Behind Closed Doors - Secret church trial for priest accused of abuse

[Andrew49]

The Catholic church is putting a priest on trial behind closed doors for alleged child abuse documented in the controversial Cloyne report. The priest, referred to as Father B in the inquiry conducted by the church-funded National Board for Safeguarding Children, is scheduled to attend a canonical hearing in Cobh before the end of this month. The process is similar to a court trial, but witnesses can only be invited to give evidence, rather than compelled.

Priest to be secretly tried for Cloyne abuse

[arag0rn]

Odd way the church have of dealing with such alleged offenders... Behind closed door 'trial'.... Wonder can they give him jail time?

What's the worst they can do to someone who has already (albeit allegedly thusfar) completely disregarded the law of the land and the teachings of his own religion?

Kick him out of the church? So what... Defrock him? big deal. No justice...

[robert151410]

As a matter of interest what is the current position of the E1.4bn compensation to the victims of abuse? How much has been paid to date?

[The Caped Cod]

The real disgrace is that we are letting the church handle this, like some kind of military court marshall. This somehow implies that church does not come under the law of the land. If a trial is to be had it should be in a court of justice. Instead the church that failed to act time and time again is now given some sort of legitimacy in dealing with their criminal monsters in private.
If we are going to start letting the church get away from it's legal obligation as an organisation in our country then we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.

What other organisation in Ireland represents a clear and present danger to our children, proven shamefully time after time, and yet is still allowed to continue, let alone keep a pseudo-respected position?
I'd sooner become a scientologist.

[patronsaint]

I presume that clergy and anyone else who are aware of the law being broken will furnish such evidence to the guards.

[Baron von Biffo]

The Catholic church is putting a priest on trial behind closed doors for alleged child abuse documented in the controversial Cloyne report. The priest, referred to as Father B in the inquiry conducted by the church-funded National Board for Safeguarding Children, is scheduled to attend a canonical hearing in Cobh before the end of this month. The process is similar to a court trial, but witnesses can only be invited to give evidence, rather than compelled.

Priest to be secretly tried for Cloyne abuse

So long as victims aren't further distressed it doesn't matter what this private club gets up to.

As far as the state is concerned canon law has the same status as the rules of hopscotch.

[Andrew49]

So long as victims aren't further distressed it doesn't matter what this private club gets up to.

As far as the state is concerned canon law has the same status as the rules of hopscotch.

Yet Children’s Minister Barry Andrews insisted Irish people no longer have the deference towards the Catholic Church that allowed institutional child abuse to thrive for decades. Mr Andrews said there had been a sea change in society. “I believe that we have come a long way,” he said.

“The deference that was at the core of the problem is no longer there.”

The Children’s Minister blamed an undue high regard for religious institutions and the State for allowing a decades-long cover-up of sickening abuse in church-run homes, schools and orphanages since the 1940s.

Yet here's this 'private club' holding a secret trial on a criminal matter - and the State, in deference to this 'private club' is allowing it. Maybe this 'sea change' has yet to affect the State.

Some Background on Canon Law:
[SIZE=4]
[/SIZE][SIZE=4]IMAGINE - No code of ethics needed ![/SIZE]

• Imagine practicing law in a land where there is no code of ethics, simply because it is not needed.
• Imagine lawyers doubling as judges in order to keep the system moving
• Imagine a system of law where parties do not confront witnesses and, where witnesses can telephone in their testimony
• Imagine a system of law that is universal, whose subjects are found all over the world, in every culture.

[SIZE=4]This system of law is canon law.[/SIZE]

Canon law is a body of law legislated by ecclesiastical authority to organize and govern the Catholic Church.

One thing that makes this system unique is that many baptized Christians do not know that these laws exist in relation to them. In order that a person be bound by canon law, four factors be bound by canon law, four factors must be present: One must be baptized; one must have the use of reason; one must have attained 7 years of age; and the law must be in force in the place where one is.

Therefore, in theory, the Catholic Church had jurisdiction over all baptized persons. A second unique factor is that this system of canon law comes under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The ultimate purpose of the system of canon law is to aid the Holy Spirit to work in and through the visible organization of the Catholic Church on Earth, to preach the message of Christ, and to administer His sacraments.

It was Pius X in 1904 who established a commission of cardinals to draft that first Code of Canon Law. That code was written in short articles called canons in much the same way as all modern states were codifying their legislation. On Pentecost Sunday, 1917, Pope Benedict XV finally promulgated the completed Codes Juris Canonici.

[COLOR=Magenta]The Code itself consists of 1,752 canons or laws[/COLOR], divided into seven books. Book I is “The General Norms”, a long and dense recitation of the definitions of the basic legal principles and terms used in the rest of the Code. Book II, “People of God”, deals with who’s who and where they fit into the system, not to mention the basic rights of the people as guarantee by the Code. The third Book encompasses “The Teaching Office of the Church” and dictates the laws on mission work and Catholic education. This is the section that establishes the Pope as infallible, heretics as insufferable and university professors as tenable only if they are a Catholic in “good standing”.

Book V involves the area that most vexes civil attorneys. It is titled “The Temporal Goods of the Church.” This book rules the acquisition and administration of property and assets, as well as contracts and alienation of property. Because even the Church recognizes that money talks, it frequently finds itself with interests conflicting to civil parties, and even religious orders and lay people functioning within the Church.

Many find Book VI to be the most contemporarily provocative of the books in that it deals with sanctions in the Church. These run the gamut of actions from striking the Pope to aborting a baby. Within it there are outlines of penalties each as suspension from the office of the priest to excommunication of a lay person, or the firing of a Bishop.

The final Book VII, achieves the most difficult part of the legal system, the process by which all of the order aspired to by the system is maintained. Jurisdiction is observed, parties are defined and tribunals are established, along with rules of proofs and procedures.

[COLOR=Magenta]It seems sad that those first Ten Commandments were not enough. With martyrs to be canonized and popes to elect, the Church’s need for law instantly became gnawing. [/COLOR]

[Geekzilla]

I presume that clergy and anyone else who are aware of the law being broken will furnish such evidence to the guards.

I'd hope so too, but the Church has a very poor track record in this area.

[Andrew49]

I'd hope so too, but the Church has a very poor track record in this area.

The Gardai and the Church don't have a very good relationship.

A cop, a priest and a campaign of vilification

[garlandgreen]

The Gardai and the Church don't have a very good relationship.

A cop, a priest and a campaign of vilification

Let's hope not. When they did bad things happened