Clerical abuse!

[Gabriel_Hurl]

60 Minutes in the US is doing a piece on this tonight

[orangeman]

Just listen and everyhing will be alright !!!

The Vatican has published its report on the child abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

It recommends that Irish diocesan authorities and those of religious institutes should continue to devote time to listening to victims and providing support for them and their families.

The findings are based on an apostolic visitation to the four archdioceses, religious congregations and seminaries.


The report found that the current guidelines on child protection were being followed.

It said Archbishops had given assurances that any newly-discovered cases of abuse were brought before the competent civil authority and the congregation for the doctrine of the faith.

The report said that it must be acknowledged that within the Christian community innocent young people were abused by clerics and religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively.

It said that in delivering its findings, the Holy See re-echoes the sense of dismay and betrayal that the Pope expressed in his letter to Catholics in Ireland two years ago, "regarding the sinful and criminal acts that were at the root of this particular crisis".


Primate of All Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady welcomed the publication of the findings of the visitation.

Cardinal Brady said the church expressed a heartfelt plea for forgiveness from victims and from God for the terrible sins and crimes of abuse.


He also emphasised that the visitation was pastoral in nature and was intended to assist the Irish church on its path of renewal.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the extent of the child abuse crisis was shattering and that the children who had been abused should be foremost in our minds.

Admission criteria for seminaries

The report on the visitation also proposed more consistent admission criteria for seminaries and in-depth formation on child protection for priests as part of their academic programme.

It proposed that seminary buildings should be exclusively for seminarians and those preparing them for the priesthood.

On the religious congregations, the report found that all religious institutes should perform an audit of their personnel files, if such an audit has not yet been carried out.

Commenting on the findings, Sr Marianne O'Connor of CORI, acknowledged that there had been a slowness to understand the impact of child abuse.

Sr O'Connor insisted that the religious orders and the church were heartfelt in their apology for the abuse crisis.

She said there was a focus on ensuring child safety procedures were in place, and on the ongoing support of victims.


Pope Benedict promised report

The report was promised two years ago by Pope Benedict XVI in his letter to Catholics in Ireland.

The Pope expressed horror and dismay in the wake of the Ryan and Murphy reports, which revealed a 70-year history child abuse by a significant number of priests, brothers and nuns and cover-ups by their religious superiors.

The Pope assigned six teams to formally assess the implications of the abuse scandals in each of the country's four archdioceses, in religious orders and congregations based in Ireland and abroad.

Some of the teams met victims and concerned Catholics in advertised locations, as well as individual survivors behind closed doors.

[Main Street]

The Vatican has published its report on the child abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in Ireland.

The report said that it must be acknowledged that within the Christian community innocent young people were abused by clerics and religious to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively.

It said that in delivering its findings, the Holy See re-echoes the sense of dismay and betrayal that the Pope expressed in his letter to Catholics in Ireland two years ago, "regarding the sinful and criminal acts that were at the root of this particular crisis".

I acknowledge the absence of the full report, so I might be mistaken (I allow for that minuscule possibility).

'regarding the sinful and criminal acts that were at the root of this particular crisis'  refers to sexual abusers who are regarded as the root of the crises

'those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively'
These mild words of admonition I presume refers to the criminal cover up of the sex abuse, the perpetuation of the sex abuse by shoving the offender to another posting to carry on the abuse. Getting the abused to swear to documents of secrecy, interrogating the abused and protecting the abuser,  actively hindering any police investigation by refusing to hand over documents until severe legal pressure was applied, or absolute exposure of an untenable position was reached. Not to mention the absolute complicity in the hierarchy of the cover-up schemes,  a complicity going right up to the Vatican -  in particular The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, when they sent out their canon law experts to limit exposure and damage to the Church. Persecution of priests/nuns who did try to bear witness against these sordid crimes.

What other serious issues (more serious?) did this Church investigation find that concerned them enough to include it in the report?
According to the Vatican radio press release http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=572889
'Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.'

I can't wait to read what these serious issues are about 

[muppet]

What other serious issues (more serious?) did this Church investigation find that concerned them enough to include it in the report?
According to the Vatican radio press release http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=572889
'Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.'

I can't wait to read what these serious issues are about 

I wonder did the tendency to put local law above Canon Law feature among these theological opinions?

The article above is obviously paraphrasing the report, but there seems to be no offer to surrender all the relevent files on child abuse to Ireland or any of the other countries. That, for me, is the starting point for the Church regarding child abuse and until they do it they are in denial.

[Main Street]

What other serious issues (more serious?) did this Church investigation find that concerned them enough to include it in the report?
According to the Vatican radio press release http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=572889
'Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.'

I can't wait to read what these serious issues are about 

I wonder did the tendency to put local law above Canon Law feature among these theological opinions?

