The Crime of Solicitation, Crimen Sollicitationis

FROM THE SUPREME AND SACRED CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY OFFICE
INSTRUCTION
On the manner of proceeding in cases of the crime of solicitation
TO BE DILIGENTLY STORED IN THE SECRET ARCHIVES OF THE CURIA AS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
NOR IS IT TO BE PUBLISHED NOR ADDED TO WITH ANY COMMENTARIES
VATICAN POLYGLOT PRESS
1962

FROM THE AUDIENCE OF THE HOLY FATHER, 16 MARCH, 1962

Our Most Holy Father Pope John XXIII [23rd], in an audience granted to the Most Eminent Cardinal Secretary of the Holy Office on 16th March 1962, deigned to approve and confirm this Instruction, ordering upon those to whom it pertains to keep and observe it in the minutest detail.

At Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation, 16th March, 1962.

Place of + the Seal

A. Cardinal Ottaviani

An English translation from the Internet, in Acrobat® PDF format:

"The Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, Vatican City, 16 March 1962" = Supremae Sacrae Congregationis Sancti Officii, die 16 Martii 1962
"The Crime of Solicitation" = Crimen Sollicitationis
"Instruction on the manner of proceeding in cases of the crime of solicitation" = Instructio de modo procedendi in causis de crimine sollicitationis
   HOW THE SECRECY DOCUMENT BECAME PUBLIC, AND DENIALS DISPROVED
   This secrecy Instruction from the Vatican seems to have come to public attention in a report in the Telegram & Gazette, (Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America), "Vatican document instructed secrecy in abuse cases," <http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030729/NEWS/307290469/1025/NEWSLETTERS08>, by Kathleen A. Shaw, July 29, 2003
   The Telegram & Gazette reported it had obtained the document.
   Also see The Eagle-Tribune, <www.eagletribune.com>, "Vatican secret disclosed," by Meg Murphy, Tuesday, July 29, 2003
   It took more than a week for this revelation to appear in some Australian newspapers. (Perhaps they were seeking confidential confirmation of its veracity.)
   Then came "Vatican official says 1962 norms on solicitation no longer apply", <http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/20030807.htm>, by Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, (Posted by Kathy Shaw on Poynteronline, QuickLink : A43904), Thursday, August 7, 2003.
   Archbishop Julian Herranz, president of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, said that it been superseded by the 1983 Code of Canon Law and new 2001 norms. He told reporters on Aug. 7, "When a matter is re-ordered, the previous procedures are suspended."
   However, on August 27, 2003 it was reported in Ireland that a Vatican "Letter" had been found on the Internet, the newspaper claiming that Crimen Sollicitationis was still a valid document. See Strabane Chronicle, "Old Vatican document like nuclear weapon," <http://strabane chronicle.com/news7.htm>, by Jacqueline Courtney.
   The report said it had the name of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [LATER became Pope] on it, and was dated May 18, 2001. A "Letter" or Epistula fitting such a description is on the Vatican's website at < http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20010518_epistula_graviora%20delicta_lt.html>, and is mirrored on this website at <crimineepistula.htm>.
   (Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who signed the above, was later chosen to be pope, Benedict XVI.)
   (Apologists write and speak as if they don't seem to know that, besides setting up secrecy rules for clergy soliciting sex in Confession and suchlike, these rules also apply, by this document, to bestiality, i.e., sex with animals).
   But, surely, this late 2002 item from an official US Roman Catholic group proves that the 1962 Instruction had NOT been set aside in 2001:-

On February 7, 2002, officers from the Canon Law Society of America met with officials at the Roman Curia to discuss specifically the issue of child abuse and the procedures in handling child abuse, particularly and explicitly the 1962 Document. [...]
Our discussion at the Congregation focused on identification of certain aspects of procedures for clergy sexual misconduct, particularly the 1962 instruction "Crimen Sollicitationis" and the more recent instruction "Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela." – CLSA December 2002 Newsletter, Canon Law Society of America, <http://www.clsa.org/news/dec02/dec02.htm>, December 2002

   (Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela mentioned above is what is called a Moto Proprio; it was approved by Pope John Paul II, and dated April 30, 2001.)
   An October 3, 2008 article by pro-morality campaigner the Rev. Thomas Doyle, O.P., J.C.D., is entitled "The 1922 Instruction and the 1962 Instruction Crimen Sollicitationis promulgated by the Vatican." Some interested people had not known of the 1922 Instruction before this time.
   Is the March 12, 2010 version, with the same title, at <http://reform-network.net/?p=3006> the same article?
   In July 2010 a Guardian (Britain) blog by Andrew Brown showed a link to an English translation of Crimen Sollicitationis on the VATICAN's own website (which for years did not seem to have any version of this Instruction), at <http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_crimen-sollicitationis-1962_en.html>. "Better late than never!" Contrast the showing of it now on the Internet, with the "archivo secreto" order which the Vatican translates as
   "TO BE KEPT CAREFULLY IN THE SECRET ARCHIVE OF THE CURIA FOR INTERNAL USE.
   NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OR AUGMENTED WITH COMMENTARIES"
   Disappearances: The Catholic News Services August 7, 2003, report of the Vatican Archbishop Julian Herranz's denial that the Instruction was still valid WAS showing on the CNS website until around July 2004, but didn't display on August 16, 2004.
   A complete Latin version of Crimen Sollicitationis WAS at <http://www.rentapriest.com/crimenlatinfull.pdf> and an English translation WAS at: <http://www.rentapriest.com/Criminales.pdf>, a "bloated" 1770 kb in Acrobat ® PDF. In October 2006 they were missing, but they had been copied on various websites including this one. An English translation was found later at <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/28_09_06_Crimen_english.pdf>.
   Historical Notes end.

   The translation first "leaked" to the world, and as detailed on this website, is ordered: "To be diligently stored in the secret archives of the Curia as strictly confidential. Nor is it to be published nor added to with any commentaries" = Servanda diligenter in archivo secreto curiae pro norma interna. Non publicanda nec ullis comentariis augenda

For LATIN, visit Sollicitationis Latin; summary in English: "Solicitation" Extracts

To PRINT the wording, do NOT previously click your Mouse in the Address or Location panel of your Browser. (Print Preview does not work properly with some Browsers.) To be sure, click in the Framed part of the Webpage first. If your computer does not display Frames, follow the directions displayed above in the panel starting "No Frames?".
   To read this document, which is in PDF format, you require Adobe ® Acrobat ® Reader ™, which is a free download off the Internet, or may be obtained from CD-ROMS supplied with Internet/Computer magazines and booklets.
   For some newsitems about the reaction of the victims and lawyers, check from Chronology 31, Telegram & Gazette newsitem of July 29 2003, onwards, and/or use Search Engines.

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WWW Search Engines: www.metacrawler.com www.google.com www.looksmart.com ; AVG or AVIRA Free Anti-virus To WWW originally in Acrobat® PDF format copied with Microsoft® Internet Express© around 8 Aug 2003. Composed an ordinary HTML webpage with Ms WordPad© to make a webpage that is easily linkable, yet aims to display the wording in PDF, and spellchecked with Ms Word©, on 5 Sep 03; Rentapriest source missing from Internet around October 2006 notated on 07 June 07; VATICAN English translation found in a Guardian blog dated 23 July 2010; History of how "The crime of solicitation" became public was inserted on 09 Sep 2011; last modified on 27 Aug 2013 Translations: http://babelfish.altavista.com/ www.tranexp.com/ www.alis.com/ http://lingvo.org/traduku
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