BY SHAY CULLEN
THE MOST important legislation needed worldwide is to cancel and revoke the legislation on the statute of limitations for crimes against children and actively pursue legal action to bring the abusers to justice. The accused abusers can then hear the testimony of their victims and confess, repent, atone and accept penance in jail for abusing children.
That is the needed action, not for good Christians to surrender in shame and humiliation at the revelations of these heinous clerical crimes. True believers and committed Christians have to fight back against such evil, not be overwhelmed by the revelations, not to be crushed in spirit and intimidated by the crimes of others.
These clerical abusers must not be protected, transferred away, and their crimes covered up by church or government officials. We must be angry at this evil as Jesus was when the disciples scolded the people bringing children to him to bless. “When Jesus noticed this, he was angry, and said to his disciples, “Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child, will never enter into it. Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on each of them and blessed them”. (Mark 10:13-16) The disciples, like the Pharisees and Elders, thought children had no value either and were unworthy to be blessed.
We have to take a stand with the abused and follow the example of Jesus himself and stand for the rights of the victims/survivors and dedicate ourselves to expose and bring every single child abusing perpetrator to justice.
Jesus showed the way himself when after placing a child in front of the crowd he said: “If anyone should cause one of these little ones to lose his faith in me, it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around his neck and he be drowned in the deep sea. How terrible for the world that there are things that cause people to lose their faith. Such things will always happen, but how terrible for the one who causes them.” How right he is, there will always be hypocrites, child rapists and clerics that sexually abuse and neglect children.
That’s a call for justice and accountability, not a call for the death penalty. A priest or layperson who abuses a child destroys the trust of that child in Jesus of Nazareth and in all adults, especially if it is a priest or a parent who abuses the child. If anyone knows of child abuse, it is our urgent duty to denounce the crimes and report the abuse. Silence about child abuse is consent. We have to do it. Report abuse in confidence to predainfo@gmail.com.
The Philippine church has hidden such crimes and continues to do so. Cardinal Tagle said in a television interview on BBC’s Hardtalk that the Philippine Church deals with clerical child abuse internally. Since then, Pope Francis has ruled that clerical abusers must face civil courts. Dealing internally with abuse means the crimes are covered up and the abuser most likely continues his abuse. This must stop.
In the Philippines, victims of clerical child abuse and families are paid off or intimidated not to file or pursue charges. That has to end and abusers have to be brought to a civil court and wear a millstone, that is, do jail time where they cannot abuse more children. Whatever the loss of trust in the institution, we all hold fast to our faith in Jesus of Nazareth and his words. (preda.org)/PN
