Globe

Catholic Corruption

FRONTLINE EXCLUSIVE ROCKS THE VATICAN … One month before U.S. President Barack Obama pays his first visit to meet Pope Francis at The Vatican, an explosive new report has exposed the seedy side of the Catholic Church. “Secrets of the Vatican” – a PBS Frontline exclusive which first aired last…

FRONTLINE EXCLUSIVE ROCKS THE VATICAN …

One month before U.S. President Barack Obama pays his first visit to meet Pope Francis at The Vatican, an explosive new report has exposed the seedy side of the Catholic Church.

“Secrets of the Vatican” – a PBS Frontline exclusive which first aired last Tuesday – is a jaw-dropping piece of work, utterly unflinching in its depiction of the church’s ongoing child sexual abuse scandal.

Not only that, it delves extensively into allegations of money laundering on the part of the Vatican Bank – and widespread corruption within the church’s powerful bureaucracy.

“It is unbelievable that this documentary was ever produced and shown on American television, much less by the government’s PBS network,” one source told us in commending it to our attention.

We agree …

The Frontline story begins with the story of Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado.  Maciel was the Mexican priest who founded the Roman Catholic Church’s Legion of Christ, an order which recruited young men for the priesthood.

Maciel – who died in 2008 – was a drug addict and pedophile who sexually abused dozens of young boys during a reign of terror that spanned decades. Not only that he fathered multiple children out of wedlock (priests can’t marry, remember?) and abused several of them sexually as well.

Perhaps the most poignant moment of this film is when one of Maciel’s own sons breaks down discussing the abuse he and his brother suffered at the hands of his father.

(The entire episode is available HERE … or just click on the video below to watch …)

Sadly Maciel – whose conduct was repeatedly brought to the attention of church leaders (including the future Pope Benedict XVI) – was never called to account for his sins. Protected by former Pope John Paul II, Maciel went on molesting children for decades.

It wasn’t until 2005 – thirty-five years after the Vatican first received reports of child sexual abuse at his hands – that Maciel gave up his leadership of the Legion of Christ. And even though the church had known about his conduct for decades he was never punished – simply encouraged by Benedict XVI to live “a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry.”

In fact it wasn’t until last month that Maciel was formally denounced by the order he founded for “reprehensible and objectively immoral behavior.”

Unreal …

There’s also the graphic story told by Monica Barrett, who was only eight years old when a priest named William Effinger raped her – in a church in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

“When he finished he stood up and he looked at me and he said: ‘If you tell anybody what you did, they won’t believe you. And if you tell anybody, your parents will burn in hell,'” Barrett recalls.

And that’s the real takeaway of this report: It’s not that priests engaged in such conduct, it’s that the church was actively covering everything up – threatening those who dared to come forward with earthly (and eternal) consequences.

Even now – despite its multiple protestations of remorse over these scandals – the Vatican has done nothing but pay lip service to solving its child sex abuse problem. And because the church is its own sovereign country (Vatican City), there is nothing that can be done to hold it accountable.

In addition to exploring multiple child abuse cases involving priests, the Frontline documentary also delves into the work of reporter Carmelo Abbate. In 2011 Abbate published a book Sex and the Vatican based on two years of investigating numerous priests in Rome who openly led double lives (including participating in wild orgies inside the Vatican itself).

Abbate’s exclusive footage shows priests participating in gay orgies by night – then performing sacraments the following morning.

The Frontline report also touches upon the Vatileaks scandal – in which pages of documents were released beginning in January 2012  showing widespread corruption within the Vatican government (including the existence of several plots to blackmail gay clergy).

It’s a stunning piece of work … assuming you can stomach it.

Anyway, our hope is the Frontline report will put Pope Francis’ charm offensive (and his economic theorizing) on hold and force the church to finally start cleaning up its act.

Of course we doubt that will happen …

One thing we are sure of, though, is that a special place in hell awaits those who prey on the young from positions of religious authority. So while the Vatican may be able to run and hide from accountability here on earth, it is reaping judgment on itself a hundred-times over in the life to come.

