HERESY, SCHISM, PEDOPHILIA, THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN - ALL GRAVE OFFENSES

On July 16, 2010, the Vatican announced new rules directing how dioceses around the world are to respond to priestly sex abuse of children. The statute of limitations of the Catholic Church was extended from 10 to 20 years, from the 18th birthday of the victim. 


Possession of child pornography and the abuse of disabled adults were added to the list of offenses that could get a priest reported to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.


At the same time,  an attempt to ordain a woman to the priesthood was elevated in seriousness to the same category as heresy, schism, pedophilia - a most grave crime.

The new rules do not hold bishops accountable for pedophilia among priests under their charge, nor do the revised rules require reporting of sex abuse accusations to civil authorities. 

Here is a link to the new internal rules:

 http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_norme_en.html

Here is a link to an organization that tracks sex abuse cases by priests, worldwide.

Bishopaccountability.org 

BishopAccountability.org is not impressed with the revisions in the Church's rules, stating that the rules “amount to administrative tinkering of a secretive internal process.” 


Pope Benedict, the group said, "could direct bishops to report every allegation of child sexual abuse to the police, regardless of whether civil law requires them to do so. He could threaten punishment of any bishop or church official who enables or fails to stop a child-molesting priest.” 


“It’s disturbing that the new rules merely will extend the statutes of limitations rather than eliminate them altogether.” 


(See New York Times, Vatican Sets New Rules on Responding to Sex Abuse by Rachel Donadio, July 15 2010)

Pope Benedict XVI: "Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen."

Confronting a sex abuse scandal spreading across Europe,  Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday apologized directly to victims and their families in Ireland, expressing “shame and remorse” and saying “your trust had been betrayed and your dignity has been violated.  . . .  Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen." . . . 

In 2001 the Vatican issued a directive by Benedict, then a cardinal, reiterating a strict requirement for secrecy in handling abuse cases. The directive also gave the authority in handling such cases to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Benedict was prefect of the congregation from 1982 until becoming pope in 2005.

NY TIMES, March 20, 2010
by Rachel Donadio and Alan Cowell