ROME (AP) — Survivors of clergy sexual abuse urged the Vatican on Monday to adopt the same zero-tolerance policy that it approved for the U.S. Catholic Church in 2002, arguing that there’s no reason why children around the world shouldn't be kept just as safe from predator priests.
The U.S. norms, adopted at the height of the abuse scandal there, say a priest will be permanently removed from church ministry based on even a single act of sexual abuse that is either admitted to or established under church law.
That “one strike and you’re out” policy in the U.S. has long stood out as the toughest in the church. It is held up by some as the gold standard, by others as excessive and by still others as imperfect but better than most. It was adopted by U.S. bishops as they scrambled to try to retain credibility following the revelations of abuse and cover-up in Boston documented by the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” series.
Since then, the church abuse scandal has erupted globally, and survivors from around the world said Monday there’s no reason why the U.S. norms couldn’t and shouldn’t be applied universally. They called for changes in the church’s in-house canon law and reasoned they could be approved since the Holy See approved the norms for the U.S. church.
“Despite Pope Francis’ repeated calls for zero tolerance on abuse, his words have yet to lead to any real action,” said Gemma Hickey, a transgender survivor of abuse and the president of the global survivor network Ending Clergy Abuse.
The proposal launched at a press conference was hammered out during an unusual meeting in June in Rome between survivors and some of the Catholic hierarchy's top priestly experts on preventing abuse. It was described by participants at the time as a “historic collaboration” between two groups that often talk past one another, given victims' deep distrust of the Catholic hierarchy.
The priestly participants in that meeting included the Rev. Hans Zollner, who heads the church’s main academic think tank on safeguarding; the No. 2 at the Vatican’s child protection advisory board, Bishop Luis Manuel Ali Herrera; and the Gregorian University’s canon law dean, the Rev. Ulrich Rhode as well as diplomats from the U.S., Australian and other embassies.
However, there was apparently no one from the Vatican legal office, secretariat of state or the discipline section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which processes all abuse cases worldwide and largely sets policy on applying the church’s canon law — albeit in secret since its cases are never published.
As a result, it was unclear what would become of the proposed policy changes, given the U.S. norms only came about because U.S. bishops pushed the Vatican to approve them, driven by their outraged flocks and insurance companies.
The new call faces an uphill battle since the Vatican in recent years has repeatedly insisted on “proportionality” in its sentences for abuse, refusing to apply a one-size-fits-all approach and taking into account cultural differences in countries where abuse isn't as openly discussed as it is in the West.
That has resulted in seemingly light punishments for even confirmed cases of abuse which, in the U.S., would have resulted in a priest being permanently removed from ministry.
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
FILE - Bishops sing a hymn during the opening of Friday morning session at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' meeting in Dallas, June 14. 2002. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, file)
FILE - Dave West, left, and his brother Larry West, both of Fort Worth, Texas, demonstrate outside the hotel where the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are meeting in Dallas on June 14. 2002. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting as Wall Street holds steadier after seeing much of its rally following Donald Trump’s presidential victory dissipate. The S&P 500 was little changed in early trading Monday. The index is coming off its worst loss since before Election Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 95 points, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%. CVS Health rose after adding four new directors to its board. Several big-name companies will be reporting their latest quarterly earnings this week, including market heavyweight Nvidia on Wednesday. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
Trading on Wall Street was quietly mixed early Monday ahead of a set of highly-anticipated earnings reports from some of the nation's biggest retailers.
Futures for the S&P 500 rose just 0.1% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell back 0.1%.
Walmart, Target, Lowe's and The Gap all report earnings this week and should provide analysts another perspective on how American consumers are spending ahead of the holiday season.
A report Friday showed shoppers spent more at U.S. retailers last month than expected, suggesting consumer spending, the most influential force on the economy, remains solid.
Shares of Elon Musk's Tesla jumped 5.7% in premarket trading Monday after Bloomberg News reported that the incoming Trump Administration is prioritizing loosening regulations for self-driving vehicles.
Tesla, the electric vehicle company that made Musk the world’s wealthiest person, has had repeated skirmishes with the government regulators over recalls and other investigations. Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration accused Tesla of telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owners manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.
The NHTSA has asked the company to “revisit its communications” to make sure messages are consistent with user instructions.
The AP reported last week that Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump.
Chipmaker Nvidia fell 2.2% on reports that some of their AI chips have been overheating. Nvidia reports its latest earnings on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, in Europe at midday, Germany's DAX lost 0.3%, while the CAC 40 in Paris edged 0.2% lower. Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.1%.
In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei 225 index dropped 1.1% to 38,220.85 as the yen initially regained some strength against the U.S. dollar after the central bank governor, Kazuo Ueda, indicated that the Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates as conditions permit.
The dollar climbed to 155.31 Japanese yen from 154.54 yen late Friday. It had been trading above 156 yen last week.
South Korea's Kospi jumped 2.2% to 2,469.07 after Samsung Electronics, the country's biggest company, announced a share buyback plan. Samsung's shares jumped 6%.
Chinese markets were mixed. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.8% to 19,576.61, while the Shanghai Composite index shed early gains to close down 0.2% at 3,323.55.
Elsewhere in Asia, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.2% higher, to 8,300.20. Taiwan's Taiex lost 0.9% and the SET in Bangkok picked up 0.7% as the government announced that Thailand's economy grew more than expected in the last quarter.
In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil added 35 cents to $67.37 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude climbed 47 cents to $71.51 per barrel.
The euro bought $1.0539, up from $1.0534 late Friday.
FILE - People pass the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
Trader Robert Charmak works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
FILE - A person stands near an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm in Tokyo, on Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)
FILE - A passerby moves past an electronic stock board showing Japan's stock prices outside a securities firm in Tokyo, on Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)
