A panel to investigate clerical sex abuse in the Catholic Church, set up by the Catholic Church is shutting down because they didn’t agree with methods used by Belgian police; how convenient.
This was a wonderful idea! The corrupt institution which has undoubtedly covered up rampant worldwide sexual abuse on children, arguably the most despicable of all possible crimes, was conducting its own investigation and people actually believe that the Church was going to be objective? I realize religious people are gullible, the very fact that they are religious proves that they’ll believe anything, but at some point doesn’t some semblance of reason and common sense prevail? Do people really believe that if this panel’s investigation would have revealed that high-ranking members of the Church, maybe even Vatican officials, were guilty of these crimes that they would turn these people over to authorities? Please!
The way I see it, these pedophiles didn’t concern themselves with the well-being of their victims while forcing them to perform oral sex or raping them. So why must authorities tip-toe their way through these investigations; because they’re dealing with a religious organization? Religious groups deserve no more respect than any other group. I say police should do whatever it takes within the law to investigate clerical sex abuse and bring perpetrators to justice. TGO
Refer to story below. Source: Associated Press
Photography: Reuters
BRUSSELS – The head of a panel set up by the Catholic Church in Belgium to investigate clerical sex abuse says the panel is shutting down after a police raid last week.
Panel chairman Peter Adriaenssens says the authorities betrayed the trust of nearly 500 victims who had made complaints over the past two months. He said Monday the panel had been used as bait by state prosecutors eager to talk to victims who were reluctant to make complaints to police.
Authorities seized church documents and computers, detained bishops and even opened up a prelate’s crypt on June 24.
Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called the police raids “deplorable.” It was his first public comment on the deepening diplomatic rift between Belgium and the Vatican.
