Vatican received reports of 4 thousand cases of pedophilia in 10 years

A total of 4,000 cases of sexual abuse to minors by clerics came to the Congregation for the doctrine of the faith in the last ten years, reported today the prefect of that congregation, Cardinal William Levada, who admitted that the response of the Church was "inadequate".

Levada made these statements in the speech that opened at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome Symposium "towards healing and renewal", on pederasty, which it runs until 9 February and attended by delegates from 110 Episcopal Conferences and the superiors General of religious orders 30.

During the Act was read a message Benedict XVI, which stated that the healing of victims must be "priority" community Christian and must be linked to a "profound renewal of the Church" at all levels.

Levada, for its part, stressed the Pope fight against abuses children for part u000aof clerics, which started already when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

The cardinal noted that Benedict XVI has suffered the past years "hard attacks" by the media, "when it should have received the gratitude of the entire Church and beyond" by their work and their decision to "zero tolerance" with pederasty.

The American Cardinal, whose congregation dealt with these cases, said that in the last ten years reached the same 4,000 complaints, "which noted, on the one hand, the inadequate and insufficient response canonical, and, on the other hand, the lack of a truly coordinated response".

stressed the need that the Church to cooperate with civilian authorities to deal with cases of paedophile priests, highlighting that the sexual abuse of minors "is not only a crime in Canon law, but that it is also a crime that violates the criminal law in most of the" u000a"civil jurisdictions".

Added that although the civil laws vary from nation to nation, the principle is always the same: "The Church has the obligation to cooperate with the civil law and denounce such crimes to the appropriate authorities".

The Cardinal referred to the circular sent to May 16, 2011 to all Episcopal Conferences, which asked for by 2012 may send a "líneas-guías" to try to "proper way" everywhere these cases, who have placed the Church in pillory.

This letter noted that attention to the victims, cooperation with civil authorities, prevention programs and the permanent formation of seminarians and clergy are the priorities to combat abuse of children by clergy.

Levada is asking the Episcopal Conferences that "Act", noting that they have moved only once the scandals leap to the u000apublic.

The cardinal insisted that the victims must be given priority and that it is "mandatory" Church hear them, to know what you have experienced and feel that you want to help them and feels sorry.

To this respect recalled the letter sent by Pope Benedict XVI the Irish victims, in which I said: "ye have suffered immensely, and I am sorry." "I know that nothing can erase the evil they have endured, and your self-confidence (clerics) has been betrayed and your dignity violated".

On the formation of future priests said that they must be formed in the appreciation of chastity and celibacy.

El Cardinal Levada recalled the release day in 2010 by order of Pope Benedict XVI's "Of Delicta Graviora" document of 2001 concerning the most serious crimes against morality and the sacraments.

With this update, gave a round of measures in the fight against the priests paedophiles, approving u000astandards including the expansion of 10 to 20 years of time to denounce abuses and the introduction of the offence of acquisition, possession and dissemination of child pornography.

Levada emphasized that the regulations provide that processes are faster and some cases do not follow the "procedural way" normal in the case of a very serious matter for submission directly to the Pope that the guilty priest lost as soon as possible their status.

Victims of abuse considered "inadequate" and later measures.

Share this article

Digg it!

del.icio.us

MySpace

Facebook

Fark

Reddit

Newsvine