Vatican: Irish Catholic Trainee Priests Must Attend Child Protection Classes

The Guardian reports:

Every trainee Catholic priest in Ireland must attend child protection classes, the Vatican has recommended in a major report on how the church handled the republic’s clerical abuse scandals.

Vatican Radio released the findings of the Holy See’s widespread investigation into seminaries and dioceses across the island of Ireland. It was ordered directly by Pope Benedict XVI as Rome sought to address the child abuse crisis that has severely undermined its reputation and authority in the republic.

The apostolic visitation led by the archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, noted that there had been some “progressive steps” towards reforming church structures and in particular the handling of allegations of child abuse. Several Irish judicial inquiries found the Catholic hierarchy had covered up allegations of abuse, often by moving accused priests to other dioceses or even out of the country.

The Vatican proposed new restrictions and vetting procedures on entrance to seminaries for priests, and new child protection training for all would-be clergy in Ireland.

It has also recommended restructuring the number of dioceses in Ireland as part of the church’s internal reforms, although at this stage it gave no details on how many dioceses would be merged.

The statement, released through the Catholic church’s official radio station, said these measures were needed “to ensure that the tragedy of the abuse of minors would not be repeated”.

The report said that it must be acknowledged that within the Christian community innocent young people were abused by clerics to whose care they had been entrusted, while those who should have exercised vigilance often failed to do so effectively.

Praising recent changes to child protection policies in the church, the report said: “The visitators were struck by the efforts made throughout the country by bishops, priests, religious and lay persons to implement the guidelines and to create a safe environment.”

The investigation by a high-powered team of foreign Catholic clerics was promised two years ago by the pope in his letter to Catholics in Ireland.

In his letter the pope expressed horror and dismay in the wake of the Ryan and Murphy reports, which revealed a 70-year history of child abuse by a significant number of priests, brothers and nuns and cover-ups by their religious superiors.

The Holy See tasked six teams with investigating the implications of the abuse scandals in each of the country’s four archdioceses, in religious orders and congregations based in Ireland and abroad. They also visited a number of seminaries training priests both in the republic and in Northern Ireland.

Cardinal Sean Brady, the leader of Ireland’s Catholics, welcomed the publication of the findings of the visitation. Brady said the church expressed a heartfelt plea for forgiveness from victims and from God for the terrible sins and crimes of abuse.

The Irish Catholic church is hosting a major international religious conference – the Eucharistic Congress – in June which Pope Benedict will address via live broadcast. Catholic leaders in the country are hoping it will reinvigorate the Irish church after two decades of scandal and major decline in its temporal power in the state.

 

The Actions of a Child Killer? Mitchells Plain

I was at the Police Station in Mitchells Plain (having taken someone to lay down an affidavit) on Thursday when a woman suddenly came rushing in, crying and screaming quite uncontrollably. Everyone automatically stopped what they were doing, turned and watched as she rushed up to the counter repeatedly saying: ‘My kind… My kind’ (my child, my child). The Police Officer behind the counter asked her what had happened. Through the sobs she managed to blurt out that she had just lost her child in the Town Centre (which was a stone’s throw away from the Police Station) and that she did not know where he was.

Now the ‘Town Centre’ of Mitchells Plain is not the nicest of places. It’s a crumbling maze of alleys, bustling with shops and informal trading of various kinds going on. Unsightly, noisy and smelly, it’s the kind of place you don’t want to go to unless you absolutely must - and certainly not a place where you would take your two-year old child.

Many years ago I was busy with mission work in the area when I was caught up in the midst a riot or protest of some kind (gone wrong) with hooligans running amok, bashing in shop windows and assaulting anyone crossing their path of destruction. With the Public Order Police on the outside, there was little that they could do to help those stuck in the completely pandemonious Town Centre. I swore that I would never set a foot there again…

The by now hysterical woman was being consoled by police officers and strangers alike. One police woman mercifully had the presence of mind to take her to the back of the police station, perhaps to a trauma room or something. The whole scene was quite upsetting to some. All felt much sympathy for her. And a quick prayer for the safe return of her son and strength for the desperate mother was quite appropriate. How little did we know then, that just two days later, this same woman would be taken into custody, charged with the heinous crimes of child murder and abandonment.

Partly because I had witnessed the reporting of a lost child - which has become something of a prevalent and high-profiled scourge here in the Western Cape - I was intermittently scanning the news, waiting, hoping and praying for a positive outcome: A mother and child eventually joyfully reunited. People rallied. Social media went into full swing. The search was on. He would be found.

But sadly, yet again, this was not to be. Our local Eye Witness News takes up the story:

The mother of two-year-old boy from Mitchell’s Plain confessed to his murder.

Tauriq Jacobs little’s body was found in a shallow grave at a primary school in Beacon Valley on Saturday afternoon.
He was last seen near the local mall with his mother on Thursday.

