Letter Proves Vatican Officials Knew About Clergy Child Sexual Abuse 1963

A letter has finally been published proving that Vatican officials knew about clerical child sex abuse since 1963. By Louay Mohammed: An American priest sent a letter to Pope Paul VI in 1963 titled “The Problem of the Problem Priest,” in which he indicated that the Vatican was fully aware of the extent of sexual abuse that had occurred within the American Catholic Church nearly five decades earlier. The letter, written by the Rev. Gerald Fitzgerald, detailed allegations of sexual abuse that had occurred in Los Angeles and argued that the best way to deal with priests who abused boys and young men was to defrock them rather than transfer them to other places of work, as has long been the case in the Catholic Church. “Personally, I am not optimistic that these priests will return to work despite their addiction to unnatural practices, especially the commission of sins against minors,” Father Fitzgerald wrote in his letter. “Where there is evidence of transgression, because of the great nature of the scandal, I propose that they be completely removed from their priestly ranks. I say completely removed because when these men are tried in civil courts, the entire non-Catholic world will blame the celibacy system for the depravity of these men.” The letter came to light as the Vatican began to face criticism for unfair coverage of the child sex abuse scandal, which has been widely reported in the American media

In the US state of Kentucky, a lawyer representing the victims filed a lawsuit against the Vatican demanding that Pope Benedict XVI testify in court. In response to the lawsuit, the head of the Vatican tribunal , Giuseppe Dalla Torre, said that Pope Benedict XVI, as head of state, enjoys immunity and cannot be called to testify in any court regarding this or that case. But the Independent newspaper in London said lawyers representing the victims in California were now seeking to assert the significance of the 1963 letter to Pope Paul VI. “The letter proves that Vatican officials knew about clerical abuse decades ago and should have done more to protect children,” said lawyer Anthony DeMarco. But Vatican officials in Los Angeles said it was unlikely that Pope Paul VI had read Fitzgerald’s letter . A Vatican spokesman said: “It is certain that society and the church have developed a new understanding of the causes of sexual abuse and how to deal with it.” http://www.elaph.com/Web/news/2010/4/548948.html

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الفاتيكان حذر من الرهبان المسيئين للأطفال منذ 1963