The article above is obviously paraphrasing the report, but there seems to be no offer to surrender all the relevent files on child abuse to Ireland or any of the other countries. That, for me, is the starting point for the Church regarding child abuse and until they do it they are in denial.

The tendency,  rather the imposed practice was to give priority to canon law with local law a distant second, a mere inconvenience to the practice of good canon law.
The Catholic Church now follows regular  practice/guidelines when a sexual abuse allegation is made.
I have no reason to doubt that this is now the standard adopted approach.

[muppet]

What other serious issues (more serious?) did this Church investigation find that concerned them enough to include it in the report?
According to the Vatican radio press release http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=572889
'Since the Visitators also encountered a certain tendency, not dominant but nevertheless fairly widespread among priests, Religious and laity, to hold theological opinions at variance with the teachings of the Magisterium, this serious situation requires particular attention, directed principally towards improved theological formation. It must be stressed that dissent from the fundamental teachings of the Church is not the authentic path towards renewal.'

I can't wait to read what these serious issues are about 

I wonder did the tendency to put local law above Canon Law feature among these theological opinions?

The article above is obviously paraphrasing the report, but there seems to be no offer to surrender all the relevent files on child abuse to Ireland or any of the other countries. That, for me, is the starting point for the Church regarding child abuse and until they do it they are in denial.

The tendency,  rather the imposed practice was to give priority to canon law with local law a distant second, a mere inconvenience to the practice of good canon law.
The Catholic Church now follows regular  practice/guidelines when a sexual abuse allegation is made.
I have no reason to doubt that this is now the standard adopted approach.

Until they hand over the files they are not respecting local laws. They still haven't done it.

[orangeman]

Muppet - the files will never be handed over. I think everybody undertstands that. It's damage limitation from here on in. So it's a case of saying the right things now and coming across as being contrite. It's all a PR exercise now.

[johnneycool]

Muppet - the files will never be handed over. I think everybody undertstands that. It's damage limitation from here on in. So it's a case of saying the right things now and coming across as being contrite. It's all a PR exercise now.

Certainly doesn't make it right and in a lot of peoples eyes saying the right things isn't going to wash.

[Hardy]

'those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively'

Is this seriously all the report has to say about the central issue - the cover-up and facilitation of continued abuse?

Those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively!!! Is that it?

[Billys Boots]

Those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively!!! Is that it?

Did you really expect anything different?  If it looks like a shirker, talks like a shirker and acts like a shirker, than chances are ...

[Main Street]

'those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively'

Is this seriously all the report has to say about the central issue - the cover-up and facilitation of continued abuse?

Those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively!!! Is that it?

I haven't seen the full report but I understand that this was not a focussed investigation.
According to the link I posted earlier http://www.radiovaticana.org/EN1/Articolo.asp?c=572889

The Visitation was pastoral in nature; the Holy Father's intention was that it should "assist the local Church on her path of renewal"
It was not intended to replace or supersede the ordinary responsibility of Bishops and Religious Superiors, nor to interfere "with the ordinary activity of the local magistrates, nor with the activity of the Commissions of Investigation established by the Irish Parliament, nor with the work of any legislative authority, which has competence in the area of prevention of abuse of minors"

Nevertheless, I wouldn't hold my breadth waiting for any further voluntary elaboration of this terse wooly statement 'Those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively'

[orangeman]

No heads will roll.

A "judicious public relations move" is how a church insider described it to RTE religious affairs editor Joe Little today.

[mylestheslasher]

Whats wrong with ye lads, did ye honestly think these nasty bastards would have anything other than weasel words in their report. At this stage people have just been overloaded with the whole clerical abuse. People are tired of hearing about it and this report (or lack of a report) will go unnoticed I imagine. Previously, even though I have been no fan of religion, I have supported fund raising for local church as a matter of courtesy. However, now I would not give them the steam of my piss. This religion is nothing but evil and governed by evil unrepentant dirt bags like Sean Brady. If Irish people want to in doctrine their kids into this then i despair.

[orangeman]

It's like the cops investigating themselves.

The pity is that there are plenty of extremely good and decent priests out there who have all been tainted by the evil actions of others. How the man at the top, Cardinal Sean Brady, who had a hand in covering up the abuse, is still in post is mind boggling. He's brazened it out well - fair dos to him - he's good.

[orangeman]

The report talks about dissident opinions and dissident views.

Lovely.

Poor Bishop Mc Areavey on Primetime was asked about the dissidents who were mentioned in the report and who they were - the poor man got into a real muddle, first of all appearing to know what was meant by the dissidents but then changed his mind and said he didn't know who or what the term dissident referred to.

The show still goes on. Keep the head down, brazen her out and we'll keep blaming the dissidents.