Sex Crimes and the Vatican
Created in 1962, a now infamous document was issued in secret to bishops. Called Crimen Sollicitationis, it outlined procedures to be followed by bishops when dealing with allegations of child abuse, homosexuality and bestiality by members of the clergy. It swore all parties involved to secrecy on pain of excommunication from the Catholic Church.
This document was reissued in 2001 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and sent to all bishops. Yet rather than ordering more openness and cooperation with the authorities as demanded by both law enforcers and the victims, he reiterated its policies and ensured that the Code of Silence be applied to all cases of child abuse involving a priest. Cardinal Ratzinger also instructed that all cases should now be referred to his office directly and that he would maintain ‘exclusive competence’ over the handling of allegations. This is the Catholic Church’s policy to this day and Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict XVI.
The policy laid out in the above document has led to systemic failure by the result that a significant number of priest have, in effect, been allowed to abuse again, and further children have been put at risk.
As the documentary explores, Colm O’Gorman is the man responsible for breaking open decades of abuse by Catholic Priests in Ireland in the BAFTA award-winning BBC special Suing the Pope. He links international ’systemic evidence’ to argue the Vatican has a policy to cover up the sexual abuse of thousands of children across the world.
In Sex Crimes and the Vatican O’Gorman explores four separate cases internationally of widespread clerical abuse, putting the Roman Catholic Church on trial for the reckless endangerment of children. O’Gorman raises the question, ‘Is the Church in default of its obligation as a signatory to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child?’ (Excerpt from news.bbc.co.uk)
Watch the full documentary now
April 13th, 2009 at 20:52
I am catholic, and proud of it, but those priests (including the Pope) have nothing to do with real Church and real faith, and should be put in jail for everything they did and do. I believe that the Catholic Church really needs a complete cleansing of all the people in it, because a lot of filth has piled up in there surrounded by secrecy and protection.
April 14th, 2009 at 21:11
You may mean no harm by supporting the Catholic Church. However, by doing so you support the crimes perpetrated. The money you give to the Catholic church goes toward the filth and secrecy you speak of. Films like this expose the “real church”, and faith rather than true knowledge and investigation allow these crimes to continue.
April 15th, 2009 at 13:03
Mediocre documentary, nothing that is being stated here is breaking news.
2 out of 5 Stars
I’d like to put my two cents in it as well…..as long as living in celibacy is obligatory for catholic priests/clergy, abuse will continue on this scale. Depriving human beings of sexual contact, be they priest or not, is wrong and results in all sorts of sickening abuse. Sex and everything that is part of it (i.e to be loved, sexually and non-sexually, a sense of belonging and acceptance) is a basic human need!!!
@”Lisa O”: Child abuse is not a distinguishing feature of the catholic church but a sad “side effect”. To say that supporting this church means
(that one is indirectly or directly) child abuse supporting is too simplistic and unfair to the the many members of catholic church as well as a great part of their clergy who are doing a great job helping people all over the world.
Films like this one do not expose the “real church”, the matter is by far too complex.
This would be like condemning Islam because some of its clergy (the mullahs etc.) encourage their followers to commit hideous terrorist acts.
In my opinion your statement is unfair and unreflective.
By the way…….I’m atheist.
Regards,
Der Oberst
April 22nd, 2009 at 00:52
Der would have us belief that the content of this documentary is common knowledge by the way he is talking *looks bemused*. I do wonder how he knew all this being an atheist?
Anyway, I think he has missed the point; this documentary is not intending to show the real church, just identify a serious issue which its failing to get to grips with. The result of which leads to consequences upon communities and the lives that it touches. The documentary does identify those who who fail to take reponsibility. Its perfectly right that those questions be asked, rather than get sidetracked by idle speculation/theories how is a paedophile is created. Maybe then we could move to a stage where there is greater accountability.
IMHO its complacency that results in this sort of thing – when people who fail to act when possession of information. There is no research to suggest that celibacy results in pedophile behaviour, thats speculation Ger.
We also know that there are long serving members of the Roman Catholic Church who dont prey on children, and by Ger’s own admission, are doing great work.
Othere have said that its the idea of a celibate lifestyle thats likely to attract such people – those who wish to surpress it, rather than confront their serious need for help. It would also explain why the Church has appealed to gay men and women, despite it being homophobic.
