Your Church appears to have a death-wish Joe
Someone needs to reign the Big Feller in before you lose even more supporters - bloody insane!
Jim Carroll

From this morning's Irish Times

POPE ACCUSES ABUSE VICTIMS OF SLANDER
Pope Francis has accused victims of Chile's most notorious paedophile of slander, in an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.
Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of Father Fernando Karadima, such accusations against the bishop are 'all calumny'.
The Pope's remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates. They noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Karadima to a life?time of 'penance and prayer' for his crimes in 2011.
A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes was not lacking.
'As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all,' tweeted Bishop Barros's most vocal accuser, Juan Carlos Cruz.
Truly crazy
'These people are truly crazy, and the pontiff talks about atonement to the victims. Nothing has changed, and his plea for forgiveness is empty.'
The Karadima scandal dominated Francis's visit to Chile and the overall issue of sex abuse and church cover-up was likely to factor into his three day trip to Peru that began late on Thursday.
Karadima's victims reported to church authorities as early as 2002 that he would kiss and fondle them in the Santiago parish he ran, but officials refused to believe them.
Only when the victim went public with their accusations in 2010 did the Vatican launch an investigation that led to Karadima being removed from ministry.
Francis had sought to heal the wounds by meeting this week with abuse victims and begging forgiveness for the
crimes of church pastors. But on Thursday, he struck a defiant tone when asked by a Chilean journalist about Mr Barros.
'The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I'll speak,' he said. 'There is not one shred of proof against him. It's all calumny. Is that clear?'
Anne Barrett Doyle, of the on?line database BishopAccountability.org, said it was 'sad and wrong' for the pope to discredit the victims since 'the burden of proof here rests with the church, not the victims and especially not with victims whose veracity has already been affirmed.
'He has just turned back the clock to the darkest days of this crisis,' she said in a statement. 'Who knows how many victims now will decide to stay hidden, for fear they will not be believed?'
PA