A massive search was launched and his mother was taken into custody on a charge of abandonment.

Police say the 36-year-old mother confessed to the crime on Saturday night and is due to appear in the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of murder and abandonment.

The police’s November Filander said they were investigating the cause of his death.

“The autopsy will shed light on the cause of death,” he said.

Seemingly, her whole outburst was nothing but an act… Or perhaps the dregs of a guilt ridden conscience.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens next. Rumours are already flying around. The mainstream media will keep us up to speed no doubt, while the tabloids will provide all the grotty details. One thing is for sure: We live in a fallen and sick world. And for an innocent two-year old, a new year will not dawn. Already (the year is but a few hours old) crime is leading us in. Come the end of 2012, I wonder, how many more lives will be lost, altered or irreversible changed because of the evil state of man? May God in His mercy help us.

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? – Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)

 

Parents Angry at Anglican Convent Abuse Claims

SABC News here in South Africa reports:

The parents of 24 children removed from an Anglican convent in New Hanover in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands are up in arms. They accuse government of removing their children from the facility without their consent.

The children were taken away after reports emerged that they were being abused. But government has rejected the claim.

Sibusisiwe Majozi is one of many angry parents. She says social workers refused to place her two children in homes, and she then turned to the convent. Majozi claims she frequently visited the convent and was satisfied with the children’s well being. She is now demanding answers from government.

“I was so upset because no one told me anything. These children were staying there for a long time. There was nothing wrong,” explained Majozi.

As a department it’s our obligation to ensure that the kids are protectedMany other parents say government should have informed them. But social development authorities are unapologetic. The say the interests of the children come first.

“We don’t need permission from anyone. As a department it’s our obligation to ensure that the kids are protected,” stressed Social Development MEC, Meshack Radebe.

This week, three nuns from the convent appeared in court. They face assault charges, after allegations that they beat up five children under their care. The case was postponed to the 23rd of this month.

 

Emotional Archbishop Speaks of ‘shame’ of Irish Child Abuse Cover-ups

The Archbishop of Dublin has launched an emotional attack on church leaders in Ireland over the cover-up of child abuse.

The Telegraph reports:

A visibly upset Dr Diarmuid Martin said he was “angry, ashamed and appalled” at the behaviour of his fellow churchmen following a damning report into abuse in the diocese of Cloyne in Co Cork.

His comments follow an unprecedented attack on the Vatican by the Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, accusing the Roman Catholic hierarchy of violating the country’s sovereignty by attempting to frustrate the inquiry.

The Taoiseach told the Irish parliament that the Cloyne report exposed the Vatican itself as being dominated by a culture of “dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism.”

“The rape and torture of children were downplayed or ‘managed’ to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and ‘reputation’,” he said.

His remarks at a special debate in the Dail followed the publication last week of the fourth major report in six years cover-ups of clerical abuse.

The former Bishop of Cloyne John Magee – a Vatican aide to three Popes – was singled out for misleading investigators and “dangerous” failures on child protection.

On one occasion he was found to have written two different reports on an abuse allegation – one for Rome and one for diocesan records.

His resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict last year.

But Mr Kenny accused the Holy See of having a “calculated withering position” on clerical abuse.

“For the first time in Ireland, a report into child sexual abuse exposes an attempt by the Holy See to frustrate an inquiry in a sovereign, democratic republic as little as three years ago, not three decades ago,” he said.

Close to tears, Archbishop Martin, later said told RTE he hoped the Taoiseach’s stinging criticism would teach his fellow churchmen a “lesson”.

“I find myself asking today, can I be proud of the Church that I’m a leader of?” he said.

“What I’m seeing – I have to be ashamed of this, and I have to be ashamed because of what was done to the victims and what was done to other people.”

Rest here.

Unpleasant and distressing this is… And we are beginning to see the full extent of the evil that was going on in Ireland.

Australian Women Offers her Children on eBay

Australian police are investigating a woman who entertained bids to buy her two children after she posted them for sale on eBay.

The Telegraph reports:

The woman, from Geelong in Victoria, was investigated by police after placing an auction item along with an extensive sales pitch and photographs of her son and daughter – both under the age of 10.

Several people placed bids on the children.

Police contacted eBay after receiving a call about the listing late last week. The site took the page down and assisted police to track down the woman. She told police the sale was a joke.

Victorian police said they accepted it was a joke and the woman would not be charged, but expressed concerns about the bidders in the auction.

“She said the page was created as a joke, but what worries us is the people bidding on the auction,” a police official told the Herald Sun newspaper. “Who knows who these people are. They could be pedophiles or anyone. It’s extremely disturbing.”

Police referred the case to the state’s department of human services, which is conducting a separate investigation.

