{cue the sound of crickets}
I don't really know how pedophilia is covered under state statutes. But it seems to me it would be a felony. And at the federal level, pedophilia certain seems to me to be a violation of civil rights, a terrible one at that.
The idea of rumors being investigated by the church sounds great to me, but I don't see how they could avoid reporting it to the authorities if they find evidence that it happened.
BTW, I'm not anti-Catholic at all. Half of my family are Catholic - one is a deacon.
Thanks! Now, let's hear from those who still insist one has the right to investigate suspicions before reporting a crime!chirp. chirp. Did you read the part about actual knowledge? Do you realize that term means something different then suspicion?
chirp chirp.
patent +AMDG
First of all, the charge of "misprision of a felony" assumes that the violator is aware that a felony has been committed. Notice that the law does not speak of mere "suspicion". IOW, the law assumes that some investigation has already occurred to establish that a felony was actually committed, and the person(s) doing the investigating have willfully chosen to conceal the crime.
The people Alamo-Girl describes are officers of the court, and they would function under a different set of rules than civilians.
Let me bluntly ask you this question: if your wife were raped, and did not want to press charges, did not want any publicity, and did not want to talk to the police -- would you report the rape anyway, in violation of her wishes?
Remember, not to do so is misprision of a felony.
\\ It's Catholic moral doctrine, and does not need to be repeated in the decree we're talking about because it is supposed to be assumed by everyone, that everyone, including bishops, including priests, is required to obey the civil law of the jurisdiction in which they reside, unless and until it requires them to sin.