Vatican cardinal bucked US bishop on abuse
Castrillon took up cause of priest who admitted molesting minors
Apr. 22, 2010
By Jason Berry - NCR Online
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/vatican-cardinal-bucked-us-bishop-abuse
"Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the former Vatican official who sent a letter in 2001 praising a French bishop for sheltering an abusive priest, had earlier intervened, against the wishes of a U.S. bishop, on behalf of an American abuser priest, according to documents that were part of a lawsuit.
Castrillon pressured Bishop Manuel Moreno, who was bishop of Tucson, Ariz., from 1982-2003, to allow a priest sex abuser to take a pension and work outside the diocese, despite allegations that would later jolt the diocese and cost millions to resolve. Fr Robert Trupia "sexually abused dozens of minor boys" before he was defrocked in 2004, according to documents in the civil case."
The litigation surrounding the case opens a rare window on the operation of the Vatican legal system"...
The trail of the global sexual abuse crisis leads to the Vatican and this article sheds light on a horrendous reality, hard to fathom- the shielding of pedophiles by top-level Vatican officials. Can you imagine allowing a pedophile priest to work in another diocese, putting at risk innocent children and vulnerable youth? Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos intervened to keep Fr.Trupia in ministry. The shuffling of pedophile priests by the hierarchy which resulted in rapes and abuse of youth would make Jesus weep, and should set off alarms among the world's billion Catholics. Our institutional church is on life-support.
Some bishops are suggesting that the people of God do penance for this debacle. Pope Benedict, the cardinals and the bishops should be the ones taking the lead in doing penance for this horrendous abuse of children. This penance should be the transformation of the clerical culture that covered-up this abuse. There must be a a system of accountability put in place, decision-making in the hands of the non-ordained as well as the ordained, and a return to the early church's practice of married priest and women priests.
Catholics, you can call forth vocations in your communities of women and men of integrity. You can support priests in your parishes who are open to working in partnership with women priests and married priests. You have the power to change our church in grassroots communities. There is no reason to tolerate closure of churches. We are a sacramental church and this is our birthright. You can renew our beloved church now. www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
If women had a place at the table making the decisions, the sex abuse of youth would be handled in an open, transparent way beginning by treating rapes and sexual abuse as crimes. Therefore, if there is an allegation, civil authorities should investigate and church authorities should cooperate and focus on doing justice for both victims and accused.
Bridget Mary Meehan
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