Sexual Abuse Reporting: a double standard?

Recently an article emerged of a famous Newfoundland hockey coach who has been charged with sexual assault of a boy. Many were shocked because he such a prominent figure in the community. Many have rightfully pointed out that although our justice system ensures that someone is considered innocent until proven guilty, the publication of his name has already led to disgrace.

There has been a vocal outcry from the public denouncing this practice and saying that if someone is innocent until proven guilty, their name should be withheld unless they are found guilty of an offense.

Strangely however, no such outcry was made when Catholic clergy were being accused left, right and center. In fact, the reaction was quite the contrary. People were quick to not only condemn all accused priests, but also those who were not accused. Popular opinion suggested that every single priest is a pedophile and none are innocent.

People's reaction to a priest accused of inappropriate sexual behavior was to lock him away and throw away the key or worse, and then to begin a diatribe about the evil Catholic Church. I read dozens of articles with reader responses and not once did anyone suggest hiding identities until charges were proven.

There have been accusations and arrests for pedophilia for all kinds of people, including teachers, coaches, scouts leaders, and yes, clergy. But have you ever heard a report of a teacher accused of sexual assault in another country? How about settlements between victims and school boards worth hundreds of millions of dollars? Never. The statistics however show that teachers are 4 times more likely to sexual abuse children than clergy.

To get an idea of the double standard, go to Google News and search for things like arrest pedophile, etc. You will find stories of people from all walks of life. There may be an odd priest here or there, but there are far more from other areas.

Clearly there is a major bias. A priest who commits sexual abuse in Germany is headline news, but 17 teachers who get arrested in a single country is not mentioned.

This is in no way excusing clergy sexual abuse. It must be stopped immediately and the Church is doing many things to eradicate this. But let's show some semblance of fairness. Let's end the double standards.

Co-worker's anti-catholicism

At my workplace, I sit across from a man who spews his anti-Catholic rhetoric on a regular basis. He generally speaks to another anti-Catholic individual, but his conversation partner could be any number of co-workers, all of whom agree with him either implicitly or explicitly. I have yet to hear someone criticizing his viewpoint. I believe this is less the fact that they agree with him and more so the fact that they want to be "politically correct". In today's age, political correctness means agreeing with anti-Christian bigots, but not tolerating any form of religious observance.

The man identifies himself as a former Catholic so most of his venom is targeted in that direction. Of course, he beats the same dead horses, such as the clergy sex abuse scandal. But he also seems to have gone very deep in atheist teachings, and mocks the Eucharist, belief in God (especially the God of the Bible), Jesus, Mary, etc.

He doesn't simply disagree with these topics, he mocks them, laughs at them, and presents them in a very vulgar and distasteful way.

As an example, he was speaking to a co-worker about someone's wedding. Apparently a friend or family member of his called him about the wedding and said it will be at a Catholic Church. On the phone, he mocked the ceremony, including the format and the use of wine and unleaven bread. Later, when speaking to a co-worker and mocking Catholic marriage preparation. He claims the marriage prep course said a man cannot touch a woman in a sexual way and the only "acceptable" action is direct intercourse for the purpose of procreation.

After laughing about this thoroughly, he added: "you can tell this stuff was made up by guys who don't have sex" ... "well, except for with altar boys". To which the guy he was speaking with responded: "Yeh, they had that system down to a T!"

This is considered acceptable. In fact, someone would appear "odd" if they openly disagreed with the comments made.

The only conversation topic which this man prefers is that of fast food. He has at least one very in depth conversation per day on the topic of fast food. The topics get rather specific. Such as his favorite type of cheese on a pizza, how long he likes to microwave leftover fast food, etc.

I'm not attacking him personally. I'm just saying I find his two main conversation topics kind of strange.

I would implore anyone of faith to speak to these individuals when they have a chance. Tell them you disagree with what they are saying. Refrain from laughing. Speak the truth. You will probably be criticized and harrassed, but this is a small price to pay.

Is the Catholic Church a protector of Muslim freedom of worship?

In France, the Catholic Church is speaking out against a ban on full veils for Muslim women. I'm not an expert in Islam, but I believe the correct term for this face covering is the Niqab. Another common piece of clothing is called burqa, which I believe refers to an entire set of clothing worn by Muslim women.

