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| Monsignor Carlo Capella "Downloaded child pornography using a Canadian church online address". |
Just about everyone must now be aware of Pope Frankie's loudly proclaimed determination to reform the Catholic Church and put a stop to the multiple child abuse scandals that were costing it money and members. No longer are these habitual abuses, routine cover-ups and tacit approval of them to be tolerated, so the way the church dealt with the latest child abuse scandal should come as no surprise.
When the Vatican heard that yet another Catholic priest was under investigation by the Canadian Police for child pornography offences, it lost no time in dealing with the matter in the interests of all concerned.
According to CBC News from Windsor in the Canadian Catholic diocese of London, it whisked the priest, Vatican diplomat to Washington, USA, Monsignor Carlo Capella, back to Rome to the safety of the Vatican and beyond the reach of the law enforcement and child protection authorities. As reported in the New York Times, there had been rumours that Capella, who US authorities were seeking to strip of his diplomatic immunity, was about to be arrested.
Last Thursday, Windsor police issued a Canada-wide warrant alleging a 50-year-old man named Carlo Capella committed child pornography offences at an area church during the Christmas holidays.
Nelson Couto, spokesman for the Diocese of London, confirmed that the diocese had 'assisted' the police "investigation around suspicions involving Msgr. Capella's possible violations of child pornography laws by using a computer address at a local Church." Couto refused to comment on the Vatican 'investigation and the matter of Capella's possible return to Canada to answer the charges, saying, "The Diocese of London can't comment on the Vatican investigation."
Not only are we seeing no action, we are seeing actions that are taking us backwards.
Beyond saying, a "member of the diplomatic corps of the Holy See" who was working in Washington was brought back to the city where the "Promoter of Justice opened an investigation and has already commenced international collaboration to obtain elements relative to the case", the Vatican hasn't commented or even officially identified Capella as the recalled diplomat. Barbara Dorris.
Director of the Survivors Network
of Those Abused by Priests
Director of the Survivors Network
of Those Abused by Priests
Embarrassingly for the Vatican, the 'rescue' of another child-abusing priest comes on the eve of an international conference next week at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome on protecting children from online sexual exploitation, pornography and abuse. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state and Capella's boss, is set to deliver the keynote speech Tuesday on "The Holy See and its commitment to combating sex abuse online."
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| Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo (centre) "This is a serious issue." |
Pope Francis' track record to date on the issue of child-abusing priests is not great, sending out decidedly mixed messages. His PR onslaught early in his pontificate in which he shed tears of regret and vowed to take effective action, was followed nine months later by the establishment of a commission of outside experts to advise the church on the matter of child protection. However, the two hand-picked survivors of child abuse on the panel left amid acrimonious complaints of bureaucracy and broken promises. A new tribunal to discipline bishops who participated in cover-ups was later quietly disbanded when the Pope decided the Vatican already had the necessary mechanisms in place.
Then, despite warnings and swirling rumours, the Pope brought Australian Cardinal Pell into a senior position in the Vatican to sort out its corrupt finances only to have him set about spending Vatican money furnishing a lavish, private Rome apartment. Pell has now been 'granted leave of absence' to return to his native Australia to face charges of sexual assault against minors, making him the highest-ranking Catholic prelate to be charges with such offences.
So much for a new broom sweeping the Catholic Church clean. The first response of the Vatican is still to protect its child-abusing clerics.
'via Blog this'
There can't be any more proof than this that the Catholic church doesn't really believe in justice
ReplyDeleteIt's typical of an organization that floats on a raft of propaganda (whether it be Fox News, a Communist regime or the Roman Catholic church) to never admit a mistake until cornered. Such outfits look upon confessing mistakes as a sign of weakness.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Roman Catholicism, the same pope who supposedly ordered the church to reform -- Angelo Roncalli who styled himself John XXIII -- also ordered that sex crimes, fornication and adultery be handled with the deepest secrecy lest they "spread scandal in the church." I predict that as far into the future as I can see, it will remain difficult to get the church to admit to anything on its own. It will always take outside pressure.