UN panel confronts Vatican on child sex abuse by clergy
By Agencies
Posted Thursday, January 16 2014 at 14:43
Posted Thursday, January 16 2014 at 14:43
In Summary
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said such crimes could "never be justified" and every child should be "inviolable".
The Vatican earlier refused a request for data on abuse.
The Vatican is being confronted publicly for the first time over the sexual abuse of children by clergy, at a UN hearing in Geneva.
The Vatican earlier refused a request for data on abuse.
The Vatican is being confronted publicly for the first time over the sexual abuse of children by clergy, at a UN hearing in Geneva.
The Church was asked why it continued to describe such abuse as an offense against morals rather than a crime against children.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said such crimes could "never be justified" and every child should be "inviolable".
The Vatican earlier refused a request for data on abuse.
When it argued that such cases should be heard in
the countries where they took place, it was accused of responding
inadequately to abuse allegations.
This is the first time the Holy See is defending itself in public over its record on sex abuse.
Victims say they hope the hearing, which is being broadcast live, will prompt the Church to end its "secrecy".
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Something strange happened and he started putting his hands under my T-shirt and that's when the abuse actually started”
Teodoro Pulvirenti Victim of abuse by a priest
Pope Francis announced last month that a Vatican
committee would be set up to fight sexual abuse of children in the
Church and offer help to victims. He also broadened the definition of
crimes against minors to include sexual abuse of children.
The Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding instrument which commits
it to protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable in society.
It ratified the convention in 1990 but after an
implementation report in 1994 it did not submit any progress reports
until 2012, following revelations of child sex abuse in Europe and
beyond.
'Inviolable'
'Inviolable'
It was, Archbishop Tomasi said in his opening
statement, important to establish the truth of what had happened in the
past, to prevent it ever happening again, to see justice done and to
provide healing for the victims.
The Vatican, he told the panel, would welcome any
suggestions from the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to
implement its obligations.
CRC members then set out their questions, asking
about the Church's practice of moving priests suspected of abuse and
allegations that it had concealed such abuse.
"Does the Holy See believe that paedophilia is something that can be successfully overcome?" was one question.
How, the Vatican was asked, did it go about training priests for work with children? What oversight was in place for Catholic institutions such as schools, and what plans did it have to collect data on child sex abuse?
Last July, the CRC requested detailed information about the particulars of all sexual abuse cases notified to the Vatican since 1995.
The questions included whether priests, nuns and monks guilty of sexual crime were allowed to remain in contact with children, what legal action had been taken against them, and whether complainants were silenced.
In its response, the Holy See said it was not its practice to disclose information about the religious discipline of clergy unless specifically requested to by the authorities in the country where they were serving.
It stressed that it had changed the criteria for choosing priests and revised Church law to ensure clergy were properly disciplined.
It also insisted that as a diplomatic entity it was "separate and distinct" from the Roman Catholic Church.
This was dismissed as a false distinction by critics like Britain's National Secular Society, which said the Holy See operated a "firm command and control structure over the worldwide Church".
'We request justice'
The hearing in Geneva was welcomed by Italian man Teodoro Pulvirenti, who was abused by a priest as a teenager in Sicily.
Mr Pulvirenti, who now lives in the US, told the Associated Press it was time for the Vatican to end its "secrecy" over a global sex abuse scandal.
He recalled how he had gone to the priest for guidance as a teenager.
"I went to his office and... something strange happened and he started putting his hands under my T-shirt and that's when the abuse actually started," he said.
He moved to America in 2006 but returned to Sicily in 2011 and confronted the priest, Don Carlo Chiarenza, who was subsequently found guilty by the Vatican and dismissed from his diocese. The decision is currently under appeal.
"I'm not coming out against the Vatican and I don't want the Church to think the victims are against the Church, against the Vatican," Mr Pulvirenti said. "We are standing up for our own survival, but we request justice."
BBC
"Does the Holy See believe that paedophilia is something that can be successfully overcome?" was one question.
How, the Vatican was asked, did it go about training priests for work with children? What oversight was in place for Catholic institutions such as schools, and what plans did it have to collect data on child sex abuse?
Last July, the CRC requested detailed information about the particulars of all sexual abuse cases notified to the Vatican since 1995.
The questions included whether priests, nuns and monks guilty of sexual crime were allowed to remain in contact with children, what legal action had been taken against them, and whether complainants were silenced.
In its response, the Holy See said it was not its practice to disclose information about the religious discipline of clergy unless specifically requested to by the authorities in the country where they were serving.
It stressed that it had changed the criteria for choosing priests and revised Church law to ensure clergy were properly disciplined.
It also insisted that as a diplomatic entity it was "separate and distinct" from the Roman Catholic Church.
This was dismissed as a false distinction by critics like Britain's National Secular Society, which said the Holy See operated a "firm command and control structure over the worldwide Church".
'We request justice'
The hearing in Geneva was welcomed by Italian man Teodoro Pulvirenti, who was abused by a priest as a teenager in Sicily.
