In an apostolic letter, Pope Francis has issued long-awaited rules mandating church officials report sexual abuse by priests to other church officials for prosecution by church officials. What has changed is exactly nothing since the rules do not require church officials at any level of this procedure to notify law enforcement so that offenders can be prosecuted in a civil court of law where rape allegations belong. The church will continue to cover up & transfer rapists. Rape is first of all a crime against children. Salvation & redemption of the offender are between a rapist & his confessor & are none of our concern. Justice is between the child & the rapist & is adjudicated in a civil courtroom.
Bernard, the Nazi pope, was bounced & Francis installed under the hope that Francis would clean up the mess within the clergy but he has shown he is completely unwilling to do so. The church’s tax exempt status should be revoked until it demonstrates compliance with laws regarding the protection of children from priest rapists. That means church officials should skip all that internal maneuvering & be mandated to turn the offenders over for prosecution to civil authorities. Until the Pope orders that, he’s just playing us for fools.
PS: I don’t understand why civil authorities do not prosecute the Catholic Church dioceses for obstructing justice when it comes to turning rapists over to civil authorities.