Rape row sparks excommunications
By Gary Duffy
BBC News, Sao Paulo

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45538000/gif/_45538643_brazil_ernambucomarch09.gif

A Brazilian archbishop says all those who helped a child rape victim secure an abortion are to be excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins.

It is alleged that she had been sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather.

The excommunication applies to the child's mother and the doctors involved in the procedure.

The pregnancy was terminated on Wednesday.

Abortion is only permitted in Brazil in cases of rape and where the mother's life is at risk and doctors say the girl's case met both these conditions.

Police believe that the girl at the centre of the case had been sexually abused by her step-father since she was six years old.

The fact that she was pregnant with twins was only discovered after she was taken to hospital in Pernambuco complaining of stomach pains.

Her stepfather was arrested last week, allegedly as he tried to escape to another region of the country.

He is also suspected of abusing the girl's physically handicapped older sister who is now 14.

Intervention bid

The Catholic Church tried to intervene to prevent the abortion going ahead but the procedure was carried out on Wednesday.

Now a Church spokesman says all those involved, including the child's mother and the doctors, are to be excommunicated.

The Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, told Brazil's TV Globo that the law of God was above any human law.

He said the excommunication would not apply to the child because of her age, but would affect all those who ensured the abortion was carried out.

However, doctors at the hospital said they had to take account of the welfare of the girl, and that she was so small that her uterus did not have the ability to contain one child let alone two.

While the action of the Church in opposing an abortion for a young rape victim is not unprecedented, it has attracted criticism from women's rights groups in Brazil.

Source: BBC

Just dreadful, that poor girl.

Religion again at it's very worst.

Excommunication is more humane then stoning to death, which is what muslims do to rape victims.

tallowood wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 8:02am:

Excommunication is more humane then stoning to death, which is what muslims do to rape victims.

It wasn't originally intended to be humane. It was a form of sanctioned sadism and slow death. The excommunicated were once cut off from their communities and were treated like lepers.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 8:09am:

tallowood wrote on Mar 6th, 2009 at 8:02am: Excommunication is more humane then stoning to death, which is what muslims do to rape victims. It wasn't originally intended to be humane. It was a form of sanctioned sadism and slow death. The excommunicated were once cut off from their communities and were treated like lepers.

Islam punished rape victims originally and do so now and they don't want to change. If you don't believe me ask abu.

tallow - this is not a thread on muslims.


I'ld think this was more a legal issue than one any church should get involved in.
They sure showed a complete lack of compassion. So much for helping someone in need.

Situations like this, there is more than anough pain there without any outside establishment adding to it.

Many Christian denominations (and especially the Catholic Church) have a long history of arrogating to themselves authority over all aspects of people’s lives. This sense of primacy is still very much alive and manifests whenever it can.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 8:20am:

tallow - this is not a thread on muslims. I'ld think this was more a legal issue than one any church should get involved in. They sure showed a complete lack of compassion. So much for helping someone in need. Situations like this, there is more than anough pain there without any outside establishment adding to it.

Yes, how could I forget that islam is the religion of peace and when they punish victims of rape it is for the good of victims and world peace.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 8:35am:

Many Christian denominations (and especially the Catholic Church) have a long history of arrogating to themselves authority over all aspects of people’s lives. This sense of primacy is still very much alive and manifests whenever it can.

Back to topic.
Many Christian denominations (and especially the Catholic Church) members should immediately quit their their ideologies and convert to islam. That will bring peace to the world and make rape victims very happy, for sure.

tallowood wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 8:55am:

NorthOfNorth wrote on Mar 6th, 2009 at 8:35am: Many Christian denominations (and especially the Catholic Church) have a long history of arrogating to themselves authority over all aspects of people’s lives. This sense of primacy is still very much alive and manifests whenever it can. Back to topic. Many Christian denominations (and especially the Catholic Church) members should immediately quit their their ideologies and convert to islam. That will bring peace to the world and make rape victims very happy, for sure.

Methinks the Tallow doth protest too much.

Quote:

"....The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins. It is alleged that she had been sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather."

Let me suggest a possible outcome if this girl had been a muslim child.



As soon as her stepfather had an inkling that this child was pregnant [to him], he would have murdered her, to protect the family [his] honour.

And the local Sharia court would have endorsed the murder.

End of story.

Yadda wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 11:46am:

Quote: "....The girl, aged nine, who lives in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco, became pregnant with twins. It is alleged that she had been sexually assaulted over a number of years by her stepfather." Let me suggest a possible outcome if this girl had been a muslim child. As soon as her stepfather had an inkling that this child was pregnant [to him], he would have murdered her, to protect the family [his] honour. And the local Sharia court would have endorsed the murder. End of story.

But she isn't a muslim child is she...she's a christian child. And it has nothing to do with Sharia, and everything to do with the church who is threatening to ex-communicate her for aborting.

Care to comment on the topic at hand, and the article,  instead of trying to pathetically deflect and make this thread about Islam...again.

Lestat wrote on Mar 6^th, 2009 at 1:59pm:

But she isn't a muslim child is she...she's a christian child. And it has nothing to do with Sharia, and everything to do with the church who is threatening to ex-communicate her for aborting. Care to comment on the topic at hand, and the article,  instead of trying to pathetically deflect and make this thread about Islam...again.

Lestat,

I thought the 'topic' and purpose of this thread, was as an indictment against the rape and abuse of children - no matter what their cultural background?

In the case cited, it was about the rape and abuse of a child within a Christian community.

But you don't imagine, that such rape and abuse of children, is just confined to the jurisdiction of just one religious group?

Surely?

And shouldn't all such behaviour be condemned and EXPOSED?

To shame the perpetrators of such wicked actions?







MORE ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN CITED.....

"Report: More young girls face rape in Afghanistan," from CNN, March 6 2009
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Rapes targeting girls as young as seven are on the increase in Afghanistan where conditions for women are little better than under the Taliban, the U.N. and rights groups say."
.....Violence against women comes in the form of rape, "honor killings," early and forced marriages, sexual abuse and slavery, the report says.
....."Rapes in the country have been growing tremendously, particularly child rapes within the ages of 9, 8, 7, even lesser than that,"
.....Domestic violence against child brides is widespread, said Suraya Pakzad, the founder of the Voice of Women organization, who was married at age 14 and has six children. She said girls as young as 10 face "violation" by husbands 40 years their senior.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/03/06/afghan.women/index.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025123.php






p.s.

Lestat,

This thread is not about Christians, per se.




And abu has stated elsewhere, that....

".....We [muslims] believe any religious influence is better than none (even if it's not our religion). Muslims support Christianity being influential, because we see it as better than secularism/atheism dominating and turning the society completely Godless."

"Christianity should have a strong role in Britain"
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1236252136/3#3