Even more Scandals for the Church

Father Bucci stated that, even though sexual abuse is something hideous, the comparison with abortion is unfair. His words came after it became public a report he wrote in which he excommunicated a group of lawmakers from Rhode Island who supported the state’s abortion law; a law approved in June that established protection for abortion. The 40 lawmakers listed in the report must not:

• Receive communion,
• Act as godfathers
• Read in the mass.

Abortion is considered by the Catholic Church as a grave sin that goes against the moral law; nevertheless, in 2016, Pope Francis extended indefinitely the power Catholic priests had to forgive them.

On the other hand, Carol Hagan McEntee, one of the lawmakers included on the list, said in an interview that claiming pedophilia does not kill anyone is absurd; she also added that “it steals the childhood and soul” of the abused children. In 2019, the same lawmaker presented a bill asking for the extension to limitation statute of the State for victims of child abuse.

The lawmaker’s sister, Anne Hagan Webb, said she was abused by a priest from Sacred Heart when she was a little girl. Mc Entee considers that the Catholic Church has not held itself accountable for the abuse accusations against children. She also invited Bucci to visit the State’s Capitol to listen to victims’ testimonies so he can have a complete different opinion. Many of the victims of child abuse by the hands of priest said they lose faith completely.

Putting down Bucci’s Flames

Richard Bucci has not said anything regarding his statements; therefore, in his defense, the Bishop of Providence spoke on behalf of the Catholic Church to calm everyone down, and to shed some light regarding the opinion expressed in the report.

Monsignor Tobin said that both child abuse and abortion are considered, by the Catholic Church, as horrible and immoral actions that carry heavy consequences.

Moreover, he emphasized that “sexual abuse, not matter when or where it happens, causes a lingering and devastating pain that can even last for life for the victims/survivors, their families, and the entire community.”

Likewise, he cleared out that all claims of sexual abuse must be taken seriously, and there needs be joined efforts to protect children and adolescents, to eradicate the abuse, to process the abusers, and to offer assistance to those affected by the abuse.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, before becoming Pope, qualified child abuse as “a horrendous sin in the eyes of God”; he also added that people who have committed sexual abuses must not receive the Eucharist without confessing said sin.

On this matter, the victims of child abuse from priests expect heavier actions from the Church to eliminate this problem for the sake of the following generations.

The post Richard Bucci: Pedophilia does not kill anyone, Abortion does first appeared on Counter Pedophilia Investigative Unit - Official Site.

Around the children

Some of the priests, deacons, monks, and laities accused, after leaving the church, do things such as:

• Teach high school math
• Advise survivors of sexual abuse
• Work as nurses
• Volunteer in nonprofit organizations that help children in a state of vulnerability

A publication of the Archdiocese of New York with the names of the members of the clergy who were accused of pedophilia has provided information on how they live and how to track and monitor them since they were never criminally charged. Instead, they were expelled from the church, which allowed them to live like normal people within communities.

The Archdiocese has its own criteria to determine if the priest has actually committed abuse. The accusations range from:

• Inappropriate conversations
• Unwanted hugs
• Sexual assaults on children

So far, the diocese and religious orders have shared the names of at least 5,100 members of the clergy with credible accusations. The AP investigated almost 2,000 members who are still alive and determined where they have lived and worked. The results showed that:

• 160 continued to work – being paid or volunteering- in Catholic diocese churches abroad.
• 190 obtained professional licenses to work with infants in education, medicine, social work, and legal advice.

Besides, there are found cases in which the priests were repeat offenders. Clerics were included in a list of credibly accused people never faced criminal prosecution for the abuses committed, which frees them from having a verifiable background before the state boards and services when they look for a new job and allow them to live without problems in other communities that ignore the presence and past of these people.

Police authorities can only supervise those who have been convicted after a court ruling, otherwise, it would be considered harassment.

The New Your Diocese excludes clerics accused of abuse

After the Archdiocese publication with the names of the clergy, Judge Barbara Jones —named by the Cardinal of New York, after a year of conducting an independent study on how the archdiocese processes sexual abuse allegations against its members- issued a report highlighting that substantial complaints are outside that ministry, besides including a series of recommendations.

The stipulated protocols regarding complaints of sexual assault are carried out strictly. The independent investigation that is carried out on the accusation is presented to a Lay Review Board that will decide if the allegation is justified.

Judge Jones, in her final report, set that the Archdiocese must follow certain measures to keep sexual abuse at bay:

• Hire a person to supervise and follow up on sexual abuse complaints as the sole responsibility
• Improve independent research practices
• Demand an annual training that includes working techniques with children in safe environments
• Include the relationship between the Archdiocese and the ten district attorneys of the New York area in the protocols
• Suggest that the New York Catholic hierarchy remain receptive to new claims and complaints
• Include new members with additional experience areas to the Lay Review Board
• Technologically Modernize the Archdiocese, to carry out these processes more effectively, which includes the clerics’ records tracking.

These current practices improvements are followed by the recognition given to the allegations of abuse, along with the commitment to support victims and survivors of abuse.

The post Catholic Church members that were accused of aggression maintain contact with children first appeared on Counter Pedophilia Investigative Unit - Official Site.