Related posts

US & World

Amanda Cunningham: The Reach For Freedom

Amanda Cunningham
Globe

Letter: About That Semiconductor Guest Column …

FITSNews
Globe

Joe Biden Dials It Back In Ukraine

Will Folks

64 comments

9" March 1, 2014 at 7:58 pm

It only matters when there are two males,right? You’ve demonstrated that over the years…,but,now,you need to add to the BS propaganda?

Sexual abuse between,’authority figures’,and their victims is common,but it usually happens between heterosexual males and females.

This is titillating,for you,isn’t it? You are one messed up pig,Will Fits.

Reply
euwe max March 1, 2014 at 9:00 pm

From one messed up pig to another – there are more damned tangos than are imagined in your philosophy.

Reply
tomstickler March 1, 2014 at 8:09 pm

How is this not on the Breaking News box at the top?

Oh, right. This is not news to some. Maybe FitsNews only mentioned it because Obama is planning a visit. Or, maybe it was the right-wing rumor that Obama was going to close the US Embassy at the Vatican?

By the way, who was the President that gave diplomatic recognition to the Holy See (not Vatican City)? Hmmm. Oh, yes St. Ronnie in 1983.

Reply
?????????? March 2, 2014 at 7:09 am

I still can’t believe that FITS would watch ETV, I mean government funded TV???

Reply
Will Folks aka Sic March 2, 2014 at 10:12 am

FITS has repeatedly opined against government funding for media. Don’t confuse the issue. In fact the quality of this piece is further evidence of our point: That a privatized PBS would be a worthy competitor in the marketplace of ideas ….

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:55 am

FITS has repeatedly opined against government funding for media.

—–
When the news is no longer “the news” (arguably the current situation) – what do you suggest? Your blog?

Reply
Smirks March 2, 2014 at 12:19 pm

Frontline and NOVA are absolutely gems of PBS. I do wonder, however, if those gems would retain their luster if PBS were made private, or if they sold the rights to private channels.

By the way, there is a “privatized” version of a public television station. It’s called TLC.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLC_%28TV_network%29

From NASA to The Learning Channel to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Privatization at its finest. Maximum profits via catering to the lowest common denominator.

Doesn’t matter; free market knows best!

Reply
GrandTango March 1, 2014 at 9:03 pm

Didn’t the latest Pope blame capitalists for all the worlds ills..
Sounds like this clown is a liberal…and liberal is synonymous w/ corruption…

PS: has anyone sued the GL-BLT groups over those HOMOSEXUAL priests that raped little boys….don’t the gays advocate children-molestation as their right???. Has the Gay movement claimed responsibility for child-raper Jerry Sandusky????

Or can gays only be monogamous, virtuous, clean-record citizens, even though they are not observed being that???

Reply
Frank Pytel March 2, 2014 at 2:03 am

Excellent post T. Reasonably lucid. No the BLT crowd (couldn’t resist that little one) blames NAMBLA members for any gay crimes against children.

Reply
GrandTango March 2, 2014 at 7:11 am

If you promote homosexual activity…and homosexuals molest children, BLT has to share blame. BLT is not here just to be lauded as GREAT and virtuous for being Gay. They are less=-conventional and more irresponsible sexually…so they are more likely to break the laws protecting children too. You can’t overlook that.

But you are correct, MAMBLA should be sued out of business. I could not think of any more Filthy group in America. The KKK and NAMBLA, both disgusting…NAMBLA is more dangerous, but all vote D..so NAMBLA is OK…just like 3rd term babies killers…because Obama is that, too…

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:54 am

No the BLT crowd (couldn’t resist that little one) blames NAMBLA members for any gay crimes against children.

——-
I *know*, right? Give those poor guys a *break*!

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:53 am

even though they are not observed being that???

——
maybe you should give that up, and try bird watching.

Reply
EstoVir March 1, 2014 at 9:38 pm

“Even now – despite its multiple protestations of remorse over the scandals – the Vatican has done nothing but pay lip service to the problem.” Really, Will? Are you, a Protestant in SC, claiming to have inside connections/knowledge to the inner workings of what’s going on to clean up this scandal? Wow, you’re more connected than any of us ever imagined.

