Are you still Catholic? If so, go fuck yourself.

Tuckerfan · Nov 6, 2021

Tuckerfan · Nov 28, 2021

One of the founders of SNAP has died.

Phil Saviano, clergy sex abuse survivor and whistleblower, dies at 69

Phil Saviano, a clergy sex abuse survivor and whistleblower who played a pivotal role in exposing decades of predatory assaults by Roman Catholic priests in the United States, has died. He was 69.

Saviano’s story figured prominently in the 2015 Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” about The Boston Globe’s investigation that revealed how scores of priests molested children and got away with it because church leaders covered it up. He died on Sunday after a battle with gallbladder cancer, said his brother and caregiver, Jim Saviano.

In late October, Phil Saviano announced on his Facebook page that he was starting hospice care at his brother’s home in Douglas, Massachusetts, where he died.

“Things have been dicey the last few weeks,” he wrote, asking followers to “give a listen to Judy Collins singing ‘Bird On A Wire’ and think of me.”

Saviano played a central role in illuminating the scandal, which led to the resignation of Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law and church settlements with hundreds of victims. The Globe’s 2002 series earned it the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003, and “Spotlight” won Academy Awards for best picture and best original screenplay. Actor Neal Huff played Saviano in the film.

“My gift to the world was not being afraid to speak out,” Saviano said in mid-November in a brief telephone interview with The Associated Press.

Born June 23, 1952, Saviano recalled going to confession as a young boy at St. Denis Church in tiny East Douglas, Massachusetts, in the 1960s and whispering his transgressions through a screen to the Rev. David Holley. The priest, he said, violated that sacred trust and forced the 11-year-old to perform sex acts. Holley died in a New Mexico prison in 2008 while serving a 275-year sentence for molesting eight boys.

“When we were kids, the priests never did anything wrong. You didn’t question them, same as the police,” brother Jim Saviano told the AP. “There were many barriers put in his way intentionally and otherwise by institutions and generational thinking. That didn’t stop him. That’s a certain kind of bravery that was unique.”

A self-described “recovering Catholic,” Saviano went on to establish the New England chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, an organization working to bring specific allegations of clergy sexual abuse to light.

His faith in the church shattered, Saviano instead leaned on politicians and prosecutors to bring offenders to justice.

“We’re putting our faith in legislators and prosecutors to solve this problem,” he told reporters in 2002.

“Phil was an essential source during the Spotlight Team’s reporting on the cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, providing other critical sources, research materials and the names of several accused priests,” said Mike Rezendes, a member of the Globe team that brought the scandal to light and a current AP investigative reporter.

“He also shared his own heartbreaking story of abuse, imbuing us with the iron determination we needed to break this horrific story,” Rezendes said. “During our reporting, and over the last 20 years, I got to know Phil well and have never met anyone as brave, as compassionate or as savvy.”

Saviano earned degrees in zoology and communications from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Boston University and began working in hospital public relations. Later, he shifted to entertainment industry publicity and concert promotion, working closely with Collins, a lifelong friend and confidante, as well as Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme and other artists.

In 1991, he became seriously ill with AIDS and went public with his childhood abuse the following year, becoming one of the first survivors to come forward.

“Father Holley forced me and two of my friends to have repeated sexual contact with him,” Saviano said in an interview with the Globe – the first of many that would lead not only to criminal charges against the disgraced cleric but widespread prosecutions of others as the enormity of the scandal became evident.

By the early 2000s, Saviano was spending 10 hours a day on the phone with victims and journalists. He was an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s reluctance to deal decisively with the fallout from the scandal. In 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI hinted to U.S. bishops during a visit that they’d mishandled the church’s response, Saviano questioned the pontiff’s decision to follow his remarks with Masses in New York and Washington.

“If he was really serious about the issue, that Mass would not be held in New York. It would be held here in Boston,” he said.

In 2009, suffering kidney failure and unable to locate a match among family or friends, he found a donor after SNAP spread the word in a nationwide email to 8,000 clergy sex abuse survivors.

The abuse that came to light as a result of Saviano’s work prompted Cardinal Law, Boston’s highest-ranking churchman, to step down. The Globe’s reporting showed Law was aware of child molesters in the priesthood but covered up their crimes and failed to stop them, instead transferring them from parish to parish without alerting parents or police.

When the archbishop died in Rome in 2017, Saviano asked bluntly: “How is he going to explain this when he comes face to face with his maker?”

In 2019, at the Vatican for an abuse prevention summit called convened by Pope Francis, Saviano said he told summit organizers to release the names of abusive priests around the world along with their case files.

“Do it to launch a new era of transparency. Do it to break the code of silence. Do it out of respect for the victims of these men, and do it to help prevent these creeps from abusing any more children,” he said.

