Lawyers eye former pope's blueprint to shield clergy

Boston Herald.com ^ | Wednesday, July 30, 2003 | Robin Washington

[Land of the Irish]

A Latin document bearing the seal of Pope John XXIII outlined a 1962 Vatican procedure for shielding sexually abusive priests, two lawyers for plaintiffs in cases against the church maintain.

The ``Crimine Solicitationis,'' translated as ``Instructions on proceeding in cases of solicitation,'' states abuse cases are subject to the ``papal secret'' and threatens excommunication against victims who do not come forward within 30 days, according to the document given to authorities by Carmen Durso of Boston and Daniel J. Shea of Houston.

On Monday, Durso presented an English translation to U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan.

``We gave it to the U.S. Attorney because we wanted him to understand what we mean when we say this has been an ongoing conspiracy,'' he said.

Added Shea, ``It's an instruction manual for a rigged trial for a priest accused of sexual crimes, including crimes against children.''

The document, which Shea said he had been trying to uncover for more than a year and recently received from canon lawyer the Rev. Thomas Doyle, allows victims one month to make their claim known to the supervising bishop.

``The penitent must denounce the accused priest . . . within a month to the (bishop) . . . and the confessor must, burdened seriously in conscience, warn the penitent of this duty,'' the document states.

``The confessor is the accused priest,'' Shea said.

``They're giving the priest the responsibility to tell his victim that the victim has to turn the priest in to the bishop within 30 days. If not, the victim is automatically excommunicated,'' he said, citing another passage.

A Boston Archdiocese spokesman could not be reached for comment and the Herald could not verify yesterday if the document was indeed genuine.

But both lawyers said they believed the Latin original to be authentic.

[narses]

In its externals, no, unless you can find in the Gospels where Jesus wore gold.

We progress. You reject as UNCHRISTIAN the EXTERNALS of the Pre-V2 Catholic Church?

Perhaps you have forgotten the following:

[1] Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead,
 whom Jesus raised to life.
[2] And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table 
with him.
[3] Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed 
the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
[4] Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said:
[5] Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?
[6] Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; 
but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein.
[7] Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial.
[8] For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

I've had to watch these secret society creeps and weirdo liberals gut the Church like a slaughtered lamb for too long. It p_ _ _ _ s me off to watch any more of this nonsense. The Bishops MUST cleanse the Church of the freaks.
I will not remain silent as long as there is one liberal neo-modernist goofball left misrepresenting the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Look, we could walk into any Catholic institution and point out the weirdo types who needed "watching." Some of them are hardly silent or secretive about their unorthodoxy.

[narses]

Ancient history, but the Good Deacon has posted as if I were hatful from my very first post here. I ought not have dragged that up. Mea Culpa.

[Loyalist]

The Episcopal Church has everything you have appear to have advocated in this forum: married clergy, bishops elected by diocesan synods, lay government and control at all levels, and a relaxed attitude towards doctrine.

Look what it's gotten for all of that.

[Thorondir]

If you are right, then Jesus Christ failed until 2,000 years later when a group of men set Him right.

(shaking my head, but not at all surprised)

[narses]

See 139 and 141.

[narses]

I am glad my views are not soley mine then. The Good Deacon needs to either post as if he were Catholic or reinvent himself as an Episcopalian.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

There are six words that should greet the John Kerry and Ted Kennedy types when they approach Communion: "I cast you out unclean spirit!"

[Thorondir]

I just didn't know what you were referring to. I must say, again, that the rebukes of a devil are praises heaped upon a good man. Keep up the good work, my friend.

[sinkspur]

You reject as UNCHRISTIAN the EXTERNALS of the Pre-V2 Catholic Church?

No. I reject some of the externals as not in keeping with the life of Him who had nowhere to lay His Head.

They are, for the most part, now gone. Things like gloves for bishops, lace vestments for priests, gold mitres and jeweled rings.

You still find these things in the SSPX, if you miss them.

[Thorondir]

And don't forget that shiny new gay bishop! The modernists won't even think of going "home" to them, because their mission is to destroy the One Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.

[sinkspur]

Look what it's gotten for all of that.

I'm not Episcopalian.

[Thorondir]

Yes, but I would add these six; "...in the name of Jesus Christ!" I would not dare to face demons without the divine power of that Holy Name.

[Antoninus]

In its externals, no, unless you can find in the Gospels where Jesus wore gold.

Perhaps not gold, but...

Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster of precious ointment, and she poured it on his head, as he reclined at table. But when the disciples saw this, they were indignant, and said, "To what purpose is this waste? For this might have been sold for much and given to the poor."

But Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? She has done me a good turn. For the poor you will have always with you, but you do not always have me. For in pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it for my burial. Amen I say to you, wherever in the whole world the gospel is preached, this also that she has done shall be told in memory of her."

Matthew 26:6-13

[Thorondir]

Oh? You prefer the cheap druid robes so common in today's Nervous Disorder Messes to dressing to honor the King of all Creation? Remember the man in the Gospel who refused to wear the wedding garment.

[Thorondir]

I'm not Episcopalian.

It's probably good that you clarified that, for nobody would have guessed by your posts.

Then again, I would hate for some new lurker to read your posts and think they represented Catholic faith. God forbid!

[Antoninus]

Really? Jesus dealt with unenlightened men all the time without heaping contempt on them.

So you consider PFKEY "unenlightend"? Why not try enlightening him instead of grovelling before his bigotry? Might be a better tactic.

And, He did, indeed, stand by while ignorant men insulted Him.

Yes He did. But He defends his Church, his Bride. We are commanded to turn the other cheek when someone strikes us. But when someone strikes our bride? I don't recall that being in scripture....

[narses]

You cloak your contempt ("No. I reject some of the externals as not in keeping with the life of Him who had nowhere to lay His Head.") in faux-piety, ignoring John 12-1, why?

Our Lord was born in a Manger, but had Gold Frankincense and Myrhh brought to Him right THERE!

[narses]

See 141. :)

[Thorondir]

There are six words that should greet the John Kerry and Ted Kennedy types when they approach Communion: "I cast you out unclean spirit!"

LOL! I just had a vision of some typical AMchurch prelate saying those words and falling back as a legion of demons burst out of him in every direction.