IRELAND
Huffington Post
By Antonia Blumberg
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has no faith in Catholic Church reforms under Pope Francis, she told Billboard in an interview for the August 16 issue.
“I find it quite laughable that they’re talking about revolutionizing the church when, in fact, they’re equating female ordination and pedophilia,“ the singer said. “When you consider that, it shows you how little they think of children and the rape of children.”
In July 2010 the Vatican added a provision to what was intended to be a sweeping reform that would once and for all address the ongoing sex abuses in the church. The new rules included procedures for defrocking priests for sex abuses under canon law and extended the period during which trials could take place in a church court from 10 to 20 years after the 18th birthday of his victim.
Much to the dismay of many Catholics, the Vatican added a provision to the document that made the “attempted ordination” of women one of the “gravest offenses a priest can commit” — essentially putting it on par with sexual abuse.
O’Connor has criticized the Catholic Church over the years for sex abuses and coverups, but she said she doesn’t blame the incumbent pope personally.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.