As a writer, I often write on the issues of the day, and have been taking a keen intrest in the election of the new Argentine Pope, and in particular his response to one of my pet piques with my church, the atholi hurh, its handling of the abuse issue.

The hurh in the past has tried to deflect attacks on it in a two fold manner - accuse its accusers of being anti-catholic, and to claim its wrongdoers are ill and not criminally responsible.

Now, lets address abuse for what it is: unwanted sexual advances ranging from first contact to penetrative sexual relations... all the worse as its with a minor.

If a non ordained person does such, an they claim sickness and refuse to deal with the civil courts? No.

Can they plead to be moved to another town? No. Nor should they be.

The clergy, when finding a wrongdoer from their ranks, should hand them to the civil authorities, defrocking them first.

The third defense that Canon Law is superior to civil law is an absurdity, Christ himself stated that "to God his, and to Cesear his due", a statement about the payment of taxes that can be applied to which criminal law to be adhered to. Defrocking is Gods law, prosecultion in civil court is Cesears law.

Its up to us as Catholics to demand this is put in place, and to campaign and resist when the likes of the African cardinal claim the perpetrators are sick to demand the truth to be told that it is not so.

We dont need an orginisation, formally set up to do so. As Catholics, and under the Occupy or Anonymous banners, we can do so in whatever media or campaign format we work in.

I, according to myself, am a poet, and that is the medium in which I work and campaign, and have been writing some rhyming and non rhyming verse on the topic in the past few years, a few samples of which I publish here.

If nothing else, maybe sharing these or this post could be your contribution.

Pope Francis – A New Tsar at the Vatican

Gods Ministers Who Abused His Trust