Lion wrote:Hi CookieJon,
The Crime of Soliciting CRIME
A secret policy document? It's on the Vatican website!
Well, now, but from 1962 to July 2003 it wasn't. In fact, when discovered, the Church even denied that it was still in effect, until some correspondence referring to it disproved that claim some months later.
I've just read more about this amazing document, including the whole document itself. It reads like a bad parody of the Inquisition, wherein the strictest secrecy is demanded, and anyone who tries to seek help through any avenue that is not controlled by the Church (be they victim, perpetrator or witness) is
threatened with excommunication. This of course, to a Catholic, is really the worst kind of threat since the Church has got you by the balls, having had you believe since childhood that your eternal soul hangs in the balance, at the whim of these befrocked, virgin men. It really is the most abhorrent form of
control by blackmail. If you were writing a movie and wanted to depict a quintessentially "evil" organisation, you'd have a hard time coming up with better stuff that this!
Yes, it refers to "
CRIME", but not the sort of crime you think, since no criminals are ever reported to the authorities, which is the most insidious part, and rather gets to the heart of the inequity between the Church and the rest of society (including the Boy Scouts, etc.) when it comes to matters of the law. The whole criminal investigation, trial and sentencing is carried out strictly in-house; the "court" and the "judge" who run the inquisition are not real courts or judges, nor is the "criminal" actually charged in a court of law - it's a whole legal system unto itself.
Have you found a similar document distributed by Boy Scouts Association yet?
It does NOT encourage people "not to talk about it".
Umm. It does.
Actually, it does a great deal more than "encourage", as I wrote above. Threatening excommunication and therefore (to a believer) eternal damnation is not encouragement you think?
It doesnt even include the words "speak" "talk" "discuss" "victim", "witnesses" and "perpetrator"
Oh dear.
"
They are to be restrained by a perpetual silence" doesn't have the words 'speak', 'talk' or 'discuss', you are correct, but nonetheless that phrase seems to get the idea across nicely, wouldn't you agree? "witness" and "perpetrator"? Not that it matters anyway (what was the point of listing those words?) but one of them
is actually used, and there are plenty of synonyms for the other. What fatuous point are you trying to make anyway?
It does not replace or take precedence over whatever civil penalties may also be imposed.
Well, in fact it does - read it yourself.
You should stop relying on wikipedia so heavily.
Probably.
Have you read Sacramentum Poenitentiae?
1741??? And I just had a Catholic telling me this morning that it's today's promiscuous society that's caused the church's problems. It's obviously been a problem endemic to that institution for centuries.
I restate my earlier point that a "secret" policy is just that - you can't uncover police corruption by going and asking for a copy of their secret policy on taking bribes and you can concede my point right now because I already posted the secret Scout "perversion files" court case link.
Lion (IRC)
You make no sense, unless you're actually trying to tell me you think that the NSW Police Commissioner actually sent out an official memorandum stating that sexual misconduct cases are not to be talked about in public under threat of eternal damnation - even to the victim.