April 23rd, 2009 at 18:54
I have left the Catholic Church and now want nothing to do with any institutionalized religion. The abuse scandal, maintaining celibacy for priests and denying women equality in the Catholic Church are the chief reasons I no longer count myself a member of this corrupt Church to which I was born 60 years ago. The present Pope has a “disgusting” history which merely amplifies that my decision to leave this misguided institution was indeed a wise one. The documented corruption of the Catholic Church can not be ignored or justified. In reality, I now fully believe that people do not need any church or any religion to do good in the world or lead a “good” life. Heaven? Hell? Afterlife? As much a myth as Egyptian, Roman or Greek Mythology.
May 6th, 2009 at 23:41
organized religion will stop existing and these priest must be taken away by ufo’s will they ever be save.
The only thing organized in the future will be group meditation. Saying hello be @ the town center @6 and we will start mediting for peace. Apparenty crime drops 25% if i have to trust the police chief reporting on it.
In the 1980’s, 4000 people used meditation for Washington, DC during the hottest summer months. The results were incredible. Normally there was a 25% increase in crime during these hot months, but with the meditation, the existing crime rate was lowered by 25% creating a drop of 50% from the previous year. The Police Chief was so impressed that he actually published a paper on the outstanding results!
May 14th, 2009 at 13:09
To say that these priests are only doing this because of their vow of celibacy is crazy! These people are messed up perverts before they join the Church. No normal person turns to child abuse just because they are not getting any sex.
The problem is that people who ‘work for God’ are given an elevated position in most societies. They are seen as ‘better people’ than everyone else. This allows them to get away with things like child sex abuse and all manor of illegal acts. This is what attracts perverts and weirdo’s to become priests. I get the feeling that some off these idiots actually think that being a priest makes up for the evil things they are doing. I just hope there really is a God just so these people eventually get what they deserve!
May 16th, 2009 at 01:42
Well said, Vitaloverdose. If celibacy is the issue, then why don’t these priests run off with women and have hetero-relationship? For the same reason a child abuser who is not a priest does … they were perverts beforehand.
May 30th, 2009 at 13:43
If the Church was a company it would have been shut down long ago. Please share this information with everyone you can. The truth needs to be out there. After you watch this… you won’t be wondering why they want a Blasphemy Law! Ratzinger has helped to cover up the rape of young children. The Pope is a paedophile protector, but does nothing to protect the children. Oh, suffer the little children…
In my opinion anyone with any loyalty to the catholic church is either a paedophile sympathiser or just completely ignorant as a result of burying your head in the sand! The church is not corrupt – the priests, bishops, cardinals and the pope are! They are satan’s little demons sent here to defile the innocent. If I were president of the world, the pope and all his criminal gang would be sent straight back to hell!
June 14th, 2009 at 03:40
buy the cross,and the star . in the history film , catholic priests confess that pope of the 1940 order the holocaust to take place. real human beings lost their lifes , little babies had their skin take off their backs and lamp shades where made from the skin of fresh. i would like to know where this so called god of humans was. why didnt the so called god stop these murderers. 6 million humans was killed, how holy could a god really be to sit back and do nothing.
July 10th, 2009 at 01:32
From the years 2001 to 2008 every church in America lost people… Except the Catholic Church, it grew. It’s the same for the years 1994 to 2001.
Why?!?!?! Why is it STILL GROWING?!?!
July 15th, 2009 at 19:15
Shocking and sad to see the depth to which the church has now fallen.
The Catholic church is morally and spiritually bankrupt and even though I am no longer a Catholic, I feel even ashamed to be a Christian as well as a pastor when I watch something like this. Sad to say that the church cannot and will not change as the corruption is from the very top, all the way down.
Those Catholic priests abused the kids not because of the pressure of celibacy (I was celibate for many years as a missionary) but they did it becuase they are sick perverts; plain and simple.
All those that did nothing but covered up and hid the truth are just as guilty and will no doubt get what they deserve.
July 24th, 2009 at 04:33
That is terrible – Those people deserve to be burned at the stake… But I suppose that its really just a symptom of the the worlds most powerful, most corrupt religion
July 24th, 2009 at 19:00
All pedophiles should die a slow painful death. The catholic church is an organization who FAVORS and FACILITATE pedophilia. It is not a “sad side effect” the POPE is allowing child abuse, sheltering pedophiles, hampering investigations, intimidating witnesses and victims, and moving pedophiles to new areas so they can keep molesting children.
The Vatican should burn to the ground with all the pedophiles in it.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:19
it’s like the pope is intentionally providing these priests with an endless stream of new children to molest. and what’s even crazier…this is happening NOW.