Although there was a hard edge to much of his life, Saviano enjoyed traveling extensively and developed a soft spot for Indigenous art. In 1999, he launched an e-commerce website, Viva Oaxaca Folk Art, showcasing handmade decorative pieces he purchased on trips to southern Mexico and resold to collectors across the U.S.

He is survived by three brothers, Jim Saviano of Douglas; John Saviano of Douglas; and Victor Saviano of Boston; two nieces; and two nephews. A funeral Mass was scheduled for Friday at St. Denis Church in East Douglas.
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Rimjob Bob · Jan 5, 2022

Pope Frank chides people for having pets instead of kids (BBC)

More humans = more drainage on the natural environment, animal life, and the stability of the climate, not to mention that it saps the freedom of parents and their ability to contribute to their communities.

He can go fuck himself.

14thDoctor · Jan 5, 2022

Rimjob Bob said: ↑

Pope Frank chides people for having pets instead of kids (BBC)

More humans = more drainage on the natural environment, animal life, and the stability of the climate, not to mention that it saps the freedom of parents and their ability to contribute to their communities.

He can go fuck himself.
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I'll gladly father and raise exactly as many children as Pope Francis did.

tafkats · Jan 5, 2022

Rimjob Bob said: ↑

Pope Frank chides people for having pets instead of kids (BBC)

More humans = more drainage on the natural environment, animal life, and the stability of the climate, not to mention that it saps the freedom of parents and their ability to contribute to their communities.

He can go fuck himself.
Click to expand...

In the long run, having children is a contribution to your community, 'cause those kids are gonna be the ones running things and paying the bills when we're not able to anymore.

However, the pope chiding people for not having kids brings to mind a certain quote from Earl Butz.

Rimjob Bob · Jan 5, 2022

tafkats said: ↑

However, the pope chiding people for not having kids brings to mind a certain quote from Earl Butz.
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Making the rules without playing the game -- the Catholic clergy in a nutshell.

Also, single (childless) people far more likely to volunteer.

Steal Your Face · Jan 5, 2022

Rimjob Bob said: ↑

Pope Frank chides people for having pets instead of kids (BBC)

More humans = more drainage on the natural environment, animal life, and the stability of the climate, not to mention that it saps the freedom of parents and their ability to contribute to their communities.

He can go fuck himself.
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More kids = more Catholics, every spermicide is sacred.

Tuckerfan · Jan 21, 2022

Even Pope Palpy?

Former pope Benedict accused of inaction over child sexual abuse cases

The former pope Benedict XVI failed to act against four priests accused of child sexual abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, a German investigation has claimed.

Benedict, who stood down as leader of the global Roman Catholic church in 2013, has denied the charges, said a law firm commissioned to investigate historic abuse allegations.

Martin Pusch of the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, said Benedict – then Joseph Ratzinger – “was informed about the facts”.

He added: “We believe that he can be accused of misconduct in four cases. Two of these cases concern abuses committed during his tenure and sanctioned by the state. In both cases, the perpetrators remained active in pastoral care.”

Benedict, whose resignation as pope took the world by surprise, has repeatedly rejected claims that he knowingly covered up abuse. In a lengthy letter published in 2013 after his retirement, he wrote: “As far as you mentioning the moral abuse of minors by priests, I can only, as you know, acknowledge it with profound consternation. But I never tried to cover up these things.”

At a press conference in Munich to outline the investigation’s findings, Pusch said: “During [Ratzinger’s] time in office there were abuse cases happening. In those cases those priests continued their work without sanctions. The church did not do anything.”

The lawyer added that the former pope “claims that he didn’t know about certain facts, although we believe that this is not so, according to what we know”.

Benedict, now 94, was pope between 2005 and 2013. During that time, evidence mounted of widespread sexual abuse by priests of children and vulnerable people, resulting in a crisis in the Catholic church that has reverberated throughout the tenure of Benedict’s successor, Pope Francis.

In one of the cases examined by Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, a now notorious paedophile priest, Peter Hullermann, was transferred to Munich from Essen in western Germany where he had been accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy. He was reassigned to pastoral duties despite his history.

In 1986, he was convicted of molesting more children and given a suspended prison sentence. He continued to work with children for many years and his case is regarded as a pertinent example of the mishandling of abuse by the church.

Pusch said Benedict had initially shown a “defensive attitude” when responding to questions for the report. However, he later gave a detailed written statement.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the current archbishop of Munich and Freising, was also found to have failed to act in two cases of suspected abuse.

In a statement, the Vatican said it would await publication of the law firm’s full report before commenting further. “The Holy See considers that appropriate attention should be paid to the document, whose contents are presently unknown. In coming days … the Holy See will be able to give it a careful and detailed examination,” it said.

