Vatican Document: Bishops Not Obliged To Report Clerical Child Abuse

Vatican document: bishops not obliged to report clerical child abuse

A Vatican document for new bishops states it is "not necessarily" their duty to report claims of clerical abuse. The Vatican recently released the guidelines and are seeking feedback on them. It did state that clergy must be aware of laws in the area they minister. Maeve Lewis, the Executive Director of One in Four says she is deeply shocked by theNews. "Given the history of clerical abuse in this country, we all know the sort of culture that that can create - and the very dangerous position it leaves vulnerable children in", she said. "An I'm sure it must be unbelievable as well to people like (Dublin) Archbishop Diarmuid Martin who has showed such leadership on this issue in this country" she added.