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	Vatican Makes Way for Quicker Action on Abusive Priests By Jenna Lyle Christian Today July 16, 2010 http://www.christiantoday.com/article/vatican.makes.way.for.quicker.action.on.abusive.priests/26296.htm The Vatican has released new rules making it possible for church leaders to deal more quickly with abusive priests. The revised ‘Rules on the Most Serious Crimes’ extend the period in which priests can be tried by a church court from 10 years to 20 years, and make possession of child pornography or abuse of mentally disabled people canonical crimes. The rules speed up the process by which church leaders can move to defrock a suspect priest, a process which used to take months and even years. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said: “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is currently examining how to help the bishops of the world formulate and develop, coherently and effectively, the indications and guidelines necessary to face the problems of the sexual abuse of minors, either by members of the clergy or within the environment of activities and institutions connected with the Church, bearing in mind the situation and the problems of the societies in which they operate. “This will be another crucial step on the Church's journey as she translates into permanent practice and continuous awareness the fruits of the teachings and ideas that have matured over the course of the painful events of the ‘crisis’ engendered by sexual abuse by members of the clergy.” The rules make no mention of reporting crimes to the police, although Fr Lombardi noted that churches should continue to follow existing guidance which advises them to report crimes to the appropriate authorities as soon as possible. “It is necessary to comply with the requirements of law in the various countries, and to do so in good time, not during or subsequent to the canonical trial,” he said. The rules were revised by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith and have the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. They address other “serious crimes” against the Church, including the ordination of women, heresy, and apostasy. Applying the same status to the ordination of women has come under criticism from those who believe it overlooks the seriousness of the child abuse scandal that has hit the Church in recent months. Andrew Madden, a former Dublin altar boy who took the Church to court in Ireland during the 1990s, was quoted by AP as saying: “The first thing the Church should be doing is reporting crimes to civil authorities. “That's far more important than deciding whether a criminal priest should be defrocked or not. The Church's internal rules are no more important than the rules of your local golf club.” The Vatican announced the rules just days after the Church of England made international headlines by moving a step closer to the consecration of its first women bishops. The Vatican remains steadfast in its disapproval of the ordination of women on the grounds that Jesus chose 12 male disciples. The Church of England has been ordaining priests since 1994 and legislation to allow the consecration of women bishops cleared the revision stage at last weekend's General Synod in York. Anglo-Catholics and conservative evangelical Synod members warned that hundreds of their churches would leave the Church of England if adequate provision was not made for them. The Pope has offered to make provision within the Catholic Church for Anglo-Catholics who feel they can no longer remain within the Church of England. The Church of England said its first women bishops would not be consecrated before 2014.
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