Smoking gun for Pope and pedophiles?

[Ben]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3157555.stm

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/inter...020400,00.html

The 69-page Latin document bearing the seal of Pope John XXIII was sent to every bishop in the world. The instructions outline a policy of 'strictest' secrecy in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse and threatens those who speak out with excommunication.

They also call for the victim to take an oath of secrecy at the time of making a complaint to Church officials. It states that the instructions are to 'be diligently stored in the secret archives of the Curia [Vatican] as strictly confidential. Nor is it to be published nor added to with any commentaries.'

Did I read that correctly? If the victim goes to the police, he is no longer to be considered a Catholic in good standing, and is to be excommunicated?

I'm reminded of the Onion article in which the Pope agrees to forgive the victims of pedophile priests.

[Violet]

However, the first article further informs:

Early in August, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said that the document, "Instruction on the manner of proceeding in cases of solicitation", had not been in force for years.

The conference said it was superseded by later guidelines introduced in the 1960s, 1970s and in 1983, the Associated Press reported.

The Vatican's 1983 Code of Canon Law says a priest found to have abused a minor can be defrocked.

The conference also said the 1962 document "had no bearing on civil law" and had been misrepresented.