http://us24h.org/catholic-archbishop-id-rather-go-to-prison-than-report-child-abuse-to-police/
Australia’s most powerful clergy, Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, says he’s prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse by pedophile priests.
He made the shocking statement in response to the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse saying there should be “no excuse, protection nor privilege” for clergy who failed to alert police of abuse.
Hart insisted that sexual abuse was “a spiritual encounter with God through the priest” and was “of a higher order” than criminal law.
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carmencita ago
As the law currently stands, clergy are not legally obliged to report crimes to the police and disciplinary proceedings for criminal activity by members of the Catholic Church are handled internally by Canon law, which operates independently of the regular legal procedure. THIS Needs To Change. NOW. Was he ever protected by Pell? He sounds pretty confident.
new4now ago
anywhere there is a "brotherhood", whether male or female or both, their protectors are in high places
carmencita ago
YES and the Canon Law needs to Be Abolished. Many priests hide behind it. Here is something very worth reading about Canon Law and was very Shocking to me. Secret Marriages https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/17/world/accusations-of-sexual-abuse-against-united-nations-workers-are-cited.html What is meant by a Secret Marriage and who is allowed to take part in one. Why is it so hidden away as well. Secret Marriages between Whom?
BIGLY17 ago
Is this the right link? Secret marriages was something I’m looking into as well alongside the SRA survivor tale from the under tunnels; unbelievable
carmencita ago
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P42.HTM So Sorry. This is the correct link. I think last year I discovered that the church married gay priests centuries ago. I wonder if that would fall under this Canon Law and that the marriage documents were kept in the Curia. I am also very interested but have not been able to find anything on the internet as of yet. I am sure they have scrubbed a lot. Please ping me on anything you find. Want to get to the bottom of this. Thanks so much for your interest.