Skeptictank

And just to throw some salt on an open wound....

<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/04/28/church.scandal/index.html" target="_blank">US cardinals back off from "zero-tolerance" stance</a>

How freaking obtuse are these morons? They are literally saying "we might let you get away with it once..." WTF?!?!?!? They are actually anouncing possible future conpiracy!! You don't "announce guidelines" you report abuse to the cops ASAP!!! The damn MOB wasn't this bold! RICO statues need to be used. Cardinal Law should be in handcuffs, but instead is delivering Sunday Mass!!!


As for "diplomatic immunity" this only applies to Vatican officials and "citizens" of the Holy See as I understand it. That means that US priests are US citizens and can be chucked in the clink.

PopeInTheWoods

I made this point on <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=59&t=000184" target="_blank">another thread</a>, but perhaps it's more appropriate here:

There are really two separate concerns for individuals in the church hierarchy if they obtain information about a priest commiting ANY illegal acts. The first involves reporting the criminal activity to the appropriate civil authorities. THERE SHOULD BE NO OPTION BUT TO DO SO!!! Church officials who do not divulge such info should be charged as accessories after the fact, and as accomplices if the priest commits further crimes. The second concern is purely a church matter, namely whether or not the criminal will be allowed to remain a priest. This matter is of no concern to the government! A priest can remain a priest in prison and afterwards, so long as his assignments afterwards don't put him in a position that poses a threat to the public (e.g. sex offender working in youth programs).

The bottom line is that I honestly don't care what the church hierarchy does to the perpetrators internally, as long as criminal activity gets reported to the police or DA's office. All of this "one-strike" hooey doesn't even deal with the real issue of individuals within the church ACTING ILLEGALLY!

Andy

Mike Rosoft

I am glad to know that after years of cover-ups, the Catholic church has finally find out that child abuse is a crime. (I am also glad to know that after years of crusades and inquisition, it has found out that genocide is a crime, for that matter.) Stay tuned - tomorrow it may find out that discrimination of women is a crime, and that persecution of people for their opinion is a crime.


Mike Rosoft

Proxima Centauri

I think the priest-pervert problem might have got worse because the Holy Church no longer approves of self-flagelation.
It was pretty nasty. Ouch! Ouch!
Still after a dose of self-flagelation the priest would feel too sick and too worked out to want to meddle with junior.
Of course if the Church got back to the original, dogmatic rule (conservative rule) priests could get away with messing with children. The victims and their parents would be too respectful and too scared of the priests and wouldn't dare complain. That wouldn't improve the situation, would it?