This article belongs to And That's the Way It Is column.
For those people of the catholic faith, and especially for catholics in Ireland, the recently released 700-page Murphy Report into child sex abuse and rape must have been made their blood boil.
The report contains 700 pages of details about a systemic regime of blatant and disgusting child abuse and attempts by the Irish catholic hierarchy to hide some most serious criminal offences by a little help of a number of senior Irish police officers.
The actual offences committed by the various catholic priests were committed as recently as 2004 and the offences committed by those trying to hide the offences also go back to 2004 and prior.
The known victims number into the hundreds and those are only the victims that became known to investigators. No doubt, criminal charges will be pending but here is what I believe Irish and EU lawmakers and enforcement agencies should be concentrating on.
First of all, all those accused of child sex crimes should face the criminal proceedings. Those involved in hiding or attempting to hide the sex crimes should charged with 'concealing serious criminal offences'.
Those accused now residing in third countries should be brought back to Ireland to face criminal proceedings.
The Irish Archdiocese should be closed down pending further investigations and prosecution into abuses and local priests should stand down pending police investigations into their conduct.
The management of churches and congregations should be handed over to local communities who may then elect or reinstate priests once their names have been cleared in terms of any possible involvement in serious crimes.
Once the Irish Archdiocese has been cleared of those accused ofcommitting offences directly or indirectly, local Catholic congregations should the re-elect a new Archdiocese. Under no circumstances should the Vatican be involved in the re-appointment of church officials.
Items such as church law or canon-law must be publicly deemed to be defunct and irrelevant as only Irish law applies.
There are a number of objectives in what I am suggesting and what will indeed be recommended.
One objective is to rid the Irish Catholic community of sex offenders as well as those who have been trying to protect such offenders while at the same time protecting religious rights and freedoms that are provided for in law.
Another is to give Irish catholic communities direct control as to how they wish to run their own congregations.
And lastly, as the Vatican has had full knowledge of abuses world-wide for many years, it has forfeited the right to have any representation in terms of either running or determining catholic communities in any way, shape or form.
In fact, I am of the view that, given the circumstances, the Vatican should have no further say in running anything, anywhere.
While the Murphy Report has only highlighted offences committed in Ireland, known abuses have taken place all over the world and it is time that offenders and those assisting them are brought to justice through the proper criminal processes.
And on that note,
My name is Henk Luf.
And that's the way it is.
"
The known victims number into the hundreds and those are only the victims that became known to investigators. The actual offences committed by the various catholic priests were committed as recently as 2004 and the offences committed by those trying to hide the offences also go back to 2004 and prior.
The known victims number into the hundreds and those are only the victims that became known to investigators. No doubt, criminal charges will be pending but here is what I believe Irish and EU lawmakers and enforcement agencies should be concentrating on.
First of all, all those accused of child sex crimes should face the criminal proceedings. Those involved in hiding or attempting to hide the sex crimes should charged with 'concealing serious criminal offences'.
Those accused now residing in third countries should be brought back to Ireland to face criminal proceedings.
The Irish Archdiocese should be closed down pending further investigations and prosecution into abuses and local priests should stand down pending police investigations into their conduct.
The management of churches and congregations should be handed over to local communities who may then elect or reinstate priests once their names have been cleared in terms of any possible involvement in serious crimes.
Once the Irish Archdiocese has been cleared of those accused of
"
Those involved in hiding or attempting to hide the sex crimes should charged with 'concealing serious criminal offences'. Items such as church law or canon-law must be publicly deemed to be defunct and irrelevant as only Irish law applies.
There are a number of objectives in what I am suggesting and what will indeed be recommended.
One objective is to rid the Irish Catholic community of sex offenders as well as those who have been trying to protect such offenders while at the same time protecting religious rights and freedoms that are provided for in law.
Another is to give Irish catholic communities direct control as to how they wish to run their own congregations.
And lastly, as the Vatican has had full knowledge of abuses world-wide for many years, it has forfeited the right to have any representation in terms of either running or determining catholic communities in any way, shape or form.
In fact, I am of the view that, given the circumstances, the Vatican should have no further say in running anything, anywhere.
While the Murphy Report has only highlighted offences committed in Ireland, known abuses have taken place all over the world and it is time that offenders and those assisting them are brought to justice through the proper criminal processes.
And on that note,
My name is Henk Luf.
And that's the way it is.
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