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    UK Avalon Member Corncrake's Avatar
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    Default Wikileaks: Sexual Abuse of Nuns by Priests in Africa

    Wikileaks: Looking into the heart the Vatican
    Posted by Namibia News Reporter on August 27, 2011 at 8:06pm in society
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    The uninterrupted release of highly classified documents from the Holy See reveals a dark side to the secretive power of the Vatican. It is a side that the Church would rather not have revealed.


    According to leaked embassy documents, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls, reported in late March 2001 that leading clergy were well aware that ‘there was a problem of sexual abuse of nuns by priests in some of the missionary territories.

    Navarro-Valls' admission was made in response to an article published by the National Catholic Reporter on March 16 2001, that quoted senior sources within the Women’s Religious Orders who testified that the rape of nuns by priests, particularly in Africa, was ‘a serious problem’ that needed to be addressed.

    The reports, five in all, indicate that in Africa particularly, a continent ravaged by HIV and AIDS, young nuns are sometimes seen as safe targets of sexual activity. In a few extreme instances, according to the documentation, priests have impregnated nuns and then encouraged them to have abortions.

    The release of these secret cables comes as a body-blow to the reputation of the Vatican State. The Church has been struggling to repair its standing after a series of major scandals have rocked it over the past decade, leaving the reputation of the Catholic clergy in severe disrepair.

    In 2002 the Vatican was faced with the mounting scandal over the systematic abuse of minors by clergymen in the US. In June of that year the US Bishops’ Conference issued an ‘abuse policy document’ and set out internal 'mechanisms' to tackle abusers within the Church.

    According to one leaked document, the Holy See responded to the crisis by saying that it was generally 'in solidarity' with the ‘norms’ set out by the Bishops' Conference, but objected on a number of legal grounds, the Vatican held the view that only a "very small number" of priests were involved in the abuse of minors. Critics and victims have argued that the abuse was taking place on an industrial scale.

    At that time the Church was reportedly uncertain about the precise definition of sexual abuse and considered it "vague and imprecise and therefore difficult to interpret." The Holy See was also opposed at the time to the proposed ‘review boards’ to be set up in the US provinces, as these laymen would potentially eclipse the authority of the bishops and set an example for other countries.

    The Vatican opposed the ‘One-Strike and You’re Out!’ policy of immediate dismissal for sexual abuse proposed by the Bishops’ Conference. From the standpoint of the clerical state the new ‘norms’ would not conform to Church law and the Vatican sought to assert the primacy of Canonical Law in dealing with allegations of abuse leveled against its clergy.

    In the latest development Irish politicians today rejected the call for Dublin Catholics to pay a special levy to prevent the financial collapse of the Church. The Dublin archdiocese has been devastated by claims of serial abuse and now faces financial ruin as it struggles to pay compensation amidst dwindling collections.

    Pope Benedict XVI came into office in 2005

    The documents released by the Julian Assange's cyber crew this week are bound to raise eye-brows among believers and non-believers alike. In a daunting move they considered it wise to release the direct phone numbers to the Vatican Head of State and the Pope's office, though there is a note at the bottom of the original copy that says: 'unlikely to answer.'

    There is more to come. The documents already in the public domain reveal that the Vatican supported the war on Iraq, even if the military aggression was ‘not openly sanctioned.’ The Church State also actively sought to garner support against leftist governments in Latin America.

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    Avalon Member Maia Gabrial's Avatar
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    Default Re: Wikileaks: Sexual Abuse of Nuns by Priests in Africa

    I knew a guy who was part of the Catholic church administration who told me that there IS a special fund set up for the illegitamate children of priests. I thought he was joking.... He wasn't....
    I think it's funny that the Church had a problem with the definition of "sexual abuse"....What's difficult about it? You touch or suggest something when you shouldn't be, then you've violated that person. Simple. IMO they abuse their religious authority all the time. But the truth comes out all the time and they can't stop it....Who do they think they're kidding?
    My mother was sexually violated by one as girl and became a frightened woman. My father was physically battered by one as a boy and he turned out to hate religion altogether....

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