March 09, 2010
German Justice Minister Critical of Vatican Rule on Child Sex Abuse
BERLIN -- Germany's justice minister said that a Vatican secrecy rule has played a role in a "wall of silence" surrounding sexual abuse of children. The Vatican says it wouldn't comment on the criticism from Germany, the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI. Later Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the German church's effort to respond to a spate of abuse allegations. Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger cited a 2001 Vatican directive requiring even the most serious abuse cases to be first investigated internally. Scandals over sexual abuse by Catholic clergy of minors and cover-ups by church hierarchy have exploded worldwide in the last two decades, including in recent weeks in Germany and the Netherlands.Click Here For The Full Story......