However, the rest of the story is that at least 20 people stood around and watched the fight and did nothing to break it up. One of them caught the entire fight on their cell phone camera. They did provide it to the police, and hour after the event took place. The evening news had a clip of the fight on last night so it appears that the news got hold of it as well.

So what is our responsibility toward our fellow man? If we see something like this do we have a moral obligation to step in stop it? Should there be laws that if you stand by and do nothing you should be penalized somehow in all of this? We need to do something because this is getting worse.

Most of the reported cases of sexual abuse of minors in this country are not from celibate men but just the opposite from married heterosexual men, and women, yes women. This is a psychological problem that needs to be looked at from that perspective. If I am making the abuse seem less than it is I am sorry and believe me I apologize to you for what has happened and feel that more should be done. But we need to get to the root of the problem.

Anyway I digress. This is the first time that the Pope, any Pope, has spoken out on what has happened. I believe the catholic church, as well as my own Orthodox Church, have policies in place now to handle this in the future. Will it prevent every case, please God yes, but perhaps not. The article suggests that places be set up where victims can go for counseling. Perhaps this is a good idea I do not know. All I know is that with the number of us celibate priests out here doing our work and not abusing kids it cannot solely be a celibate problem. That may have played a part in some of this but it is not the major reason. It is also not a homosexual thing, as there is no evidence to support that.

Please pray for the victims, please pray for those who were the abusers. Please pray for the families of all involved. Pray for humanity as this is a problem for all of us not just a few.

Benedict was answering questions that were submitted in advance by reporters aboard a special Alitalia airliner as he was flying from Rome to Washington to begin his first papal pilgrimage to the United States.

“It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the Church in general and for me personally that this could happen,” Benedict said. “It is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betray in this way their mission … to these children.

“I am deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future,” the pope said.

Benedict pledged that pedophiles would not be priests in the Roman Catholic church.
“We will absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry,” Benedict said, speaking in English. “It is more important to have good priests than many priests. We will do everything possible to heal this wound.”

Benedict’s pilgrimage was the first trip by a pontiff to the United States since the sex abuse scandal rocked U.S. dioceses in the early 2000s and triggered lawsuits that have cost the church hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.

From boston.com

Anyway, Welcome!

If a Red Sox fan can forgive Bill Buckner for loosing the world series why do we find it so hard to forgive those who have wronged us. For us Orthodox we are still in the season of Great Lent. We begin this season with the Sunday of Forgiveness so that we start the time off in the right state of mind. At the beginning of the liturgy the deacon prays in Peace let us Pray to the Lord. We must be at peace with one another, we must forgive one another, before we can approach God for forgiveness.

If there is someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way reach out and forgive them and pray for them. If they are gone then ask for their forgiveness or write them a letter and tell them that you forgive them and then burn the letter and as the smoke rises pray with the psalmist let my prayer arise like incense before thee.