August 12th, 2009 at 14:20
NO RELIGION SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW.
August 24th, 2009 at 14:26
It is very sad and terrible, and at the same time it should be expected from priests and other religious officials to commit such hideous, filthy crime. The root all of these problems lies not with priests, cardinals, popes,bishops but with the distorted belief they hold and enforce, that is , distorted version of Christianity. The true Christianity, Bible does not tell them not not marry or to be single. This is against human nature. As they go against human nature by not getting married, whihc God has created, therefore such filthy actions are generated by these hideous “animal beings”. Therefore, it is a must that everybody seeks the true religion of God, which is in accordance with human nature. Otherwise, you will have to be deluded more than expected by these unhuman priests who deserve to be stoned, killed or punished so that nobody else would dare to commit such an act anymore. From this point of view, i appreciate the punishment of Islamic religion prescribed for the criminals of such acts as to be stoned. For further information refer to http://www.islam-qa.com/en/search2/homosexuals/AllWords/t,q,a
May God guide all sincere, religious christians to the true religion, that is islam, the religion of all Prophets (Peace be upon them all), with the last Book of Quran, which is being distorted by media deliberately so that people become far away from the true religion. IF i were you i would never agree the punihsment of this abhorrent crime to be temporary imprisonment, rather i would like them to be kille in front of the people by the authorities, so that it becomes a lesson for others wiht such corrupt belief and heart.
August 30th, 2009 at 23:39
Under the power of the catholic church, more people have suffer than in the heands of Hitler, Just read your history, I am a christian, and Christ did not teach us the ways of the catholic church, I still don´t know why does it stil exist, it should´ve been done away with after the 800 years of inquisition
September 21st, 2009 at 15:44
Lord God Almighty, I pray that You will not allow this to continue and may every molester and rapist in the Catholic church be fully judged both in this life and the life to come. Show no mercy to those that have shown no mercy themselves. May every victim find justice, and may every evil work come to light and no longer be hidden. Convict hearts and bring those called by Your name to repentance and retribution for thier actions. Merciful Father, heal those who are even now suffering because of the molestation and punish those responsible for the cover-ups. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
October 7th, 2009 at 15:55
eye opener. I’m glad to be protestant.
October 19th, 2009 at 18:14
First, the teachings of the Catholic Church are not in harmony with what the Bible teaches. Look through the pages of the Bible and you will see how Jesus identified false religion in these last days. One idenfifying mark of false religion is “celibacy.”
October 26th, 2009 at 01:53
Hi. It is very sad to see how easy people are to judge and condemn a whole religious congregation for the atrocities and crimes committed by a handful of its members. There are over a billion Catholics around the world, among clergy and followers, and less than .3% are the ones involved with these hideous acts. However the haters are quick to demand the demise of the church, or the elimination of all Catholic believers. How many of you honestly consider yourself clean and pure enough before God’s eyes? Those priests sinned terrible against God and against humanity, and they will have their punishment, but please do not use that argument as an excuse to express your frustrations, rage and envy of one of the best religious organizations in the world…It is not the Church, but the impurity and imperfection of men the root of all evil. Only cast the stone if you are free of sins…
November 16th, 2009 at 08:13
Why do the Nevada bishops enter Nevada Supreme Court cases which are against Jewish victims of clergy sex crimes with a conviction against the clergy.
The victim in the case came close to death. You talk about Catholic bishops and persecuting victims of sex crimes unrelated to the Catholic Church. No media will expose it.
Diocese of Las Vegas Bishop Joseph A. Pepe and victims of sex …
20 posts – 2 authors – Last post: Oct 19
Pope John Paul II has named Reverend Monsignor Joseph A. Pepe as the second Bishop of the diocese of Las Vegas in Nevada on April 6, 2001. …
http://www.topix.com/forum/blogs/TVONCTC6PQJ1VISOL – Cached
December 19th, 2009 at 08:30
If someone is fanatic with anything is a sign that he is sick. All those priests are fanatic so they are sick. Religion should be prohibited for everyone. It is a creation that killed more people than any desease and sexually abused more children than all the child maulesters together.
December 19th, 2009 at 16:40
I watched a similar video on TDF yesterday about the fireman who was abused by his priest :”Twist of Faith.” Some of the comments made after it made me so angry I thought it best not to comment at the time. Comments such as “It wasnt the church that molested him” and so on. It was as if these apologists for this criminal religious corporation either hadnt watched the doc or else as usual had filtered out all the bits they didnt like – much like they do with their religious books.
