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Saturday, March 5th, 2016

Insider: Pope’s Child Abuse Commission Is ‘Smoke and Mirrors’

Author:     Jason Berry
Source:     The Daily Beast
Publication Date:     02.22.16 9:01 PM ET
 Link: Insider: Pope’s Child Abuse Commission Is ‘Smoke and Mirrors’
Stephan:   The other day I did a story on two bishops (amongst many apparently) who appear to have systematically covered up the molestation of children by Roman Catholic clergy. It is my view that this is a centuries long and chronic  problem because a large percentage of individuals who swear to be celibate cannot actually do that, and many of them choose to try because they have an infantile and dysfunctional sexuality. It looked for a moment like the new Pope was going to get serious about dealing with this cancer in the institution, and that may have been his intention. But, as this report describes, the institution has something else in mind -- a more subtle cover-up. It is a very sad tale.
Pope and crucifix

Pope Francis

Pope Francis portrays himself as a man who leads by example, but his protection of bishops who protected child-abusing priests continues.

Pope Francis, speaking to reporters on the flight from Mexico City to Rome last week, gave his strongest comment yet on the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Francis called such acts “a monstrosity,” according to the Associated Press. In the Holy See’s transcript, the pope went beyond current Vatican policy in stating: “A bishop who moves a priest to a different parish if he detects a case of paedophilia is without conscience and the best thing for him to do would be to resign.”

But the official church policy on such bishops remains unclear, and the Vatican reform on this issue, charitably put, is a lurching work in progress.

By using the present tense—“a bishop who moves”— Francis may be signaling a going-forward stance when new cases surface. But what is the policy on bishops with […]

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