Official Vatican letter pushing priests to not report child abuse

The Guardian reports that there is now evidence that the Vatican took affirmative steps to conceal child abuse and prevent police involvement…

A letter to Ireland’s Roman Catholic bishops has been revealed by the broadcaster RTE that contradicts the Vatican’s frequent claim it has never instructed clergy to withhold evidence or suspicion of child abuse from police.

The letter was signed by Luciano Storero, an archbishop and the Pope’s intermediary to Ireland. The article goes on to say:

Storero wrote that canon law, whereby allegations and punishments are handled within the church, “must be meticulously followed”; any bishop who tried to go outside canon law would face the “highly embarrassing” position of being overturned on appeal in Rome.

From The Guardian

Vatican Upset over Sovereignty in Ireland

Leaked cables from whistleblower site WikiLeaks has shown that the Vatican considered its sovereignty violated when an Irish police commission questioned high-ranking churchmen as part of their investigation into the child abuse scandal:

The only issue for the Vatican has been the supposed ‘failure’ of the Irish government to protect the Vatican from intrusive questions. Self-interest ruled the day when their priests were raping children. - Andrew Madden, former alter boy & molest victim

Leaked Cables show Vatican Refused to Cooperate with Irish Investigation of Sexual Abuse Victims

You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the church. - Pope Benedict XVI in a letter to Irish sexual abuse victims

Source: Irish Central

Vatican’s new PR move includes debates

The Vatican, in light of the really poor PR they have been getting, has started a campaign to convince atheists and agnostics about the one true God. The Vatican is very confident of its position because one aspect of the campaign is a debate format, which will start in Paris next year. However, “atheists with high public profiles such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens will not be invited.” The Church went on to explain:

[The Church] would only be interested in “noble atheism or agnosticism, not the polemical kind – so not those atheists such as [Piergiorgio] Odifreddi in Italy, [Michel] Onfray in France, [Christopher] Hitchens and [Richard] Dawkins”

I wonder who the Church will choose on their side for the debates? One would assume the most skilled apologists. I think, however, the Church might be underestimating no-name atheists, unless they just want a Hannity and Colmes representation of atheism at the debate. Also, they state that they want atheists who are not ‘dogmatic,’ and are willing to be convinced — but can we expect the same from the Church? Will bishops or leading apologists be willing to do the same? I would argue in any debate the point is not to convince the person you are debating with (a rare occasion, indeed) but instead to convince those watching the debate. I doubt the Catholic Church is ignorant of this and perhaps they are just interested in good theater, with an onstage conversion to Catholicism.