Catholic Church is facing problems because of some priests who sexually abused children. USA, Ireland, England, Germany, Austria, Holland and Malta have reported abuses. In India some Hindu godmen are facing problems because of sex with their female followers or illegal activities.
Law must take its course and those who commit crimes must face the consequences. However law should apply equally to all. There has to be fairness in media coverage.
There is a sting operation against a Hindu godman who has sex with a woman and there is media outrage against him. Cases are filed against the swami. There is no outcry against violation of privacy.
There is a sting operation against a homosexual professor. The professor loses his job. There is support for the professor from many in the media. There is outcry against violation of privacy. The professor goes to court and gets order for reinstatement. After some days he dies. Those who conducted sting operation are prosecuted.
Many godmen claim they are incarnations of some god or the other. They tell some of their women followers that they were spouses in previous birth. Some women believe and have sex with swamis.
Once a newspaper published photographs of a swami having sex with a woman. The exposure did not stop him from having women followers.
Some in USA say the charges of sexual abuse are to extract money as in USA those who are pronounced guilty have to pay compensation to victims. In other countries there is no such provision. Guilty have to go to jail.
Three bishops in Ireland have resigned for cover-up of abuses. One bishop in Belgium has resigned for abusing a boy about 25 years ago.
Benedict XVI is facing flak for not acting against paedophile priests when he was Archbishop of Munich and Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
Secrecy followed by the Catholic Church if paedophile cases involving priests has done great damage. The victims were bound by secrecy. Priests were transferred from one place to another. Secrecy is followed in matrimonial cases as well. It is time to do away with secrecy.
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Tag: Roman Catholics
Catholic Church and sex scandals
Sex scandals involving Catholic priests are making news with regularity. USA, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Holland, Germany, Austria and some other countries have reported sex scandals. Some scandals are cases of paedophilia. One case refers to a priest who was in Munich when the present pope Benedict XVI was then Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich.
Though the number of priests involved in scandals is around 5% it tarnishes the image of the whole church and causes crisis of faith. The question of continuing clerical celibacy comes up.
While there is no proposal of changing the rule of celibacy to Latin rite regional rites without clerical celibacy may be allowed. Dutch, English, Irish, German and such rites for Holland, England, Ireland, Germany and other countries may free the church from paedophilia and other scandals. These rites need to be restricted to their regions otherwise there will be problems with multiple jurisdictions.
Many cases of scandals are said to be of long time back. Some of them are more than 30 years old. It is not clear why the victims kept quiet for so long and all of a sudden they have come out in the open. It is not known how many priests will face prosecution. Some are too old. In some cases the statute of limitations has expired. In USA the church paid huge sums to victims.
There may be more scandals to be revealed. Lessons are to be learnt from these scandals and steps should be taken to prevent them in future.
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Apostolic Administrators
Apostolic Administrators are appointed when the bishop is unable to carry on in the diocese. The person appointed as Apostolic Administrator is not supposed to have any other diocese under him. For many years, following the ouster of the Portuguese, when Archbishop of Goa and Patriarch of East Indies was in Portugal, Raul Gonsalves was the Apostolic Administrator.
Since Benedict XVI became pope many bishops who are transferred to other dioceses or promoted as archbishops are appointed as Apostolic Administrators where they were bishops. This is not a good sign. Thomas Dabre after becoming Bishop of Poona is the Apostolic Administrator of Vasai.
When a bishop is transferred or promoted a new bishop must be appointed or diocesan consultors or curia must elect an administrator or Vicar Capitular. A bishop being Apostolic Administrator of another diocese reminds me of Pre-Reformation days when many bishops had two or more dioceses under them. In some cases those appointed as bishops were not consecrated for years.
The practice of one bishop having two or more dioceses under him must stop.