SCOTLAND
Scotsman
CHRIS MARSHALL
Friday 09 June 2017
A “dreadful misunderstanding” of child abuse led the Catholic Church to offer therapy to paedophile priests and agree deals to avoid prosecutions.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry heard the Church attempted to “repair” clerics who committed offences against children and had made “horrible mistakes” in its treatment of victims.
Speaking on behalf of the Bishops’ Conference, Monsignor Peter Smith said the Church “seldom” used its own formal processes in the past to punish sex offenders, choosing instead to send them to retreat houses for therapy.
Mgr Smith said in cases where the police and prosecution service became involved, often no further action was taken when it was agreed the priest would receive help.
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