“Sex Crimes and the Vatican” BBC documentary video, with Italian subtitles

Some days ago I was astonished to discover that in Italy priests who are alleged to be pedophiles and abusing young girls are not judged by the Italian justice, but by other priests (please, note the disciplinary measures for a pedophile priest were a ban from hearing confession or celebrating Mass for five years, and every day for one year he must recite Psalm 51).

Today I discover (via Nicola Mattina, in Italian) that the Italian blogosphere is heavily commenting on a BBC documentary titled “Sex Crimes and the Vatican“.
BisPensiero added Italian subtitles to the video and currently this is the most popular video on Google Video. Be aware the documentary contains the personal recording of a man who have been raped by a priest when he was 14 years old. It is a tough watch, be prepared.

You can also read the the transcript of the Italian subtitles

This time Italian obscurantists will have a hard time to ask Google to remove the video since the copyright belongs to BCC.
Note that this attention entirely started from blogs, after Bispensiero added subtitles and in fact th official newspaper of the Vatican says blog spreads BBC “slander” to Italy by posting a BBC documentary that alleged a Church cover-up of child sexual abuse.
After blogs attracted attention, a political row has erupted in Italy over whether state television should air the BBC documentary. Television is so behind blogging.

I have my personal ideas about the Catholic Church but please verify these facts, judge by yourself and act as you think it is better.

6 thoughts on ““Sex Crimes and the Vatican” BBC documentary video, with Italian subtitles

  1. paolo Post author

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/5389684.stm

    Sex crimes and the Vatican
    Vatican City
    A secret document which sets out a procedure for dealing with child sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church is examined by Panorama.

    Crimen Sollicitationis was enforced for 20 years by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became the Pope.

    It instructs bishops on how to deal with allegations of child abuse against priests and has been seen by few outsiders.

    Critics say the document has been used to evade prosecution for sex crimes.

  2. paolo Post author

    Crimen Sollicitationis was written in 1962 in Latin and given to Catholic bishops worldwide who are ordered to keep it locked away in the church safe.

    It instructs them how to deal with priests who solicit sex from the confessional. It also deals with “any obscene external act … with youths of either sex.”

    It imposes an oath of secrecy on the child victim, the priest dealing with the allegation and any witnesses.

    Breaking that oath means excommunication from the Catholic Church.

    Reporting for Panorama, Colm O’Gorman finds seven priests with child abuse allegations made against them living in and around the Vatican City.

    One of the priests, Father Joseph Henn, has been indicted on 13 molestation charges brought by a grand jury in the United States.

    During filming for Sex Crimes and the Vatican, Colm finds Father Henn is fighting extradition orders from inside the headquarters of this religious order in the Vatican.

    The Vatican has not compelled him to return to America to face the charges against him.

    After filming, Father Henn lost his fight against extradition but fled the headquarters and is believed to be hiding in Italy while there is an international warrant for his arrest.

    Colm O’Gorman was raped by a Catholic priest in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford in Ireland when he was 14 years old.

    Father Fortune was charged with 66 counts of sexual, indecent assault and another serious sexual offence relating to eight boys but he committed suicide on the eve of his trial.

    Colm started an investigation with the BBC in March 2002 which led to the resignation of Dr Brendan Comiskey, the bishop leading the Ferns Diocese.

    Colm then pushed for a government inquiry which led to the Ferns Report.

    It was published in October 2005 and found: “A culture of secrecy and fear of scandal that led bishops to place the interests of the Catholic Church ahead of the safety of children.”

    The Catholic Church has 50 million children in its worldwide congregation and no universal child protection policy although in the UK there is the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children & Vulnerable Adults.

    In some countries this means that the Crimen Sollicitationis is the only policy followed.

    The Vatican has refused repeated requests from Panorama to respond to any of the cases shown in the film.

  3. paolo Post author

    Note that few weeks ago the Vatican indicated an Italian comedian and artist, Rivera, as terrorist.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,2072168,00.html

    Why? Because Rivera told the following things:
    “The Pope says he doesn’t believe in evolution. I agree, in fact the church has never evolved,” he said. He launched into a routine about the church’s denial of a funeral to Piergiorgio Welby, a muscular dystrophy sufferer who decided to have his respirator switched off in December.
    “I can’t stand the fact that the Vatican refused a funeral for Welby but they didn’t for Pinochet or Franco,” he quipped.

    See also http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2007/05/criticizing_the_pope_terrorism.php

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