“We need to get to the bottom of why she did this,” a department spokesperson said. “This action could attract the attention of the wrong sort of people, whether it was a joke or not, and the family need to understand the risks and receive advice around that.

An eBay spokesman said the case showed the risks of acting illegally on the site.

“It demonstrates that anyone posting anything illegal on our site is extremely foolish,” he said.

 

Priest Slaps 9 Year Old Girl in Church

How vicious! Totally deplorable:

Thrissur, India:  A nine-year-old girl who failed to take confession in a Church here was allegedly slapped by the angry Vicar, prompting the child’s father to file a police complaint.
    
The police said as per the complaint, Father Paul Pulikottil, the Vicar of the nearby Vadookara Little Flower Parish Church, had allegedly slapped the girl on July 9 in the church hall in the presence of several others.
   
The girl’s father, Biju, who is the president of the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement of the parish unit, said the Vicar had ordered that all children who had received their first Holy Communion, should confess once every three months.
   
After mass on July 9, the Vicar asked the children if they had followed his orders.When the girl stood up and admitted that she had not, the angry priest slapped her hard on the cheek, he said.
   
The girl’s face became swollen and one of her teeth loosened up. She was admitted to a district hospital the next day and later discharged, Biju told PTI.
   
Police have registered a case against the priest for assaulting a minor girl under the Juvenile Justice Act 2000.
   
The investigation was progressing and a report would be submitted to the court shortly, police said.

Biju said pressure was being exerted on him by certain influential people to make a compromise in this regard as the priest was likely to leave for the US in two months.
   
He said he had met the Archbishop of Thrissur in this regard.
   
The Vicar was not available for his comments.

Watch out America! The report says he’s coming your way…

Sex Trafficking of Children in the USA

Here’s a fresh report on the situation:

A dirty secret it is!

HT

Father Accused of Burning son for Touching Bible

What a horrible thing to do:

A 25-year-old Chandler man accused of burning his son’s hand and wrist because the child touched his Bible was booked Sunday on suspicion of child abuse, police said.

Johnny Salazar was taking care of his two sons, ages 2 and 5 this weekend on the 800 Block of East Flint Street, police said. He shares custody of the boys with their mother, who lives in Casa Grande. Both Salazar and the boys’ mother live with their own parents.

Sunday, Salazar’s parents returned from church and noticed the red blistering on the wrist and hand of the 5-year-old, and asked Salazar what happened, said Chandler Police Sgt. Joe Favazzo.

Salazar told his parents he used a cigarette lighter to burn his son’s hand and the back of his wrist, Favazzo said.

“The boy was touching his Bible and he thought the boy may be possessed,” Favazzo said.

The boy told his grandmother, “well dad burned me for touching his Bible.”

Read more here.

If it’s true, he should lose his custody rights. How can you burn a child for touching a Bible?!

John Piper’s Disgusting Tweet: ‘5 Year Olds Who Find Sex Boring’

And to think I used to read Piper (way back in my Bible College days that is) :

As Dr West (HT) observes:

Surely he could have chosen a better analogy, right?  Or does he just know a lot of 5 year olds having sex?

The problem is comparing interest in God with 5 year olds and sex. That’s the problem.

Absolutely reprehensible!

Girls as Young as One Forced to Have Sex Change Operations in India!

Appalling!

Girls as young as one are being forced into sex change operations in India by parents desperate for a son.

Surgeons in the city of Indore are reported to be ‘converting’ hundreds of girls a year, who are subsequently pumped full of hormone drugs.

A report in the respected Hindustan Times newspaper said the ‘shocking, unprecedented trend, catering to the fetish for a son, is unfolding at conservative Indore’s well-known clinics and hospitals on children who are one to five years old.

 

‘The process being used to ‘produce’ a male child from a female is known as genitoplasty.’

Indian society places a strong value on producing a son and heir, with daughters often seen as an expensive burden to be married off.

Sex determination tests during pregnancy are illegal in India to try to prevent the common practice of women choosing to abort female foetuses.

In some states such as Punjab the ratio of women to men has dropped as low as seven to ten.

Wealthy parents from Delhi and Mumbai are reportedly flocking to Indore, a city in the centre of India, for the relatively low cost £2,000 treatment to surgically ‘correct’ their daughters.

News of rampant abuse of the surgery – normally used to correct genital abnormality in fully-grown patients – led to a furious backlash on Twitter and other social networking sites on Sunday.

The author and feminist Taslima Nasreen led the outrage, tweeting: ‘Shocking! Not only do people kill unborn girls, they turn girls into boys by genitoplasty.’

She added: ‘Doctors who practice illegal Female Foeticide & Genitoplasty should get life in prison.’

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights today announced it had asked the state government of Madhya Pradesh to investigate the doctors and the hospitals named in the report…

There is more on this outrage here.