Fall of the Catholic Church

State SUPPORTED schools. Fine go ahead and cut off the money pipeline - which has grossly underfunded schools for decades anyway.

Tell you what - even if the church dispensed with patronage overnight, you would still be using church owned lands.

What you want to do though is have your cake and eat it. You want the schools to be in the same buildings, many of them owned by either religious orders or local parishes through charitable trusts, but no religion in the school.

Do the honest thing and buy them out. That would be the legals sorted and everything would be above board.

Settlement of abuse costs? Oh that red herring. Only in Ireland can you get "compensation" for non proven abuse. I'll tell you a good one - I am one of the mother and baby homes "survivors" who was in an institution for just over 6 months. As a result, I will be entitled to €12,500 "compensation". Why? I have no idea. I suffered no abuse, maltreatment, or any such like. Many others entitled to compensation are in the same position. Why should we get compensation? We shouldn't! And yet the church is being told by your ilk to stump up. Total sham!

I have no problem with compensation being paid to those who were abused, maltreated or neglected. And yet many many more who never were maltreated are entitled to compensation? How do you explain that?

You and your ilk would want to believe that there was no nice priests, nuns or brothers, and that every one of them were sadistic, evil and abusive.

Your retort of "classy approach" to compensation is despicable. Like I said - I am a "survivor" of a mother and baby home. I can scan and post a redacted (PII removed) letter from Tusla showing this to be the case. Now tell me - why should the church be liable for compensation to me? Why?

As a proud member of that ilk, I think they all knew and looked away. Your call if that makes them good. It's the criminal organization known as the RCC that has been found liable, though not the individuals despite the RCC looking to deflect.

As for what the law states, well, go petition the Dáil if you dislike it. And, if you don't want the settlement, send it back.

But why should I be entitled to one if I didnt receive any harsh treatment? And countless others will not have received ill treatment either, but they will take the money.

Off you go. Protest to your heart's content. But never dare to suggest that all accusations of maltreatment and abuse are correct - which you seem to do.

There have been countless students and residents of religious institutions who were treated with respect, with integrity, and given a help in life. When they spoke out - as in the case of a number of them on Liveline not so long ago - the vultures round on them and tell them they should be ashamed; that they should shut up; that the church was always evil in every case.

That is cancel culture. And it's minions are nasty and vile.

You think it ok for people who didn't receive any harsh treatment while in the care of religious institutions to receive "compensation"?

Just checking to see where you stand. My opinion doesn't matter to you ... so just wanna see what you think is right.

You just wont answer a simple question, because you are afraid to do so. Stop being the hurler on the ditch and answer the question. It's simple!

So, you'd be willing to sign an affadavit saying you personally weren't impacted by the crimes committed by the RCC and don't want the compensation? I imagine you can petition the courts for that.

But, your question is nonsense. After a moments thought, you could figure out that if every person that WAS abused by the RCC and had their lives damaged by the organization had to testify in court and be deposed, the impact on the court system would be great and, frankly, the compensation the RCC is liable to pay would be much more expensive, hence the reasoning that led to the decision on who gets compensation.

So, although the crimes themselves are heinous, the State negotiated with the criminal organization known as the RCC and reached this agreement. Really, this is no different than any legal proceeding that results in sentencing, there's always some negotiation involved.

Hope this helps. Ask your priest to comment on the proceedings if you need more information about them /s

Criminal - in your opinion. You conflate opinion and fact. They are not one and the same.

And if you knew anything about the redress scheme, you would be aware that it's an opt in scheme rather than an opt out scheme.

Interesting you should raise the issue of an affidavit, suggesting I should swear one to deny any maltreatment to me - and yet there will be no complusion for those who come forward claiming compensation to do similar and testify that there was maltreatment.

I keep being told this yet no examples are ever provided, it seems to be a myth. "A lot", really? Who? It's really just a way of taking a cheap shot at secularists saying their motivation is not equality and rights but some anti-catholic agenda.

...

Meanwhile... catholic bishops lie to the government and try to pressurise them to reintroduce pro-catholic religious discrimination. Unless they get what they want they'll continue to block divestment and providing parents with non-catholic education options. No surprises there really.

Did you catch the part where the bishops were complaining that you don't need baptismal certificates to enrol anymore? As @Hotblack Desiato said, the church just keeps on giving. Or, as I like to refer to it, the criminal enterprise known as the RCC, attempting to extort favors from the State (threats are, of course, extortion under the law.) And Norma Foley as Minister for Education is a FF minister so this probably will turn out how the RCC wants.

Met up with a friend and his wife for the weekend, he's Jewish and she converted to Judaism to marry him. Now they did say they went orthodox which is more strict, but she had to spend 2 years converting, which included 3 hours every Saturday at the synagogue.

I can only imagine the drop off in Catholic marriages, communion and confirmation numbers here if the church had the self respect to actually encourage its members to show their face every Sunday even for a couple of months.

You are right about one thing anyway Hotblack, and that's the long game, I'll give you that!!! 2022 years in fact, through thick and thin, persecution etc, and I'll tell you something else Hotblack, it will go on for a long time yet, until the end of time, in fact. For all the denigration of the Church and Christians, we're still here.

🙄 Jesus founded a church at birth did he?

The usual bluff and bluster but it's sounding increasingly desperate.