【明報專訊】THE clerical abuse scandal has snowballed in Catholic countries in Europe and America. The Vatican is accused of shielding clerics that have molested children by not turning them over to the police. Critics say dioceses would try to settle such cases in private. Last week, the Vatican told dioceses in a guide that "civil law concerning reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities should always be followed". Cases of clerical molestation have been reported in the territory. However, Rev Lawrence Lee, Chancellor of the Diocese of Hong Kong, takes the view that the rule applies only to places where people are required by law to report crimes. As there is no such law in Hong Kong, the Diocese would not report such cases to the police of its own accord.