In a letter to the Irish faithful last month, Pope Benedict XVI told Irish bishops they should cooperate with civil authorities in investigating abuse. However, this is the first time the Vatican has issued a guideline for the church as a whole. None of the core public Vatican documents that address the handling of abuse direct bishops to report cases to police. Nor does canon law make such an explicit requirement.

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In a letter to the Irish faithful last month, Pope Benedict XVI told Irish bishops they should cooperate with civil authorities in investigating abuse. However, this is the first time the Vatican has issued a guideline for the church as a whole. None of the core public Vatican documents that address the handling of abuse direct bishops to report cases to police. Nor does canon law make such an explicit requirement.

Authors Website: http://sheilastuff.blogspot.com

Authors Bio:

Sheila Samples is an Oklahoma writer and a former civilian US Army Public Information Officer. She is a Managing Editor for OpEd News, and a regular contributor for a variety of Internet sites.