The Pennsylvania court is taking action to ensure the recovery and justice for others to come, at least in the legal sense. In “More than 300 accused priests listed in Pennsylvania report on Catholic Church sex abuse” The Washington Post reported that “In addition to ending such limitations for criminal cases, the grand jury also called for a law to allow older victims to sue the church for damage inflicted upon them as children, tighter laws that mandate the reporting of abuse and an end to nondisclosure agreements when settlements have been reached.”
Additionally, the Vatican has expressed outrage toward perpetrators and extreme compassion for victims. Greg Burke, spokesman for the Vatican, said “Victims should know that the Pope is on their side. Those who have suffered are his priority, and the Church wants to listen to them to root out this tragic horror that destroys the lives of the innocent.”
A statement was also released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urging both the government and the Vatican to continue investigating the systemic “failure of episcopal leadership”, The Washington Post reports in “U.S. bishops say church needs lay Catholics to help address ‘moral catastrophe’”. “This is a moral catastrophe,” president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Cardinal Daniel DiNardo stated, continuing, “The overarching goal in all of this is stronger protections against predators in the Church and anyone who would conceal them, protections that will hold bishops to the highest standards of transparency and accountability.”
Sexual abuse as scandal in the Catholic Church is most tragically not groundbreaking news. What stands out about this new revelation is the urgency, vigor, and emphasis being taken by authority figures about preventing further traumas to future generations. For many years, this unfortunate reality has remained swept under the rug, unproven and unspoken about. Now, with a publicized report and hard evidence, there is no more room for denial. In a revolutionary change, authorities of the Catholic Church are speaking up on behalf of the victims and survivors, offering genuine apology, compassion, and empathy, in attention to sworn commitment to make amends and create actual change.
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