to hide pedophiles?

How about we demand the Vatican extricate Pope Francis to our shores to stand trial for this heinous crime?
This is what we would do if a foreign or domestic organization’s CEO was pulling this shit, so why not the Pope?
Really, it is the timeline and the ignoring and the excusing and the hiding and the covering up that is the final mind-blower. This ain’t this week’s problem. This is what the Catholic Church does. It has become a haven for child rapists and, apparently, seemingly no one there cares a lick beyond protecting their money-making scheme. But the fact that we here in secular/law land don’t care is the bigger issue.

Example: Every night Chris Matthews, an avowed Catholic who was educated in its system and sent his children to Catholic universities, goes on TV and decries the gutless Republicans who continue to walk like zombies in the disdainful shadow of this buffoon president of ours. However, the day this news broke, he admitted he would still go to church. This is the length and breadth of hypocrisy. Or is it? Do we have some kind of disconnect to our religious institutions? Do we allow it to continue this behavior because they are beyond reproach? And if this is true (and after reading this, who doesn’t’ think so?) then how dangerous is this whole thing?

Aside from the violent retribution, what is the difference between an untouchable, untaxable, outside-the-law religious group imposing its dogma on the public at large and the dreaded Sharia law we’re all supposed to be frightened of?
Yeah… nothing.

Now, lest anyone think this is another case of Campion slamming organized religion and its bloated institutions, I think it is interesting this investigation came out of Pennsylvania, (the report covers six dioceses in Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton) as the 2012 Penn State incident regarding a massive cover up of years of sexual abuse by the now infamous Jerry Sandusky went from a national disgrace to what officials at Penn State currently call “a complicated complex and emotional” situation. In other words, we went from disgust to contemplation in a few years. Hell, even the NCAA reduced what were initially slap-on-the-wrist penalties after two years. Apparently, religion and football and the passage of time make it okay for us to accept the raping of children.
People still venerate Penn State saint, Joe Paterno, who covered up these crimes for years.
Rape = Veneration.
I am out of holy shits.

Best argument of all: This grand jury report came out two weeks ago. Last evening I watched six reports about how Donald Trump, American flag fan, doesn’t know how to color it in. Yeah, I get it, the president is an idiot. But there are children being raped right now in this country and the rapists are being promoted by a non-taxable, untouchable institution protected by superstitious nonsense.
That is the story.
What are we doing about it?
Nothing.
Okay…one more…
Holy shit.

© James Campion September 1st 2018
realitycheck@jamescampion.com
James Campion is the Managing Editor of The Reality Check News & Information Desk and the author of “Deep Tank Jersey”, “Fear No Art”, “Trailing Jesus”, "Midnight For Cinderella" and “Y”. and his new book, “Shout It Out Loud – The Story of KISS’s Destroyer and the Making of an American Icon”.

** Published June 16th, 2018; “Accidently Like a Martyr, The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon” Order the new book here.

August 21, 2018 - The Day the Raven Tapped for Mr Trump
James Campion
07.21.18 - the day that tipped speculation and hearsay and mounting circumstantial evidence that the president of the United States has committed high crimes and misdemeanors into physical evidence.

Salinger (The Cat) 2006-2018
James Campion
...even on the last day I saw him, he found a moment to walk his way onto my chest and give me that special Salinger kiss. It was cool

READERS RESPONSES


Will someone please tell me why this is so hard? (THE FIGHT TO LEGALIZE WEED IN NJ CONTINUES – Issue: 5/30/18) Come on. Alcohol? They just legalized sports book gambling. This is obviously a held-over superstition from another time that holds us back from the progress made on marijuana medically and scientifically and quite frankly biologically. We now know that it is not as harmful as the propaganda suggested for decades and in many ways is a healthier choice than booze, especially when not smoked. The oils are magnificent and the edibles more so. The economy booms in other states. This always cracks me up when the hypocritical Trump Cult says, “Hey, the economy is doing great, who cares about Trump’s immortality!” And then when it comes to weed, “I know it will help the economy, but what about our morals!” I think you once dubbed it, “Selective Morality” with most things. Here it is.

