The Vatican is trying to defend itself against a law suit in Louisville, USA which is attempting to compel Pope Benedict to give evidence about the Roman Catholic abuse cases . Like some crooked lawyer trying to protect a mobster, it is having to resort to what can only be described as a weasel defence .
Firstly, it claims that Roman Catholic bishops are not employees of the Roman Catholic Church and that each diocese has local autonomy . This is absolute rubbish as can be seen from the huge number of edicts which the Vatican sends out all over the world . If the Vatican has the power to remove someone from their post then I would say this would class them as an employee and the Vatican regularly does this – click Pope sacks Tanzanian bishop as an example . The Vatican would love for all the blame to be put on the Bishops, but as Harry Truman said the buck stops here and it is the same with the Vatican .
Secondly, it is saying that the Crimine Solicitationies, a document which gave instructions how to cover up abuse cases only related to matters of the confessional . If you read the document you find that the beginning of the edict relates to the confession but towards the end and in the relevant part relating to child abuse, it is very vague if it relates to just the confessional or child abuse cases in general . Click Crimine Solicitationies to read the Papal edict . The lawyers for the child abuse victims has requested that Pope Benedict should attend the court and this not as strange as it may seem as he wrote a letter reaffirming the details in the Crimine Solicitationies in 2001, as Cardinal Ratzinger and he should be better than anyone to put the Church’s position concerning the document . It must just be a coincidence that the cover up of the abuse cases were exactly as detailed in the Crimine Solicitationies .
It is now clear exactly the Church’s position on the child abuse . The Pope is happy to give a vague apology for the abuse but you can see that this is not the Vatican’s true position . As soon as it risks losing some money, it drops its compassionate and penitent face and turns cold and employs expensive lawyers . This has been the Church’s stance since the beginning – its ok to admit to the abuse as long as it doesn’t cost anything but at least we can see the Church in its true light – as a massive corporation Vatican Inc. which acts like any other multi national company and is only interested in the bottom line .
All roads lead to Rome and one day we may find a policeman with an arrest warrant travelling on one of these roads and knocking on the door of the Vatican .
