The Atheist Book Club discussion
Atheism + Skepticism
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Somebody help me out here... I have always wondered; what, exactly, prevents law enforcement from prosecuting every single ranking official who failed to report an abuser? Fear?
And what, exactly, do the innocent clergy get from protecting monsters at the expense of their own congregant's children?
I have always been baffled by this.
The pope passed down an edict meaning that anyone who talked about the child abuse scandal at all would face excommunication.As for why law enforcement doesn't prosecute them all, I don't know.
Hazel wrote: "As for why law enforcement doesn't prosecute them all, I don't know."The 'respect' for religious institutions, perhaps?
I think the turning point will be the outcome of the trial. If there's a conviction - or even if it's a close thing - I think the floodgates will open.
I was recently reading an SF novel (The Night Sessions) set later this century, where religion has been marginalised in the West and the Catholic church has been bankrupted by class action lawsuits - first about the child abuse cover-ups, then more devastatingly from Africa about the deliberate stymieing of AIDS prevention. It warmed my cockles.
i'm confused about this, too. do parents bring these offenses to the attention of the police or prosecutors? or do they bring them to the very authority that is violating their children? i've been under the impression that these cases were brought to the church and not to government authorities. which makes me wonder how ignorant are those people of how the church handles these things? do they not read the news?
Parents are probably very rarely aware that anything is amiss. Children are easily scared into not saying anything.
Hazel wrote: "Parents are probably very rarely aware that anything is amiss. Children are easily scared into not saying anything."what you say is true -- that's why so many victims don't come forward until they are much older. but when the children are younger, do we know if any of the parents go to government authorities? or do they usually end up going to the church? and if they go to the police or a DA, does the government push the case back to the church?
I don't think the police would push the case back to the church, it is their duty to prosecute something that is against the law. It is far more likely that the parents do not go to the church in the first place, particularly if their priest is the offender. Catholics are brought up with a great deal of reverence for their priests and both parents and children are unwilling to rock the boat. The probably just pray!!
Having had an abusive father (thankfully, not sexually abusive - he was a bastard, not a fucking bastard) I can attest to the fact that as a child I didn't realise anything was amiss, and that how it was at home wasn't how it was in everyone's home. Many kids will assume that's what the relationship with a priest is supposed to be like, the secrecy they're sworn to included, add the threats of hell these children are raised with, and you have a child who doesn't reveal anything to their parents, or other adults. I'd hope, that once a family realises what's going on, that they go to the police, but I suspect a number of them go and speak to another priest as well, if not instead of, the police. From what I've seen of the investigations into these child abuse cases, the majority of them are being carried out (or are failing to be carried out) by the church.
MadgeUK wrote: "I don't think the police would push the case back to the church, it is their duty to prosecute something that is against the law. It is far more likely that the parents do not go to the church in the first place, particularly if their priest is the offender. Catholics are brought up with a great deal of reverence for their priests and both prents and children are unwilling to rock the boat. The probably just pray!! ..."
that's a sad state of affairs. i wonder if there's a way to compel parents/guardians to bring these cases to the police instead?
you don't have to accept these illegal practices in your community. you can file complaints and you may be able to get the ACLU involved. certainly, city hall declaring a "church for the day" is a clear violation. in these economic times, some municipalities talk big but back down when they're confronted with the cost of defending an indefensible position. the freedom from religious foundation takes complaints such as yours and will send letters asking cities (villages, states, etc.) to cease such illegal practices.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/us/...