“In reiterating shame and remorse for abuses committed by clerics against minors, the Holy See expresses its closeness to all victims and reaffirms the efforts undertaken to protect minors and ensure safe environments for them,” the statement added.

Francis has taken steps to stop sexual abuse and its cover-up within the church. In 2019, he ordered a four-day summit of almost 200 church leaders plus Vatican officials and experts to discuss ways of dealing with the crisis. The following year, he restated his “commitment of the church to eradicate this evil”.

A previous report into historical abuse in Germany concluded that more than 3,600 people nationwide had been abused by clergy members between 1946 and 2014. Many of the victims were very young and served as altar boys.
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Tuckerfan · Jan 25, 2022

More bodies.

Williams Lake First Nation identifies 93 potential burial sites at former residential school

The Williams Lake First Nation has announced the discovery of 93 potential graves at the sprawling site of a former residential school in B.C.’s Central Interior, 50 of which appear to be outside of the facility’s cemetery.

Archaeologist Whitney Spearing, head of the St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School investigative team, said at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon that a number of scientific techniques were used to scour a 14-hectare area. They included ground-penetrating radar, the technology underpinning the discovery of about 200 unmarked graves near Kamloops last spring that spurred Williams Lake to undertake its own work.

The school closed in 1981, after 90 years of operation.

Ms. Spearing’s team interviewed survivors of the school from eight different First Nations and analyzed archival records and photographs to narrow down the search area. They also used a laser-radar instrument known as LiDAR, mounted on a small airplane, and another on the ground to map where old pipes and remnants of demolished buildings lay. This allowed them to narrow the search area to a small piece of the 470 hectares on which the Roman Catholic Church facility and its adjacent ranch once stood, Ms. Spearing said.

“It must be emphasized that no geophysical investigation can provide certainty into the presence of human remains – excavation is the only technology that will provide answers as to whether human remains are present,” Ms. Spearing told reporters.

Investigators are still looking to interview more survivors, and are working through archives and interment records of the cemetery, which was in use until the school closed, to better understand where burials occurred, she said.

“Our investigation team is committed to seeking resolution and truth for those survivors and families who have lost children through the residential school system at St. Joseph’s Mission,” Ms. Spearing said.

The cemetery grounds cover a tiny portion of the area that was searched, with most of the potential graves found in other parts of the site.

“The team is working diligently to understand how the 93 potential burials correlate with the historic and modern extent of the cemetery,” Ms. Spearing said.

Still, Kukpi7 (Chief) Willie Sellars said many of the children who attended the school are unaccounted for. He also noted survivors’ accounts of the long history of sexual and physical abuse at the facility. Several former teachers were jailed in the 1980s and 1990s for sex crimes involving dozens of their students.

“In survivor accounts that are disturbing beyond words, we have heard detailed descriptions of how the unwanted babies of certain priests at St. Joseph’s were burned in the incinerator,” Kukpi7 Sellars said.

Former senator Murray Sinclair, who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said last summer that some survivors told of young girls who gave birth to babies fathered by priests, and the infants were “taken away from them and deliberately killed.”

Last May, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Nation announced that ground-penetrating radar had identified what are believed to be the remains of more than 200 children in unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, news that made international headlines and started a new national reckoning with the legacy of Canada’s colonial education system.

After the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc discovery, the B.C. government announced grants of up to $475,000 each for 21 First Nations to help with searches for human remains at former residential schools or government hospitals that were created to treat First Nations people.

The B.C. government appointed two liaisons to assist First Nations communities with searches. One of these representatives, Charlene Belleau, told The Canadian Press last summer that she would like to find the remains of Augustine Allen, an ancestor who took his own life while at St. Joseph’s.

On Tuesday, Kukpi7 Sellars said official records were uncovered that indicated some students ran away and one 8-year-old boy died in the wild of exposure.

“At the time, the coroner’s service and RCMP saw no reason to investigate the death as the child was ‘only an Indian,’ ” Kukpi7 Sellars said.

He also noted that letters from parents to the school show that a group of nine students attempted to kill themselves by ingesting poisoned hemlock. Kukpi7 Sellars said Augustine Allen was the only one of them who died.

At the Tuesday news conference, he acknowledged the support of the provincial and federal governments, thanking the ministers of Indigenous relations and reconciliation for attending. But he said more funding is needed to continue this investigation.

Kukpi7 Sellars said immediate steps must be taken to protect the site and the evidence with 24-hour security while discussions are held on whether to excavate. In the meantime, he said, outreach will continue with survivors and families of former students.

