On the child abuse scandal in the Catholic church

[ajva]

It's well known that the current Pope sent out a letter to all Catholic bishops worldwide in 2001 demanding papal silence on reported cases of child abuse as part of the aim that all cases could be handled by the Vatican, and only by the Vatican - sorting out the problem 'in-house', as it were

Comments

[emmy_mallow]

Hmm. But what about excommunication? A custom retained by the catholic church intended to be the ultimate punishment. So, surely there are some things that man can do that cannot be forgiven.

Wikipedia keeps a list and on that list are crimes such as 'consecrating four bishops without the papal mandate' and 'allowing an abortion alleged medically necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman suffering from pulmonary hypertension.'

So, why not excommunicate those found guilty of serially abusing children? Why not? You don't have to turn over the records to the police so you retain the secrecy BUT you publically condemn those who have committed such awful crimes with the ultimate sanction and thus show that you take it seriously.

Unless of course the Catholic church does not consider the sexual abuse of children to be on the same scale as falsely consecrating bishops. Which is out of step with the modern world.

Or the problem is so widespread that the excommunication policy would see the catholic church utterly devastated.

[emmy_mallow]

Yes. I know. I read it too. BUT don't you think it would have been a better plan to excommunicate them rather than the vatican shuffling their feet and saying they'll deal with it?

[emmy_mallow]

Yes. I agree.

Though I thought that excommunication was such a serious crime that it was only reserved for very bad people too. It seems the Catholics have an answer for everything.

Perhaps excommunicate them and then only allow them to repent when their victims forgive them. I don't know. I just know that I don't like it, any of it, and I really really can't watch the Pope toddle around the UK without getting angry.

[valkyriekaren]

But raping kids IS bad! I mean, it's almost as bad as ordaining women - that's what the Pope said, anyway! Imagine!

The warpedness of the Vatican's moral values is mind-blowing - and almost as horrifying as the sycophancy shown them by our Government.

[jhg]

"But raping kids IS bad!"

Tsch! You'll never change their minds with extremist rhetoric like that!

[valkyriekaren]

The Vatican doesn't even defrock them as priests, let alone excommunicate them!

[alextiefling]

Whilst I disagree profoundly with how it works in practice, it's worth noting that excommunication is intended specifically as a punishment for breaking the rules of faith, rather than the law, etc. It's not specific to church doctrine that child abuse is wrong - indeed, the Catholic church would be first to say that it's against the natural law. So it's not that the priests are being let off lightly by not being excommunicated - it's a category error to expect them to be.

Had I been in Karol Woytila's shoes, I would have issued a letter insisting that every confessor who learned of child abuse must require the offender to give themselves up as penance; and that every priest convicted of such an offence would be defrocked, deprived of office, and never re-employed.

[kelemvor]

...it's worth noting that excommunication is intended specifically as a punishment for breaking the rules of faith, rather than the law...

So, it should be applicable, then. These priests have not kept their vows of chastity.

Other than that, yes.