Reply
Will Folks aka Sic March 2, 2014 at 10:13 am

Clearly I have struck a Catholic nerve. Proud to be a Lutheran today ;)

Reply
9" March 2, 2014 at 10:50 am

If you’re looking for man on man sex,Lutheran is the way to go…

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:53 am

You know, I’m glad you’re happy with your sexual orientation and everything, and god bless you for your acceptance of my breeder lifestyle… but damn, those are some disturbing images!

Reply
beenice March 2, 2014 at 4:05 pm

Only in ELCA. LCMS is still biblical.

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:51 am

It’s a sin to have a denomination!

Reply
Smirks March 2, 2014 at 12:38 pm

Too bad it isn’t limited to Catholicism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9aHE4l3ikw

Reply
SCBlueWoman March 2, 2014 at 1:25 pm

Does he actually think this isn’t prevalent in the Lutheran Church. This issue is not limited to churches. It’s a societal problem.

Reply
beenice March 2, 2014 at 4:05 pm

The Catholic church is a behemoth that covered up many priest perverts and even sent them to other parishes with full knowledge that they were sick. Other protestant churches have at least removed these types of men.

SCBlueWoman March 2, 2014 at 5:34 pm

The catholic church isn’t the only one, grasshopper. And no protestant churches haven’t removed these types. They’ve buried their heads in the sand too. Bless your heart.

beenice March 2, 2014 at 7:32 pm

No church has been in the news like the Catholic church on this one. Watch the documentary Deliver Us From Evil made by Catholics and a former Catholic priest who has tried to help victims. Pedophiles are everywhere but not covered for like in the Catholic church.

Mark April 27, 2014 at 4:51 am

Bullshit.

SCBlueWoman March 1, 2014 at 10:09 pm

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. AMEN.

Reply
SCBlueWoman March 1, 2014 at 10:09 pm

When we fix this problem, let’s address the rape culture that is prevalent in all communities across the US of A.

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:51 am

Reminds me of the war on terra – let’s work on anxiety first.

Reply
Really? March 2, 2014 at 6:29 pm

Are you saying you don’t like rape? How can that be?

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:48 am

Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem caeli et terrae,et in Iesum Christum, Filium Eius unicum, Dominum nostrum,qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,passus sub Pontio Pilato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus,descendit ad inferos, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis,ascendit ad caelos, sedet ad dexteram Patris omnipotentis,inde venturus est iudicare vivos et mortuos.Credo in Spiritum Sanctum,sanctam Ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem,remissionem peccatorum,carnis resurrectionem,vitam aeternam.Amen.[

Reply
beenice March 2, 2014 at 4:01 pm

You got the little “c” in catholic right.

Reply
SCBlueWoman March 2, 2014 at 5:33 pm

Read it. damn.

Reply
wakeup! March 4, 2014 at 10:55 pm

You believe in the…. holy catholic church? really ? open your eyes. Every single thing they teach and do is completly against God’s will. They made up all rules, $$$ holidays, rape, abuse, scandals… ohh dont foget limbo is no longer….ALL LIES. Pehaps you need to read the bilble. Start with something you should know like the model prayer. Get out from under the beast!

Reply
Allaman to Morges to Lausanne March 1, 2014 at 10:13 pm

Lake Geneva?? You must mean Lake Leman. Only the unlearned would make the mistake.

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:58 am

Only the unlearned would make the mistake.

—–
Let’s give recreational drugs their due, shall we?

Reply
Edgar March 1, 2014 at 10:20 pm

“Catholic Corruption” I thought I was going to read an article about Jean Hoefer Toal was finally going to be outed – as being corrupt….

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:45 am

Jean Hoefer Toal

——
I’d like to get *her* under the sheets!

Reply
Anonymous March 2, 2014 at 7:11 pm

Toal is part of that bastion of Catholic integrity on Devine Street that for a “reasonable fee,” one can buy off an ex-communication, annul one’s marriage and marry one’s whore. Ask my ex-husband for retired Father Rowland’s number. No wonder Toal thinks she is above the law. The Catholics can justify anything they do when it is in their own financial or political best interests.

Reply
RHood2 March 2, 2014 at 1:02 am

I abhor what is in this show, as described, andI’m going to be watching it. but you don’t know what you’re talking about when you say it hasn’t been addressed. The case you mention was in 2005. I went to Catholic school, not public school like you, so maybe you don’t get it. That’s nine years back. Almost a decade ago. While the church might not have responded as you or Frontline might have wished, there has been detailed, specific systems and programs and training put in place, and the word is out, particularly in the US church, that cops are to be notified. Having gone through the training myself, I know plenty has been done.
The US program is called “Protecting God’s Children.” http://www.virtus.org.

