I’ve been dealing with a friend today who has chronic life problems stemming from childhood sexual abuse. The damage is not theoretical, it’s real.
His abuser (a non priest) had this in common with most priest sex criminals, he was able to avoid prosecution for his multiple felonies. It seems that Catholic priests tend to avoid jail by international flight, or by invoking a statute of limitations. A major scandal is how Catholic heirarchy have facilitated the international flight of accused priests.
The Catholic Church hierarchy to show it’s sincerity regarding the victims and its resolve to do everything to stop future abuse should insist its priests and religious submit to criminal prosecution, even in cases where a statute of limitations could be invoked.
His abuser (a non priest) had this in common with most priest sex criminals, he was able to avoid prosecution for his multiple felonies. It seems that Catholic priests tend to avoid jail by international flight, or by invoking a statute of limitations. A major scandal is how Catholic heirarchy have facilitated the international flight of accused priests.
The Catholic Church hierarchy to show it’s sincerity regarding the victims and its resolve to do everything to stop future abuse should insist its priests and religious submit to criminal prosecution, even in cases where a statute of limitations could be invoked.
The Pope should order all priests and religious to waive any and all statutes of limitation in criminal sex abuse cases. Any priest or religious who invokes a statute of limitation in such cases should be excommunicated, fired, and divested of any retirement benefits.This would provide some discouragement for perv-vocations. Can the Church afford to weed out all the perv priests? Does it have the will?
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