The Vatican is issuing new guidelines for handling accusations of sexual abuse. We shall see how stringent they are, how much they are followed, and whether there are any consequences for bishops who do not follow them.
Sandro Magister at Chiesa has some comments on the canonical aspects of the procedures, and he is obviously unhappy that the process has been sped up. One remake he made is ominous for the future.
In a country like the United States of America, the transition has been made from a phase of permissiveness in dealing with the phenomenon of pedophilia, in both the civil and ecclesiastical camps, to a phase of generalized “zero tolerance,” Puritan in spirit.
Many Europeans dismiss Americans who reject to their children being raped as “Puritan.” Europeans applauded Roman Polanski and couldn’t imagine why he should be punished for having sex with a young girl.
The Vatican is staffed by Europeans – they pick up European sexual attitudes, and regard Americans as Puritans who do not understand it is silly to punish a priest who has sex with children. European pedophiles blame the FBI and American fundamentalists for reversing the growing tolerance that pedophilia was experiencing in modern Europe.
Many years ago a movie was made in the Netherlands that in English would be called something like “Tale of a Soldier”. It is about a Canadian soldier who developes an interest in a Dutch lad of twelve or thirteen during the liberation of Holland. The soldier introduces his young friend to the joys of anal intercourse. Years later, the boy turned man (portrayed by Jeroen Krabne who played the murderous doctor in the Harrison Ford version of The Fugitive) recalls the relatuionship as “beautiful”. I’m of Dutch and Irish descent and keep in touch with both countries and their cultures (including cinema). I had seen some racey things in Dutch film, but this took the cake. One of the most developed and civilized countries in the world and it produced this?! With one of its major stars?!! So much for the European view on adult-child/adolescent sex.
Perhaps the fellows at the Vatican should base their sensibilities on the teaching of Christ and his saints (Basil said priests who molested kids should be exiled to momastaries with old monks while Alphonsus said they should be castrated) rather than contemporary secular mores. When will we be rid of these crass carerists in clerical collars?
Leon, your post confirms something I’ve thought for a long time: The Vatican is (and has been) far, far more influenced by European thought than by the Gospel, let alone “traditional” religious sensibilities (whatever that means in this day and age). Criticizing the protection of the innocent as “Puritanism” is beyond irresponsible; it’s reprehensible. If such criticism truly reflects the attitude of Church leaders toward sexual molestation, then the Church has heavy, firey, divine condemnation headed its way. More’s the pity that such leaders are too infatuated with themselves to care, much less see it coming.