In any event, the Catholic Church in France is against plans to ban these face covering veils. The reason is they feel in order for full rights to be granted to Christians to practice their beliefs in Muslim countries, the opposite must be granted as well.

Right now in Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and several other countries, practice of Christianity and specifically Catholicism is banned completely and anyone caught worshipping is strictly dealt with. In other countries, such as China and some Middle Eastern countries, the practice of Catholicism is seriously curtailed. The Catholic Church is striving for religious freedom in all parts of the world. They do not want any hindrance on their faithful practice. Therefore, they believe religion must be free and thus oppose efforts to curtail this freedom.

Another example of the church's fight for freedom of worship is its stance against banning new minarets in Switzerland. The Swiss people, in a referendum, banned any new development of Islamic minarets in the country. The Church spoke out against this as well.

This is an appropriate and well thought-out move by the church. The Church realizes that with true freedom, Christianity will grow. Also, many Christians now live in oppresive states where they are not free to worship. But it would be ironic to only advocate freedom of religion for Catholics. Therefore, the Church stands up for religious freedom of all people.

The Church is not afraid of the Truth, because the Church proclaims the Truth which is Jesus Christ. Therefore, if there is worldwide freedom of religion, there is bound to be an increase of Catholic faithful, as people seek the truth.

For more on the situation in France, please view: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/world/europe/02briefs-France.html

I now have EWTN!

Yesterday I had digital cable installed. About an hour later, I called in to have EWTN activated. I'm really glad I did. It costs $2.79 per month, but is worth much more than that. When it came on, they were at the Vatican, where Pope Benedict was celebrating the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple.

Non-Catholics

I was just watching a debate between a Christian and an atheist. They both made their respective points. So I decided to make a blog posting about non-Catholics. As everyone knows, I am Catholic. So what is my relationship with others, and my feelings about them? I want to spend some time speaking of the good aspects of non-Catholics.

Atheists:
They seek the truth and love science. Atheists are seekers like Christians. Many are good people and many make contributions in their own ways. Some atheists have made contributions to science and to other fields. They have logical minds. Sometimes it may seem I am angry with atheists, and often I will receive angry messages from people who seem to be atheist. In fact, according to the survey on my blog, I get more atheist viewers than Catholic. I am not angry with atheists. I only want for them what I believe is best, what I believe will bring most joy.

Muslims:
Believers in the one God. Muslims have strict morals and are known for praying five times a day and doing what they believe God asks of them. They also share a love of Jesus and Mary.

Jews:
The first to believe in the One True God. They were chosen by God to carry his message. Today, we receive much from them including their Scriptures. Jesus and the some Apostles were Jewish.

Hindu:
Hindus are also lovers of truth and wisdom. They place great value on family and community. Gandhi is a well known Hindu who advocated peace.

Buddhists:
They seek peace and meditation. I will admit I do not have much contact with Buddhists, but they adhere to principles of non-violence.

Protestants:
Great love for God and his Holy Scriptures. We see them as our brothers and sisters, though separate and pray for future unity.

Jesus called everyone into his fold, and so who am I to reject others? Jesus prayed for unity, and that's my prayer also. Everyone is a child of God, whether or not they are believers. We do not need to convert someone, we just need to make them aware of their calling. The calling comes from God and once they hear it, the process will take care of itself.

St. Thomas Aquinas

It's just after midnight where I am, and therefore officially January 28th, and the Feast Day of St. Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas is one of my favorite saints. He wrote a book on theology which is 3 times the size of the Bible called the Summa Theologica. He had such an amazing mind and loved God with all his heart. I may write more about him soon.

Fearless Pope during the Black Plague

Today is the 667th anniversary of the publication of Pope Clement VI's papal bull Unigenitus. In it, he explains indulgences and justifies their use. As I was reading Clement's biography, some things stood out as exemplary. He was the pope during the black plague in Europe, which killed between 1/3 and 2/3 of the population of Europe. The pope consulted with many people, including astronomers and doctors to see if they could find a cure. Many people blamed the Jews for the outbreak, and it was a very popular public opinion, but Clement condemned this belief and said those who blamed the Jews were being influenced by Satan.