This video doc however is much more about the endemic crimes committed then covered up by the church, rather than an example case; and very noticeably nearly all the religious trolls go quiet! There is a huge tendency on this site for almost every discussion to be twisted round to religious bickering yet when there is a video like this where they probably would have authoritative views and knowledge they all go silent.
If I watch an interesting video about a newly discovered fossil, there are huge rants of a religious nature, reams of scripture quotes and ultimately the view that “GOD DID IT.”
Strange how that view isnt being endorsed here, after all; the all omnipotent God of your choice should at the very least be able to keep his own house in order, to watch after the people that love him , keep his faith or at the very least keep an eye on what HIS clergy are up to.
Whenever there is bad stuff its never Gods fault is it? I`m not just talking about the Catholic faith. If there is a God why would he allow innocents to be victimised or indeed born deformed or whatever. Always the same excuses come out…. Oh thats not my religion or my interpretation of the bible, quran etc etc.
Some of the comments above are great, in particular:
Bryanadams
August 12th, 2009 at 14:20
NO RELIGION SHOULD BE ABOVE THE LAW.
Mostly this is true, however in the case of the Catholic Church its Head office is in the Vatican State which is legally a separate country (as is Washington and the City of London) therefore it can hide behind diplomatic immunity. But this City State status is untenable when the member state commits such atrocities. Such states exist by the good will of real countries. If such a state refuses to behave within civilised modern boundaries they should be declared rogue. Diplomatic ties should be broken and the United Nations (a joke corporation true) should take whatever action is necessary to bring them to justice.
A crime isnt just perpetrated by the abuser but all those that work to cover up and protect the criminal. In other words aiding and abetting. The Pope in particular has vicarious responsibility for all his underlings and as the single person (who is apparently in direct contact with God) who could and most definitely should deal with this criminal and corrupt aspect of his organisation. He is by his inaction and sponsorship of the silence rules the biggest criminal of all. He brings misery and suffering to untold thousands.
The paedophile situation has been like a bad running joke for decades and probably centuries and this is because the Catholic Church continues to attract more and more paedophiles. They effectively endorse through silence or worse; encouraging with protection such individuals. And then there is the utterly ridiculous “forgiveness” facet. Confess for a clean sheet!
Carlo Coello, your comment sickens me. This isnt just a hand full of bad apples. 0.3 pct of a Billion for one thing is 3,000,000 – yes – 3 million! So I do hope you got your figures wrong……… In any case, I can authoritatively say as a retired police officer with duties which included administration of a sex offenders register and having been involved investigating such crimes that the reported cases are a drop in the ocean. There are probably ten or twenty times as many unreported crimes as those that come to be investigated. And of those that do a high percentage never make it to court. The fact that there are a billion Catholics who dont go around raping children is a retarded argument. This billion should do something about it instead of coming out with crap like “its only a few people.” It only has to be ONE abuser for it to be bad, but its not just one. Watch the video again and try to understand the tip of the iceberg they are highlighting. And we’ll never know the true figures because the CC hides that!!! How do you not get this?
What is the acceptable number of paedophile priests Carlo????!!! This is evil being endorsed and propagated by your church and call me stupid but I thought you religious types are supposed to be the ones with high morals and the priests should be whiter than white. Yet the Billion dont do anything. I`m not surprised with an attitude like yours. Just bury your head in the sand huh? Instead of finding reasons to explain away this evil why dont you do something about it? Start a movement amongst your billion buddies, get them to say in a big voice that this should be dealt with instead of buried? I`ll answer for you. Because people like you are hypocrites sitting in a comfort zone. So long as it doesnt affect you or those close to you you really dont care.
“Only cast the stone if you are free of sins…” Sin is an invented concept, but here; have a few boulders from this sinful person who is apparently condemned to burn in hell forever just because I dont believe the crap you do. As for the “Envy” comment… man you are a joke.
