US doctor says Church committed soul murder to abuse victims, urges changes

US doctor says Church committed ‘soul murder’ to abuse victims, urges changes



Court room: The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is focusing on the Catholic Church for three weeks.

February 8, 2017
Posted by: Mark Bowling

THE priest who exposed systemic child sex abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States has told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the Church’s views on human sexuality were a major factor in the abuse crisis.

Called as an expert witness, former Dominican Dr Thomas Doyle, a canon lawyer and consultant in the areas of sexual abuse by clergy and religious, said the Church had committed “soul murder” on abuse victims, and recommended changes in the Church “from the pope on down” to protect victims.

“What you do and what you say and what you come up with at the end is going to have an effect around the world,” Dr Doyle said.

“And it’s hopefully going to have a profound effect in the Vatican and it’s another pile of information that is saying what they do not want to hear, but this issue is damaging the most vulnerable people in the Church and the community – you, the people God, have an obligation to say to the system, to the institution this is what we’ve found.

http://catholicleader.com.au/news/us-doctor-says-church-committed-soul-murder-to-abuse-victims-urges-changes