VATICAN CITY
Digital Journal
By Andrew Dyer
Jan 17, 2014
A newly revealed report revealed that Pope Benedict XVI defrocked 400 priests for molestation in two years of of his Papacy.
Statistics show that the number of priests defrocked in 2011 and 2012 spiked from the 171 priests removed in 2008 and 2009. According to CBC News, numbers of defrocked priests before 2008 are unavailable as the Vatican only made public the number of alleged reports of sexual abuse it had received and the number of trials it had authorized to move forward. The report was composed of data the Vatican had been collecting intended to help the Catholic Church to defend itself before a United Nations committee.
In 2008, the report stated that 68 priests were defrocked with 191 abuse cases reported. The number of defrocked priests rose in 2009 to 103 out of 223 cases reported. 2010 saw 527 abuse cases reported however no numbers of defrocked priests have been made available to the public. 260 priests were removed from their positions in 2011 with 404 cases reported to the Vatican and 419 priests had lesser penalties passed down to them for crimes involving abuse. 2012 saw 124 priests defrocked and 418 cases reported.
Pope Benedict’s actions are far removed from the Vatican’s tendency to move priests accused of sexual abuse from parish to parish rather than see them brought to trial. This has often led to victims accusing the Catholic Church of being autonomous and putting their procedures ahead of law enforcement.
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