Mr Pulvirenti, who now lives in the US, told the Associated Press it was time for the Vatican to end its "secrecy" over a global sex abuse scandal.
He recalled how he had gone to the priest for guidance as a teenager.
"I went to his office and... something strange happened and he started putting his hands under my T-shirt and that's when the abuse actually started," he said.
He moved to America in 2006 but returned to Sicily in 2011 and confronted the priest, Don Carlo Chiarenza, who was subsequently found guilty by the Vatican and dismissed from his diocese. The decision is currently under appeal.
"I'm not coming out against the Vatican and I don't want the Church to think the victims are against the Church, against the Vatican," Mr Pulvirenti said. "We are standing up for our own survival, but we request justice."
BBC
Vatican confronted on paedophilia among priests
January 17, 2014The Vatican is being confronted publicly for the first time over the sexual abuse of children by clergy, at a UN hearing in Geneva.
Pope
Francis is confronted with the crimes inside his own religious
movement, and the cover up. All based on doctrines taught by demons.
- Does the Holy See believe that paedophilia is something that can be successfully overcome?” was one question.
“To prevent abuse of minors is a real, immediate concern,” Archbishop Tomasi said.
On prosecution of offenders, he said priests were “not functionaries of the Vatican but citizens of their countries and fall under the jurisdiction of their own countries”.
When asked if the Vatican would hand over Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a Polish papal envoy recalled from the Dominican Republic in September amid claims of sexual abuse there, Archbishop Tomasi said he was being investigated by the Vatican’s own prosecutors.
Source: The BBC.
My comment:
The anti-Christs in the Vatican movement, is led by a spirit that defame true Christians and Biblical Christianity. And eventually Jesus the Messiah him self.
The spiritual reason for Catholic Priests raping minor children, is the faulty theology of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism is not from God of the Bible.
The Vatican ban their priests from marriage, despite the Bible calling such a doctrine demonic. If you want to join a gay club with the power to hide their crimes, just role your self into the Catholic priesthood.
1 Timothy 4:2-4Demonized priests rape children, and lust after their fellow priests. Sodomy is so widespread, that an Italian Newspaper claimed 8 out of 10 priests are gays.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth
In Ireland alone there is a valid claim that more than 100.000 children have been abused by Roman Catholic priests in less than three generations.
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest spiritual disaster that has ever claimed to be a part of the Christian family. It is not.
Written by Ivar
Vatican shares building with Italy’s biggest gay sauna
January 17, 2014One of the key departments of the Vatican shares a building in Rome that hosts Italy’s biggest gay sauna.
The Vatican has hidden homosexual priests and pedophiles for ages.
But the imposing stone mansion also contains the Europa Multiclub Sauna and Gym, which claims on its website that it is “the number one gay sauna in Italy”.
This is the apartment complex housing both Italy’s largest gay club and Roman Catholic priests.
The Vatican paid a hugely inflated price for
around 20 apartments in the building when it was acquired in 2008, La
Repubblica newspaper claimed in a front page report on Monday.
The apartments were bought for nine million euros on May 30 2008 by a
property company which later that day sold them to the Vatican for 20
million euros, making an instant profit of 11 million euros, the daily
claimed.The newspaper offered no explanation for the hugely inflated price but there was no suggestion that there was anything illegal about the deal.
Source: The Telegraph.
My comment:
The inclusion of the Roman Catholic Church in the Christian family, is a horrible spiritual mistake.
The list of wickedness and hypocrisy in the Vatican Religious movement is endless.
Jesus the Messiah told us not to listen to what people might say, but rather look for fruits. A bad tree can simply not bear good fruits.
Jude 1:7The fruits of Rome is not only tasting bad. Its is rotten to its core. The mother of all tragedies, is that this this religious institution has a “Christ” in its midst. A copy-cat of the Messiah of the Bible.
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
If you want to escape judgment and the eternal wrath of God, get out of this “Church”. Run for you life, and beg Jesus the Messiah for mercy. Amen.
First published: March 13th, 2013.
Written by Ivar
Vatican department shares building with Italy's biggest gay sauna
As 115 cardinals prepare to elect a new Pope, the Vatican faced fresh embarrassment over claims that one of its key departments shares a building in Rome that hosts Italy's biggest gay sauna.
Italian carabinieri policemen stand in front of St Peter's square Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The historic palazzo is the headquarters
of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, which was founded
in 1622 and is responsible for missionary activities. The building
provides accommodation for about 15 priests.
But
the imposing stone mansion also contains the Europa Multiclub Sauna and
Gym, which claims on its website that it is "the number one gay sauna
in Italy".
The Vatican paid a hugely
inflated price for around 20 apartments in the building when it was
acquired in 2008, La Repubblica newspaper claimed in a front page report
on Monday.
The apartments were
bought for nine million euros on May 30 2008 by a property company which
later that day sold them to the Vatican for 20 million euros, making an
instant profit of 11 million euros, the daily claimed.
The
newspaper offered no explanation for the hugely inflated price but
there was no suggestion that there was anything illegal about the deal.
