Riz Khan

Is ‘mea culpa’ enough?

Riz Khan discusses how justice can be achieved for clerical abuse victims and if the Vatican should be held accountable.

Pope Benedict XVI begins his historic four-day state visit to the UK not only facing an increasingly secularised society with whom he seeks to mend fences, but also with the critical voices of many who are demanding to do more about the widespread scandal that has severely tarnished the Catholic Church’s reputation over the past year.
 
New revelations about the child sexual abuse by clergy in the past few days have provided a grim reminder of a global child sex-abuse scandal.

Last week in Belgium, the Church’s credibility received yet another blow when hundreds of sex abuse victims came forward.

And this week a report in the UK showed that half the clergymen jailed in the UK for paedophilia remain in priesthood after being released – with many still receiving financial benefits. 

JOIN THE DEBATE

undefined
Send us your views and get your voice on the air

The pope has apologised publicly for the abuses and pledged to do everything possible to clean up the Catholic Church – but critics say the Church has put its own interests above their those of the victims and that more rigorous legal procedures must be applied.
 
On Thursday’s Riz Khan show we ask: How can justice really be done for those sexually abused by Catholic priests – and should the Vatican be held accountable in an international court of law?

Riz speaks to Geoffrey Robertson QC, a human rights lawyer and author of The Case of the Pope, Vatican Accountability for Human Rights Abuse.

This episode of Riz Khan aired from Thursday, September 16, 2010.