On April 30, 2001 (a noted satanic holiday), Pope John Paul II issued a new
document as a result of the numerous new cases of priests accused of serious
crimes in the wake of the scandals. The document, Sacramentorum Sanctitatis
Tutela, gives the handling of cases formerly reserved for the pope's own
decision over to the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith. These include "the sexual abuse of minors, crimes concerning the
Eucharist, such as the sacrilegious use of the host, and crimes concerning the
confessional, such as soliciting sex from someone who has come to a priest for
confession." As that dicastery used to be known as the Holy Office of the Inquisition, a
Vatican spokesman acknowledged that it was because they had the "experience"
necessary.
The trials, of course, would continue to be held in secret. (AP, 3/28/04)
The trials, of course, would continue to be held in secret. (AP, 3/28/04)