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Vatican prosecutor in global call for child protection
Vatican calls on global institutions to ‘protect’ children’s innocence
Holy See’s prosecutor Mgr. Charles Scicluna has called on global institutions not to shy away from the guiding principle of guaranteeing respect and protection towards the innocence of the child.
Addressing an international forum against child abuse in Rome, Mgr Scicluna said that “every global or local institution must give priority to safeguarding children under any circumstance, and avoid any form of exploitation or abuse.”
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Mgr Scicluna should stop playing games and start from within the Catholic Church itself before calling others to take action. The Vatican should order all bishops to turn over secret records of abusive priests, held in the secret archives of the curia, to the police. Sexual abuse of children is matter for the criminal justice system because it is society's responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
Bishops worldwide have left known sexual predators in ministry, transferred them around a diocese and even out of the country in attempts to protect the church's image rather than the children. In so doing, they protected paedophile priests time and again. Bishops should be ashamed of themselves for putting pervert priests ahead of children and their safety. What the bishops did is beyond inexcusable.
The Vatican should order bishops to publish the names and locations of all priests defrocked because they sexually abused children. Bishops should immediately inform the public how priests who have been defrocked for reports of sexual abuse, are being monitored. People are concerned, that with no one watching these individuals, there is a risk that more children could be harmed.
