WAPO: At Vatican abuse summit, Pope Francis calls for 'all-out battle' against 'crimes

[lindysalsagal]

At Vatican abuse summit, Pope Francis calls for ‘all-out battle’ against ‘crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/at-vatican-abuse-summit-pope-francis-calls-for-all-out-battle-against-crimes-that-must-be-erased-from-the-face-of-the-earth/2019/02/24/fc038f24-353b-11e9-8375-e3dcf6b68558_story.html?utm_term=.f434480ed0af

“No abuse should ever be covered up — as was often the case in the past — or not taken sufficiently seriously,” Francis said.

Speaking at a gilded and frescoed hall at the Vatican, Francis’s remarks were a parting reminder for the world’s leading bishops who gathered in this city-state for a four-day meeting.

But the pontiff’s words, short on specific steps the church will take going forward, underscored the looming challenges for an institution that has long acknowledged the seriousness of clerical abuse but nonetheless struggled to curtail it.

Francis mentioned unspecified “legislation” that the Catholic Church will draw up, and said it will “spare no effort to do all that is necessary to bring to justice” whoever has committed the “crimes” of abuse. He called for national-level episcopal conferences to strengthen and review guidelines. Those conferences were asked in 2011 to draw up such protocols, but not all followed the request.

IMHO: All you need to do is open churches and the vatican to government oversight, including financial. The vatican right now does not alllow the Roman government into it's secretive little enclave. It's all talk until they do.

That's why in public schools you get the odd example of a teacher getting caught with a minor: Because they immediately bring in local law enforcement and prove that they did not engage in cover-ups. Schoo lpersonnel are mandatory reporters and can loose their jobs and licences if they do not report abuse. Personnel cannot simply leave quietly when caught: Charges and investigations are required. Let's see that happen in churches, and children will actually be protected.

[Sherman A1]

1. The proof will be in the pudding

And the devil is in the details.

I hope that they make significant progress on this issue, but time will tell.

[lindysalsagal]

2. Not holding my breath. It's a business, after all.

[Jarqui]

3. But the Lord answered and said, "Verily I say unto you ...

... do what the heathens and others do .... call the fucking local police!!!"

end of sentence, paragraph and parable.

Link to tweet

[nitpicker]

4. Link to BBC

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47348479

[whistler162]

5. Reminds me of the Apalachin meeting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apalachin_meeting without law enforcement authorities!

[lindysalsagal]

7. Ouch!! But you're right.

At least the gangsters don't pretend to be servants of "god."

[TexasProgresive]

6. I take issue with your example of public schools.

What you say is more true now, but in the past schools including public schools did similar things as churches. (Note that is the plural of church because it was not just the Catholic Church. The problem with the Southern Baptist is each local church is nearly independent) The standard modus operandi of all these organizations from summer camps to the Catholic church is to squash scandal. What they all did was unconscionable. They paid off victims, the told the perpetrator that if they quietly resigned they would give them a good references, thus spreading the cancer. It may give you some sort of comfort to blame the Catholic church for child sexual abuse, but the truth is closer to this is a pervasive human problem. Even Colleges and universities are in on it. Students get raped by other students and somehow the rapists go free with the victims never really free again.

Sorry for the rant- I just go off when I see simplistic answers to complex problems. Teach your children well, raise them to be strong and to know that trust goes only so far. I am not a firm believer in "stranger danger" as most abuse comes from those known to the victims; uncles and aunts, family friends, mothers and fathers of the victims friends, pastors, scout masters, summer camp workers, doctors, nurses and on and on.

[lindysalsagal]

8. If you know of a school perpetrator, call your lawyer and have them arrested today.

No one will stop you. Your accusation will be investigated immediately and that person, and all others involved will be held accountable and stopped. Period.

If your state has limited statutes for time, go lobby to have them lengthened. NY just did. Now they run TV and radio commercials telling people to go out and prosecute.

The school incidences are very limited and usually involve 16 year olds, not elementary school kids. Plus, school officials don't claim protection from god and eternal damnation of the soul. Schools teach "good and bad touches" and encourage children to report.

So, it's actually quite simple for schools. I believe the same reporting laws include all child facilities like camps.

Whatever was going on in texas 20+ years ago, I can't fix now, but the laws can change, with effort.

The church will continue to hide behind their excemptions and secrecy.

[TexasProgresive]

9. That's not my point at all. I am not speaking about present times, except

rapist student athletes at the university level. They seem to get off with nothing. Many of the clerical abuses happened during the time that schools, public and private were covering up abuse as well. As to what you wrote about going to the authorities I am in a position of being a mandatory reporter. That means if I have any suspicion of a minor being abused I must report it first to either the police of that jurisdiction or child protective services or both. That comes prior to reporting to those in authority over me.

This isn't a Texas problem or a church problem it is a human problem. If it makes you feel better to pick on any one organization or local go ahead, just keep in the back of your mind that is not going to fix it.