Posted on 01/09/2002 4:37:58 AM PST by Happygal
THE Vatican wants priests accused of paedophile behaviour to be tried behind closed doors in an ecclesiastical court.
It has issued new rules ordering Catholic church officials to inform it swiftly of any such accusations so that Rome can decide how they should be handled. The guidelines insist all cases should be subject to secrecy.
The rules, promoted by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, were approved by Pope John Paul II.
While the Vatican's press office often publicises documents, these rules, written in Latin and prepared several months ago, were quietly published in the Holy See's official gazette.
The guidelines contain no formal provision for referring suspects to the police, suggesting that the Church might prefer to deal with the problem through secret internal procedures.
But a spokesperson for the Irish Catholic bishops said the new rules would not stop them reporting such crimes to the gardai.
Paul Bailey, Director of the Child Protection Office of the Irish Bishops Conference, said they were obliged to report any suspicion of paedophilia to the statutory authorities under the guidelines of the Conference, issued in 1996. "As far as I know, the guidelines in other countries are similar," Mr Bailey added.
He said he had been unaware of the new documents until contacted by reporters yesterday and was unable to comment on the Vatican document until he has seen it first hand.
The rules, issued to Roman Catholic bishops by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, instruct bishops and heads of religious orders to open an investigation at a mere hint of paedophile behaviour by a priest within their jurisdiction, and to put the offender on trial behind closed doors in an ecclesiastical court if there is sufficient evidence.
Paedophilia is classed as a grave offence by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and those found guilty can be excommunicated.
Secret internal procedures is what got these priests in trouble.
kj would say hi! but I'm sure he's already up, out and long gone for the day.
(s)
One of the kids!
Opus Dei is a secret organization within the church and their most prominent member is The FBI Spy Hannsen, so much for secret organizations.
The heirarchy should turn the perpetrators over to the police where they belong.
If they don't they should be charged as accomplices.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that Catholics should first report any such abuse to civil authorities, and should probably forget about dealing with the church authorities. Church authorities have proven themselves to be utterly incompetent when it comes to dealing with this issue, and the truth is that the church was never concerned about priests who molested children until they began losing millions of dollars in civil lawsuits.
Vatican Issues New Rules on Pedophile Priests
I was an alter boy and attended an all-boys Catholic school but never was approached (nor anyone else I know of) by a priest in an inappropriate way.
If I was, I would prefer they be dealt with in the legal system rather than an ecclesiastical court. I don't know what penalties can be issued by this court other than damnation in Hell but society need to be protected from the pedophile until that time comes.
Rubbish, such demons are vile and not worthy to touch the Blood & the Body as they remain unrepentant for thier ongoing sin. They walk not with Christ but satan.
The appearance then is that the ritual is served rather than Jesus
heres his quote
The disposition of the priest has no bearing on the validity of the sacraments celebrated by the priest. Jesus acts through the priest, whether the priest is in a state of grace or not.
And Bill Clinton is a prominent American. So much for America.
See the problem with tarring an entire group because of the sins of one member?
By the way, the spy is just the member of Opus Dei that you know about. I doubt he is anywhere near the most prominent member.
As for the article here, this actually seems to be a strengthening of the rules. Rome is demanding that it be informed of any such activity, so that a local Bishop can't do these things without someone else knowing. This is a move in the right direction.
SD
Rubbish, such demons are vile and not worthy to touch the Blood & the Body as they remain unrepentant for thier ongoing sin. They walk not with Christ but satan.
I'm sorry you don't understand the concept. Indeed, a priest who just yelled at a staff member unjustly, or had a prideful thought, or told a small lie is not worthy to touch the Body and Blood.
So, using your test, we need to be absolutely sure that the priest has no sin before we can be sure if the sacrament is valid. Or we can realize, correctly, that the state of the man performing the Mass does not affect its efficaciousness.
SD
Not at all. The Church wants to immediately investigate any suspicion of pedophilia, to determine whether the charge has merit. If it does, then the perpetrator can be dismissed and turned over to the police.
The secrecy of the investigation ensures that no one's reputation is destroyed by false charges.
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