One of the trials surrounding sexual abuse in the Catholic Church that has rocked Catholics across the world has begun.
Rev. Ruggero Conti, the priest who has been accused of sexually abusing several boys, denied the abuse charges to a court yesterday. He told the court that he is not a monster.
He has been accused of molesting seven boys at his Nativita di Santa Maria Santissima parish in Rome. Two of his victims told police that Conti masturbated them and forced them to perform oral sex on him while they watched movies at his home. He is being charged with committing sexual violence and prostitution.
Activists believe that many of Conti’s superiors knew of the abuse but hid it in order to preserve the dignity of the Catholic Church. They believe that there was not enough done in order to stop Conti’s abuse. There are plans to call one of Conti’s superiors, Monsignor Gino Reali, to testify.
Throughout the past year, the Catholic Church has faced allegations of child abuse in Ireland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. There have been similar cases of abuse in the United States over the past decade.
Pope Benedict XVI has vowed that the Catholic Church will do anything in its power to prevent child abuse.
Canada too…
Don’t blame Jesus Christ for this. His instructions for pedophile priests are:
In Mark 9 Jesus said (New Jerusalem translation):
42 ‘But anyone who is the downfall of one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone hung round his neck.
43 And if your hand should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that can never be put out.
44
45 And if your foot should be your downfall, cut it off; it is better for you enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
46
47 And if your eye should be your downfall, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell
48 where their worm will never die nor their fire be put out.
See also Matthew 18: 6-10, and if you still doubt Jesus’ meaning, please check out what Jesus says in Matthew 19:12:
12 There are eunuchs born so from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs made so by human agency and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.
Even if a few pedophile priests had been castrated, everybody, including the castrated pedophile priests, would have been much better off now. Mind you in Mark 3:29 Jesus says:
29 but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin.
Don’t you think a priest who molests kids in church or rectory blasphemes against the Holy Spirit?
Please note that this order is specific and applies only to those who cause the downfall of believing kids in Jesus’ name. It seems not to apply to a priest who molests nonebelieving kids while masquerading as a lay person. It certainly does not apply to a lay person offending another adult.
The Catholic Church has been involved in more sex abuse scandals than any other religion. The Catholic Church has also covered up much more than sexual abuse over the years; this is the only religion, set up like a country with ambassadors and diplomats. They hide behind diplomatic immunity, shelter ordained pedophiles, yet people continue sending their children to them. Supporting this organization financially is a mistake. A message needs to be sent that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and the best way to send a message is for people to stop donating to anything Catholic. I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic School and have had many Priest that were friends. Throughout history the Catholic Church were involved in murder and other crimes against anyone who was a threat to them. Including the knight’s templar’s. They call the Pope the vicker of Christ, what do you think Christ would have to say about all of the things this corrupt organization has done in his name if he were here?