Rome--Victims group blasts Vatican abuse summit

"If the Vatican is so dedicated to punishing people who use the internet to exploit children, the first thing they need to do is fix the problem within the church. Then they must punish their own bishops who covered up for men who made, uploaded, viewed or distributed child pornography,” said Barb Dorris, the managing director of SNAP, the Survivors Network (SNAPNetwork.org). 

Msgr. Carlo Capella is a Vatican diplomat who was recalled to the Vatican last month when U.S. authorities accused him of possession of child pornography. Last week, Canadian officials issued a warrant for his arrest on child pornography charges there. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/09/29/vatican-diplomat-is-now-wanted-in-canada-for-posting-child-porn-at-christmastime/?utm_term=.a04b14be4b2e

The three-day Child Dignity in the Digital Age World Conference https://www.childdignity2017.org/ concludes October 6, 2017 at the Gregorian University in Rome. The event has brought together world leaders in digital media, according to media reports.However, the epidemic and cover-up of child pornography, SNAP says, is a big problem in the Catholic Church:

   - In August 2017 Father Kevin Gugliotta was sentenced to jail for disseminating child pornography. Gugliotta was suspended from ministry in 2003 for allegedly molesting a teenage boy in the 1980s. Because the incident occurred before he became a priest, the Archdiocese of Newark said this did not break their zero tolerance guidelines and reinstated him in 2004.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/08/25/priest-sentenced-child-pornography-said-revenge-god-poker-losses/

   - In 2017, former Catholic pastor Clovis Vilchez-Parra was sentenced to four years in jail for possession of child pornography.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/arlington-heights/news/ct-priest-child-porn-met-20170427-story.html

   - In May 2017, Ex-Los Banos, California priest Robert Gamel was arrested for possession of child pornography, less than six months after being released from jail for a pornography conviction. The crimes included possession of a nude image of a young female parishioner. http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/crime/article148488359.html

   - In 2016, Pennsylvania priest John Stephen Mraz was charged with possession of child pornography, criminal use of a communication facility and selling obscene materials. He pleaded guilty. http://www.ajc.com/news/crime--law/catholic-priest-charged-child-pornography-investigation/fAIqtgCiAK3ObAwu4TMRsJ/

   - In 2016, Louisiana Priest Fr. Felix Broussard was arrested on 500 counts of child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty. http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/2017/05/02/priest-pleads-not-guilty-child-porn-case/101174814/

   - In 2013, former Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis John Nienstedt admitted that when learning one of his priests had images that may be child pornography on his computer, Nienstedt turned the computer over to a private investigator, not the police. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/04/22/archbishop-nienstedt-deposition

   - In 2012, Kansas City/St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn was convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse. He admitted that a he knew that one of his priests, Fr. Shawn Ratigan had hundreds of images of child pornography on his computer, but did not tell the police. http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-church-abuse-charges-20170629-htmlstory.html

These cases represent the “tip of the iceberg,” SNAP believes.

“We have bishops who have actively covered up for criminals. We have had numerous arrests in the past year,” Dorris said. “Not once have we seen a church official stand up and do the right thing for kids by calling the FBI or Interpol. The Vatican should not be leading this summit. They should be the target of this summit.”

SNAP is calling for parents to be more vigilant when it comes to internet safety. “Being a parent is tough work,” Dorris said. “There are trustworthy resources available that can help you better equip your child to be safer on the Internet. The most important thing is to talk to your child about abuse and to be open with your communication.”

They also ask anyone who suspects they may have seen child pornography and child abuse imagery to report it immediately to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Cyber Tipline at http://www.missingkids.com/cybertipline.