The Pope

I agree. As children in a Catholic primary school, we had an annual visit from the “saintly priests and nuns” who ran a local children’s home. They told us about the good work they were doing, then handed out little envelopes that we were to fill with pennies every time we did a good deed for someone. We were not rich, so for our families the 2s 6d we raised was not inconsiderable. A few years ago the extent of the abuse meted our to those poor orphans by these “saintly” people was revealed. We wonder who in the hierarchy knew, and did nothing about it.

The pope's trip to Ireland is costing £27 million. How many people in need could that money help?

A neighbour of ours grew up in a Catholic community but he family were not Catholics.
Her mother used to tell me of her younger days when the priest would call round regularly for his dues, while the children would have no shoes to wear and would be often hungry.
Abuse of another kind.

He - and many popes before him - have had plenty of "golden opportunities" to address the abuse . And they have done nothing. They have protected plenty of the pedophiles though. He is no better than any of them. Don't hold your breath thinking that he will "do something".

I grew up in a Catholic community and I dont ever remember priests collecting "their dues" they did visit parishioners to check on families ,had tea with them,spoke to the kids about school and catechism but no money ever changed hands .I think some people make up stories about things they are suspicious of.Our local CofS minister does the same ,visits parishioners .I think its part of the job!

I worked with and for Catholic Nuns, I wouldn’t call them Saintly Nuns, they were/are deeply caring women , gave so much to our community regardless of people’s faith or non faith. I daily witnessed they lived by their vows.

If some nuns are to be condemed there are many who are not.

Why condemn the nuns in those mother and baby homes but forget those girls had parents who put their daughters in the homes, who didn’t want to know the fate of their grandchildren. Those babies had grandparents, uncles, aunts.

Oh dear, I am not used to be accused of making stories up .
I think I will stay off contentious threads in future.

annsixty, my ex MIL was a good Catholic with five children. They lived in a tiny house with no bathroom and were very hard up. The priest used to call regularly to take money from her. When my ex husband stopped going to church, the priest threatened to turn him into a frog if he didn't return. Being a little horror at this stage, the answer was 'go on then!' I think I could have been better off if he had been turned into a frog.

Ann, I am curious why the mother who was not RC was visited by the priest to collect monies

I think Annie has it right there are far more good priests and nuns than the other kind .I went to convent school as did my mother and granny before me .We all loved the nuns who taught us .The local priests were a part of the family ,there for births and deaths and all the good and bad bit in between .
I am not a practising catholic or of any religion now ,but not because they were bad to me or anyone I knew .I just grew out of it.

I have nothing but admiration for the young women and men who dedicated their lives to their beliefs .Its not something I could have done.No one is calling you a liar annsixty sometimes like chinese whispers ,myths and legends....stories grow out of all recognition.We've all come across it before I'm sure.

Exactly Paddyann, where there was abuse it must be condemned but to condemn the many who do no harm but only good is wrong. How many Catholic Churches and convents in this country, how many priests been accused of sexual abuse, how many nuns of cruelty ?

What of the nuns in enclosed orders, no contact with the outside world, are they to be condemned ? They believe a life of prayer is their calling to help those who suffer , their whole lives given up to do what for them is helping others.

Some mothers and fathers abuse their children, are all of us guilty of abusing our children? No. And not all priests, monks and nuns abuse families .

My Mum converted to Catholicism in her 50s and she and the other women in the Catholic Women's League had a good working relationship with their Priest. She once said to me that he was away for the weekend with his lady friend. I was very surprised at what she said and then very sensibly she added 'well why shouldn't he have someone to love and care for him'.

Now this may be a very simplistic view of things but I wonder if Priests were allowed to marry if this would stop so many sexual abuses of children as they would not be sexually repressed. Of course I do realise children from other religions were abused where the clergy could marry. It's a tricky question.

paddyann, no chinese whispers in my case. I saw it myself over 50 years ago.

No Chinese whispers from me either. Accusing people of making up this sort of thing and much worse is what led to the widespread abuse being covered up for years.

Then I apologise ,its not something I've ever heard before.Priests visited our extended family for decades and I've never seen or heard of them asking for or getting money from their parishioners.The only money they collected was from the collections during mass .

Nankate I've never known or even heard of a priest in my area who was abusive ,I did know personally a C of S minister who was jailed for it in the 70's and he was married with children.It happens in all religions and all walks of life .

I obviously didn't read my post to see how it sounded.
My friends mother wasn't visited by the priest, she saw it in her community.
They were actually quite comfortable for the time this was in.

My MIL was regularly called upon by the priest for cash, despite her having several children and in much reduced circumstances.

I've seen both sides of this - and therein lies the conundrum; there are nuns and priests who have systematically and cruelly abused children and young women for their own gratification and there are also nuns and priests who have selflessly and tirelessly worked on behalf of children and young women to give them a better life. I have met both.

If you have only met one or the other it is perhaps more challenging to believe that your experience is not a shared or 'normal' one.

i m totally in agreement with you Grannyactivist I m not a catholic but went to a catholic school and had a very good school life with nuns I was very fond of, however one priest at the local church stole a large amount of money and another who was the one designated for the children to talk to if they had problems has more recently been tried for historical sexual abuse

A conundrum indeed!

An institution whose HQ is bursting at the seams with untold wealth and treasures.
Things that no living soul apart from the most Venerable will ever set eyes upon.

Would it not be the Christian way to pass on some of this wealth to those in dire need.
Not forgetting those abused by church?

In the interest of fairness I do understand that there are other religious institutions of great wealth.

This is only my humble opinion and I do believe in god.
Just find it difficult to understand.

Reminds me of The Counting of the money in the House of the Lord.

I agree with you too Grannyactivist. But I also can't understand how the parents of those girls could send them away.

My husband grew up in a large Catholic family. As my father in law was away working the priest would regularly visit the family to ensure they were OK and certainly never expected any money. At Christmas he would arrange for there to be extra food in the house. My DH said the monks who taught him were very strict but there was never any abuse. No-one is denying there has been abuse, and in the past it was covered up. The Pope has condemned the failures of the church and the cover ups.

I have met only good caring nuns and priests . When my Father was lying at home really ill the local priest sat with him to let Mum out . I only found out after he had died . One of my school pals ended up in a Mother and Baby home , she was completely unphased by the whole thing , signed her baby away and got on with life .....
Then , years later she changed her story and of course it was the lies were believed , another pal of my younger sister was sent away by her Parents to have the child adopted . She has never recovered even though she has more children . It is true that parents sent girls to these places . That does not mean I excuse them , but there were/are more good kind nuns than bad , just as in the rest of the population