Christian Subversion And Missionary Activities - 6

[acharya]

McDaid told Associated Press he had left the chapel believing Benedict had grasped the scale of the problem and the pain caused by it. But two years of subsequent inaction by the church left him disillusioned. "Was it a PR move? Looking back at that now, I have to say it was. Everything they do is not about the children. It's about the church. It's always the church first," he said.



The past few months have seen devastating revelations about clerical sexual abuse and its concealment in churches and Catholic-run institutions across Europe, prompting outrage from the public, and profuse apologies and promises of investigations from the most senior Catholics on the continent.



Next weekend Benedict visits Malta, itself shaken after botched handling of abuse claims. It was reported this month that 45 priests had been accused of sexual offences since the creation of a church response team in 1999. None of the cases has been referred to the police – the retired judge who heads the project said that was the responsibility of victims and parents. The island, which has a population of 400,000, is 98% Catholic and abortion and divorce are banned.



Amid the expressions of regret from bishops about paedophile priests in their ranks, there is also quiet fury about the €750,000 bill for the two-day trip.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr...se-victims