BishopAccountability.org
	The Pope Reaches out to Abuse Victims By Fr. Shay Cullen Manila Times April 30, 2008 http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/apr/30/yehey/opinion/20080430opi5.html IT was an unprecedented historical event of great importance and significance in the 2000-year history of the Catholic Church when Pope Benedict XVI flew to the United States last week and expressed sorrow and pain and asked forgiveness for the victims of child sex abuse. He spoke openly with compassion and deepest concern for the thousands of victims of clergy sexual abuse. He asked to meet with some representatives of the victims in a private meeting in the Vatican Embassy chapel in Washington, DC. This has given great hope to all advocates and supporters of the victims of child abuse in their work to save them and bring the abusers to justice. It was a very emotional meeting. The victim's groups have been asking and demanding justice for many years. They want an end to the coverup of abuse by bishops and the firing and prosecution of offenders. The scandal cost the Church an estimated $2 billion in compensation and legal fees and a massive loss of credibility. Pope Benedict is trying to heal and restore the loss of trust. "No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse," the Pope said in his homily as he celebrated Mass at the National Stadium filled with bishops and priests and thousands of Catholics from all over the United States. "It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention." When addressing a gathering of 350 bishops and nine cardinals from every diocese in the United States at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope said the abuse of children by priests and the coverup was a cause of "deep shame." Pope Benedict called it an "evil" that has caused enormous pain. He reminded the bishops of their duty and obligation as Christian pastors to the victims of abuse: "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 seriously wronged." He quoted the words of Cardinal Francis George spoken earlier when introducing Pope Benedict to the assembly "as the president of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was 'sometimes very badly handled'." How can they be held fully accountable? Some say they were following a Vatican directive of 1962 written by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani. It referred to the worst crime "sexual assault committed by a priest" that came to light as part of the confessional relationship. If so the crime had been kept as the strictest secret, "perpetual silence" by the bishop and all who knew it, including the alleged victim under penalty of excommunication. Critics say the directive and the sacrament of penance could have been used as a shield against disclosure. The Pope's statements could reverse that directive. Besides the information about abuse came through many channels not just the confessional and still they covered up the crimes. Although today most bishops have a Zero Tolerance policy for those priests accused with strong evidence against them. The hundreds of thousands of priests, religious and lay people who have abhorred and campaigned against every form of child abuse and especially clerical abuse are surely greatly encouraged by this papal support and endorsement of their advocacy. The Pope's compassionate speech opens new possibilities for victims all over the world and in the Philippines to come out and tell of their ordeals. They or their relatives can send a text to +639175324453 for immediate help from the Preda Foundation's assistance for abused children program. The Pope has given the example and the instruction to bishops everywhere to support the victims and their defenders. He said too that the moral degeneration in Western society due to the loss of values and pornography on the Internet and failure to curb it has led to moral corruption. Crimes against children are mostly committed in the family. The practice of pedophiles arranging payments to the parents through village officials is commonplace in the Philippines. So much has to be done to end this practice too and help the victims. As for the Church, Pope Benedict himself has shown the way—truly historical indeed.
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