Condoms are baaad, Paying Off Pedophiles? Not so much

From the New York Times:

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York authorized payments of as much as $20,000 to sexually abusive priests as an incentive for them to agree to dismissal from the priesthood when he was the archbishop of Milwaukee.

Questioned at the time about the news that one particularly notorious pedophile cleric had been given a “payoff” to leave the priesthood, Cardinal Dolan, then the archbishop, responded that such an inference was “false, preposterous and unjust.”

The Times doesn't give any more information on that notorious pedophile cleric.  I will.  Here's what was reported in 2006:

Milwaukee -- A local advocate group for the survivors of sexual abuse from clergy members is questioning a $10,000 payment to a former clergyman accused of sexually abusing young boys.

The Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) released a videotaped deposition Thursday as part of an $18 million settlement last week between nine abuse victims and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The videotape includes a confession by former clergyman Franklyn Becker. Becker said he was transferred from parish to parish in the 1970s and '80s, despite allegations of sexual encounters with teenage boys. He said he was even posted at parishes with others who shared his desires.

"I was stationed with a classmate of mine who also had a predilection for teenage boys," Becker said on the tape, which was recorded last month.

And then:

After the arrival of Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Becker was removed from active ministry in 2002. He was completely removed from the priesthood in 2004 by Pope John Paul II.

Upon his release from the archdiocese, Becker was given $10,000 to cover expenses until his Medicaid supplements began.

Victims' advocates are questioning the money.

"I don't think people donating to the archdiocese are going to be very happy to hear that this man was given any money. For what? He is rewarded. Is it a pension? Is he given a severance? Is this a bonus?" abuse victims' advocate Peter Isely said.

Late Thursday, Dolan released a statement in response, writing, "For anyone to assert that this money was a payoff or occurred in exchange for Becker agreeing to leave the priesthood is completely false, preposterous, and unjust. What this was, instead, was an act of charity, in-line with Catholic Social Teaching, that allowed a person to obtain health insurance coverage he simply could not afford on his own. If people want to criticize me for that charity, so be it."

No. Not a pay off. Of course not.  An act of charity for a known pedophile.  This act of charity was about 10 years ago.

Twenty-two years ago Becker apologized to his Archbishop for being involved with a teenage boy.  Luckily for Becker, the boy's mother was "sympathetic" and didn't press charges.

That Archbishop?  Look what happened to him:

Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee was one of the Catholic Church's most venerable voices for change until 2002 when he resigned amid revelations that he had used church money to pay a $450,000 settlement to a man with whom he had had a relationship years earlier.

His successor? Timothy Dolan.

The same guy who's so much against contraception that he'd allow the poor to starve.

But there's tens of thousands of dollars for known pedophiles.

I'll ask it again: Given the atrocious behavior of the Catholic Church regarding it's own misbehaving priests, why should we even consider any statement of sexual morality coming from any spokesperson for that church with any sort of credibility?

Clash Of World Views: Obama vs Teh Crazies

President Obama makes an exceedingly reasonable statement:

So I decided it was time to affirm my personal belief that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

And the culture warriors go crazie.

We have to start with Senator Man on Dog himself:

The announcement today by President Obama should come as no surprise to the American public. President Obama has consistently fought against protecting the institution of marriage from radical social engineering at both the state and federal level. The President recently opposed the North Carolina constitutional amendment and, of course, he refused to defend President Clinton's Defense of Marriage Act before the U.S. Supreme court. The charade is now over, no doubt an attempt to galvanize his core hard left supporters in advance of the November election.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

President Obama’s comments today in support of the redefinition of marriage are deeply saddening. As I stated in my public letter to the President on September 20, 2011, the Catholic Bishops stand ready to affirm every positive measure taken by the President and the Administration to strengthen marriage and the family. However, we cannot be silent in the face of words or actions that would undermine the institution of marriage, the very cornerstone of our society. The people of this country, especially our children, deserve better.

Rush Limbaugh:

It's official. Obama has announced he supports gay marriage after talks with his wife and daughters, gay service members, and others. Pink smoke coming from the White House chimney.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue:

President Obama will be hurt by this decision in the swing states. More than that, he has now made this cultural matter a major issue in the presidential campaign.

The time has finally come to pass a constitutional amendment affirming marriage as an institution reserved to the only two people who can naturally produce a family, namely a man and a woman.

Same sex couples should be allowed to marry. It's only fair.

And just because the bigotry is faith-based, doesn't mean it isn't bigotry.