Pope quietly trims sanctions for sex abusers seeking mercy

[nhboy]

" Pope Francis has quietly reduced sanctions against a handful of pedophile priests, applying his vision of a merciful church even to its worst offenders in ways that survivors of abuse and the pope's own advisers question.

One case has come back to haunt him: An Italian priest who received the pope's clemency was later convicted by an Italian criminal court for his sex crimes against children as young as 12. The Rev. Mauro Inzoli is now facing a second church trial after new evidence emerged against him, The Associated Press has learned.

The Inzoli case is one of several in which Francis overruled the advice of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and reduced a sentence that called for the priest to be defrocked, two canon lawyers and a church official told AP. Instead, the priests were sentenced to penalties including a lifetime of penance and prayer and removal from public ministry.

In some cases, the priests or their high-ranking friends appealed to Francis for clemency by citing the pope's own words about mercy in their petitions, the church official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proceedings are confidential. "

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-quietly-trims-sanctions-sex-abusers-seeking-mercy-45732198

 

[Monello]

No surprises here. Error on the side of the criminal at the detriment to children.

 

[Hijinx]

" Pope Francis has quietly reduced sanctions against a handful of pedophile priests, applying his vision of a merciful church even to its worst offenders in ways that survivors of abuse and the pope's own advisers question.

One case has come back to haunt him: An Italian priest who received the pope's clemency was later convicted by an Italian criminal court for his sex crimes against children as young as 12. The Rev. Mauro Inzoli is now facing a second church trial after new evidence emerged against him, The Associated Press has learned.

The Inzoli case is one of several in which Francis overruled the advice of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and reduced a sentence that called for the priest to be defrocked, two canon lawyers and a church official told AP. Instead, the priests were sentenced to penalties including a lifetime of penance and prayer and removal from public ministry.

In some cases, the priests or their high-ranking friends appealed to Francis for clemency by citing the pope's own words about mercy in their petitions, the church official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the proceedings are confidential. "

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-quietly-trims-sanctions-sex-abusers-seeking-mercy-45732198

I don't like it.He is the Pope, but I don't like it.
Pedophile Priests are the destruction of the Catholic faith.
They have done much harm and have driven many away from the faith.

 

[Larry Gude]

Pope Milo anyone? At least get someone in there who knows the subject material.

 

[nhboy]

Pope Milo anyone? At least get someone in there who knows the subject material.

 

[Kev_Russell]

It's all been downhill since Vatican II.

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

Pope Milo anyone? At least get someone in there who knows the subject material.

I don't like it.He is the Pope, but I don't like it. Pedophile Priests are the destruction of the Catholic faith. They have done much harm and have driven many away from the faith.

I think, maybe, the pope's softness and sympathies in reducing these sanctions for pedophile priests, is because he has, and is guilty of, these tendencies himself.

 

[Larry Gude]

If I may ...




I think, maybe, the pope's softness and sympathies in reducing these sanctions for pedophile priests, is because he has, and is guilty of, these tendencies himself.

Well, then there is the stories they'd probably be willing to tell as to how the whole scheme works absent motivation to take the stories to their grave.

 

[vraiblonde]

Power structures aren't interesting, but those who blindly follow the leaders are. I'm not Catholic, so the Pope is just another politician with a lifetime term to me. I don't revere him, or think he's any more of an authority than anyone else. That goes for priests, nuns, and every other Catholic church person. So it boggles me that Catholics are putting up with this crap. It's not like this is the first time the Catholic church has been involved in a pedophilia scandal. At what point to Catholics themselves - the people in the pews - put an end to this bull####?

But how does it work that priests are not subject to laws, and the Church is the law in their...I'm not sure how to word this. Why is the Church punishing these priests instead of the real law doing it? That's a real question because I have no idea how this works. But here is an interesting piece in the WashPo:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-of-pedophile-priests/?utm_term=.271140257e04

 

[Hijinx]

Power structures aren't interesting, but those who blindly follow the leaders are. I'm not Catholic, so the Pope is just another politician with a lifetime term to me. I don't revere him, or think he's any more of an authority than anyone else. That goes for priests, nuns, and every other Catholic church person. So it boggles me that Catholics are putting up with this crap. It's not like this is the first time the Catholic church has been involved in a pedophilia scandal. At what point to Catholics themselves - the people in the pews - put an end to this bull####?

But how does it work that priests are not subject to laws, and the Church is the law in their...I'm not sure how to word this. Why is the Church punishing these priests instead of the real law doing it? That's a real question because I have no idea how this works. But here is an interesting piece in the WashPo:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-of-pedophile-priests/?utm_term=.271140257e04

This is my opinion for what it's worth.The parishioner who reports on these things are complaining to the wrong people.
They are going to the diocese with their complaints when they should be going to the sheriff.
If it were my kid I would call the sheriff, and when I got contacted by the Church to not press my complaint ,I would say BS.
That SOB needs to go to jail. I feel the Church goes to these people with a sob story about hurting the Church if they press charges.
IMO the heck with that. Press them.

 

[terbear1225]

May e I misread it but I got the impression that the case cited in the article involved both criminal proceedings as well as church repercussions.

 

[black dog]

I'm glad my Dad was a Methodist and I wasn't brought up Catholic.