Time To Bind up the Wounds Pontiff Says Sex-Abuse Scandal Was Sometimes Very Badly Mishandled, by Michael Collins, Ventura County Star, April 17, 2008

Time 'To Bind up the Wounds'
Pontiff Says Sex-Abuse Scandal Was 'Sometimes Very Badly Mishandled'

By Michael Collins
Ventura County Star
April 17, 2008

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/apr/17/pope-benedict-xvis-visit-to-us-time-to-bind-up/

WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged Wednesday that the priest sex-abuse scandal that has devastated many Catholic parishes in the United States was "sometimes very badly mishandled," and he called on American bishops to help heal the pain and scars of "deep shame" that still linger in some churches.

"It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged," the pontiff said in an evening address to the nation's bishops.

AP Pope Benedict XVI closes his meeting with the bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on Wednesday. He condemned sex abuse, but said it has not been confined to the church.
Photo by J. Scott Applewhite

But while Benedict openly denounced what he described as "gravely immoral behavior" by clerics who betrayed their priestly obligations, he also reminded Catholics that sex abuse isn't confined to the church. He urged the bishops and their pastors to deal with the problem in "the wider context of sexual mores."

"This scourge is found not only within your dioceses, but in every sector of society," he said. "It calls for a determined, collective response."

Benedict's remarks, his most pointed to date on the sex-abuse scandal, came on the first full day of his six-day papal journey to Washington and New York City — a pageantry-filled day that began with a welcoming ceremony on the White House lawn and a 21-gun salute in his honor.

Birthday greetings come first

Beneath a clear blue sky, a crowd of more than 13,000 invited guests sang "Happy Birthday" to the German-born pontiff, who turned 81 on Wednesday. Benedict is only the second pope in history to visit the White House and the first to do so in 29 years.

His trip to the United States coincided with another papal anniversary: It was three years ago this month that he was elected leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

President Bush and his wife, Laura, greeted the pontiff with pomp and circumstance that was remarkable even by White House standards.

The two leaders strolled along a red carpet to a platform set up on the lawn and sat side by side as the Marine Band played the national anthem of the Holy See. Famed American soprano Kathleen Battle sang "The Lord's Prayer." The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps marched by, dressed in colonial garb.

"It was very moving," said Ventura attorney David Bender, who watched the ceremony from the South Lawn at the invitation of a friend. "It was just an awesome opportunity to see the pageantry of the White House and the whole thing that comes with welcoming a head of state."

Bender, who is a board trustee for Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind., said he was particularly struck by Benedict's statement that he hopes his visit will strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute more responsibly to the life of the nation.

"It seemed to me that was not coincidental," Bender said, given that the country is in the middle of a presidential election in which the Democrat and Republican candidates are working hard to win over the Catholic vote.

Private meeting with Bush

After the White House ceremony, Benedict met privately with President Bush in the Oval Office. While the president and the pontiff concur on issues such as opposing abortion, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research, they disagree over the war in Iraq, the death penalty and the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.

The private discussion steered away from the war in Iraq and focused primarily on worries for the Christian minority in the Muslim-majority country, said White House press secretary Dana Perino.

Other topics included human rights, religious freedom, fighting poverty and disease in Africa, the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Lebanon and terrorism.

Later, the pontiff sat in his glass-enclosed popemobile and waved to onlookers gathered along the streets to watch his motorcade travel to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, near Catholic University of America.

The crowd inside the ornate basilica broke into applause as the man Catholics call the Holy Father walked through the doors of the shrine. After a brief tour of the church, Benedict went to the church crypt, where he held evening worship services with the U.S. bishops.

In his address to the American church leaders, Benedict touched on a number of issues that concern Catholics in the United States.

He denounced "the subtle influence of materialism" and warned of the ethical challenges posed by advances in science and technology. He reiterated the importance of family and marriage and lamented that too many young men and women are postponing matrimony or are living in open-ended relationships.

He questioned how Americans can profess their beliefs in church on Sunday, then throughout the week promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs. And he encouraged bishops and their communities to continue to open their arms to immigrants and to help them flourish in their new homes.

But the pontiff's most pointed remarks dealt with the priest sex-abuse scandal that has rocked the church since 2002.

Priests have also suffered

While the overwhelming majority of clergy in America do outstanding work, "it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm," Benedict said.

Priests, too, have suffered because of the scandal, he said, with many expressing shame over what has occurred and others feeling they have lost some of the trust and esteem they once enjoyed.

It is important that church leaders "continue to show them your concern, to support them, and to lead by example," he said.

Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the pontiff's address was "very direct and very positive and very helpful."

Regarding the sex-abuse scandal, "he was very direct and said we need to deal with this," Mahony said. But, "this is going to take a lot of time, prayer, sacrifice and effort. We're never done with protecting children and young people."