Clement also tended to those with the illness, without fear that he would contract it himself. This is similar to the early Christians. In early times, some plagues swept through the Roman Empire. Pagan Romans tried to save their own lives and did not provide much care to family and friends. The Christians however, not fearing death, risked their lives to help their brethren. Ironically this helped the Christians live. The reason is that these diseases were not necessarily deadly if proper care was given. However, left alone a person had a much greater chance of dying. So, the Christians, by helping each other, survived. Also, the caretakers would develop an immunity to the diseases. After this had occurred several times, the proportion of Christians in the Roman Empire increased substantially.

Back to Clement. He also did not get the disease, even though he cared for those who were ill. There are many good things about Clement's life which are worth emulating.

Pope embraces technology

In a speech, Pope Benedict encouraged priests to use the internet to spread the Gospel. This harkens back to the time of the apostles when they traveled to far off lands to spread the good news. Although he was speaking to priests, the message is for all Catholics. I'm glad that my blog is able to reach a lot of people.

Check out more on this story at: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/pope-wants-priests-to-become-web-savvy/?news=123

Women with Hairy Legs at MUN: Strange fundraiser

Memorial University is sponsoring a strange event where they are asking women (and men?) to not shave their legs for nearly a month. They are raising money for Planned Parenthood. Obviously there are several problems with this.

First and foremost this event, dubbed "Feb-U-Hairy", is sponsoring Planned Parenthood. Officially the money is going towards paying for pap smears to help prevent cervical cancer. There is nothing wrong with preventing cervical cancer, and it is in fact commendable. But giving money to Planned Parenthood is not. Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger to assist with her eugenics plan. She wanted to eliminate "minorities" as much as possible, especially black people. Nowadays, Planned Parenthood is the world's largest provider of abortion, and they are trying to extend this to every corner of the Earth. True to their roots, black people are the main target of their activities, especially in the United States.

Secondly, this Febuhairy (Februhairy) event is encouraging women to not shave their legs. What is the purpose of this? They say they are encouraging men and women not to, but 99% of men don't shave their legs anyway, unless they are professional wrestlers or swimmers or something. What is the point of encouraging women to act like men? Maybe that's something Planned Parenthood encourages because it fits with their ideology. They want women and men to be the same, not equal. Then they can more easily promote their ideology that an unborn child is a parasite that inhibits a woman's progress, because women compare themselves to men who do not get pregnant.

People should give their money to more worthy causes.

Scott Brown wins!

I was glad to hear Scott Brown got elected today in Massachusetts. I haven't been reading a huge lot about this issue, but I understand Massachusetts has always been a Democrat stronghold, but now it has fallen. This is good because Obama can't get away with a fillibuster-proof government. I hope the US government works for the most destitute who need medical services, just as Church groups have for centuries. They must do so in the spirit of do no harm and look out for the best interest of all patients.

An Accidental Lenten Pun

I just received an email with I believe an unintentional pun. It said "Lent is Fast Approaching". It has a double meaning. First of all, Lent is nearby. But also, there is an approaching fast, where we refrain from food during Lent, so it's a fast approaching. I'm not sure if anyone else will appreciate this punny situation.

Will Massachusetts end Obamacare?

Tonight Massachusetts will vote for their senator: either Democrat Martha Coakley or Republican Scott Brown. This election is being watched across America, and perhaps much of the world, because if Brown is elected, then Obamacare will not be able to pass so easily. Right now, the Democrats have 59 senators, but will need 60 in order to be fillibuster-proof and allow the bill to pass.

Many people of faith would like to see Mr. Brown elected. First of all, Obama's health care plan could involve millions of dollars of donations to Planned Parenthood, which has doctors that performs abortions. Right now, abortions are not paid for by tax-payers, but if Obamacare is passed, it may start being funded, which is a bad thing.

Also, Mrs. Coakley made some disparaging comments to people of faith, suggesting they should perhaps not work in emergency rooms in hospitals because they may be against abortion and other things. This flies in the face of legislation which guarantees the right of people of faith to work in any environment and not be forced to violate their faith and morals. Anything less is tyranny. Also under this law, medical practitioners have the right to not give contraception and other things.

Let's hope that Scott Brown is elected and that he helps reduce abortion.

