BishopAccountability.org
 
  Benedict Confronts Church Sexual Abuse Scandal

By Alexander Schwabe
Spiegel (Germany)
April 18, 2008

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,548238,00.html

Pope Benedict XVI, in Washington D.C. on a six day visit, conducted mass for over 40,000 people on Thursday in Washington Nationals Park.
Photo by REUTERS

For decades, thousands were victimized by abusive Catholic priests in the US. Pope Benedict XVI has gone out of his way to address the scandal. On Thursday, he met with a group of victims.

It is the pope's first papal visit to the US. After the mass, his visit took an unexpected turn on Thursday when he visited with victims of a massive Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal.
Photo by REUTERS

The press release issued late on Thursday in Washington D.C was as astonishing as it was taciturn. The Holy Father, the announcement said, would be in the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington at 4:15 p.m. to visit with a small group of church members who had been sexually abused. The announcement went on to say that the pope had committed himself to pray for the victims and for their families.

Pope Benedict XVI gives communion to a US soldier during Thursday's mass.
Photo by REUTERS

That, though, was the extent of it. But as terse as the release was, it represents a gigantic step taken by Pope Benedict XVI -- a step that the Catholic Church has long avoided. For years, the church preferred to ignore the fact that it provided a spiritual home to thousands of pedophile priests. Instead, the church kept the scandal hushed up, with billions of dollars paid out to keep the story from going public. Only in 2002 did the story begin to leak out, broken by the Boston Globe in 2002. It eventually emerged that some 5,000 priests had abused more than 13,000 minors during the period from 1950 until 2002.

Thousands turned out on the streets of Washington D.C for a chance to catch a glimpse of the pope.
Photo by AP

It was a major blow to the credibility of the Catholic Church in the US -- and also an expensive one. Billions more flowed to the victims, this time in the form of damages awarded by the courts -- a kind of jury-mandated indulgence paid by the church as the first step toward clearing its name. A number of dioceses went bankrupt.

Pope Benedict XVI has had a busy schedule. On Thursday, he also spent time meeting with representatives of other religions.
Photo by AFP

Prior to becoming pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- was well informed about the scandal. Many cases involving misbehavior by priests went across his desk. Now, as pope, he has gone on the offensive in dealing with such lapses. During his US visit, there has yet to be a day on which the pope has not mentioned the sexual abuse episode, as shameful for the church as it was damaging to the victims.

On hand were leaders of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Jewish and Muslim faiths. The meeting took place in the John Paul II Cultural Center.
Photo by REUTERS

Indeed, just hours before his meeting with sexual abuse victims, he once again made it clear how deeply disturbed he is by the scandal. Speaking before 46,000 people in the Washington D.C. baseball stadium, the pope's message was clear: "No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the church. Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children can grow up in a safe environment."

The pope also dropped by the Catholic University of America, where a student posed for a picture wearing a Bishop's mitre.
Photo by AFP

The pope was just getting started. Over the course of the evening, Benedict met with five victims of abuse, adult men and women, during a meeting which lasted 20 to 25 minutes. Tears flowed as the victims told their stories. The archbishop of Boston gave the pope a book with a list of over 1,000 victims of abuse in his diocese.

The pope got dressed up for the Interreligious Gathering on Thursday.
Photo by AFP

With this step, Benedict, the spiritual leader of over 1 billion Catholics around the world, has given a clear signal: Keeping silent about the problem of abuse in the vineyard of the Lord -- as he calls the Church's work -- must end. Instead of protecting offenders, as was often the case in the past, it is important to focus on the victims. During his flight to the US, the pope had said: "We will do everything possible to heal this wound."

The pope hitched a ride in the popemobile as he left the Catholic University of America. There, he gave a speech on Catholic education to heads of Catholic schools and universities.
Photo by AFP

Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told SPIEGEL ONLINE she welcomed the pope's meeting with abuse victims. "I admire the courage of the victims in being able to tell their stories, because it is incredibly painful to talk about it," she said. She hoped that, through the meeting, the pope would be "inspired to have a change of heart." But gestures and symbolic acts were not sufficient, she added: "The pope now has to take decisive action."

Thousands turned out on Thursday for the pope's sermon on the mound.
Photo by AFP

Benedict should take a hard line with bishops who allowed abuse to happen and covered it up, Blaine said. She said that bishops had to disclose the identity of "predator priests," so that their place of residence would be known and that children could be adequately protected. Even religious communities and religious orders should not be allowed to give these dangerous men refuge, she said. Instead, priests who have had charges filed against them should be returned to those countries where proceedings are pending against them.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.