A group of people, including author, Richard Dawkins, and lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson, threaten that if the Pope visits Britain later this year, he will be arrested to appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “crimes against humanity”.

Mr Robertson quotes the ICC definition of a crime against humanity which includes “rape and sexual slavery and other similarly inhumane acts causing harm to mental or physical health, committed against civilians on a widespread or systematic scale”. 

He claims that because “acts of sexual abuse by Catholic priests are not isolated or sporadic . . . but part of a wide practice, both known to and unpunished by, their de facto authority . . .” they fall under the ICC’s jurisdiction.

* * *

A recent study of child abuse by Professor Philip Jenkins of Pennsylvania State University showed that, of all professions, Catholic priests have the lowest offence rate. Doctors, school teachers, prison warders and sport coaches are all worse.

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/ReligionTheology/HistoryofChristianity/American/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5NTE0NTk3Nw==

Most child abuse takes place in the home — typical offenders being Mum’s latest boyfriend or an uncle.

Those are the facts. But who wants facts?

* * *

If the Pope is found guilty and locked up who will benefit?

He might be found guilty. Was he, perhaps, not quick enough in defrocking an abusive priest under his charge?

The priest involved, Reverend Stephen Kiesle, was defrocked, but not until receiving a formal hearing. It took a long time — about four years.

There is, of course, always a danger of being too quick. How impossible it is to prove that any alleged wrongful act did not happen.

Have not lawyers accused tens of thousands of non-custodial Australian fathers of child-abuse, leaving the father — already deprived of his house, car and most of his wages — banned from seeing his own child?

* * *

Pope Benedict has done more to protect children from abusers than any previous pope.

In 2001, though the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he took direct charge of abuse cases, removing them from the hands of local bishops.

He has now, as Pope, instituted tougher training for seminarians, seeking to stop paedophiles becoming priests in the first place.

On Good Friday, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the Pope’s “official preacher”, quoted a letter from a Jewish friend:

”The stereotyping, the transfer of personal responsibility and blame to a collective blame reminds me of the most shameful aspects of anti-Semitism. I have followed with disgust the violent attack … against Church and Pope . . . .”

The media didn’t like that – and are claiming that two-thirds of Americans say the Pope has handled charges of abuse by priests poorly.

The human race has handled child abuse poorly, that is for sure.

Trying to demonise the Church may not be helping.

* * *

Is it honest to say the Church is the worst offender in this matter? Or are such suggestions lies?

Who knows?

Well, anybody who wants to know, can know.

A study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, found that from 1950 to 2002 about 4.1 percent of American priests (4,392 of 109,000) were accused of having sexual relations with minors. Just 0.1 percent (one in 1000) were convicted.

In the same period, 60 times as many gym teachers and junior sporting team coaches were convicted of such crimes.

A 2004 study, headed by Professor Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University, New York, reported the rate of sexual abuse of students by teachers in schools being over 100 times that of priests. (U.S. Department of Education, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, Washington, D.C., 2004)

* * *

Headlines saying “it involves the Pope” refer to an episode in the Archdiocese of Munich, where the Pope was Archbishop in 1980. The court decided, among other things, that the decision to accept the accused priest into the Archdiocese had not been taken by Cardinal Ratzinger.

Why should a German newspaper suddenly give its front page to a court case settled 20-odd years ago?

At present, political decisions are being made about the abortion pill, euthanasia, and recognising same-sex unions — only the Pope and his Church are speaking out to defend the sacredness of human life and the normal family.

The anti-life, anti-family, media-owning, wealthy, power-mongers are determined that any who stand in their way shall be discredited.

On the first Holy Thursday, Jesus shared with his disciples the “Last Supper”, instituting the Eucharist, the same celebration in which we, today, can receive his Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

Then he took them to the garden where he prayed to God, preparing himself for the coming ordeal. The disciples were no help, falling asleep on the job.

Soldiers came, arrested him, took him off for trial and he was condemned to die. The apostle Peter showed how brave he was (not) by telling bystanders he didn’t even know Jesus.

* * *

Saint Luke’s gospel:

“Someone else saw him and said, ‘You also are one of his disciples.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not.’  Another insisted, ‘Certainly this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are saying.’

“And immediately, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.”

* * *

Many of us would like to follow Jesus. After all, who is there to compare with him as one to follow?

But following costs something.

In Saint Peter’s case: the self-discipline of keeping awake to pray with Jesus in his agony — plus taking the risk of acknowledging being a disciple — which might (who knows?) have led to him being crucified next day.

In our case: disciplining ourselves enough to spend in prayer and meditation a little of time we usually spend with the television or a stubbie — plus perhaps acknowledging our admiration of Christ by going to church.

* * *

Peter was eventually forgiven.

Jesus gave him a position of trust and he accepted (becoming the first Pope).

