Pedophiles Are Not Criminals, Says Catholic Father

[stromboli]

http://fecktv.com/paedophiles-are-not-c ... -cardinal/

One of the cardinals who this week elected Pope Francis as the new leader of the Catholic Church has claimed that, in some cases, paedophilia is not a criminal act.

Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, the Archbishop of Durban in South Africa, claimed on BBC radio that paedophiles who had themselves suffered sexual abuse could not be considered criminals but should instead be seen as psychologically ill.

Such individuals, the prelate argues, should not be thought of as the same as people who choose to carry out paedophile acts without a history of abuse themselves.

The shocking and controversial comments have caused uproar and will bring an unwelcome spotlight back to the Catholic Church's vast history of child sexual abuse and child rape during a week when the curia had hoped for some respite from the ongoing stream of scandal. The elevation of Pope Francis, and revelations about his past, may have drawn our attention for a little while but thanks to Cardinal Napier the eyes of the world are once again squarely on his church's repellant attitude towards child abuse and child abusers.

"What do you do with disorders?" asked Cardinal Napier.

"You have got to try and put them right. If I as a normal being choose to break the law knowing that I am breaking the law, then I think I need to be punished (but) from my experience paedophilia is actually an illness, it is not a criminal condition."

The cardinal went on to highlight his point by referring to two paedophile priests of his acquaintance who, he said, were not responsible for their actions because they had themselves been abused as children.

"Don't tell me these people are criminally responsible" he said.

"I don't really think you can take the position and say that person deserves to be punished" concluded the cardinal.

We have a long and shameful history of standing back as a society while bishops and cardinals like Cardinal Napier moved paedophile priests from parish to parish, covering up their crimes and putting them in a position where they could rape and abuse even more little boys and girls. Do  you think there is every any excuse for child abuse? And even if you do, do you think the men who covered up the crimes of child abusers can possibly be said not to have sinned?

The denial is strong in this one......

[GurrenLagann]

.......................

[Rin Hato]

wat

My head are hurt.

[Hydra009]

"I don't really think you can take the position and say that person deserves to be punished" concluded the cardinal.

*Dredd marches into the Vatican and says only one word*





Incendiary.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

:Hangman: good ol Catholic Church. Really, I think the clergy are doing more to alienate new (and current) Catholics than any secular or atheist argument ever could.

[SvZurich]

Send the Church's officials to Mega City 1!  :D  Justice will be served!

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'll file this under "give 'em enough rope".

[Thackerie]

I'll file this under "give 'em enough rope".

Or, "give 'em enough Pope." Works the same, either way.  :Hangman:

[Colanth]

So someone who steals because he's had something stolen from him isn't a thief?  I assume that the Church won't pursue charges against a robbery victim who steals from the Church.

It must be nice living in that universe.