[Shasown]

Protesters have gathered outside the main Catholic church in the UK to call for the Pope's resignation over clerical sex abuse. Carrying placards stating "Pope Protects Paedophile Priests - Resign!" and "Sex Abuse Cover Up - Pope Must Resign", demonstrators confronted the congregation as it left Westminster Cathedral in central London.

They claim that Pope Benedict XVI was complicit in protecting priests accused of child sex abuse from prosecution.

As such many object to the pontiff's planned state visit to the UK in September.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that the Pope "bears personal responsibility for the cover up".

Last week, the Pontiff apologised to victims of child sex abuse in Ireland.

In a letter, he wrote: "You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry."

But many believe that more could have been done to prevent abuse and report those responsible to the authorities.

Some of the congregation in Westminster confronted Mr Tatchell and his fellow protesters.

Ellen Carhill, 66, an Irish Catholic, said: "The Pope will never resign, it is not possible. He can only apologise for what other people have done. Instead of letting it rest they are going to town on this. How are things going to get better if they prolong it?"

[LeatherTrumpet]

Who are the "protesters"
How many are they

?


Peter Tatchell?

lol

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Who are the "protesters"
How many are they

?


Peter Tatchell?

lol

Apparently about 3 dozen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...x-scandal.html

Peter Tatchell is a... well here you read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tatchell

http://www.petertatchell.net/

[MrGaryy]

Sounds good to me.

[Patrick]

I didnt even know there was a pope anymore.

[Harry!]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I didnt even know there was a pope anymore.

*facepalm*

[Tom4784]

Regardless of someone's job or status, if they commit a crime like this they should be prosecuted for it as any other person would and if the pope did cover up some of this attrocities then he needs to be prosecuted for obstruction. Pope or not he shouldn't be above the law......that's IF he had any role in this anyway I'm not clued up on the whole story so my input can only be limited.

At the very least I do hope the priests in question get prosecuted and sentenced accordingly.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Recylopse

*facepalm*

What?

I thought like when the little guy, John?
Died.
That was the end of the pope because if they got another one it was the end of the world or somthing.

Who cares anyway about if theres a Pope or Not, he doesnt even do anything.

[Harry!]

Originally Posted by Patrick

What?

I thought like when the little guy, John?
Died.
That was the end of the pope because if they got another one it was the end of the world or somthing.

Who cares anyway about if theres a Pope or Not, he doesnt even do anything.

Like the queen when she dies there will be a new one. That is how it runs in italy.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Patrick

I didnt even know there was a pope anymore.

Really? That's quite funny actually. I actually laughed

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by Recylopse

Like the queen when she dies there will be a new one. That is how it runs in italy.

Oh well, you know when the Queen dies in the UK?

And there will be a king?

Will England have to change their national anthem?
Was thinking this the other day tbh.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Oh well, you know when the Queen dies in the UK?

And there will be a king?

Will England have to change their national anthem?
Was thinking this the other day tbh.

Yeah although it won't be changed drastically, but only if a man takes the throne (which is very certain unless some very unlikely events occur).

[Harry!]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Oh well, you know when the Queen dies in the UK?

And there will be a king?

Will England have to change their national anthem?
Was thinking this the other day tbh.

Yes there will be a king,

And before elizabeth became queen there was a king before her. The national anthem will be god save the king.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Oh well, you know when the Queen dies in the UK?

And there will be a king?

Will England have to change their national anthem?
Was thinking this the other day tbh.

Nope they simply change the words from queen to king, her to him/his, she to he

[LeatherTrumpet]

3 dozen?

there was more people at Forres Mechanics versus Elgin Arsekickers on Saturday afternoon.

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

3 dozen?

there was more people at Forres Mechanics versus Elgin Arsekickers on Saturday afternoon.

No there wasnt, Forres Mechanics played Formartine Utd, Elgin played Forfar Athletic, so there would not have been anyone at Forres Mechanics versus Elgin.

[eye sea]

I'm not a religious person but I liked the old Pope, John Paul.

But this new Pope looks evil. Like he should be in the horror film , The Omen.

And anyway, he used to be in the Hitler Youth during WW2, so he definitely has a dark side.

As regards shielding pedos from prosecution, that's more than likely to be true. So, out he goes.

[Stu]

Could someone just assasinate him already?

