"Scicluna’s most celebrated prosecution involved the late Mexican Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legion of Christ, who was found guilty in 2006 and sentenced to a life of 'prayer and penance'.”
would life sentences of "prayer and penance" be satisfactory justice for those found guilty of war crimes? is sexual exploitation of children, and covering it up, lesser crimes?
those who break the law by committing serious crimes against other persons, especially children, should be charged publicly, tried publicly and, if proven guilty, sentenced publicly in criminal court. the person guilty of child sex abuse is then placed on the public sex offender list.
here's the deal: crimes against minors are a serious matter in this country. when a adult is charged publicly with sexual exploitation of a minor, their employer typically suspends them immediately from their job. they appear before a judge who decides in public court whether or not the person will be granted bail while they await trial. if the offender is found guilty, then he or she is typically sentenced to jail/prison and placed permanently on public state and national sex offender lists.
by contrast, the church does not suspend the priest from his duties. the bishop covers up the crime(s) by reassigning the priest to another parish without informing parishioners of the charge, e.g. Juan Barros, Bernard Law, Philip Wilson, etc. if public pressure is sufficient, then the church may privately sentence the priest to "a life of prayer and penance". higherups who cover up the crimes get protection from inside vatican walls.
despite the pope's change in tone, the church still has a long way to go in recognizing the severity of sexual crimes committed by adults against children, and the church's responsibility to society in dealing with those who commit these crimes, and to their victims.
those who break the law by committing serious crimes against other persons, especially children, should be charged publicly, tried publicly and, if proven guilty, sentenced publicly in criminal court. the person guilty of child sex abuse is then placed on the public sex offender list.
here's the deal: crimes against minors are a serious matter in this country. when a adult is charged publicly with sexual exploitation of a minor, their employer typically suspends them immediately from their job. they appear before a judge who decides in public court whether or not the person will be granted bail while they await trial. if the offender is found guilty, then he or she is typically sentenced to jail/prison and placed permanently on public state and national sex offender lists.
by contrast, the church does not suspend the priest from his duties. the bishop covers up the crime(s) by reassigning the priest to another parish without informing parishioners of the charge, e.g. Juan Barros, Bernard Law, Philip Wilson, etc. if public pressure is sufficient, then the church may privately sentence the priest to "a life of prayer and penance". higherups who cover up the crimes get protection from inside vatican walls.
despite the pope's change in tone, the church still has a long way to go in recognizing the severity of sexual crimes committed by adults against children, and the church's responsibility to society in dealing with those who commit these crimes, and to their victims.
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