“In the coming weeks, the team will engage directly with the communities where children are known to be missing or deceased to discuss the investigation, return records and photographs of their children who were lost through the residential school system at St. Joseph’s Mission,” Kukpi7 Sellars said.
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ed629 · Jan 26, 2022

Rimjob Bob said: ↑

Pope Frank chides people for having pets instead of kids (BBC)

More humans = more drainage on the natural environment, animal life, and the stability of the climate, not to mention that it saps the freedom of parents and their ability to contribute to their communities.

He can go fuck himself.
Click to expand...

Tuckerfan · Feb 17, 2022

Tuckerfan · Apr 20, 2022

Tuckerfan · May 13, 2022

Rimjob Bob · May 20, 2022

Pelosi banned from receiving communion due to her stance on abortion

Would the bishops do the same to a Republican who supports capital punishment, or who is antagonistic to worker rights? How about the politicians from both sides who supported pre-emptive war in Iraq? All of this is also in violation of Catholic moral teaching.

Of course they won't. All of that other stuff is squishy, but when it comes to controlling women's bodies, they don't fuck around.

tafkats · May 20, 2022

Bishop works to hasten Vatican's slide into irrelevance

Tuckerfan · Jun 29, 2022

Demiurge · Jun 29, 2022

Rimjob Bob said: ↑

Pelosi banned from receiving communion due to her stance on abortion

Would the bishops do the same to a Republican who supports capital punishment, or who is antagonistic to worker rights? How about the politicians from both sides who supported pre-emptive war in Iraq? All of this is also in violation of Catholic moral teaching.

Of course they won't. All of that other stuff is squishy, but when it comes to controlling women's bodies, they don't fuck around.
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She just took a trip to St Peters - and got communion by the Pope.

I'm against Churches in general, and the Catholic church should be sued out of existence, but while there is a pope this one is better than most.

Jenee · Jun 29, 2022

Once I was old enough to understand the opulence that goes into Catholic churches and, worse, the living quarters for the priest, and that they still could not/would not feed those in need, I completely dismissed anything and everything about the Catholic church.

Tuckerfan · Jul 19, 2022

Court OKs sale of 43 Catholic Church properties to settle sex abuse claims

Tuckerfan · Jul 24, 2022

Remember, you can fuck with the kids, but don't fuck with the money.

Pope gave police nod to bug UK financier

The Pope authorised the bugging of a British businessman at the centre of the Vatican’s “trial of the century”.

Leaked documents reveal the Pope handed powers to investigators allowing them to tap phones, intercept emails and arrest anyone they wanted to without seeking approval from a judge.

Officials from the Vatican’s Office of the Promoter of Justice (OPJ) used the powers to target Raffaele Mincione, a millionaire financier who is the former fiancé of the model Heather Mills, Sir Paul McCartney’s ex-wife.

Prosecutors believe the London-based businessman defrauded the Vatican over the purchase of 60 Sloane Avenue, a former Harrods storage building in Chelsea that was earmarked for development into luxury apartments.
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14thDoctor · Jul 25, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-pope-alberta-apology-1.6530947

Pope shows up in Alberta to apologize for all the child murdering and child raping and child murdering his church did, dumb piece of shit chief thinks it's a great opportunity to give him his own headdress.

Bickendan · Jul 25, 2022

14thDoctor said: ↑

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-pope-alberta-apology-1.6530947

Pope shows up in Alberta to apologize for all the child murdering and child raping and child murdering his church did, dumb piece of shit chief thinks it's a great opportunity to give him his own headdress.
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Eh, I'd probably consider it a symbolic gesture or part of a customary ritual.

But I'm also probably speaking out of my ass with that guess so

Tererune · Jul 25, 2022

I looked at that shit too quick and thought the headdress was made out of beaver tails for a moment.

tafkats · Jul 25, 2022

Well, this pope isn't the one who did it.

And I have no trouble placing the chief's judgment over my own as to what's appropriate.

Tuckerfan · Aug 10, 2022

Tuckerfan · Oct 1, 2022

TIL that if a Catholic mentions the foreskin of Jesus, they're automatically excommunicated from the church. What you choose to do with this information is up to you.

Ancalagon · Dec 14, 2022

Don’t know anything except what is in this tweet thread (by a Jesuit I really respect) but it does not sound good:

https://twitter.com/jamesmartinsj/status/1603153870779305984

Tuckerfan · Jan 10, 2023

Cardinal Pell is dead!

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...hock-sadness-at-news-of-cardinal-pell-s-death

Tuckerfan · Jan 20, 2023

More graves found at a residential school.

https://nativenewsonline.net/sovere...found-at-former-residential-school-in-ontario

tafkats · Jan 20, 2023

Tuckerfan said: ↑

Cardinal Pell is dead!

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...hock-sadness-at-news-of-cardinal-pell-s-death
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My friend the Methodist pastor who has never done anything but live his life in service to others is going to die of cancer without reaching his 60th birthday, and this asshole gets 81 years.

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