LONDON: John Paul II, the late Pontiff, has been accused of ignoring the abuse of over 2,000 children during his 26-year papacy by blocking a probe into a cardinal who molested the boys for decades, a media report said.
According to ‘The Sunday Times’, the late Pontiff getting entangled into the child abuse scandal, involving 2000 odd boys, may cast a cloud over his path to sainthood.
The most serious claims related to Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer, an Austrian friend of John Paul’s who abused an estimated 2,000 boys over decades but never faced any sanction from Rome, the report said.
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Groer’s successor, criticised the handling of that scandal and other abuse cases last week after holding a special service in St Stephen’s cathedral, Vienna, entitled “Admitting our guilt”.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict, had tried to investigate the abuses as head of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but his efforts were blocked by “the Vatican”, an apparent reference to John Paul, according to Schönborn.
“I have known Pope Benedict personally during 37 years of amiable acquaintance and I can say with certainty that he made entirely clear efforts not to cover things up but to tackle and investigate them. This was not always met with approval in the Vatican,” Schönborn said.
The Groer affair became public in 1995 when former pupils of a Catholic school accused him of sexual abuse.
After an outcry, Groer was replaced and made the prior of a convent. He was never punished and issued only a vague apology in 1998 before retreating to a nunnery where he lived until his death in 2003. Some of his victims were offered “hush money” from the church.
PADDY
WHAT ABOUT THE 127,000 + CHILDREN THAT WENT THROUGH THE IRISH CONCENTRATION CAMPS OF THE
CATHOLIC Religious ORDERS FROM 1900 TO 2000,
I JUST WONDER HOW MANY OF THEM MADE IT OUT TO LIVE A FULL LIFE. PADDY CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG BUT SOME YEARS A GO A TV DOCUMENTARY
PROGRAMME ON RTE ABOUT THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS OF IRELAND, IN ONE OF THEM A GUY POINTED OUT A PLACE WHERE KIDS WHERE BURIED AND SAID THAT THE KIDS HAD BEEN KILLED?
I JUST WONDER IF ANYONE INVESTIGATED? DON’T BET YOUR REDRESS PITTANCE ON IT.
Christy
But according to Mr. John Kelly (IRISH SOCA) following a meeting with Cardinal Brady – the good Cardinal was going to step down. John as we know is infallible. We must just sit back and wait. Paddy
If one cleric could murder the souls of 2000 children what could a whole church manage?. This is frightening when viewed from the perspective of a society. What are the effects on a whole country?. What does it take for the Irish government to use its laws to finally rid this land of this beast. When does tolerance become criminal?. Shönborn at lest had the decency to tell the faithful in Vienna that these criminals will be “Blotted out from the book of life”.
So they are going to sacrifice the late pope for the living pope. The dogs are eating one another . Whited Sepulchers all of them!
Sean CLING-ON Brady`s “speech” of yesterday indicates he is STILL searching for his spine. Brady is clearly adamant that he will not stand down. He wishes to lead a new “reformation” of his church, with Sean at the helm, a steady hand on the tiller looking for ANOTHER ice-berg.
“”” THERE IS NO HIDING PLACE IN THE CHURCH FOR ABUSER`S”””. Sean CLING-ON Brady made this statement yesterday. Presently Sean, your church has a policy of hiding these abuser`s in monasteries`s, convent`s, private house`s, college`s, running boarding house`s, and even sending them out of the Country, etc, etc,.
It` refreshing to see Sean make an HONEST comment at last.