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Judas Iscariot

Could someone just assasinate him already?

It wouldnt be the first time the RC crew have removed embarassments that way.

John VIII (872-882): Poisoned and clubbed to death
Adrian III, St. (884-885): Rumored poisoned
Stephen VI (896-897): Strangled
Leo V (903): Murdered
John X (914-928): Suffocated under a pillow
Stephen VII (VIII) (928-931): Possibly murdered
Stephen VIII (IX) (939-942): Mutilated and died from injuries
John XII (955-964): Suffered a stroke while with a mistress or murdered by an outraged husband
Benedict VI (973-974): Strangled by a priest
John XIV (983-984): Starved to death or poisoned
Gregory V (996-999): Rumored poisoned, probably malaria
Sergius IV (1009-1012): Possibly murdered
Clement II (1046-1047): Rumored poisoned
Damasus II (1048): Rumored murdered
Boniface VIII (1294-1303): Died from abuse received while a captive of the French in Anagni

And of course there is the conspiracy theory about JP 1

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by Shasown

It wouldnt be the first time the RC crew have removed embarassments that way.

John VIII (872-882): Poisoned and clubbed to death
Adrian III, St. (884-885): Rumored poisoned
Stephen VI (896-897): Strangled
Leo V (903): Murdered
John X (914-928): Suffocated under a pillow
Stephen VII (VIII) (928-931): Possibly murdered
Stephen VIII (IX) (939-942): Mutilated and died from injuries
John XII (955-964): Suffered a stroke while with a mistress or murdered by an outraged husband
Benedict VI (973-974): Strangled by a priest
John XIV (983-984): Starved to death or poisoned
Gregory V (996-999): Rumored poisoned, probably malaria
Sergius IV (1009-1012): Possibly murdered
Clement II (1046-1047): Rumored poisoned
Damasus II (1048): Rumored murdered
Boniface VIII (1294-1303): Died from abuse received while a captive of the French in Anagni

And of course there is the conspiracy theory about JP 1

Christ - who the hell would want to be pope!

[LeatherTrumpet]

Originally Posted by Shasown

No there wasnt, Forres Mechanics played Formartine Utd, Elgin played Forfar Athletic, so there would not have been anyone at Forres Mechanics versus Elgin.

exactly

[karezza]

Sign the petition!

http://www.protest-the-pope.org.uk/petition/

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by karezza

Sign the petition!

http://www.protest-the-pope.org.uk/petition/

Purely for balance,

http://www.petitiononline.com/PopeinUK/petition.html

If you are undecided you could sign both.

[LeatherTrumpet]

"Right now, most of my priest friends go out of their way not to be left alone with a child, which is dispiriting in itself. But even in the past, about four per cent of clergy in Ireland and less than half of one per cent in England and Wales attracted allegations of abuse. That's bad, God knows, but it's comparable with the problem elsewhere. And there's the rub. It's handy to displace our paranoia about children on to an institution. But the reality remains that children are most at risk in their own homes. Yet we don't demonise fathers. We don't sound off about the danger to children of living with a stepfather – men who are, judging by American research, four times more likely to abuse a child than a blood parent.

I'm all for prosecuting clerical molesters, but if we think the problem of child sex is out there in the Vatican, or even in the CofE, we're kidding ourselves. "

full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...d-abusers.html

[WOMBAI]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

"Right now, most of my priest friends go out of their way not to be left alone with a child, which is dispiriting in itself. But even in the past, about four per cent of clergy in Ireland and less than half of one per cent in England and Wales attracted allegations of abuse. That's bad, God knows, but it's comparable with the problem elsewhere. And there's the rub. It's handy to displace our paranoia about children on to an institution. But the reality remains that children are most at risk in their own homes. Yet we don't demonise fathers. We don't sound off about the danger to children of living with a stepfather – men who are, judging by American research, four times more likely to abuse a child than a blood parent.

I'm all for prosecuting clerical molesters, but if we think the problem of child sex is out there in the Vatican, or even in the CofE, we're kidding ourselves. "

full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...d-abusers.html

I agree with this! It is a sad state of affairs when many adults, in many different situations, are scared of being left alone with a child - because of such allegations.

Of course, any such allegations have to be taken seriously - but we now live in such a state of fear and distrust - that the way many adults relate to children is seriously threatened!