Children Need Protection and Fundamental Respect

[amhara]

Young people need to be protected from pedophiles, but even more fundamentally they need to be respected, said the International Catholic Child Bureau.

In a communiqué released last week, the bureau stated, “Before acts of pedophilia” take place “let us develop a culture of respect for the dignity and rights of the child.”

The organization, founded in 1948, in response to a call from Pope Pius XII to assist children harmed by war, is dedicated to advocacy for the rights of children. The group’s permanent representation committee is based in Geneva and coordinates its advocacy initiatives with international and European institutions.

The communiqué condemned “every form of sexual abuse of children wherever it is committed and no matter who the instigators are.”

The bureau expressed consternation over abuses of children by Catholic priests.

It stated: “Those violations must be taken before justice. Once demonstrated, culpability cannot go unpunished.”

Full: zenit.org/article-29023?l=english

 

[Mea_Culpa]

I have a suggestion for dealing with abuse in the Church. It may sound extreme or like I’m joking, but it’s a serious suggestion. When a priest is ordained, the Church should require that he become a citizen of the Vatican, which is sovereign and has it’s own laws, etc. One of those laws should state that if a Vatican citizen is found guilty of abusing a child, they will be executed by having a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into a lake (this is what Jesus recommended). When an abuse allegation comes up, the priest is called to the Vatican and stands trial. (The trial would take place on a boat in the middle of a lake.) If found guilty, he is executed on the spot. No coverups, no excuses. I’m willing to bet there would be a sharp drop in priests abusing children after a few executions.