In 2001 while he was still Cardinal. He issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic Bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the churches interest ahead of the safety of children. Yes I said children. As if taking advantage of the trust and innocence of teenage boys wasn't bad enough. We now learn that victims were of both sexes, often as young as four, five and six years old. Some were mentally and physically handicapped. Still others, as in the recently revealed case in Milwaukee were deaf or otherwise physically impaired.
The Papal Edict commanded that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities (which is the law). Bishops should encourage the victim's, witnesses and perpetrators not to talk about it at all. And to keep the victims quiet. The document threatened that if they repeated the allegations they would be excommunicated!
To the true believer, that meant you were being threatened with Eternal Damnation if you stood up for these young victims and told the truth. And to think, The Church Calls Itself Holy!
The Church further reinforced this strict cover-up policy by introducing a new principle: The Vatican must have what it calls "Exclusive Competence". In other words the Pope (then Cardinal Ratzinger) demanded that all child abuse allegations should be dealt with directly by Rome and no one else.
As Father Tom Doyle, a former Vatican lawyer until he was sacked for criticizing the church's policies states: "What we have here is an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy and to punish those who would call attention to these crimes."
Father Patrick Wall, another former Vatican approved official who was working in America said. "I found out I wasn't working for a holy institution at all, but rather a for-profit organization. That was solely concentrated on protecting itself and its bottom line."
What does it mean when an institution commands a "Code of Silence" and compliance even when serious criminal acts are involved? Sounds like "Organized Crime" to me.
What does it mean when you knowingly and deliberately conceal the criminal and felonious acts of another? Isn't that aiding and abetting, isn't that criminal conspiracy?
And what does it mean when you do all this to protect your goodwill, reputation, and ultimately your profits? Isn't that some sort of racketeering?
Let's face it, if you or I did any of these things. We'd Be in Jail!!
Agnostic Thinking...
Please feel free to comment below, ( just click on the word comments if the panel is not open) or you can e-mail me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.
And don't forget to check out my original blog
Just Thinking
Posts
It's amazing to me how he can so casually threaten "The Victims" with Excommunication but fails to Excommunicate any of the "Predator Prists". The church really seems to have its priorities in order.
ReplyDeleteThis is the same church that before the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960's, would automatically Excommunicate you if you married a Non-Catholic.
What is simply incomprehensible is the inaction by law enforcement, period. In any other situation (Not the "Church") their would be investigations, arrests, etc. Why on God's earth are we tolerating inaction by these agencies.
ReplyDeleteInfallibility is simply a lie, and any Catholic priest should be hauled out, exposed, and prosecuted just as any other in any profession or walk of life would be.
The lack of holding priests accountable speaks of the rest of society in general as much as it does of the criminal priests.
U.S. and German abuse inquiries are inching ever closer to The Pope Himself. New documents obtained by the New York Times allege Joseph Ratzinger, then cardinal and now Pope, knew of 200 abuse cases by a single priest, but did nothing. Tomorrow is Easter and The Pope will give his usual and multilingual "Urbi et Orbi" blessings from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. In the midst of religious celebration is this scandal, as media reports are shedding light on aspects of the church the Pope would rather we not see.
ReplyDeleteYou're right such a cover-up really is criminal.
ReplyDelete