Reply
Smirks March 2, 2014 at 12:36 pm

but you don’t know what you’re talking about when you say it hasn’t been addressed.

I vehemently disagree. There are TONS of cases of abuses on children by those in the Catholic church and they do everything within their power to bury it every single time. They calculate every move in order to avoid opening themselves up to lawsuits. It is why you get men like this, who have been beaten, molested, and raped, giving emotional testimonies like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i44dv1KMPsM

Good for them if they’ve done “something,” but it isn’t enough. Far from it.

Reply
RHood2 March 3, 2014 at 3:34 am

What happened was horrific. On an individual basis, the rapes were as stunning a betrayal as in cases of incest. On the macro scale, the coverup was a betrayal as well. And no one can defend it. But the case cited in this series goes almost a decade. The lawyers pushing this have an agenda of using every old case it can dig up not to get justice for those victims but to destroy the church. To paint all priests as pedophiles, when the prevalence of this kind od REPORTED abuse is at a lower percentage than in the general population. In other words, a child is safer with a priest that with a male family friend. The Catholic Church is ahead of the curve in creating a structure and an environment to stop this. It issues an annual report on compliance. The church in America, I mean. So it is idd that Frontline would do such a report. It was disjointed. The stuff on the bank was tacked in there. Oddly missing was very recent news that Pope Benedict recommended defrockin 400 priests for abuse. TheAP had a story, so Frontline must have known. Also, not as widely known was that when Francis met Benedict for the first time, Benedict had a box he gave Francis. It was the worst gift ever. It contained the final reports on the curia investigation and the abuse scandal also, I think. I think the church cannot defend the actions it took and the cover up. But some of the recent actions that seem bad are to prevent the extinction of the church today based on historical crimes.

Reply
TontoBubbaGoldstein March 2, 2014 at 9:13 am

Today’s Joke:

Three guys walked into a bar.

A Catholic priest, a homosexual, and a pedophile.

The second guy was a……

*Please tip your waitstaff. TBG will be here all week.*

Reply
GrandTango March 2, 2014 at 9:30 am

Making sport of molested children is SO liberal…

Also: why are these 2 words always grouped together so much: “homosexual, and a pedophile”…?????

Reply
euwe max March 2, 2014 at 11:45 am

Because Faux News viewers have no independent thought.

Reply
GrandTango March 2, 2014 at 12:20 pm

NAMBLA and Jerry Sandusky, both homosexual pedophiles, are patently liberal and vote democrat.
And they HATE FOX News…So wrong again, Dumb@$$….

Reply
Kelly Morgan March 2, 2014 at 1:19 pm

I would rather be ass raped than to hear your bedtime stories, Mr. Tango…

GrandTango March 2, 2014 at 2:46 pm

And I’m sure a star in the democrat party, too.

Jack March 3, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Jerry Sandusky is a Republican. Look it up.

GrandTango March 3, 2014 at 4:06 pm

I care how you say Sandusky votes, His ACTIONS say he is a Democrat you ignorant F*#k…A non-profit, child program (community) organizer and he is a homosexual. They vote D in lockstep….

So cram that up your @$$, idiot.. Your Bull-$#!* ain’t flying here. Go try to sell it on Huff-Po. I’m not that stupid…

You are like ALL liberals..you deny and flee from what you are when if manifests. Sandusky, and the pedophiles of NAMBLA are democrats….They are YOURS!!!!..Deal with it…

Jack March 3, 2014 at 4:13 pm

Jerry Sandusky is a Republican, just like, Larry Craig and Mark Foley. You own them. They are all yours. Republicans think its ok to rape anyone, right.

GrandTango March 3, 2014 at 4:23 pm

Hmmm…like Michael Jackson was a democrat…Those people you mentioned, only one committed a real crime…but they actually answered for their actions. Accountability…so you may have a point about them being labeled as Republicans…..(even though I’ve seen no documentation)….

