New Vatican document on sexual abuse of minors [CWN]

[CWN_News]

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a circular letter "to assist episcopal conferences in developing guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual abuse of minors …

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[Abyssinia]

The Vatican told bishops around the world Monday that it was important to cooperate with police in reporting priests who rape and molest children and said they should develop guidelines for preventing sex abuse by next May.

But the suggestions in the letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are vague and nonbinding and contain no enforcement mechanisms to ensure bishops actually draft the guidelines or follow them.

That is a significant omission given the latest scandal in the United States involves allegations Philadelphia’s archbishop left accused priests in ministry despite purportedly tough U.S. guidelines, and evidence that Irish bishops weren’t cooperating with an independent board overseeing compliance with the guidelines of the church in Ireland.

The document marks the latest effort by the Vatican to show it’s serious about rooting out priestly pedophiles and preventing abuse following the eruption on a global scale of the abuse scandal last year with thousands of victims coming forward.

Read more: foxnews.com/world/2011/05/16/vatican-suggests-bishops-report-abuse-police/#ixzz1MWvHpx2J

 

[CrimsonCatholic]

I am not understanding why the Vatican and the Bishops do not enforce when a crime is commit or an accusation to turn it over to the police for investigation?

 

[adv1sor]

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

The Vatican *suggests *bishops report abuse to the police?

I suggest that anyone who does otherwise is just as guilty as the abuser whom they are protecting.

Will the Church ever get this right? Why do they allow this to continue?

 

[whm]

The Vatican *suggests *bishops report abuse to the police?

I suggest that anyone who does otherwise is just as guilty as the abuser whom they are protecting.

Will the Church ever get this right? Why do they allow this to continue?

I think part of the issue is that the Church operates in many different countries. Not Just the US and western Europe. Some countries the police can not be trusted to conduct a fair/just investigation. Therefore, the policy has to be written to cover the entire Church.

Here in the US we should be looking to our conference of bishops to have a stronger policy of reporting to the police. Some other solution may be needed in say, North Korea, Somali, part of Latin America etc.

 

[Godfollower]

The Vatican *suggests *bishops report abuse to the police?

I suggest that anyone who does otherwise is just as guilty as the abuser whom they are protecting.

Will the Church ever get this right? Why do they allow this to continue?

Here’s what the letter actually says:

Sexual abuse of minors is not just a canonical delict but also a crime prosecuted by civil law. Although relations with civil authority will differ in various countries, nevertheless it is important to cooperate with such authority within their responsibilities. Specifically, without prejudice to the sacramental internal forum, the prescriptions of civil law regarding the reporting of such crimes to the designated authority should always be followed. This collaboration, moreover, not only concerns cases of abuse committed by clerics, but also those cases which involve religious or lay persons who function in ecclesiastical structures.

[Circular Letter to Assist Episcopal Conferences in Developing Guidelines for Dealing with Cases of Sexual Abuse of Minors Perpetrated by Clerics](http://press.catholica.va/news_services/bulletin/news/27423.php?index=27423&lang=en#TRADUZIONE IN LINGUA INGLESE) [Click on Traduzione in Lingua Inglese for the English version], article I, paragraph (e).