Catholic bishops are meeting in Rome for a four-day summit to discuss the Roman Catholic church’s response to the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy for the first time.
The Vatican has finally admitted in a shocking confession that it maintains secret guidelines for priests who break their vows of celibacy and father children!
The news was first reported by The New York Times. In a statement to media, Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that he can confirm that guidelines exist. He said that it is a document for internal use and was not intended for publication.
Vincent Doyle, whose father was a Catholic priest, told The New York Times that he was shown the document when he travelled to Rome in search of justice for children of ministers. Vincent Doyle, a psychotherapist in Ireland, was 28 when he learned from his mother that the Roman Catholic priest he had always known as his godfather was in truth his biological father.
The Vatican has required strict celibacy from Catholic priests. But the church has been rocked by sex scandals for centuries, including the severe allegations of child abuses.
About two weeks ago, Pope Francis had acknowledged for the first time the rape and sexual abuse of nuns by priests and bishops inside the Catholic Church.
“I believe that it may still be being done. It’s not a thing that from the moment in which you realize it, it’s over. The thing goes forward like this. We’ve been working on this for a long time,” Francis said during a press conference on a flight back from the United Arab Emirates.
On Thursday, senior Catholic bishops from around the world will meet in Rome for a four-day summit on the issue of clerical sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Catholic bishops from around the world are meeting in Rome for a four-day summit to discuss the Roman Catholic church’s response to the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy for the first time.
(With inputs from The New York Times, CNN and BBC)
