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.

[Antoninus]

In its externals, no (IMO). But, you're welcome to think differently.

Thanks for giving me permission to dissent from you, deacon. And dissent I do. There were nearly 1 billion Catholics before 1965. The pre-Vatican II Church must have been doing something right with those 'externals.'

[sinkspur]

The story of Mary Magdalen was, no doubt, used by Roger Mahoney to justify his $200 million monstrosity.

Either we're going to live like Christ in all things, or we're going to be like the young man who went away, sad, "because he had many possessions."

[sinkspur]

There were nearly 1 billion Catholics before 1965.

There are more, now.

[Antoninus]

I'm not Episcopalian.

Could have fooled me...

[Thorondir]

So you sold all that you have and gave it to the poor?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Diabolically disoriented" clergy was supposedly part of the Fatima prophecies.

[sinkspur]

Could have fooled me...

You're young. It'll happen again.

[Antoninus]

The story of Mary Magdalen was, no doubt, used by Roger Mahoney to justify his $200 million monstrosity.

Personally, I would have had no problem if he had spent $200 million on the most beautiful cathedral the world had ever seen as a fitting shrine to the One True God as present on the altar in the Holy Eucharist. Instead, he (purposely in my opinion) created a hideous postmodern airplane hangar that bears no resemblance to Church architecture and tradition, and ignores the centrality of the Eucharist to the point of hiding the tabernacle and making a mere table the centerpiece.

Your starting to sound like an 8th century iconoclast. So much for "progress."

[Antoninus]

Could have fooled me...

You're young. It'll happen again.

Not by you again, hoss.

[Thorondir]

An oh-so-clevery-crafted quip, but stupid and directed at one of your betters, sinkspur. It's not going to win you any points here. We all know you too well for that.

[sinkspur]

Personally, I would have had no problem if he had spent $200 million on the most beautiful cathedral the world had ever seen as a fitting shrine to the One True God as present on the altar in the Holy Eucharist.

I would. Excess is excess. Spend $50 million, and take the other $150 million and spread it around to the 235 dioceses so that bishops who've harbored abusers can buy oil and pour it over the feet of the victims.

That would be money well spent, both in its reality and its symbolism.

[Antoninus]

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

...along with reliquaries, images of the saints, crucifixes, holy water dispensers, beautiful stained glass windows, altar rails, and ornate baldaccinos. Tabernacles have been moved to the basement, the Body of Christ stored "in a closet" (as Fr. Corapi would say), crackers are used for communion and placed in your hand by perfumed ladies wearing gold, lace and rings much bigger than those the priest used to wear.

What an improvement. I'm sure Jesus is thrilled.

[sockmonkey]

That wouldn't be the American College at Louvain, would it?

He obtained his doctorate of theology at the Catholic University of Louvain.

[sinkspur]

I'm sure Jesus is thrilled.

On this, we agree.

[Antoninus]

On this, we agree.

Nope. I'm happy to agree with you on a few select political matters. On religious and moral matters, the twain ain't gonna meet and that's perfectly fine with me.

[narses]

When you judge the hierarchy harshly, you claim that as Catholic, when I do you accuse me of schism and heresy. Interesting, very interesting. I note you ignored the Gospel and tried to claim that somehow $50,000,000 would have been Catholic and $200,000,000 is not. How odd. Have you donated 75% of your wealth to charity?

[Loyalist]

AmChurch: Where the Body of Christ is hidden in a closet, and the priests aren't!

[narses]

Thank you for your kind words.

[Thorondir]

LOL!

[Saint Athanasius]

The Charity on this thread kills me!