Lauren Book: Clergy sexual abuse reporting rule doesn’t go far enough to protect children

Catholic Priest Sex Abuse

A recent rule change from the Vatican will now require the clergies of the Catholic Church — plagued by sex abuse scandals and internal cover-ups of pedophilic priests — to report all known instances of child sexual abuse to church superiors, who will decide what to do with this information.

While implementing a reporting protocol is a step in the right direction, this rule does not go far enough in keeping our children safe.

It should not be at the discretion of any institution — religious or otherwise — to make determinations as to whether allegations or admittance of child sexual abuse should be reported to law enforcement.

The rule should require that all suspected instances of abuse be reported to law enforcement and not kept in the confines of an institution that has already shown an inability to seek justice for victims of sexual predation.

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