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Gay news: gay and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has called on the Pope to resign
By: Nigel Robinson
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Peter Tatchell calls for the Pope to resign
Peter Tatchell has called on the Pope to resign in the light of the recent sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church.
A demonstration against the Pope’s forthcoming visit to the UK will take place outside Westminster Cathedral on Sunday 28 March 2010 between noon and 2pm. It is being organised by the Protest the Pope Coalition.
In a statement, Tatchell says:
"In a 2001 edict to Catholic Bishops worldwide, the Pope ordered a cover-up of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy. He failed to ensure that priests who raped and sexually abused young people were reported to the police.
“This is why he is not welcome in the UK and why we object to him being honoured with a State Visit in September, especially a State Visit that is being funded by the taxpayer.
"Pope Benedict has direct personal responsibility for allowing many paedophile priests to escape justice.
"If anyone else was involved in protecting paedophiles from prosecution, they'd probably be arrested as accomplices to sex crimes, not lauded with a State Visit. Why should the Pope be treated differently?
"According to a 2006 BBC Panorama programme, Sex Crimes And The Vatican, in 2001, while he was a Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI issued a secret Vatican edict to all Catholic bishops.
“It recommended that instead of reporting child sex abusers to the police, bishops should report them to the Vatican and encourage the victims to take an oath to not talk about the abuse they suffered.
“To keep victims quiet, the Pope proposed that if they broke their oath and repeated the sex abuse allegations they should be excommunicated.
"Benedict XVI put the interests and image of the church before the welfare of children and young people. He is unfit to remain as Pope. He should resign.
"The Panorama programme revealed details of the Pope's leading role in the cover-up of the sexual assault of youths by Catholic clergy.
“It reported that the Vatican knowingly harboured and protected paedophile clergymen. Priests accused of child sex abuse were mostly not sacked or reported to the police but simply moved to another parish, often to re-offend. The BBC gave examples of church hush funds being used to silence the victims.
”This is why we need to protest - to expose the Pope's shameful collusion with the sex abuse of young people.
”We are urging you to join our protest against the paedophile-protecting Pope this Sunday, 28 March."
To sign up to receive Peter Tatchell’s campaign bulletins email: peter@petertatchell.net , to view his campaigns online log on to: petertatchell.net, and to make a donation to his human rights work click here: http://www.tatchellrightsfund.org/donations.htm
