Catholic Controversy Wisconsin Priest, Rev. Lawrence Murphy accused of molesting 200 deaf boys is defended by the Vatican.
Kelly Nunez Staff Writer Recently hundreds of cases linking Catholic priests, sexual abuse, and child molestation have come to light. Although these cases in recent weeks have been making major headlines, there have been lewd acts of sexual abuse by priests going on for numerous years. Yet on many occasions, the Catholic Church and Vatican have shied away and dismissed these substantial issues. When the Pope, signifying virtue with a religion focused on morality, looks the other way and ineffectively disciplines these criminals, the Catholic Church becomes questionable to followers and easily open for attack from critics. Pope Benedict XVI only complicates matters when he disregards the scandal by simply saying that Jesus“leads us toward the courage not to be intimidated by the gossip of dominant opinion.” The public is faced with uncertainty of the intentions of the Vatican and Catholic Church leaders and officials, creating an extremely controversial subject. For many centuries, the church and state have fought for separation of powers and to remain uninvolved with one another. But when a severe crime such as sexual abuse transpires within the church, many believe these powers must be eliminated and the state must intervene. The Vatican is dealing with these problems secretly instead of going to the authorities. The fact that scandal within the church clergy is being covered up to protect reputations has many losing trust in the church and as a result has caused a decrease in attendance to Mass. The approach Pope Benedict and church officials have taken presents the idea that these religious leaders care more about themselves and the church instead of the welfare of others, including these young children involved in the sexual abuse. The public is terribly disgusted by the mess created and the actions of many within the church and the idea of a “church hierarchy”. Protests are even taking place outside cathedrals for Pope Benedict to rethink his actions and protect the innocent and not the guilty. With cases such as a priest sexually abusing over 200 deaf boys, or a once youthful priest having boys sign papers keeping relationships in secrecy from the police, the church has opened its doors to heavy controversy and a mess that will need to be cleaned up within time and with effort and change. |
Bombs Away 47 nations come together to eliminate the nuclear threat.
Artie Trotter Online Editor On April 12th and 13th leaders and representatives from 47 different countries met in Washington D.C. for the Nuclear Security Summit. The issue at hand focused mainly on securing the materials and accessing the risks of nuclear materials in other countries. At his press conference after the meetings President Obama detailed what had been discussed and accomplished at the meetings. First, the leaders had to come to terms on the severity of the risks that surround the nuclear security programs. They agreed that one of the greatest dangers is nuclear terrorism, and that the best way to prevent the materials from falling into the wrong hands is through strong nuclear security. Second, the nations came together to endorse the idea presented by Obama last year at the Prague Summit: to secure all vulnerable materials around the world in four year’s time. President Obama outlined some of the major achievements from the conference, “Canada agreed to give up a significant quantity of highly enriched uranium. Chile has given up its entire stockpile. Ukraine and Mexico announced that they will do the same. Other nations -- such as Argentina and Pakistan -- announced new steps to strengthen port security and prevent nuclear smuggling.” This all comes after the United States and Russia renewed and updated the START treaty. The (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which will limit the number of nuclear warheads to 1,550 and will allow only 800 deployed and non-deployed inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) launchers, submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague by Obama and Medvedev, the Russian President. The treaty will last ten years, with an option to renew it for up to five years upon agreement of both parties. Not all nations were happy with the way the summit went, however. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, who was not invited to the Nuclear Summit, was not pleased with Obama’s goal to persuade Iran’s reluctant trading partners like China to enforce greater sanctions on Iran. Ahmadinejad said, "The Security Council has openly turned into a tool for the implementation of the policies of a few bullying nations." At his own nuclear conference in Tehran, the Iranian president stated that his nuclear resources are only for civilian purposes. He also added that Iran will do all it can to counter nuclear weapons. Negativity even came from inside the United States. Charles Hanley, of the Associated Press, commented that "the world took a big step out of the age of MAD and into an even madder age, when a dark vision of random nuclear terror will shadow our days for decades or more to come." Even with the scrutiny from the Middle East and the press, Obama called the Summit an “enormously productive day.” |
Meet Your New Leaders As “The Governator” plans to step down, several candidates vie to take his place
Kayla Wagner Op/Ed Editor The California gubernatorial election is only months away. Though candidates are still being chosen, three in particular have begun to stand out. Republican Meg Whitman is best known for serving as the CEO of eBay. Her campaign rests on the slogan “Building a New California.” In order to realize this goal, she has outlined her three priorities as: creating “two million new jobs by the beginning of 2015,” establishing “long-term fiscal stability,” and fixing “our failing school system.” Whitman plans to use her business experience to rid California of inefficiency and cut “runaway spending.” She considers Ronald Regan her political inspiration and quoted him as saying, “ America is too great for small dreams,” adding that, “The same is true for our Golden State .” Steve Poizner, also Republican, has a different plan for California ’s future. He is known for developing GPS chips for cell phones and developing technological companies throughout Silicon Valley . He currently works as California ’s insurance commissioner. One way Poizner plans to balance the budget is by passing a law that would eliminate taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants. He believes that taking more serious measures to cease illegal immigration will save the state billions of dollars each year. He also plans to hold employers responsible for their hiring practices and even revoke their business licenses if they knowingly hire illegal immigrants. Finally, Democratic candidate Jerry Brown will also run in this November’s election. Brown is well-known in politics and served as California ’s governor from 1975 until 1983. He has also worked as California ’s Secretary of State and chair of the California Democratic Party. He is currently serving as California ’s Attorney General. Brown has been known throughout his political career for his concern for worker’s rights, environmental protection and preventing political corruption. As the Mayor of Oakland, he succeeded in making Oakland one of the top ten green cities in the country. During his governorship, Brown chose to live in a modest apartment rather than the extravagant governor’s residence and traveled in a compact car rather than a limousine, unlike most of his predecessors had done. Though more candidates will likely join the ranks for election before November, these three appear to be the front-runners for the time being. Their respective experiences in politics have been varied, just as their plans to reform California are.
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