On Friday, a document obtained by the Associated Press revealed that Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests over just two years for molesting children.
The 2011-12 statistics are the first time the Vatican has provided details on the number of priests who have been defrocked.
The document was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting to help the Holy See defend itself before a U.N. committee this week in Geneva.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the statistics in the course of eight hours of oftentimes pointed criticism and questioning from the U.N. human rights committee. The AP obtained the document Friday.
If you weren’t aware, to defrock ministers or priests means to remove their rights to exercise the functions of the ordained ministry.
Shocking. Begs us to ask the question, how many more priests were involved that weren’t caught? We’ll keep you updated on any developments in this latest discovery.
SOURCE: AP | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
