Rabbi's pitch to pope: Use family dinners to defuse abuse crisis

[Johnboy60]

(CNN) -- A rabbi walks into St. Peter's Square, meets the pope, and tells the Holy Father that one way to defuse the sex abuse scandal plaguing the church is for the Vatican to begin promoting a secular version of Shabbat dinner, the traditional Jewish Friday meal.

It's no joke.

A prominent American rabbi, Shmuley Boteach, spoke briefly to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday about encouraging parents to eat dinner with their children as a way for the Vatican to re-establish its pro-family image, which has been battered by the priest sex abuse scandal, Boteach said.

Rabbi's pitch to pope: Use family dinners to defuse abuse crisis - CNN.com

 

[yasic]

When you get into so much shame and trouble as the Vatican has, you really need to reach for any option, no matter how crazy or silly.

 

[explodingboy]

I like the idea, but I have this feeling it would end up as PR stunt, rather than an honest attempt to make amends with victims.

 

[ulu]

Take sarah silverman's suggestion-sell the vatican, use the money to feed the world.

 

[Dark_Lite]

Take sarah silverman's suggestion-sell the vatican, use the money to feed the world.

Except that wouldn't do much at all. Contrary to popular belief, the Vatican is *not* that rich in the grand scheme of things. The operating budget is very small. The true value of the Vatican is that it is the steward of a lot of historical artifacts and documents.

Let's say the Vatican is completely sold. You might get a singular large donation of money that would quickly dissipate and then the world would be missing out on a lot of freely enjoyable history. People also don't seem to realize that the Catholic Church is the world's largest charitable organization, and the charities do far more than simply selling the Vatican could ever do. Silverman's suggestion is short-sighted at best.

Anyway, this is a fine idea. The US government has actually been encouraging this kind of thing for awhile with its advertisements for eating together. At least, I think it's the Ad Council that pays for those commercials...

 

[ulu]

How about just admit, then, that it's been a place for still in the closet gays to have access to virgin boys, ask for forgiveness, put the accused on trial, and shut it down to show it's not just empty words again.

 

[Dark_Lite]

How about just admit, then, that it's been a place for still in the closet gays to have access to virgin boys, ask for forgiveness, put the accused on trial, and shut it down to show it's not just empty words again.

Ah, right. So that's your viewpoint. Ok then.

 

[ulu]

Enough is enough. Everytime another catholic clown is shown to be a pedophile, the cause of christianity is hurt. Everytime the guilty party gets off, christianity ends up being seen as a sham to the very people we are commanded to share the gospel with.
The catholic church has done more harm to the cause of christ in the past couple decades than all the good they might have done up to that point.

 

[lawtonfogle]

(CNN) -- A rabbi walks into St. Peter's Square, meets the pope, and tells the Holy Father that one way to defuse the sex abuse scandal plaguing the church is for the Vatican to begin promoting a secular version of Shabbat dinner, the traditional Jewish Friday meal.

It's no joke.

A prominent American rabbi, Shmuley Boteach, spoke briefly to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday about encouraging parents to eat dinner with their children as a way for the Vatican to re-establish its pro-family image, which has been battered by the priest sex abuse scandal, Boteach said.

No matter the reason they suggest it, this is a pretty good idea.

 

[lawtonfogle]

Enough is enough. Everytime another catholic clown is shown to be a pedophile, the cause of christianity is hurt.

And every time a Christian is shown to be depressed, it is the same, no? We should just cut off all mentally ill people for the sake of our image, right? Perhaps if society was a bit more open and accepting of pedophiles, you wouldn't have so many hiding in the dark, and they could get the help they need BEFORE they molest a child. And constantly confusing child molesters with pedophiles is not helping the situation any more.

I have a little sister. I really wish I didn't have to doubt if every person near her is a pedophile and instead just knew who the pedophiles are and that they are getting help.

 

[Autumnleaf]

No matter the reason they suggest it, this is a pretty good idea.

How will encouraging parents to eat dinner with their children change people's perceptions of the Catholic Church. Are people going to say, 'Gee that's a swell idea. Why didn't I think of that. I think I'll tell the boss they can do without me a little earlier today and I'll need my weekends off from now on.'

The Catholic Church has to clean house and word has to get out about how Pope Benedict was trying to get to the bottom of things before he got promoted, he really was. He was hindered by quite a few people.

 

[ulu]

And every time a Christian is shown to be depressed, it is the same, no? We should just cut off all mentally ill people for the sake of our image, right? Perhaps if society was a bit more open and accepting of pedophiles, you wouldn't have so many hiding in the dark, and they could get the help they need BEFORE they molest a child. And constantly confusing child molesters with pedophiles is not helping the situation any more.

.

"A perpetrator of child sexual abuse is commonly assumed to be and referred to as a pedophile; however, there may be other motivations for the crime[55] (such as stress, marital problems, or the unavailability of an adult partner)"
They both molest children. Maybe I'm a hero but it never occurred to me that not having an adult partner available would give me an excuse or desire to rape a child.
I don't find pedophiles, or child molesters any worse than some other criminals. What disgusts me are people in leadership positions abusing their power and being so blatantly hypocritical and deceptive.

Being depressed is not a sin or a crime. There's nothing hypocritical about a christian being depressed.
There is help available for pedophiles if they want it.

People in leadership positions are called to more responsibility than others. If they can't accept that, they have no business being in leadership.
Raping children while being high up in an organization whose very basis is intertwined with a strict moral code which it tells the rest of the world to live by is beyond terrible. Having the ability to stop the crime, and instead letting it continue is almost as bad.

The catholic church has become a joke. It has only itself to blame.