VATICAN CITY
Latin Times
By Cedar Attanasio | Feb 12 2016
The Vatican is denying reports that it trains bishops to hide sexual abuse allegations, according to the Catholic News Agency. Trainings for new bishops omit best practices on combating sexual abuse, Crux reports. In one training material, reporting sexual abuse to the police is described as “not necessarily the duty of the bishop,” according to the Guardian. The Vatican says the message is in no way a discouragement for Church officials to dodge civil authorities, and not a blanket Vatican policy.
“[The reported training content is] not in any way – as someone has mistakenly interpreted – a new Vatican document or a new instruction or new ‘guidelines’ for bishops,” Holy See spokesman Father Federico Lombardi tells CNA.
The reports mark the latest shortcoming on failed promises by higher authorities of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Francis created the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to identify “best practices” for dealing with sexual abuse. Yet the Crux report argues these practices aren’t being shared with decision makers.
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