this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2023
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Paragons of Virtue Arrested

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It's time to name and shame the self-proclaimed paragons of virtue. Keep it civil, though.

Stories are about those who have been placed in positions of trust, and then abused that trust.

Feel free to add stories of the self-righteous from other walks of life.

New rule: With regard to stories of particularly, but not only, female teachers sexually assaulting students. Any comments similar to "where were they when I was in school" will earn you the right to find another forum.

#notadragqueen

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In Oakland, California, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Christ the Light is difficult to miss. Towering over Lake Merritt in the heart of the city, its modernist glass dome reflects the East Bay sun in all directions.

The building, which was completed in 2008 and financed by the Roman Catholic diocese of Oakland, cost $175m. But that price tag confounds Joseph Piscitelli.

In the 1970s, Piscitelli attended a Catholic high school in nearby Richmond, where, from the age of 14, he experienced repeated sexual abuse at the hands of his vice-principal, an ordained priest. For decades, Piscitelli experienced nightmares and panic attacks. Friends who had also been abused turned to drugs and alcohol, and several took their own lives.

In 2003, Piscitelli sued the Salesian College Preparatory high school and the Salesian order, and won. While the cases were decided in his favor in 2006, they had not held leaders at the top accountable. So, in 2020, he filed a new suit, this time against the Oakland diocese.

Then, to Piscitelli’s dismay, the diocese declared bankruptcy in May. As a result, his case was put on an indefinite hold.

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

Well, time to sell the church and pay the victims.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

So, if they are bankrupt, sell off their hardware: Real estate, churches, pieces of art. It should make enough to cover the payments to abuse victims.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Locally we call it the vagina church because it looks like a vagina.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The Pope must’ve known that this story was coming out thus he fired that Texan bishop as a distraction.