"Excuse me, Your Excellency, but I'd like to discuss something with you."

[MineralMan]

"Yes, my son, what is on your mind?"

"Well, I have noticed that Father Bartholomew often spends a longer time alone with one of the altar boys in the vestry than with the others. I have concerns about what might be going on."

"I see. Well, perhaps he is providing special counseling to that boy."

"Yes, but, I have seen the boy come out of the vestry crying pitifully."

"I see. Well, perhaps Father Bartholomew chided him for some untoward behavior."

"Yes, but, I listened at the door just yesterday, and heard unusual sounds from within the vestry."

"Well, it appears to me that you are at fault for spying on a fellow priest. I counsel you not to do that."

"Yes, but, Bishop, I fear Father Bartholomew might be sexually abusing the child, so I am reporting that to you."

"Very well. I will ask Father Bartholomew if that is the case. You are not to pry into the situation any further. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. I understand."

[PJMcK]

1. Yeah, that sounds about right

And these are the guys that are going to tell me about morality?

No, thanks.

[MineralMan]

2. Well, it's a fictional dialogue, of course.

It's just my imagination at work, see. Nobody has heard such a conversation, except the Bishop and the Priest involved, of course.

Maybe nothing like that has ever taken place in the Bishop's chambers. Maybe.

[NeoGreen]

4. And maybe...

...just maybe, it has taken place in every Bishop's chamber.

[MineralMan]

5. Well, let's say I have a very good imagination for dialog.

I left out this part of the conversation:

"Please tell me the name of that altar boy, father. I will counsel him myself and inquire into this."

"Yes, Your Excellency. It is Bobby Brown."

"Thank you, Father. You are dismissed."

[Major Nikon]

3. We all know this is essentially what happens all the time in the RCC

We also know that the RCC is going to put up as many roadblocks as they can to keep this sort of activity from becoming public and subjecting them to significant criminal penalties and being sued into bankruptcy.

We also know there's no shortage of apologists who are going to assist the RCC in their efforts, and most of those people are on the far right of the political spectrum.

However, it's a bit disconcerting when you discover there's also those on the left who are more than happy to carry the RCC's child raping water, especially given this is also an organization that infamously lobbies against civil rights on several different fronts.

[MineralMan]

6. I'm afraid so. The abuse has become so pervasive that

covering it all up has become little more than habit in recent years. We are still learning its extent, and will see new revelations in the coming months and years.

Shocking and deplorable. How anyone can dismiss this as just "typical of all organizations," as I have seen done in this very group. "All organizations have abuses like this, so why single out the Church?"

Feh!

[Act_of_Reparation]

14. I've belonged to a number of organizations.

The only of them to put me in close proximity with not one, but two, sexual predators was the Roman Catholic Church.

[guillaumeb]

16. Busy spreading the child rape apologia claims I see.

Very busy.

[Major Nikon]

17. And so long as child rape apologia is parroted out I'll continue to do so

I guess you’ll just have to deal with it. Or not. Either way is fine by me.

[guillaumeb]

18. You really need to google the term.

Or continue to misuse it.

Either way is fine by me.

[Major Nikon]

20. Obviously it's not fine by you

But that is fine by me.

[sprinkleeninow]

7. Of all the 'fictional' names that could have been selected for this skit,

'Bartholomew' was chosen.

Just sayin'...

[MineralMan]

8. I'm not sure what you mean. I just pulled that out of my head.

Does it have some significance I don't know about? It's not an uncommon name.

[sprinkleeninow]

9. Bartholomeo/Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Constantinople

Yes, "Constantinople" bc that's the original name and, thank God, they continue to keep it.

How can I be a practicing Orthodox Christian and a liberal Democrat? I can and I am.

[MineralMan]

10. Ah, I see. I was unaware of that. If you Google "Father Bartholomew"

you'll find lots of results. It's a fairly commonly-chosen name, I think. No connection was intended, I assure you.

[marylandblue]

11. I don'r see why you can't do that, but for this purpose

Do you think the Orthodox Church hierarchy could be shielding large numbers of child abusers? If there is evidence that they are, would expect them to hand over the abusers and change their procedures to prevent future abuse?

[sprinkleeninow]

12. There were pockets of 'abuse', but not widespread.

The perpetrators were dealt with AFAIK.

One reason that the Orthodox Church, by and large, has little of this is bc the priests are able to marry. Yes, bishops, etc. are to be single or widowed. A number of bishops or metropolitans are widowers.

You pulled me in to make a reply after I claimed I was done. 😘

[marylandblue]

13. I have led you into temptation.

[sprinkleeninow]

15. Affirmative.

Some of this has almost brought me to taking one of the Lord's Names in vain publicly.

It's not you, it's me.

But you did put me to a test. I flunked. 🙃

😍 you.

[guillaumeb]

19. Retro me, Satanus!!

You are forgiven. The Creator, as our Muslim brothers and sisters say, is all merciful and all forgiving.

[sprinkleeninow]

21. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good and His mercy endureth forever." Amin.

[sprinkleeninow]

22. "Forgive me my sins, voluntary or deliberate. Oops, I meant involuntary." 🙃

The debil make me do stuff I doan wanna.