Pope John Paul II's would-be assassin released from prison

Mehmet Ali Agra, who attempted to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981 by shooting him was released from prison in Turkey. Agra spent almost 20 years in prison in Italy and was then sent to Turkey where he served another 10 years for a murder he committed in 1979. Pope John Paul visited Agra in prison in Italy, in a very touching moment.

Now that Agra is released, rumours about his connection to communists are re-emerging. Did the KGB hire him, directly or indirectly, to assassinate John Paul, the great voice against communism? The Pope at the time believed there was more to the plot than Agra acting alone and believed it was the work of the Soviet Bloc. JPII was instrumental in defeating communism and so such a plot would make sense. By the way, the pope credited the Lady of Fatima with saving his life.

Agra was a trained gunman and member of the Grey Wolves. The injuries sustained by the pope were very substantial. He lost nearly three quarters of his blood as he was shot several times. He lost consciousness on the way to the hospital, but just before the operation, he regained consciousness and told the doctors not to remove his Brown Scapular of our Lady of Fatima.

A little over two years later, Pope John Paul II went to the prison to visit his would-be assassin, and spoke to him for 20 minutes. He completely forgave him. We will never know what was said during the meeting.

A commission was set up in 2006 by Silvio Berlusconi in Italy and it concluded that the Soviet Union was indeed behind the assassination attempt on John Paul II.

Pope Benedict was also attacked. A mentally disturbed 25-year old woman jumped at him during Midnight Mass at the Vatican. He was uninjured. Last week, he met with her privately and expressed his forgiveness.

Chinese World Map from 1600s show Catholic involvement in Science

Yesterday an exhibit started at the Library of Congress which will showcase a rare World Map, the first in Chinese to show the Americas, which was created by Jesuit Priest Matteo Ricci. Ricci was a missionary in China, but was also heavily involved in science.

Ricci was one of the first Westerners to to master Chinese script and Classical Chinese. Ricci was invited to live in Zhaoqing when the governor there heard of his skills as a mathematician and cartographer. It was here that Ricci prepared several maps in Chinese that contained the Americas. Six survive to this day.

Ricci and his companion not only developed several Chinese maps, but also created the first European-Chinese dictionary, translating Portuguese into Chinese. Ricci's amazing breakthrough into China continued when he was the first Westerner ever to enter into the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Ricci converted many people when they heard about Our Lord. He combined his love of God with a love of science. His beatification is under review.

For more on this story, please visit: http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/10-002.html

Here's a great video about Ricci:

Archbishop of Port au Prince, Haiti killed in Earthquake

As churches and cathedrals are reduced to rubble in Haiti, the archbishop has been tragically killed. Joseph Serge Miot, the spiritual leader of over 10.5 million Catholics, died today and his body was found in the ruins. He was 63 years old. Let's pray for all the thousands of victims of this great tragedy!

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1422923.html

Victims of Haitian Earthquake

Everyone should say a prayer for the relief effort now happening in Haiti after a huge earthquake hit the country. There are many poor people there. If you can support the Red Cross or another aid organization, I would recommend you do so. Let's keep them in prayer.

Malaysian Christians being oppressed by Muslim terrorists

In Malaysia, Muslim terrorists are attacking Christian (mostly Catholic) churches. Is it because Christians committed violence against Muslims? No, it's because Christians were using the word Allah to refer to God. You would think these groups would be happy. I've spoken to many Muslims and they insist God's name is Allah. So why are they so angry if Christians are using Allah as well?

In any event, 6 churches have so far been attacked. Many were fired bombed, others had paint thrown on them, etc. Although the constitution of Malaysia guarantees religious freedom, the minority Christians are being heavily persecuted.

Do these groups, who seem so offended by what they perceive as a faux-pas toward their religion, feel their religion also considers the use of violence, including fire-bombing churches, a proper response? Where are the protests by Muslim leaders in the country denouncing these acts?

Let's pray for the safety and religious freedom of Christians in Malaysia. Let's also pray for the terrorists that they will see the light and end their violent ways.

How we know Jesus is God

I was about to write an article on how we know Jesus is God. Then I found this video where Lee Strobel explains it very well.




I would add to this that Jesus forgave sins, something only God can do. He also changed people's names, again something only God was allowed to do.

Very good video.