Monday, August 20, 2018

Greek Catholic priest assaulted as fallout from scandal


Posted by Byzantine, TX

4 comments:

  1. JakeAugust 20, 2018 at 9:22 PM

    "He is NOT guilty of any sex abuse"...

    I send my two young daughters to the local RC school here in New Mexico. To do anything at this school other than drop of and pick up kids you have to take a class, I forget the name, which some of the parents call colloquially the "Don't be a Pedophile Class". The training is otherwise very good, but they try a bit too hard to get across the idea that priests are no more or no less likely to a be a pedophile than anyone else in the general population. Apparently they have statistics to back this up...but...what do we *really* know statistically speaking?

    Thing is, the general (rather RC or not) population does not have the resources of the RC institutional church behind them. The Pennsylvania grand jury investigation was just for Pennsylvania. What would be revealed if such a thorough investigation/summary was done for all 50 states? For the rest of the RC world?

    Fact is the RC church has a deep deep systemic problem, of which they have only begun to admit to themselves (and not started actually solving) because they are being forced into it by secular authorities here and there in the developed world.

    If I was Fr. Thomas J. Loya, I would never be so bold as to assert the categorical innocence he has done here of. Not only does he not know and can not know, but the clerics of the RC church do not have the credibility to speak in such a manner, and it is unrealistic to think otherwise.

    Lest anyone think I blame only the clericalism in RCism that is the norm for these realities it is the laity who have for too long looked the other way that is the at the very root of the issue.

    Is it right that Fr. Hutsko was attacked for whatever reason? Of course not and that goes without saying. Still, such things are but a symptom of the deeper issue...

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousAugust 21, 2018 at 6:07 PM

      People attack the RCC for the same reason that vegetarians protest McDonalds--because they're a big, easy target. Orthodoxy is more like Burger King. It's pretty much the same as McDonalds, but gets a free pass because it is less known and less centralized. I can believe that Hutsko was just a random target, but Orthodox churches in general are at least as corrupt as the Catholics. (Come on, you've all heard stories, and you just know that there are more stories out there that you haven't heard.) On child molesting, the main steps to be taken are (a) background checks for everybody, and (b) mandatory reporting at all levels. Some Orthodox authorities already do this, others are more interested in covering things up.

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    2. JakeAugust 21, 2018 at 7:38 PM

      I don't know about "free pass" - what's that laity group that maintains a database of pedophile and sexual incidents (memory is failing)? That said, your equivalency that Orthodoxy is the same as the RCC except on a smaller level does not withstand scrutiny IMO. As you point out, we are "less centralized" and organized. This is significant because to even approach the level of homosexualist, pedophile, pornographic and whatever else corruption and coverup of the RCC you need an centralized organization that is, efficiently organized. Orthodoxy (at least as organized in NA) would simply make too many mistakes along the way, with no real bureaucracy to do all the detail it takes to cover up like the RCC has.

      Also, while background checks and other similar procedures are necessary, realize they are by their very nature "procedural", and what do bureaucracies and those who put "the institution" in front of the principles (in this case ethical Christianity) of said institution do with procedures? They bend them, go around them, bury them in files for grand juries to discover 30 or 40 years later. In other words procedural solutions assume that the problem is a procedural problem. Pedophilia and homsexualist insider cultures are not problems on that same level.

      Besides, procedures have more pragmatical limitations. I mentioned my daughters school above. In the 5 years we have been part of this school there has been one serious incident where a male teacher (married, with kids, etc.) had a sexual relationship with a female student (a 16 year old high school student). He had passed our background checks and the more rigorous local public school background checks as well (where he was also a teacher). Not only this, he was had the confidence of most as well as he was the brother of our well respected and like principal (his sister). This was either his first act, or the first time he was caught...

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  2. Michael BaumanAugust 27, 2018 at 5:44 AM

    Sexual temptation is high on the list of tools the evil one uses to destroy the ministry of Christ and it works unfortunately. It works in all denominations.

    Thirty years ago there was a dynamic GOA priest, married with chikdren, in my city who was building up the GOA parish here until his molestation of altar boys came to light. Turns out the GOA knew of his struggle because he had done it before. Sent him here anyway.

    Result: he was finally put away because of the tenacity of one mother who received little help; the destruction of the parish and the lives and faith of many.

    Still, such darkness is in our hearts as well.

    Lord have mercy.

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