One reported incident of child sexual abuse now could mean immediate dismissal for priests in the Catholic Church.
On Wednesday, American cardinals met with Pope John Paul II in Vatican City to discuss the creation of a “one-strike-you’re-out” policy for future sex abuse cases.
The officials reached a general consensus on the issue and began drafting their final statement on the policy Wednesday night.
There also has been consideration for instituting a similar policy to deal with past cases that recently have been discovered and investigated.
The discussions and subsequent draft were prompted as a result of attempts to cope with the recent sex abuse scandals within the American church.
This turn of events definitely is in the right direction.
The Catholic Church should follow through with this “zero-tolerance” policy and punish child molesters immediately.
This sends a clear, direct message to the rest of the world that this is unacceptable - in the church or anywhere else.
Child sex abuse cases should be held in the most serious regard, and the individuals who commit the abuse should be held responsible for their actions.
The fact of the matter is pedophilia exists in many places, and is committed by people of all professions. The saddest and most ironic part about this is that religious leaders are the very people who are least expected to engage in these types of abusive, immoral acts.
Religious leaders usually are held in the highest esteem and scrutinized to maintain exceptionally high moral standards, so when any are accused of sexually abusing children, it is unconscionable.
The Pope denounced these acts as an “appalling sin,” and it is obvious he is not the only one who believes this.
Any priest or religious leader found guilty of sexually abusing children should be punished and then taken out of his or her position; they should not be allowed to be in contact with children.
The Catholic Church is taking a strong stand against an increasing problem in society, and hopefully this policy will be effective in deterring any further abuse, protecting children and punishing criminals.
