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SNAP v. the Pope, et al

Synopsis

On September 13, 2011, a survivor-led support group for clergy sex abuse victims formally urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to investigate the Vatican for crimes against humanity. Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, together with their attorneys from the human rights organization the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), filed a lengthy and detailed complaint charging that Vatican officials tolerate and enable the systematic and widespread concealing of rape and other forms of sexual violence around the world. Together with the complaint, they submitted more than 22,000 pages of supporting materials consisting of reports, policy papers, and evidence of the crimes by Catholic clergy committed against children and vulnerable adults.

Status

CCR filed a supplemental communication with the ICC prosecutor on April 11, 2012, along with several thousand more pages of documentation. The Prosecutor is now reviewing the filings and evidence to determine the ICC has jurisdiction over the crimes.

On February 28, 2013, SNAP and CCR submitted a report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, "Fighting for the Future: Adult Survivors Work to Protect Children and End the Culture of Clergy Sexual Abuse," ahead of the Holy See appearing before the Committee to address its compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

Description

Ongoing revelations of pervasive and serious sexual violence against children and vulnerable adults by priests and others associated with the Catholic Church in different parts of the world have demonstrated that the crisis is not one of isolated random sexual assaults by errant priests but is widespread and systemic. In the wake of scandals around the world, experts and investigators have identified policies and practices of the Vatican and high-level officials of the Catholic Church that have enabled the sexual violence. Some observers have estimated that the number of victims of sexual violence by priests and clergy occurring over the past three decades is in the hundreds of thousands, particularly as more survivors come forward and civil authorities begin investigations in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

The complaint requests the investigation and prosecution of high-level Vatican officials alleging they are criminally responsible under the concept of superior responsibility as well as for their individual roles in aiding and abetting these crimes, as outlined by the Rome Statute of the ICC. Together with the complaint, more than 22,000 pages of supporting evidence consisting of testimonies, police reports, findings of commissions of inquiry and grand juries, and other evidence of the crimes were submitted.

The persons identified in the complaint as bearing the greatest responsibility for the systemic sexual violence in the church are:

Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, both in his capacity as Pontiff (2005 - present), and formerly as Cardinal, Prefect (head) of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (1981 - 2005), the entity tasked with managing allegations of sexual assault by priests.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals (2006 - present), having replaced Ratzinger upon his appointment as Pope; formerly served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State

(1990 – 2006).

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, as Sodano’s successor as Vatican Secretary of State (2006 – present), and who also serves as the Camerlengo (2007 – present). In his previous position, he served as Secretary of the CDF under Joseph Ratzinger

(1995 – 2002).

Cardinal William Levada, as Prefect for the CDF (2005 – 2012), and in his prior positions as Archbishop of Portland, OR (1986 – 1999), Archbishop of San Francisco (1995 – 2005), and in other official positions at the CDF (serving part of his time under Ratzinger).

Media

"Human rights lawyers and victims of clergy sexual abuse filed a complaint on Tuesday urging the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate and prosecute Pope Benedict XVI and three top Vatican officials for crimes against humanity for what they described as abetting and covering up the rape and sexual assault of children by priests." read more

"...As the legal successes have piled up, victims groups and their lawyers have worked their way up the hierarchy, turning their attention from the priests who committed the abuse to bishops they accuse of covering for them, then up the Vatican hierarchy they allege put in place a system that enabled their abusers, and finally to the Pope himself." read more

"A group representing victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests is asking the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict XVI and three senior cardinals for alleged crimes against humanity." read more

"Victims of sexual abuse by the clergy want the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict and three Vatican officials, accusing them of allowing the rape and abuse of children." read more

Multi-Media

View conversation about the case made possible by the Culture Project between Gabriel Byrne, actor and playwright Mannix Flynn, SNAP leader Mary Caplan and attorneys Pam Spees and Vince Warren here.