Only the tip of the iceberg - 4,000 cases of child sex crimes by Christian priests in 10 years investigated by Vatican

[and/or www.mantra.com/jai]

Vatican investigated 4,000 cases of child sex abuse in the last 10
years, U.S. cardinal reveals

By Nick Pisa
Daily Mail
Tuesday, February 7, 2012

A senior Vatican cardinal has revealed how more than 4,000 cases of
sex abuse by priests on children have been investigated during the
last ten years.

The shock figure was announced by American cardinal Joseph William
Levada as he opened a conference on the wide scale phenomenon which
has rocked the Roman Catholic church with cases reported all over the
world.

Cardinal Levada, who is head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, described the figure as a 'dramatic increase' and came in
the face of global indignation at the scale of the problem and which
has forced Pope Benedict XVI to apologise for previous cases during
papal visits as he meets victims.

[Caption] Cardinal Joseph William Levada revealed the figures as he
opened a conference on child sex abuse

Addressing the conference in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian
University he also stressed that the Catholic Church had an
obligation to report paedophile priests to the police and civil
authorities - in the past there have been cases in Ireland and
elsewhere that bishops 'dragged their heels' in naming offending
clergy.

The event called 'Towards Healing and Renewal' is being attended by
more than 100 senior bishops and clergy from all over the world -
with Ireland's leading Roman Catholic Cardinal Sean Brady among the
delegates and it comes after Benedict ordered an Apostolic Visitation
into the Irish Catholic Church following two damning reports on the
extent of abuse there.

Cardinal Levada stressed the Pope had urged for a 'profound renewal'
in the Church and that helping victims of abuse by priests should be
its top priority and in a statement the Vatican added: 'He (the Pope)
asks the Lord that, through your deliberations, many bishops and
religious superiors throughout the world may be helped to respond in
a truly Christ-like manner to the tragedy of child abuse.

'As His Holiness has often observed, healing for victims must be of
paramount concern in the Christian community, and it must go hand in
hand with a profound renewal of the Church at every level.' However
victim groups have hit and complained that it is nothing more than a
'public relations exercise' as the have not been invited and have
again called on the Vatican to release its secret archive of
documents which details thousands of cases and which it has so far
refused to do.

[Caption] Pope Benedict XVI has called for a 'profound renewal' in
the Catholic Church after a series of child sex scandals

Joelle Casteix, of support group SNAP (Survivors Network of those
Abused by Priests), said: 'How many meetings will it take for Rome to
learn that child sex abuse is a crime, predators must be made public
and jailed and church officials who cover up molesters must be held
accountable?

'Even after years of promises, meetings and empty apologies, the
Vatican cannot do the simplest, cheapest, and the most child-friendly
action possible: make public decades of secret files on clergy sex
offenders and enablers.'

She also attacked Cardinal Levada and added: 'Conference leaders say
the purpose of the event is to create guidelines on how to handle
reports of childhood sexual abuse.

[Caption] The conference has opened in Rome on the wide scale of
child sex abuse which has rocked the Roman Catholic church with cases
reported all over the world

'Who will be leading the discussion? The very same experts and church
officials who bear responsibility for the continued global cover up
of clergy child sex crimes including Cardinal William Levada, who
covered up criminal reports of child rape and sexual assault when he
was archbishop of San Francisco and Portland.

'True change and child protection comes through accountability from
secular authorities. Until we have that, we must see Rome's meeting
for exactly what it is: cheap window dressing.'

The scandal erupted more than 18 months ago as hundreds of cases
emerged in Ireland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Germany with
even Benedict being dragged into the scandal after he was accused of
'dragging his heels' when dealing with a paedophile priest when he
was Archbishop of Munich.

Initially the Vatican took what was seen as a 'defensive' step but in
recent months Benedict has been increasingly more open about the
problem and has described how the Church is 'truly sorry' for the
'grave errors' it has committed in the past and he has met with
victims in Britain and Malta, crying and praying with them.

The conference, which is being held behind closed doors, is due to
finish on Thursday and will also hear from Irish victim Marie
Collins, 64, who was raped and abused by priests when she was a
teenager.

Earlier she had told Vatican Radio that it was important for abuser
priests to ask forgiveness, somethings she has already granted but to
hear church leaders own up to their roles in prolonging suffering by
putting the reputation of the Church above the needs of children in
their care.

Vatican sources later stressed the 4,000 figure referred to cases and
not individual priests but it was still a far higher number than had
previously been mentioned by Catholic Church officials.

Two years ago monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Maltese priest at the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in charge of investigating
paedophile priests had given an interview saying there had been
'3,000 cases of sexual abuse the last 50 years'.

He said that of these 300 cases involved allegations of 'genuine
paedophilia' and most others 'concerned homosexual attraction to
teenagers' and of these 3,000 cases, 600 priests had been defrocked
while in other situations the offenders had been deemed 'too old' to
punish but given other penalties such as bans on celebrating Mass or
hearing confessions.

More...

Church to declare war on Obama over birth control as religious
leaders threaten President with Catholic vote

Paedophile Gary Glitter to pocket thousands of pounds in royalties
when hit is played at Superbowl final

More at:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097643/Vatican-investigated-4-000-cases-child-sex-abuse-10-years-U-S-cardinal-reveals.html

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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-Updated on February 2, 2012-
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