And yes — sure enough — he ended up being crucified as a result.

* * *

On this Holy Thursday 2010, ask yourself . . . .

Will you discipline yourself enough to turn up at church this Easter — risking ridicule, misunderstanding, or whatever – out of love for him, and wanting to follow him, no matter what the outcome?

Last week, a new bill was introduced into the Parliament of the Australian state of Victoria, by Attorney-General Rob Hulls.

Called the “Equal Opportunity Bill 2010″, it will restrict further the rights of religious schools to employ who they want.

A religious body will have to show that any discrimination is “reasonably necessary” to avoid injuring the religious sensitivities of adherents of the religion.

Religious schools will be subject to an “inherent requirements” clause, i.e. to justify why it is an inherent requirement for a teacher of, for example, mathematics, for that person to hold the faith and to adhere to its moral principles.

Religious organisations will be forced to justify their position before the well-known Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal  (VCAT) – a jaw-dropping prospect for anybody who has had dealings with that charming crowd in the past.

* * *

The bill also gives greater powers to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to investigate, on its own initiative, “any matter relating to the operation of this Act” — without the necessity of  having received any complaint from the public!

One gets the feeling that this government is working stepwise towards the education of all Victorian children being fully free from any acknowledgement of God or of any moral absolutes.

Children are to be convinced in the classroom that their existence is the result of a random series of accidents and is devoid of any purpose or meaning.

Parents serious about their responsibilities now have little option but to home-school their children

The worst they can do is take your children away from you and/or lock you up. Pray daily to God: “Thy will be done.”

* * *

Any Victorian wanting to object to the proposed law can do so by addressing their comments by email to andrew.homer@parliament.vic.gov.au

The government has allowed just 2 weeks for public comment. Submissions close on March 18, i.e. you have until tomorrow to get your comments in.

They obviously do NOT want to hear from you.

A court in Poland has ordered a priest, Father Marek Gancarczyk, to pay a fine of $11,000 because the Catholic paper, of which he is editor, described a woman seeking an abortion as “wanting to kill her child”.

He has refused to pay.

The judge, in passing the sentence, treated Fr Gancarczyk to a lecture on theology. “Christianity is a religion of love and this is what the language used by Catholic press should be like,” she said.

* * *

Polish law permits abortion only in cases of rape, serious handicap in the baby, or serious health risk to the mother. In this case, the mother had an eye condition. She was denied an abortion because her doctors decided the pregnancy would not seriously damage her health.

The local archbishop, Father Damian Zimon, said, “No state law can undermine God’s commandment and the order of Jesus Christ . . . . Recall the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: ‘The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion . . . if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?’ ”

The Catholic Association of Journalists in Poland commented, “We consider this verdict an attempt to gag Catholic media, also directed against freedom of speech in the wider sense . . . .We call on all journalists who hold Christian values not to be afraid to write the truth about abortion, about abortionists and about the supporters of this Holocaust of the 21st century.”

* * *

Two points that Australians might ask themselves:

(1) is our law permitting any woman, any time, to have an abortion, simply by telling her doctor she wants one, good enough?

(2) at least one priest, somewhere, is willing to suffer imprisonment, or whatever the court comes up next time, rather than compromise the Church’s teaching of love and respect for all human life, including the unborn babies.

Father Marek Gancarczyk

In 2001, Islamic terrorists declared war on Western nations by destroying New York’s World Trade Centre.

In 2002, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights (a Catholic) said Islam is “entirely consonant with the principal of fundamental human rights and . . . bestowed rights upon women and children long before other civilisations.”

In 2008, the President of France called Islam “one of the most beautiful civilisations the world has known.”

In 2009, the President of the USA spoke of his “deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over the centuries to shape the world – including my own country.”

* * *

It is intrinsic to the aims of Islam that ultimately all nations bend to Sharia law.

Non-Muslims are to be given the traditional three choices: (1) convert to Islam, or (2) die, or (3) become second-class citizens in one’s own nation, subservient and tribute-paying (they call it “dhimmitude”).

The Commissioner and the two Presidents quoted above seem to have volunteered themselves into dhimmitude without a struggle.

Everyone seems to be doing it — the rate of Westerners converting to Islam having supposedly doubled since 11/9/2001.

* * *

The only other alternative — that Muslims start converting to Catholicism — seems a long way off.

But we had better start making it happen soon, or it is going to be a very sad world indeed.

Where can the much-needed historical U-turn begin?

A good place would be in Catholic schools.

Let’s teach Catholic students that non-Christian religions are NOT good.

Let’s teach them why.

Let’s teach them how to understand their Faith — how to argue the case for Catholic belief – how to be living role models of the good that God can achieve in lives devoted to his obedience.

* * *

Let’s be willing to die, by all means.

But let us NOT be ready to sell ourselves to those who despise our weakness.