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[xelios]

ROME (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it is working to give bishops information on the best ways to combat clergy sex abuse, teaming up with the Jesuit university in Rome to host a major symposium on abuse and launch an Internet learning center for follow-up guidance.

The symposium next February will draw experts in psychiatry, church law, sociology and child protection programs to the Pontifical Gregorian University for three days of meetings and workshops with 200 bishops and religious superiors.

The meetings are designed in part to help bishops draft guidelines to combat abuse that must be submitted to the Holy See by next year for review.

The Gregorian will also launch a multi-lingual Internet learning center to provide church leaders with the latest in ongoing research on how to prevent abuse, train priests properly, protect children and help victims heal. Private donors have pledged funds to maintain the database for an initial three years, officials said.

It's the latest initiative by the Vatican to try to repair the damage from the devastating revelations recently of thousands of people from around the world who say they were raped and molested by priests as children. For decades, bishops covered up the crimes and the Vatican turned a blind eye to the reports, a scandal that has become one of the greatest crises the Catholic Church has faced in decades.

Pope Benedict XVI has said the church must engage in a path of "healing, renewal and reparation" to emerge from the crisis and restore trust in the church, and the Vatican recently gave bishops a host of recommendations to consider when drafting their guidelines to fight abuse.

Yet many victims groups have held out little hope for much change given that bishops themselves have been blamed for much of the scandal, since it was they who covered up the crimes and moved molesters around from parish to parish to abuse again rather than reporting them to police.

No bishop has ever been disciplined for failing to stop an abuser. Victims' advocates argue that without any enforcement mechanism requiring bishops to comply with church law or their own guidelines, children will remain at risk.

The Vatican's sex crimes prosecutor Monsignor Charles Scicluna acknowledged Saturday that bishops "come in all shapes and sizes" and the Vatican spokesman admitted some bishops' conferences have no interest in being forced into drafting guidelines.

...

A step in the right direction? Or useless since bishops have failed to enforce anything in the past and they are getting to set their own guidelines here? What do you think?

 

[feel]

 

[Tron 2.0]

 

[Kurtofan]

I hardly see anything wrong with that, it's a good thing they do what they can to avoid repeating the same horrors.
Of course every bishops etc... should do it, or it will be useless.

 

[xelios]

I hardly see anything wrong with that, it's a good thing they do what they can to avoid repeating the same horrors.
Of course every bishops etc... should do it, or it will be useless.

It is a good step. It's just that the guidelines are being drafted by a group of people who covered up the abuses for decades and were never punished for it. Guidelines to stop abuse being drawn up by people who failed to stop abuse. I don't really get it. It needs to be enforced elsewhere (higher up).

 

[LCGeek]

It is a good step. It's just that the guidelines are being drafted by a group of people who covered up the abuses for decades and were never punished for it. Guidelines to stop abuse being drawn up by people who failed to stop abuse. I don't really get it. It needs to be enforced elsewhere (higher up).

This statement sums it all up. Never let the fox or foxes in this case guard the hen house. Not only did they turn a blind eye they actively covered it up.

 

[Corto]

It is a good step. It's just that the guidelines are being drafted by a group of people who covered up the abuses for decades and were never punished for it. Guidelines to stop abuse being drawn up by people who failed to stop abuse. I don't really get it. It needs to be enforced elsewhere (higher up).

?????

Higher-ups would be Cardinals, that are Bishops too for the most part.

 

[leadbelly]

Chop off their testicles. Is that in there? I'm too lazy to read.

 

[xelios]

?????

Higher-ups would be Cardinals, that are Bishops too for the most part.

Higher up more like the law. They're too self-governing even when it comes to criminal activity.

 

[FunkyPajamas]

So basically this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0nnU71ggro

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

So basically this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0nnU71ggro

Nah this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g5Hz17C4is

 

[Corto]

Higher up more like the law. They're too self-governing even when it comes to criminal activity.

That I absolutely agree with you. The Secular Justice must take care of this cases to its full extent. But this news that you posted show that the Church itself is making an internal effort to combat this shameful acts. That as you said is indeed a good step.

 

[Adent]

They should let priests marry. That way you'll get less weirdos.

 

[xelios]

They should let priests marry. That way you'll get less weirdos.

They should. But do you think it's that or that "weirdos" are drawn into being in a position of power and authority (and access) in the first place? Especially in a place where the punishments for such crimes were ... being moved to another parish, where you can experience more variety!

 

[weekend_warrior]

step 1: stop having sex with children.

 

[purnoman3000]

Guidelines?

How about this, don't sexually abuse children. I just saved you a 300 page report

Thank me later

 

[Guerrillas in the Mist]

They should let priests marry. That way you'll get less weirdos.

I know this is the clichéd response, but let's face it, it would probably reduce the problem by a huge percentage.

 

[lightless_shado]

They should let priests marry. That way you'll get less weirdos.

That doesn't make sense. People don't become pedophiles because they can't have sex with women. If they wanted to have sleep with women then they'd leave the clergy or they would have sex with women anyway but just never tell anyone.

It would make more sense if you suggested that children have less involvement with the church. No more childrens choirs, alter boys etc. and that children are to be accompanied by their parents at all times in the church.

 

[CornBurrito]

I know this is the clichéd response, but let's face it, it would probably reduce the problem by a huge percentage.

Disagreed. I haven't seen anything suggesting these creeps are simply taking out their sexual urges on children. I view it as more of them wanting to assert dominance and control over their vulnerable victims. Naturally these types of people would choose a high ranking religious official as their job of choice. They basically get to turn their sick power fetish into a career.

 

[xelios]

Disagreed. I haven't seen anything suggesting these creeps are simply taking out their sexual urges on children. I view it as more of them wanting to assert dominance and control over their vulnerable victims. Naturally these types of people would choose a high ranking religious official as their job of choice. They basically get to turn their sick power fetish into a career.

Not to mention that is it rather attractive going in knowing the punishments are lax there when it comes such crimes; there is absolutely no deterrent. The molesters were/are not even reported to police; just moved to different parishes with different potential victims. As I said, too self-governing and without tougher outside enforcement it will remain a corrupt process. You do not allow those who failed in their responsibilities to prevent, report and punish molesters to later write the guidelines for doing so.

 

[Air]

A step in the right direction? Or useless since bishops have failed to enforce anything in the past and they are getting to set their own guidelines here? What do you think?

If they're honest, than its a great step forward. If they aren't nothing really changes. But I believe there are a lot of good bishops out there, so it leaves me hopeful

 

[xelios]

If they're honest, than its a great step forward. If they aren't nothing really changes. But I believe there are a lot of good bishops out there, so it leaves me hopeful

I believe so too. I certainly don't believe they're all corrupt, but not long back a lot of skeletons came out of the closet as far as decades-long systematic abuse within the Church. Prolonged cover-ups, lack of punishments and reports, primarily by bishops failing in their responsibilities.

What I am concerned with is enforcement of the guidelines and harsher penalties both for molesters and bishops failing to enforce whatever they draw up. The penalties imo must come from outside for this to ever work.

 

[kehs]

Typical bishop behavior, when they're cornered they try and slip through the checkered landscape all the way to the other side. Seemingly trying to blend in with the opposition. Next thing you know they'll want to move laterally or even want to be knighted.

 

[xelios]

Typical bishop behavior, when they're cornered they try and slip through the checkered landscape all the way to the other side. Seemingly trying to blend in with the opposition. Next thing you know they'll want to move laterally or even want to be knighted.

And we are all but disposable pawns, money is King and the Queen will always live on through rock 'n' roll.