Pope issues law to force priests and nuns to report sexual abuse

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Pope issues law to force priests and nuns to report sexual abuse

Associated Press in Vatican City
Thu 9 May 2019 11.20 BST Last modified on Thu 9 May 2019 11.28 BST

Pope Francis has issued a new law requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-ups by their superiors to church authorities, in a groundbreaking effort to hold the Catholic hierarchy accountable for failing to protect their flocks.

The church law published on Thursday provides whistleblower protections for anyone making a report and requires all dioceses around the world to have a system in place to receive the claims confidentially. It outlines procedures for conducting preliminary investigations when the accused is a bishop, cardinal or religious superior.

It is the latest effort by Francis to respond to the global eruption of the sex abuse and cover-up scandal that has devastated the credibility of the Catholic hierarchy and his own papacy.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/09/pope-issues-law-to-force-priests-and-nuns-to-report-sexual-abuse

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Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MAY 9, 2019 / 6:19 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Pope issues sweeping decree holding bishops accountable for sex abuse or cover ups

Philip Pullella
2 MIN READ

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis introduced sweeping changes in Catholic Church law on Thursday to hold bishops accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, making reporting obligatory for clerics and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed.

A papal decree, which covers abuse of both children and adults, also obliges every Catholic diocese in the world to set up simple and accessible reporting systems and encourages local churches to involve lay experts in investigations.

The decree, whose preparation was reported first by Reuters in April, is the second such papal provision since a summit on abuse by senior Church bishops at the Vatican in February.

It sets time limits for local investigations and the Vatican’s response to them and allows for retroactive reporting.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-abuse-law/pope-issues-sweeping-decree-holding-bishops-accountable-for-sex-abuse-or-cover-ups-idUSKCN1SF109

[MineralMan]

1. I'd feel better if they were required to report to local law enforcement.

The approach they actually took only requires reporting to church officials. And that's what led to all the cover-ups that have taken place. Mandatory reporting to civil law enforcement authorities would be the right approach, I think, but no, the Church can't allow that, see, because it would create the risk of prosecution.

[Act_of_Reparation]

2. This is 2019.

The Boston Globe ran its exposeé in 2003.

This is way too little, way too fucking late. Any "cautiously optimistic" types still willing to admit they're cautiously optimistic?

[MineralMan]

3. And whatabout those Chinese atheists?

Last edited Thu May 9, 2019, 10:34 AM - Edit history (1)

That's the real question here. Why do we keep talking about priests sexually abusing children, when the Chinese atheists are rounding up Muslims for reeducation?

[Major Nikon]

4. Because priests raping children needs a "counterpoint", silly

For further reading, see...

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apologist

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. Good question.

Why are we Americans so concerned about the Catholic Church shielding American priests who abuse American kids from prosecution by American law enforcement agencies, when Chinese Atheists are cracking down on Chinese Muslims in much the same fashion as they have cracked down on any other Chinese group with ideologies inconsistent with those of the Chinese Communist Party.

The world may never know.

[Major Nikon]

5. It also changes nothing

Who do they report to? "Church officials". You know, the same church officials that have known about abuse allegations all along and systematically went about burying the evidence and protecting the accused.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. Worse, even.

They just codified the exact behaviors that got them into this mess to begin with. What was once de facto policy is now TEH RULEZ.

Frank is clearly just being Frank. He's making a token gesture, hoping people won't look too closely at what his words actually imply. (I'm sure one of the cautiously-optimistic-types blew a load straight through their khakis just reading the headline).

I'm not sure why, though. I mean, what the fuck does he have to lose drafting up an official mandatory reporting policy? It's not like he has to worry about reelection. Is he evil? Or are the clergy really this alien next to workaday people?

[trotsky]

8. I'll tell you what he and his church have to lose.

Clericalism.

Today's RCC is fundamentally based upon the notion that the priest class and the church hierarchy are above all secular authorities. They cannot allow that to change.

[MineralMan]

9. Yup. That's not something that gets discussed all that often.

The old medieval "Town and Gown" division.