words of love and despair

January 10th, 2012

Anal rape?

I was talking to my counselor the other day about my sexual abuse and how left out I feel in support groups because I’ve never been vaginally raped. The closest thing I’ve ever come to being vaginally raped was when my mom’s ex boyfriend would stick objects inside of me as a punishment (by most technical/legal definitions this counts as “sexually battery”). Every time I’ve ever been ‘raped’ it was all oral or anal.

She told me that in actuality, many women are anally raped and embarrassed to come forward and say it — so they pass it off as vaginal penetration. She said that even when women get rape kits they sometimes are required to allow an anal swab as well as a genital one.

Me? I openly talk about how I was anally raped in my support group, and when I advocate against rape culture. I hope maybe it will inspire or motivate another victim to open up and tell their story.

So if you’ve been anally raped I would be really interested in hearing your story. My submit link it up if an ask if too short. Really, if you’ve ever been raped feel free to talk to me about it — I love talking to survivors. You’re all so strong.

This ^

November 9th, 2011

Beating Babies in the Name of Jesus? The Shady World of Right-Wing 'Discipline' Guides

There is a brutal movement in America that legitimizes child abuse in the name of God. Two stories recently converged to make us pay attention. Last week, a video went viral of a Texas judge brutally whipping his disabled daughter. And on Monday, the New York Times published a story about child deaths in homes that have embraced the teachings of To Train Up a Child, a book by Christian preacher Michael Pearl that advocates using a switch on children as young as six months old.

What many people may not realize is that in the evangelical alternative universe of the home school movement, tightly knit church communities and the following of a number of big-time leaders and authors, physical punishment of children has been glorified for years.

As the Times illustrates — “Preaching Virtue of Spanking, Even as Deaths Fuel Debate” — the books of Michael Pearl and his wife Debi have been found in the homes where several children were killed.

November 4th, 2011

Vatican stunned by Irish embassy closure

Catholic Ireland’s stunning decision to close its embassy to the Vatican is a huge blow to the Holy See’s prestige and may be followed by other countries which feel the missions are too expensive, diplomatic sources said on Friday.

The closure brought relations between Ireland and the Vatican, once ironclad allies, to an all-time low following the row earlier this year over the Irish Church’s handling of sex abuse cases and accusations that the Vatican had encouraged secrecy.

Ireland will now be the only major country of ancient Catholic tradition without an embassy to the Vatican.

“This is really bad for the Vatican because Ireland is the first big Catholic country to do this and because of what Catholicism means in Irish history,” said a Vatican diplomatic source who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

About fucking time. Read More

October 14th, 2011

Kansas City Bishop charged for not bringing pornography found on priest’s computer to police - The Washington Post

October 3rd, 2011

friendlyatheist:

Re-blogged for pure awesomeness. Plus it is on the morals topic.

-FA

September 13th, 2011

alifeofreason:

theholyprepuce:

A formal complaint has this week been lodged with the International Criminal Court accusing the pope and three other Catholic leaders of crimes against humanity.

The submission by the Centre of Constitutional Rights accuses the four men of facilitating the global mass rape of children by Catholic priests and engaging in the “systematic and widespread” practice of concealing the sexual crimes around the word.

Letters and documents demonstrating the Vaticans’ refusal to co-operate with law enforcement agencies and the policy of obstructing investigations have also been submitted.

It is estimated that over the last few decades, more than 100 000 children have been raped by Catholic priests in the US alone.

The Vatican’s international trafficking in pedophile priests is not a recent issue and allegations of abuse date back to the origins of the Church, almost 2,000 years ago. A manual for priests called the Didache addresses what had already become a problem soon after the Church was founded. The Didache predates the canonization of the New Testament (circa 400 CE).

Amnesty International’s latest annual human rights report has finally cited the Vatican for the first time, concluding that there is widespread evidence of child sexual abuse by members of the clergy over past decades, and an “enduring failure” of the Catholic church to seek redress.

The Vatican refuses to recognize the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction.

I really hope that this goes through. It is about time this evil organization pays for a few of its crimes against humanity. It seems typical that the Vatican would refuse to acknowledge any kind of criminal court.

July 25th, 2011

The Vatican has recalled its special envoy in Ireland after a damning report on the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse by priests.
Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Leanza has been called back to Rome to discuss the impact of the recent Cloyne Report.
It showed how allegations of sex abuse by priests in Cork had been covered up.
The report led to angry condemnation of the Vatican by Prime Minister Enda Kenny in the Irish Parliament.
In a blistering attack, Mr Kenny accused the church of putting its reputation ahead of child rape victims.
Vice-director of the Vatican press office Father Ciro Benedettini said the nuncio’s recall “should be interpreted as an expression of the desire of the Holy See for serious and effective collaboration with the (Irish) government”.
He added that it “denotes the seriousness of the situation and the Holy See’s desire to face it objectively and determinately.
“Nor does it exclude some degree of surprise and disappointment at certain excessive reactions.”
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said the decision to recall the nuncio was a matter for the Holy See.
“The government is awaiting the response of the Holy See to the recent report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne and it is to be expected that the Vatican would wish to consult in depth with the Nuncio on its response.”

Read More

The Vatican has recalled its special envoy in Ireland after a damning report on the Catholic Church’s handling of child abuse by priests.

Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Leanza has been called back to Rome to discuss the impact of the recent Cloyne Report.

It showed how allegations of sex abuse by priests in Cork had been covered up.

The report led to angry condemnation of the Vatican by Prime Minister Enda Kenny in the Irish Parliament.

In a blistering attack, Mr Kenny accused the church of putting its reputation ahead of child rape victims.

Vice-director of the Vatican press office Father Ciro Benedettini said the nuncio’s recall “should be interpreted as an expression of the desire of the Holy See for serious and effective collaboration with the (Irish) government”.

He added that it “denotes the seriousness of the situation and the Holy See’s desire to face it objectively and determinately.

“Nor does it exclude some degree of surprise and disappointment at certain excessive reactions.”

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said the decision to recall the nuncio was a matter for the Holy See.

“The government is awaiting the response of the Holy See to the recent report into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne and it is to be expected that the Vatican would wish to consult in depth with the Nuncio on its response.”