A ‘mistake’?

I called the Barrie courthouse today to find out what is happening with the sex abuse charges against Monsignor/retired  Brigadier General Roger Bazin,  former Chaplain General of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

Troubling news. 

But first, Bazin’s next court date is 24 November 2010 (09:00 am, Courtroom #9 “to be spoken to.”) 

Now, the troubling news… 

It seems that the buggery charge is gone.  The current charges against Bazin are: 

• indecent assault
• indecent assault on a male
• indecent assault
• gross indecency 

No buggery charge.  Gone. 

I was concerned that this would happen. I had my say 31 July 2010.  What more is there to say? Staff at Canada’s gay and lesbian paper Xtra took a keen interest in Bazin’s plight, and most specifically it seemed, took exception to the buggery charge. The buggery charge is gone. 

 Bazin went into this with, according to at least one source, 10 charges against him, one of those being buggery.  Obviously there were allegations that Bazin sodomized a victim, and at the time sodomy (buggery law) was a crime unless those involved were  two consenting adults age 21 or over.  Persons are charged according to the law of the land at the time a crime was committed, hence the buggery charge.  

Over the months the charges against Bazin have somehow been whittled away.  As noted, the most serious of the charges, buggery, is gone.  Four charges remain. 

Bazin now faces four charges. 

But, think on it.  Even with the whittling done or on-going, a retired Brigadier General, former Chaplain General and Monsignor of the Church is facing four charges of sex abuse of young boys. 

Silence. 

By way of interest and for what it’s worth,  Monsignor Bazin was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Boniface Manitoba in 1967.  Bishop Antoine Hacault was auxiliary bishop of the diocese from 1964 to 1974; he was installed as Archbishop of St. Boniface in  1974.   

That is the same Hacault who, in 1990, ordained convicted child molester and dangerous offender Martin Houston– “The Devil of Grollier Hall” – to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, Manitoba. 

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I am waiting a call back from the Ottawa courthouse re the next court date for Father William Allen. As soon as I find out I will make note of it. 

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Check New to the Site.  I posted a number of articles yesterday and early this am. Some I have already commented on.  All warrant comment, but time is of the essence so will restrict to this one: 

27 October 2010: Priests challenge policy on child abuse allegations 

From the time this group formed I anticipated trouble.  I did not anticipate it in this manner. 

The group’s spokesman, Basilian Redemptorist  priest Father Tony Flannery, wants to create a distinction between ‘the paedophile and the man who had behaved inappropriately towards a teenager three decades ago.’

According to the article, Flannery insists that a distinction be made between ‘the serial paedophile and the immature young cleric knowing nothing about sexuality who made a mistake.’

Flannery and his group expressed sympathy ‘with colleagues’ who had been excluded from ministry ‘even though their behaviour since the alleged complaint had been blameless.’

For starters, how does Father Flannery or anyone know that the lives of these molesters have been blameless?  Their lives were thought to be blameless before they were caught, were they not? 

As for distinctions and immaturity and inappropriate behaviour ‘decades ago’ – sorry Father.  No excuses.   No more excuses for a priest molesting a child.  No more excuses for the raping the soul of a child.  No more excuses.  Clericla sexual abuse is not a  ‘mistake’ on the part of a priest.  It’s a perversion.  A downright perversion.  These men are not fit to serve as priests.

And, to be honest, I am sick and tired of the quibbling.  I invariably call the whole lot of them molesters or sexual predators, that way there can be no confusion and I can never be accused, Heaven forbid,  of erroneously calling a paedophile an ephebophile, or an ephebophile a paedophile, or a paedophile a pederast, or a pederast a hebophile or whatever.  

They are molesters.  They are sexual predators.  They prey on our young. 

A mistake?!!!!!  A priest molesting a young boy is no more than a little mistake? 

Imagine the audacity of a priest to make a statement like that!  In a counry which has been torn asunderand is still reeling from the the clercial sexual abuse scandals!

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The website contact didn’t work out.  I am back to the drawing board 🙂

Enough for now, 

Sylvia