A Victims Voice
Over 10,667 allegations claiming that priests molested children have been filed in the United States alone. An astounding 82% of the molestation victims were young males (All under 18). Only 83 cases of the 10,667 were found to be false.
Victims of molestation were found to be 13 times more at risk for suicide than someone who hadn’t been sexually abused. Far too many people have died by the hands of these priests, yet we still only brand them pedophiles and not murderers, not an arsonist to a child’s innocence.
You may think it is local priests and small names committing such heinous crimes, but in fact it runs all the way to the top. Just in February, Cardinal George Pell was convicted of 4 counts of indecent acts and 1 count of sexual penetration with a minor. George Pell has worked closely with Pope Francis, who has made it very clear he refuses to cover up any more sexual molestation in the church. But how sure can we truly be of Francis’s claims, with the constant lies and catering of the Papacy in the past? Pell is still awaiting his sentencing and may only receive a maximum of 50 years. Many judges and attorneys have said he will likely not receive maximum sentencing for his crimes.
It has been said Pell will not receive 50 years because of his age and “slim chance of reoffending.” How does a mans age matter in the world of life and death? The man stole two children’s innocence, and we refuse to keep him in prison. For what reason? Because he probably will not molest another kid? We do not let murderers off because they probably will not murder someone again. We should not allow pedophiles to roam free in our streets.
Not only is our legal system too lenient with pedophiles, but the church still manages to protect them. A Boston priest repeatedly sexually abused young boys in the church, and the church he was employed at was aware of these allegations and made not effort to investigate the claims. He was not the only priest who had contact with these young boys, and the cardinals made no attempt to remove any of the priests. The cardinal blamed it on “bad decisions” but later apologized, saying he relied too much on doctors.
The priest in question was later convicted of sexual batter for inappropriately touching young boys without consent. He was convicted of one account and set to be sentenced the day after he went on trial for raping another boy.
The priest was able to ruin countless lives and cause so much trauma just because the church did not bother to investigate claims and did not stop the man from hurting children just so their priest could be legally sound.
We shall not stop at punishing the priests who broke the spirits of young boys. We shall also punish the bishops who hid the priests, who tried to hide all of the misconduct going on right beneath their noses.
A report from the Dallas Morning News says nearly two thirds of the bishops in America tried to cover up abuse cases, to avoid scandals and loss of priests.
A set of reforms called “The charter for the protection of children and young people” was created. The reforms required a complete zero tolerance policy to report any and all allegations to law enforcement for further education.
These reforms were passed in 2002, but how can we ensure that the entirety of the bill is followed? With the same bishops in power that covered up scandals before 2002 how can we assume there will be any difference? The Vatican has never attempted to punish the bishops who covered up sex crimes.
The church may never be able to fully eliminate child molestation through their efforts alone, but there are many things you can do to ensure the safety of your children and others in the church.
One of the major things you can do to crack down is to implement what is known as the “Six Month Rule.” The six month rule says that a member of the child care staff at the church must have been associated with the church for at least six months. This allows you to get to know someone, their background, and why they’re in the church before they are allowed to handle children.
Another way to cut down on child molestation is intensive screening of every person who will work with children in the church. The church should investigate all prior volunteer work and church work the person was involved with prior to this church. The person’s references should also be checked. Also, they should always have to fill out an application prior to the child work.
One of the most vital rules to curving child molestation rates is the “Two Adult Rule,” this rule states there should be at least two people who are unrelated in an enclosed space when there are children there. This includes church rooms, vehicles, and other enclosed spaces.
The biggest task is making sure that workers are always educated in child safety. People working with children or supervising those working with children should never turn a blind eye to a claim, or even a hunch.
The church has made many efforts to curb child molestation from its doors, but they still have not fully eradicated it. At the end of the day, it’s all about the children. For their sake, we need to do better.