As democrats’ raping little boys is OK. There is no accountability. Molestation makes you a hero if you’re a democrat…..homosexuals receive special rights and privileges from liberals, right,..

To you, not being a democrat is a crime. Kinda like not being a Nazi or a communist. But molestation, that is your sacrament…and you can be a democrat, and never have to answer for your raping of little boys…Nice people you democrats are…Not…

Jack March 3, 2014 at 4:47 pm

Heck all three of them committed crimes. Craig solicited sex in an Airport bathroom, and Mark Foley was molesting under aged
interns.

TontoBubbaGoldstein March 3, 2014 at 5:26 pm

“I [don’t] care how you say Sandusky votes, His ACTIONS say he is a Democrat you ignorant F*#k…”

No True Scotsman…

“I’m not that stupid…”

Seriously, “T”!
Don’t underestimate yourself!!

beenice March 2, 2014 at 4:09 pm

Because the APA at one time listed both in the DSM as mental disorders.
In the 60’s they removed homosexuality if the individual did not act on said abnormal behavior and in the 70’s due to GLBT pressure changed the behavior to normal. The APA has most recently removed pedophilia from the DSM as long as they do not act on said behavior. Only a matter of time though. The world gets sicker each decade that goes by.

Reply
neil allen March 3, 2014 at 4:27 am

Because the Catholic priesthood is full of both homosexuals and pedophiles, and they hide and protect their homosexuals and their pedophiles like satan would, and like Jesus would protect children.

Reply
Manray March 2, 2014 at 10:38 am

If the Catholic Church couldn’t hide behind the curtain of religion, they would be high on the FBI and Interpol wanted lists as an international cabal to abet child molestation.

Reply
seabreeze March 2, 2014 at 11:00 am

According to prophecy, Francis is the antipope
http://www.thelastpope.com/

Reply
TontoBubbaGoldstein March 2, 2014 at 1:43 pm

Everyone is always living in the “Last Days”. Just ask the Jehovah’s Witnesses what !878,1881,1914,1918*,1925 and 1975 have in common?
TBG suspects we’ll see a new pope within 15 years…along with the same tired prophesies.

*Not a bad guess, there. +1

Reply
GrandTango March 2, 2014 at 2:56 pm

Doesn’t Obama’s education secondary support molesting boys???

Why does FITS condone that…?????

Reply
Watching a Republican Lie March 2, 2014 at 3:26 pm

A bald faced,unmitigated lie.

Reply
Mike at the Beach March 2, 2014 at 4:55 pm

In other news, investigative journalists have discovered that the SC legislature is chock full of self-serving, intellectually incurious (i.e., not too bright) clowns.

Reply
Christian Brother March 2, 2014 at 7:32 pm

Let us not forget the still not prosecuted pederasts who preyed upon children at The Citadel Summer Camp in the 1980s.

As I have posted recently at FitsNews, The Citadel, pursuant to my FOIA request, has sent me correspondence between (a) The Citadel; (b) Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s office; (c) SLED; and (d) an attorney for a then-child-victim (now in his 30s).

The tone of Solicitor-SLED-Citadel emails is bantering, friendly — almost playful.

The poor victim, living out of state, has no civil cause of action as the statute of limitations has run.

The perpetrator, also living out of state, is of no interest to SLED because, well, he’s out of state.

So, like Alfred E. Newman, “What, me worry?”

I will keep readers posted.

Takeaway: In addition to the Catholic Church, do not look at your state government for ethical behavior.

Reply
Thomas March 2, 2014 at 9:55 pm

There is an old Cheyenne-German-Irish saying that I just made up which states for the gates of hell not to prevail over His Church on earth then every single one of us must be annihilated…and soon.

Reply
jdunlap March 3, 2014 at 11:02 am

Did anybody else notice (while watching the WHOLE documentary) the tension in the messaging here? Frontline argues the Church continues to protect child abusers and launder money despite the good Pope Francis because of corrupt, greedy, gay priests in the Vatican whom he is trying to overcome, but the Church needs to abandon its sexual ethic to allow married priests and openly gay priests because repression leads to acting out.

Reply
Mark April 27, 2014 at 4:50 am

You know why the Catholic Church has done these terrible things? It’s simple really. Because they are sinners, just like everyone who criticizes them.

Reply

Leave a Comment