Hi Degs here again with another intermittent  post

I may not be posting regularly but I am still managing to visit the site on a more regular  basis.It is pleasing to see that more MOB,s are contributing and commenting .However what you don’t  see are the viewing audience that some days can be well in excess of 100, giving us one viewer every 10 minutes or so .People are still interested in what is being said so don’t think that we aren’t being listened to. As well as that the audience is global,lets just say that it would be easier to list the countries where we don’t have watchers.

I hope that people have seen Tonys YouTube entries slightly before  my time but fascinating ,what a great collection of visual memories .Judging from the response so far it looks like the reunion is on its way to being another great success.I am looking forward to meeting and talking face to face with all the MOBs who have shown interest in the blog.(by the way Martin I play the banjo and the bodhran ,the two most unwelcome instruments in any session ,badly.So how about a bit of a jam then ??) It will be good to see everyone. Perhaps after a few beers we may be able to persuade  Mick and Eamon to carry on for one more.

There was an interesting piece in the Guardian about the popes decision to retire by Jonathan Freedland  .The crux of which was this “Benedict did too little to deal with sex offenders in the priesthood. He must be held to account- in this life not the next”

Here are two extracts from the article

When he was the archbishop of Munich, in 1980, the case of  Peter Hullerman crossed his desk. Fr Hullerman was accused of multiple crimes of abuse. In one case he had taken an 11 year old boy hiking in the mountains, plied him with drink, stripped him,locked the door  and forced him to perform oral sex.Yet Hullerman’s punishment was simply to be moved from Essen to Munich for therapy.Within days ,this known sexual predator was given pastoral duties with access to young people-and he promptly abused again.Benedict’s defenders have long insisted those fateful decisions were taken by his deputy .But the crucial documents,when they surfaced, said  otherwise.

The case of California priest Stephen Kiesle , convicted of tying up and molesting two boys in a church rectory.His superiors wrote to Rome in 1981 requesting the abuser be defrocked, warning of a scandal if he remained.After an initial request  for more information,Ratzinger took four years to deliver his reply.It came in Latin-and said his office needed more time to consider the case.No doubt grateful for the delay,Kiesle was able to return to one of his former parishes-in the youth ministry.

Dose this ring any bells with anyone ?There are several more examples even more outrageous it is well worth a read.

All the best Degs