Can you pick which Priest has done the Kiddie Fiddle?
I doubt it.
The Vatican has not only allowed, but helped Diocese all over the world to shuffle these criminals around to keep them hidden. Sometimes within their own State or Country. Sometimes they even send them overseas to countries they really don’t care about. We know that Australia, Canada and Alaska both became dumping grounds for errant Priests from other countries. India has seen it’s fair share of Child Rapists sent to it’s shores as well. Although there is a lot about India that I don’t like, e.g. it’s caste system that is still in force in some parts of the country, there is also a lot I do like. What they do not deserve is to have these known pedophiles dumped on them as if it doesn’t matter. It is children that have to bear the brunt of this activity and I can’t get my head around how a grown man can knowingly make a decision that will almost definitely end in more children being abused.
There comes a point when someone, in this case the countries that are having their laws and their children abused by the Catholic Church, have to take a stand. All countries now need to draft a new law that stops Priests from entering their country for any reason unless they have a completely clean record. There needs to be much stricter oversight of what is going on. No more should a Priest who has abused/raped child be allowed to roam around freely to commit the same acts to more and more children wherever the Church thinks it’s alright. This, of course, can’t be done until the home country convicts them. This can’t be done either till someone in that country says enough is enough and does convict them. This is very hard to do while ever the Church is allowed to continue hiding them instead of reporting abuse cases to the local authorities and keeps out of it and allows things to progress normally. No more of the Church having their own people stick their noses in and tell the victims they don’t enough evidence and that they would be better of accepting $10,000 to keep quiet. The Church would rather spend that money than allow itself to be smeared in the courts and media. But in many cases this probably was not true and the families of those victims felt pressured to accept the offer. That then allows the Priest to keep his collar, his freedom, his ability to continue abusing and his ability to move to another area, state or country.
When will these countries have enough guts to stand up to the Vatican and look after their citizens? Probably never.
They could start by ordering the Church to hand over any and all records relating to any and all illegal activity on the part of their Priests.
When will the Vatican do the right thing? Probably never.
They could start by sending Cardinal Bernard Law back to the US so the could face his accusers.
When will the people do the right thing? Probably never.
Every single Catholic has influence. Those who have influence can help save the children. Those who have influence and don’t use it to save the children are abuse enablers for allowing it to continue. The Priests, Bishops and Cardinals that have power that they don’t need to get permission from the Vatican to use and aren’t using it to do anything are abuse enablers. Those who not only have that influence but are politicians are doubly guilty of abuse enabling if they haven’t used that influence to stop the problem. Those leaders of countries who have not stood before the media and loudly proclaimed their disgust and determination to end the abuse are the worst of the abuse enablers.
The Vatican are playing the same game they always play and are talking all around the problem. It’s nothing but smoke obscured magical handwaving. All noise and no action. By the time they get around to the point of anything being done, it will all have been forgotten and they’ll do the same. Wait a decade or maybe even less and the reports of abuse will start again.
Because the governments aren’t forcing them to do anything, they aren’t. Because we aren’t forcing our governments to do something, they aren’t. We need to stop leaving it to them to ‘get around to’. Whatever your next election is, be it local, state or federal, you need to start asking the candidates what their views and intentions are on this problem. We must start making this an election breaker for them.