| | Pope faked child abuse investigation
unspun.mithuro.com
Contributed by Ugo Lancione, Vatican Correspondent
Sunday, 29 May 2005
The pope is facing new accusations that he 'faked' an investigation into child abuse by a leader of an influential Roman Catholic order to show the world that he was taking tough stance against offenders in order to get himself elected the leader of the Catholic Church.
The disgraced pontiff Bendedict XVI is accused of opening an investigation into the conduct of the alleged serial molester and leader of the Legionnaires of Christ Marcial Maciel in December last year but promptly dropping the investigation after being elected as the pope last month.
The pope last week claimed immunity from prosecution against charges of obstructing the course of justice stemming from secret letter, obtained by the respected British newspaper Observer, that the then Cardinal Ratzinger sent to every Catholic bishop asserting the church's right to hold its inquiries behind closed doors and keep the evidence confidential for up to ten years after the victims reached adulthood.
It is believed that the immunity claim is also an attempt to ward of any criminal investigation in the Vatican itself after the Police in Rome busted a pedophile ring run by Roman Catholic priests last week.
"When Ratzinger stepped up the investigation of Maciel, dispensing a priest around the world to take the alleged victims' statements, it seemed that he was positioning himself to be the next pope, shoring up his anti-molester credentials." Mark Oppenheimer wrote in the New Haven Advocate. "And now, no sooner does he become pope than he decides to close down a fruitful investigation into a man accused of being a serial molester of young seminarians."
85-year-old Fr. Maciel, a close friend of John Paul II, is accused of sexually abusing young seminarians over a period of three decades.
In December 2004, Cardinal Ratzinger as the head of Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith opened a full-scale investigation into the allegations.
Last month Catholic Church prosecutor Charles J. Scicluna traveled to Mexico to take testimony from dozens of former Legionaries.
But last Friday, the Legionaries of Christ issued a press release stating that the "Holy See" had informed them that "at this ime there is no canonical process underway regarding our Founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, LC, nor will one be initiated."
The Vatican subsequently confirmed the statement.
Comments
Fraud Ex Cathedra
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 10:37:49
If this is true , what an extremely sad time for Catholicism the world over.
Where did the "Holy Spirit" go during the election of this Guy.
Not only did Pope JPII let the faithful and the victims down but BeneXVI did the same in an elaborate Scheme to gain the job of Pope.
No wonder "Card" Law is sitting pretty among the rest of the Hierarchal Thieves
in the Vatican.
You don't get it...proper force must be
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 11:04:24
I hate to say this, but as a victim of abuse and sexual harrasment at the hands of nuns, I understand what has to be done. Appealing to justice and virtue and Christian principles is useless. The hierarchy is holding all the cards in this game. Force must be applied.
Bishops must be arrested and defrocked. Papal actions of past and present must be fearlessly investigated by both civil AND Church bodies. High ranking clerics must be publicly humiliated by the Churcha and then relieved of duty, defrocked or sent to monasteries to do pennance for life.
Forget the endless appeals to the Church for justice. It simply won't work...the foxes are in control of the henhouse. Lets get some of them locked up...and that is just for starters.
Tom Barnes
Alexandria, VA
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 12:39:04
It is unclear who this correspondent is,
Ugo Lancione,but there are details in this story that are not necessarily accurate and there are two story lines....one relates to the Pope claim that the Vatican is immune from prosecution- the other concerns the Legionaires of Christ who issued their own press release in the name of the Vatican. If interested in the Legionaires Press Release...go to regainnetwork.org
There is detailed information about the LC's efforts to altar the results of the ongoing investigation as well as a guide to the political structures under shich the investivation is taking place.....
not that I condone it...but they have their own system which is nothing like that of civil authority.....
I agree with the last writer however, there must be forced interventions where the Vatican Clerical system is not forthcoming about wrongdoing....and I do not think we need to wait a lifetime for justice to be handed down....
Boston Globe?
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 12:51:46
American media persons have done a great job on this whole business. I note some excellent work: Gustavo Arellano, Matt Talbot(possibly spelt wrong) an the Boston Globe.
Hope they take it up and start running
Debby Bartholomew-Bodkin, U.S.A.
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 14:05:00
If what has been written is true about the "faking" of a Vatican investigation that was purportedly opened in December, 2004 into the sex abuse allegations relating to Marcial Maciel, "force" demanding accountability from the Catholic hierarchy may only be possible in the U.S.A. and those countries who guarantee due process rights to all persons equally.
It is now the responsibility of each state Attorney General in the USA to open investigations so that the due process rights denied to any victims of clergy sex abuse, can be returned to the unsuspecting victims. Until this is done and enforced, heinous crimes relating to children will continue to be covered up by members of the Catholic hierarchy and precious children and their families will never be able to live with the rights that have been guaranteed to all Americans.
Thank you to all the victims of sex abuse, their families and the tenacious journalists who have brought exposures to the public. Without their courage, the Catholic hierarchy would only continue to abuse their power and authority, hiding behind the teachings of the Catholic Church.
My "Letter" about the Legionaries
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 15:34:50
I recently sent this "Letter" to the Boston Globe but it doesn't appear that it will be printed so here it is.
To the Editor
Regarding your story "Vatican reportedly drops probe of Mexican cleric" (5/23/2005):
It is unbelievable that the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church has been so furthered weakened by the Vatican's decision not to pursue well documented sexual abuse charges against Legionaires of Christ founder, Marcial Maciel Degollado.
It is not as if the church has recouped very much of its moral authority in its intractable opposition to releasing the records of credibly accused clergy from California to Maine or its opposition to removing or extending statutes of limitation in general.
The charges of sexual abuse against Maciel are well documented and long standing. The accusers are well educated and highly respected professional individuals, men who have brought their charges to the right offices over the years, with not so much as an acknowledgment of their complaints.
These actions will not increase our faith, much less restore the credibility we should have in the church.
Even though the statue of limitations precludes any criminal proceedings, and canon law does not absolutely mandate a church trial, Pope Benedict would do well to fully investigate the charges.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
The sands of our new Pope's 100 days of grace are slipping away.
the time has come
Written by Guest on 2005-05-29 15:44:31
throw a few cardinals in prison and watch how fast the church finds its religion.
anybody who thinks these folks are about anything more than power and cash needs to open their eyes.
i say we start with international criminal and pedo-priest lover bernard cardinal law. throw his pretentious queenly ass in prison with the plebes and watch the miraculous change that happens in the catholic church. |
|
