“The decision could have far-reaching implications for Roman Catholic Church which now faces having to pay millions to sex abuse victims following the High Court’s ruling that it could be liable for priests’ crimes.

In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice MacDuff said the Church can be held responsible for the sins of its clergy because of the ‘immense power’ it gave them.”

Serious business!

One can called the Church’s defense “A drowning man grasping at the last straw” totally agree with Amused comments. For in indeed the church must lead the way for righteousness and not get in the way

David we have churches here guilty of many crimes including rape and elderly abuse.

Recently I was told of a story about the Seventh Days Adventist here in Barbados . A pastor and an Elder have cleaned out an old lady’s bank accounts and made her change her will leaving her property to the church. The old lady is senile and when her daughter who lived abroad, came home to visit her she found out that her mother had no money in all her accounts. She did some investigations and found out that these two church members were assisting the old lady on a regular basis. The told her that they wanted to fix her house and that she must take money from her account to do that. They took her to the bank and she withdrew the money and handed it to them. Her house was never fixed but theirs was. The latest story was that they told her there was a barrel at the port for her and they needed $6000.00 to clear it. The daughter who lives abroad says that she has never sent a barrel for her mother. The church claims that they have no proof that the members robbed this old woman and but they will change back the will. The lady is suffering from Alzheimer and has been for some time. The church Pastor and Elder saw this as a way to con her into releasing her funds without anyone noticing. They even took her to a lawyer (probably another church member) to get the will changed.

@islandgal. Thanks for that. It demonstrates clearly the lack of organised care for the elderly and those not competent. In other words, the lack of a properly organised social services system to identify these problems and to take action, in cases like this and others, to apply to the courts to have a guardian appointed for these people, the guardians being responsible to the courts for their actions. What the daughter of this lady now needs to do, since she lives overseas, is to have a guardian in Barbados appointed for her mother.

We now need to ask the Chief Justice to organise the Justice System in such a way that such applications are dealt with easily, cheaply and QUICKLY. Not have to wait YEARS until some blasted idiot at the Registry who should have been fired years ago gets around to it.

Ultimately, the solution to the problem lies in the need to get social services to work together with communities and the individuals in those communities in order to identify persons at risk, as this lady was.

This then agrees with David’s point that these things need to be tested by the Courts. I agree. I believe that the sexual abuse of children is far more widespread than we know and likely some of this abuse comes from church authorities. But the trouble, in the case of the church, is that the church lobby is so strong that there is a reluctance to investigate and prosecute complaints. This is made worse by the majority of almost brain-washed parents who consider church authorities and those who “preach and pray” incapable to telling a lie and would rather believe these people than their own children. Worse still, they would rather ignore the complaints of their children if they might prejudice their hopes for Heaven by exposing and prosecuting those that abuse those children.

I believe that if the true picture of child, vulnerable adult and elder abuse was known, we would be seriously shocked.

When we choose to remain silent we are guilty as the perpetrator. If we all adopt this attitude in all walks of life we will continue to encourage criminals to hide behind their religion, their political parties and their companies.

@ Amused | November 9, 2011 at 9:02 AM

“You said, quote “. . . . .to apply to the courts to have a guardian appointed for these people, the guardians being responsible to the courts for their actions. What the daughter of this lady now needs to do, since she lives overseas, is to have a guardian in Barbados appointed for her mother.” End quote.
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Just one question for you, sir,. . . . . . . .And, who is now going to guard the guardians? Do you think for one moment that these “guardians” are not going to seek their own selfish interests as well?

@ Amused

Not at all sure that I can provide an appropriate solution to the particular dilemma at the moment.

@de hood. I agree. I didn’t mean my comments to you to be adversarial. It was a sincere request to you to think the matter through and see if any possible alternative solution presents itself to you. “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes” is a valid question in any matter involving trust in any country, unfortunately. By the way, my use of the Latin is because I read it in a novel about the Spanish Civil War that was part of the curriculum at school when I was really young – I don’t even think I was in my teens yet. Over the years, I have certainly come to realise the truth of it as, clearly, have you.

Quoting islandgal246 “islandgal246 | November 9, 2011 at 7:56 AM | David we have churches here guilty of many crimes including rape and elderly abuse. Recently I was told of a story about the Seventh Days Adventist”

Seventh Day Badventists you mean.

The lady’s daughter who lives overseas needs to return to Barbados to live so that she can look after her mother. Expecting somebody else to look after your demented old mother (or father) is an exercise in stupidity. If it is to much of a sacrifice for the daughter, why should anybody else do it?

Tek ya time answering.

@Random Thoughts | November 9, 2011 at 11:07 PM. The word “Thoughts” in your moniker is a contradiction. If you had thought, you would no have made that comment. Better keep it at “Random”.

@Amused

Just makes any normal human being sick in the stomach. Welcome to the new normal.

@ David
Apologies, perhaps I made too broad a statement when I commented about the reverends/pastors in my earlier post. I should have made it clear that SOME of them were untrustworthy not all of them.

@ islandgal246 | November 10, 2011 at 4:45 PM |
Don’t be surprised if you invoke the wrath of the Jesus brigade with their biblical quotations ready to crucify you and commit you to the fiery flames of damnation!
Open the bat cave and release Zoe on the island for blaspheming, dolatry and rejecting Jesus as the Lord God & Saviour of all mankind!

@ Christopher Halsall | November 10, 2011 at 5:47 PM |
Yes! A message of love and truth, acceptance of diversity, forgiveness and justice for the wronged!
Oh what a tangled web we weave when the message is lost in translation!
I strongly feel that the Church has been taken over so much by the children of darkness and evil that the voices of the few innocents that remain are drowned out by those who have executed a coup against the genuine Jesus and what he really stood for.

Quote: millertheanunnaki | November 10, 2011 at 6:04 PM

“Oh what a tangled web we weave when the message is lost in translation!” End quote.
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Very well said. Not only do we have mis-translation but we also have mis-interpretation of the mis-translation!

Miller …if only Black people would only stop and see how brainwashed they have been. But NO Jesus the white God will come to save them no matter what and take them through the pearly gates to live forever and ever.

Quoting amused “If you had thought, you would no have made that comment”

I do not only talk the talk. I walk the walk.