December 25th, 2009 at 20:30
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January 22nd, 2010 at 05:16
Wow, so much sickness everywhere… so glad I am not nor ever will be baptized to any of these religious organizations, I prefer my soul to be FREE when I leave this earth… too much criminal activities , not just inside the church walls but inside all sorts of organizations from the top, down to the lowest slug on the soil…
February 4th, 2010 at 20:32
evil scum
February 4th, 2010 at 20:44
I went to Ralph Ellis website and i think it’s true about what he wrote about in his books.I asked these so-called Christians in here that”where from Cain’s wife came?”since there was only 3 being left on earth,nobody answered me yet,the bible said that he went to the land of the lost and there he had a wife.According to my research,that land was were the apes settled and he intermarried with them.Now let’s talk about Jesus,them Christians don’t even realize that,if Christ was a Jew,why is that they always portrayed him as white with blue or sometimes greens eyes,just check every picture of him and you’ll see what i’m talking about here.Also there is sometimes the”sun” on top of his head or other times there is only the cross and the sun rising on top of it with this phrase”He is risen”,this is about the sun.What about “Sunday=sun+day”:this is the day of the sun which is the first day of the week and they all claimed that is the 7th day,we all know that according to their Bible,he kept the Jews sabbath which was Saturday,some even say that it is the day of the lord because Jesus was risen on Sunday morning,yea right,it’s all about the sun god because on the 22nd of December the sun disappear on the southern atmosphere and reappear on the 25th of December(Christmas)on the northern atmosphere,that’s why they say that Jesus was dead and risen after 3 days and also the birth of Jesus.If someone doesn’t believe me,why don’t you go check this verse in your own Bible”Psalms84:11,For the Lord God is a”sun” and shield”;How could it be shepherd outside feeding the flock outside during Winter?We don’t even know nothing about him from his 17 years to his 29 years of ages,where is his record here people?what did he do between that time?If someone may like to check out this too”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDdBlO3XauA”
February 4th, 2010 at 20:46
The reason why, I always ask myself is about the “Existence of one powerful God, who doesn’t stand evil?”, because i did realize that, evil always prevail in this society here on earth, I studied the bible, i did embrace the so-called” word of God”, since I heard from this society as a child, innocent, but willing to learn, happiness is always every child dream; Parent teaches a child what they know, being a lie or the truth, who knows? As a child you learn everything first from your parents, and then from the society;
If a lie has been passed on from parents, it goes to the next and some generations, unless there is a wise one. Most of the countries in the world had been colonized by many kingdoms with different believes and religions, like 2/3 of Africa’s countries been colonized by the roman empire(who brought the catholic faith as Christians), and the rest by the Arabic empire(who brought the Muslim faith), like the Middle East, there is a lot of Muslims than Christians, like Asia, we see the Buddhist and then other ones too, imagine that, you were born in one of them religions, you will learn whatever your parents or your society taught you, but when Wisdom opens your eyes to distinguish the good and the evil, so you start observing the society and its truth, also the nature and its truth;
I’ll tell you something Falcon, nobody teaches a baby how to suck the mom’s breast, nobody teaches a baby how to cry for food or something else, but they teach them what to speak, how to write and read, calculate and so on…; what we all learned, it’s most evil and less good but concealed from the truth; You know that in this society that, whoever reveals the truth, get murdered and get portrays as a criminal, because most of the powerful people in this society are evil, Have you ever heard this sayings? “Powerful people protege powerful people”.
so anyways my reasons are, since God watches everything, How can in the province of Kivu in Congo, women and this little girl of 3 years old been rape by men while God seating there in Heaven watching, a massacre committed at a catholic church in Rwanda http://www.afrol.com/Countries/Rwanda/backgr_cross_genocide.htm, where is He when we need Him to cuddle us or to save when evil is being committed ; where is God, when people needs him, since he said that “no arm will come near you”; you know there is a lot of believers all over the world today who go to different churches, specially in third world countries, giving tithes, gifts, prayers, fasting, asking for his forgiveness if one committed sin, He’s there to receive tithes, but no there to save when needed, and we all say that” it was His will”;
Have you ever heard the voice of God as you hear d the voice of your own father, mouth to hear, or maybe, it’s just your personnel conviction, like the same way that you think that your prayers had been heard or maybe you had been forgiven, we all imagine the unimaginable, the same way people dream or think about how the Heaven looks like and how God looks like and how the Angels looks like, nobody had never seen God anyway or heard his voice, if you never heard his voice then don’t try to argue with me( I’m not talking about like, Hearing Him spiritually), I’m talking about hearing Him or Jesus-Christ from his mouth to my hear, like person to person, or the same way, He talked to Abraham or Jacob or the sons of Israel by the Mont Sinai, what happen to God? since He never changed and always been the same?
February 4th, 2010 at 20:57
Faith that post has appeared on about 6 discussions so far – is this a TFD glitch?