SWITZERLAND: A COALITION OF CATHOLIC GROUPS AND VICTIMS OF ABUSE BY CLERGY WHO ACCUSE THE VATICAN OF A COVER-UP PRESENT THEIR REPORT

Record ID: 334736

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: A COALITION OF CATHOLIC GROUPS AND VICTIMS OF ABUSE BY CLERGY WHO ACCUSE THE VATICAN OF A COVER-UP PRESENT THEIR REPORT
  • Date: 11th October 2002
  • Summary: (W8) GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (OCTOBER 9, 2002)(REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR OF UNITED NATIONS EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS IN GENEVA WITH U.N. FLAG; SLV INTERIOR MEETING OF AN INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION OF EXPERTS AND SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS (3 SHOTS) 0.13 2. MV/SLV 31-YEAR OLD ATTORNEY WHO IS A VICTIM OF CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE AND REPRENTATIVE OF THE SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS (SNAP) MARK FURNISH SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST (3 SHOTS) 0.28 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARK FURNISH SAYING "It's not way too late for the victims, and that's all, franckly, that I really care about and the other victims accross the world care about. There are three very important words that we need to hear from people when you tell your story, and those three words are 'we believe you' in the story, and this report says 'we believe you' and coming to the U.N. today is a sign, I think, that the world is starting to say we believe you, we are waking up from a nightmare. It's been far too late, the Vatican and the church have done far too little and we have to go now to other sources such as the U.N. to talk about this nightmare so that people start to realise what's happening. Its very enpowering for victims accross the world that we are able to do something like this in a world forum." 1.19 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARK FURNISH SAYING "To the victims I want to say that you are not alone. You are not a freak, you didn't do anything wrong. Coming forward won't be easy but it's necessary because if we can prevent one single child from having it happening to them then this is all worth it." 1.38 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARK FURNISH SAYING "An apology would be nice, however that's too little too late. It's sad that I had to come here, had to come to Rome first and now I had to come here, they should have come to all victims and apologise to them personally. It's tragic that they have to do that, everything now I think it is too little too late." 2.00 6. LAS TILT DOWN EXTERIOR OF UNITED NATION HUMAN RIGHTS HEADQUARTERS 2.07 7. MV DELEGATION OF EXPERTS AND CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS, LED BY CATHOLICS FOR A FREE CHOICE, ENTERING AT THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS HEADQUARTERS; MV INTERIOR MEETING BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE U.N. COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD, EXPERTS AND CLERGY SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS (4 SHOTS) 2.25 8. MV ZOOM IN ON THE CHAIRMAN OF THE U.N. COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD JACOB EGBERT DOEK; SLV END OF MEETING 2.39 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF CATHOLICS FOR A FREE CHOICE, FRANCES KISSLING SAYING "The Committee acknowledges that this is a serious and tragic problem for children. It acknowledges that it wants to protect children and we are all confident that the Committee will work with the Holy See to see that clergy sexual abuses stop." 2.54 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRESIDENT OF CATHOLICS FOR A FREE CHOICE FRANCES KISSLING SAYING "The next thing we need to do is that we need to continue to hammer away at the Holy See to hold them accountable and we need to work with each and every country in which clergy sexual abuse happens and get those national governments to go after the officials of the Catholic church and after clergy sexual abusers to stop that abuse and to prosecute them all." 3.17 11. SCU SIGN READING UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER OF HUMAN RIGHTS 3.22 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 26th October 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Reuters ID: LVA6U4O3ETGT3PFQEBWPODUFJ7WJ
  • Story Text: A coalition of Catholic groups and victims of abuse
    by clergy, who are accusing the Vatican of trying to hide
    widespread child sex abuse scandals, presented its report,
    highlighting 5,000 alleged cases of abuse by members of the
    clergy worldwide, to the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the
    Child on Wednesday in Geneva.

    The group, headed by U.S.-based Catholics for a
    Free Choice, presented their report, which points to 5,000
    alleged cases of clergy abuse around the world, to the United
    Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.

    "We urge the Committee to take up the serious task of
    calling the Holy See to account for perpetrating and
    perpetuating the crisis," the report says.

    The delegation stopped in Rome on Tuesday to push for
    talks with Vatican officials ahead of Wednesday's meeting.

    The launch of the 40-page report called The Holy See
    and the Convention on the Rights of the Child comes as the
    Vatican prepares to release its official response to rules
    adopted in June by U.S. bishops to deal with paedophile
    priests.

    The worst crisis ever to hit the American Catholic
    Church exploded in January when documents revealed that the
    Boston Archdiocese reassigned priests accused of molesting
    children.

    The scandal spread and led to the dismissal of some 300
    priests.

    The new rules say a bishop should dismiss a cleric of
    any ecclesiastical ministry or function if there is a credible
    accusation that a priest sexually abused a minor.

    The leaders of the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops will
    visit the Vatican next week for talks centred on the scandals,
    Vatican sources said on Monday.

    Pope John Paul II called U.S. Church leaders to the Vatican for
    an unprecedented summit in April where he made clear there was
    no room in the ministry for sex offenders. However, the Vatican is worried the crisis could spark a witch hunt.

    Critics say the Holy See is not doing enough.

    The document says 5,000 cases of abuse by Catholic
    clergy have been reported in the media since 1995, with some
    of the allegations referring to abuses as long ago as the
    1940s. The abuses occurred in Latin America, Australia,
    Ireland and the Philippines as well as in the United States.

    The report urges the Holy See to issue a public apology
    and to take concrete actions against clerics accused of abuse.

    It also calls on the U.N. to require the Holy See to submit an
    updated report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child,
    including sex abuse cases.


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