UNITED STATES
PBS – Religion & Ethics Newsweekly
[with video]
BOB ABERNETHY, host: In a highly critical new report, a United Nations panel accused the Vatican of systematically putting protection of the Church’s reputation above the welfare of children who were sexually abused by priests. The nonbinding report by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child called on the Vatican to immediately remove all known or suspected abusers and turn them over to civil authorities. It also urged accountability for those who covered up the crimes. In response, Church officials said the report ignored recent measures to address the abuse crisis. They also rejected the panel’s criticism of Church positions on other issues, including abortion, birth control, and homosexuality. Joining me with more on this are Kim Lawton, managing editor of this program, and Father Tom Reese, author, expert on the Vatican, and senior analyst at the National Catholic Reporter. Tom, welcome. Welcome back here.
REV.THOMAS REESE, SJ (Senior Analyst, National Catholic Reporter): Thank you.
ABERNETHY: What did you make of this UN committee’s report?
REESE: Well, it was a missed opportunity. You know, I wish they had acknowledged the fact that the Church has done something. For example, Pope Benedict put in zero tolerance for any abuse. That means any priest involved in abuse is no longer allowed to be in the priesthood. He threw out 400 priests in the last two years of his papacy. I think they should’ve acknowledged that, and then said, “Okay, make sure you keep enforcing these policies that you have in place.”
ABERNETHY: So can it be expected that this committee report, it was only a committee report, will have any impact, will cause the Vatican to do anything it otherwise wouldn’t do?
REESE: Well it’s certainly drawing attention to the problem again, and it does have some good recommendations about, you know, making sure that bishops are accountable, that they fulfill and do the policies that the Vatican has now put in place.
KIM LAWTON: Well, and that’s one of the questions. That’s been a big issue is holding the Church leaders, bishops, archbishops accountable, making them pay consequences for their role in it, and that’s one thing that hasn’t happened. Why hasn’t that happened?
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