Sarah Gerald



Of course this would be your crusade. Your progressive social side is the most bared over the years. I disagree with this one, mainly because there is no infrastructure to regulate it. How do we do it? Especially without the support of the federal government that is hostile towards it now. Actually, this federal government has gone above and beyond (unless it is supporting corporations or the rich) to come down hard on almost all state’s rights. It is the most tyrannical federal government I have seen in my lifetime and unless we have that it makes no sense to send our state out there on the plank. Let NY go first.

D. Suss



OMG, hypocrisy abounds. “Don’t Tread on Me” as the Second Amendment in the People’s Republic of New Jersey gets dismantled on a daily basis. If we were truly about “Don’t Tread on Me” then you must allow me to have my 30-round magazine and my AR-15 and all of the custom modifications I could have if I were in a state such as Maine. Here it is, you want liberty? You want freedom? Fine, you smoke your weed and let me have my AR-15. Boom, freedom and liberty achieved.

Peace,
Bill Roberts
Conservatively Speaking



NJ better get on board before NY does. Here in Oregon it’s been a windfall, but be forewarned, make sure that the cash makes it to the schools.

Peter Saveskie



Legalize it! We voted for it. It has the majority. This is a democracy. Help our firemen policemen, schools, roads, etc. This is a joke. Where are our rights? Why do we vote? This is why we have a new governor. He said he would do this. Is he as phony as Trump? Get on this!

BIZOWEE



I have always been conflicted on this, like with gambling or any addictive activity, because I think people always abuse it and bad things happen, like Atlantic City. What a horror show that turned out to be and it scared the living shit out of the Poconos legalizing gambling and now we have sports book and it really does damage the social construct.
Weed? Who knows? I think the more vices, the more deterioration of the system. We already have a criminal in the White House we abide. How much further should we compromise our principles for our economic interests or our self-gratification?
I am no prude and I enjoyed marijuana as a kid, but I think when we shift our system this fast there is always a bill to be paid on the other end.

Celler


This kind of thing is always heavy lifting, no matter the subject or the era. I think eventually, probably within the decade, it will be legal all over. It has been shown to really boost local economies and once it is regulated, it not only becomes safer, but it takes the organized crime, international drug cartel shit out of it. This was always the solution to the “Drug Wars”, just take it out of their hands and give it to the people and to the people’s government and law enforcement. I think it has been unfair for decades to lay this on cops and border patrol. It’s like the climate change crisis. So easy to take care of, but it is business as usual in Washington. Lots of red tape. The best changes have always come from the states. This is how the founding fathers set it up. It is a republic, not a democracy – a united “states”, but still states. And that is why NJ must be one of the leaders, like Washington and Colorado, etc.

Barbara Selena


The crimes of this president are astronomical to conceive. (THE UNITED TRUMP OF TRUMP – Issue: 6/6/18) How the hell did we get here? I mean, I know people were pissed and Hillary sucked, but this is an abomination. I am so embarrassed to be an American. I used to think that above it all was the integrity of this republic. Donald Trump has forever tarnished it in my eyes. These columns, the weeks of holding this period up to the light by you has been a godsend. You are a patriot, a trooper and one of the most honest, unflinching of writers. In an era where our very government is led by this fascist is attacking our core principles like free speech and the freedom and power of our press, you stand tall. I think you, above all, Reality Check may maintain my hope that when this is all over – sooner than later – I can get my pride back in a country besmirched by this terrible person.

Carter DiAngelo


If you still support Trump you are simply stupid, broken or evil.
Common sense and hundreds of hours of video back this up as fact unlike ever before.
I thank Mr. Trump for making it easy for me to know who are the people I never want to talk to again.
Is there a chance these poor frightened masses could evolve and grow... sure... but I don't have the time nor the inclination to teach them right from wrong.
So.... I don't want to argue with you or debate or whatever. Just go away please and no need for us to speak anymore.

Bo Blaze


Donald Trump told everyone he was a crook and escaped taxes and was mean and tough and hated Mexicans and thought John McCain was a chump and that anyone who disagreed with him at rallies should be beaten up and sided with Nazis and treats people in his employ as a business man to a politician like shit. He told everyone that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and still get support from his minions.
So why is everyone upset?

G. Moody

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