PA. Catholic Church Sex Abuse Report Names Hundreds of Priests, Accuses Leaders of Cover-up: 'They hid it all.' A Call for Structural Change Including Women Priests in an Accountable Community of Equals

My Response: In 2018, there is outrage over horrific over-up of clergy sex abuse in PA. and worldwide, and a call for structural change including women priests to initiate genuine change and reform. In 2010, a morally bankrupt Vatican covered-up pedophile priests, condemned women priests and placed them in the same category of serious crimes against the sacraments. 

Perhaps, this tragedy indicates that we are witnessing a tipping point- Catholics demanding an end to clerical control and reforms that will result in a more transparent community of equals. Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP, https://www.arcwp.org, sofiabmm@aol.com, 703-505-0004

At end of interview Bruce Feiler says the Church needs women priests to bring change...
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http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2018/08/15/pennsylvania-catholic-church-sexual-abuse

An Interview with Tom Reese SJ
https://the1a.org/.../report-300-clergy-members-accused-of-sex-abuse-in-pennsylvania
https://the1a.org/.../report-300-clergy-members-accused-of-sex-abuse-in-pennsylvania 

http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2004702,00.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/catholic-church-sex-abuse-clergy-pennsylvania-grand-jury-report-released-names-20180814.html

For immediate release

Call To Action, a Catholic organization committed to justice and equality, is horrified by the findings of a recent grand jury report, which uncovered child sexual abuse by over 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, and a systematic cover-up of those crimes by their dioceses. “This grand jury report, combined with the recent revelations about Theodore McCarrick, make it clear that the sexual abuse crisis in our Church is nowhere near over,” said Zachary Johnson, Executive Director of Call To Action. “As the report itself states, while we’ve seen reports of child sexual abuse by clergy for decades, we have never before seen a report of such magnitude. This should be a wake up call for every Catholic in the United States, and a call to action for anyone whose life is affected by the Catholic Church, which is to say everyone.” “The painful truths outlined in this report could be a moment of true conversion for our Church,” noted Johnson. “It is clear that the Church’s policy of treating the priesthood like a ruling class has been a failed experiment-- one with horrible ramifications for children and other vulnerable people. The time has come for a true renewal in our Church. One that returns the priesthood back to the servant leadership embodied by Jesus, and that treats all people-- lay and ordained alike-- as equals. We should be prepared for the bishops to respond with somber statements of commitment to do better--some of them may even suggest lay oversight in the coming review process. Even this is not enough. It’s time for the Catholics to re-open the Vatican II dialogue about how our Church is structured." In December 2017, Call To Action joined FutureChurch and Women’s Ordination Conference in launching #CatholicToo, a campaign that encourages Catholics to speak out about their experiences of abuse and misogyny in the era of #MeToo. “These cases are reminders of the power that survivors hold to bring those accountable to justice. I hope this will encourage other Catholics to join #CatholicToo in speaking truth to power.” People who want more information on the #CatholicToo movement, or who want to share their own stories, can go to www.catholictoo.org.

Majority in Ireland support married clergy and

women priests The Tablet The poll shows that 62 per cent favour the ordination of women priests, while 18 per cent are opposed; 11 per cent say “it depends” while 9 percent do ...

Learn More About #CatholicToo

Read the #CatholicToo Response to Clergy Abuse Scandal

HARRISBURG — Top Roman Catholic leaders in Pennsylvania covered up decades of child sex abuse involving more than 1,000 victims and hundreds of priests, according to a long-awaited grand jury report released Tuesday.

Capping what may be the most comprehensive examination yet of clergy sex abuse across a single state, the nearly 900-page document accuses church officials in six Pennsylvania dioceses of routinely prioritizing their institution over the welfare of children in their care.

The allegations stretch back to the 1940s, detailing child rapes and groping that mirrored the reports that have roiled the church worldwide. But the document includes several uniquely disturbing accounts of its own — including one of a 1970s pedophile and child pornography ring in Pittsburgh among priests who whipped their victims and took photos of one boy as he posed naked as if on the cross.

http://religiondispatches.org/vatican-equates-womens-ordination-with-priest-pedophilia/ 

Fact sheet on Catholic Women’s Ordination

• 88% of U.S. Catholics would be “comfortable” with the ordination of women, according to a 2015 Shriver Report.
• The majority of Catholics would like to see women have equal standing in ordained ministry: in France (83%), Spain (78%), Argentina (60%), and Italy (59%), and Brazil (54%), according to a 2014 Univision poll.
• 63% of U.S. Catholics support ordaining women as priests and 81% support ordaining women as deacons. Gallup Organization survey, September 2005
• 64% of U.S. Catholics support women’s ordination and 69% support married priests. The Associated Press-Ipsos Poll, April 2005
• Only 29% of U.S. Catholics say a male, celibate clergy is “very important.” Gallup Organization survey, September 2005
• There are 16 national organizations from 11 different countries that advocate women’s ordination and eight Women’s Ordination Confernce local groups that do so in the U.S.A.
• More than 180 women have been ordained as priests, deacons or bishops by the group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests (RCWP) and the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priest.
• In Rome and throughout the Mediterranean, archaeologists have found images on frescoes, mosaics, and tombs that depict women serving in roles specifically reserved for deacons, priests, and bishops. Found in catacombs and early Christian churches, they date from 100 to 820 A.D.

Female lay ministers hold the Catholic Church together, and they are doing much of the work that used to be reserved exclusively for priests.

• There are 31,000 lay ecclesial ministers in the U.S.A., surpassing the 29,000 diocesan priests in the country. As of 2005, roughly 80 percent of U.S. lay ministers were women. National Catholic Reporter, August 17, 2007

• As of 2005, nearly one fourth of the world’s parishes do not have a resident priest pastor. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 2006

• There is a severe national priest shortage. Between 1975 and 2007, the number of U.S. Catholic priests declined by 30 percent, from 58,909 to 41,449. In the same time period, the number of U.S. Catholics increased by 32 percent, from 48.7 million to 64.4 million. Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 2007

Compiled by Women’s Ordination Conference

Majority in Ireland support married clergy and women priests The Tablet The poll shows that 62 per cent favour the ordination of women priests, while 18 per cent are opposed; 11 per cent say “it depends” while 9 percent do ...