Pope Francis lightens punishment for pedophile priests

[True Dough]

This one isn't going to go over well with many followers and non-followers.

Pope Francis has quietly reduced sanctions against a handful of pedophile priests, applying his vision of a merciful church even to its worst offenders in ways that survivors of abuse and the pope's own advisers question.

One case has come back to haunt him: An Italian priest who received the pope's clemency was later convicted by an Italian criminal court for his sex crimes against children as young as 12. The Rev. Mauro Inzoli is now facing a second church trial after new evidence emerged against him, The Associated Press has learned.

The Inzoli case is one of several in which Francis overruled the advice of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and reduced a sentence that called for the priest to be defrocked, two canon lawyers and a church official told AP. Instead, the priests were sentenced to penalties including a lifetime of penance and prayer and removal from public ministry.

In some cases, the priests or their high-ranking friends appealed to Francis for clemency by citing the pope's own words about mercy in their petitions, the church official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proceedings are confidential.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-quietly-trims-sanctions-sex-abusers-seeking-mercy-45732198

[trotsky]

1. Gosh, you mean all that talk about zero tolerance was just that? Talk?

I'm so shocked.

[MineralMan]

2. Pope to Clergy: "Be careful out there."

[rug]

4. It's not a Hill Street Blues gag.

[MineralMan]

7. It's not?

What kind of gag is it, then?

[Angry Dragon]

3. One of the many reasons I have no respect for the catholic church and most organized religions

[True Dough]

5. And here's some fallout...

A leading member of a group advising Pope Francis on how to root out sex abuse in the Catholic Church quit in frustration on Wednesday, citing "shameful" resistance within the Vatican.

The sudden departure of Marie Collins, an outspoken Irish woman who was the last remaining survivor of priestly abuse on a Holy See commission, was a major setback for the pope, who has faced criticism of not doing enough to tackle the problem.

The work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, set up by Francis in March 2014, has been slowed down by internal disputes and Collins blamed the Vatican's administration, known as the Curia, for the "constant setbacks".

"The lack of cooperation, particularly by the dicastery most closely involved in dealing with cases of abuse, has been shameful," she said in a statement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-abuse-resignation-idUSKBN1684GI

[trotsky]

6. At some point you have to wonder if they just can't help but be evil. n/t

[Lordquinton]

8. I wish I could be surprised, but we've been saying this all along

And contrary to what some might say, it's not bigotry to point out that the RCC is sheltering child rapists. I mean here's the top man saying so directly.

[Goblinmonger]

9. Not much different than the last guy.

Some people have a hard time seeing that.

[True Dough]

10. A hard time seeing?

Can a miracle not be performed to correct that?