Trouble For the Vatican... Again

By Tyler Marshall

With all the terrible things going on in the news today, it may seem difficult to stay positive and maintain faith. It is especially difficult when many negative stories in the media are directed toward the organization that represents your particular faith.

Yes, there is scandal in the Vatican again and, yes, it is the same scandal as every other time.

Belgian authorities raided the palace of the archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels last week, in an attempt to gather documents and other potential evidence on abuse complaints from within the church. The search lasted eight hours and no arrests were made nor were charges announced.

Three months ago the bishop of Bruges, Roger Vangheluwe, admitted to molesting a boy and resigned. Since then, hundreds of claims have been raised in the church's offices of commission to handle abuse complaints. It is a sad state of affairs when the church needs a department to handle abuse claims.

Why is the church always expecting to get special treatment in matters of the law? The head of the church commission that handles abuse complaints was quoted by the New York Times saying he was “appalled” by the raid. What was so appalling about it? Claims have been made that call for investigation, and if the church has nothing to hide then there is nothing to be appalled about.

A spokesman for the church claimed that, as a Vatican official, it is most likely that the archbishop will have diplomatic immunity. If this claim is found to be true, it means that the raid was illegal and any evidence found would be fruits of a poisonous tree. Why do Vatican officials have diplomatic immunity? It is time for the world to stop allowing the church to continually break the law without recourse. If any other organization breaks the law and tries to cover it up, they are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. If the world found out that BP officials were molesting young boys, there would surely be a public fiasco.

The archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, has recently given the Vatican authority over the fate of a Chilean priest who has been accused of sexually abusing former parishioners of his when they were teenagers. Why, when the evidence is stacked against the defendant, does the archbishop feel the case needs to be transferred to the Vatican? It has been shown time after time that the Vatican actively tries to cover up, or at least keep as quite as possible, these numerous incidents.

The Vatican should have to turn over any documentation of abuse complaints to local authorities as soon as they are filed. Why would an organization wait until multiple complaints are made, or allegations are made public, to take action? A responsible organization wouldn't.

The same rule applies for the Vatican as it does for any other organization that screws up publicly – take responsibility for the actions of your associates! All the public ever asks for is an apology and an honest effort toward change. Will we see it?