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	Pope Failed to Address the 'Culture of Secrecy' Derry Journal March 23, 2010 http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Pope-failed-to-address-the.6171410.jp IRELAND -- Voice of the Faithful (VOTF), a group that was formed in response to the clerical sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, has hit out at Pope Benedict XVI's failure to address a "culture of secrecy" that compounded the suffering of victims - in his pastoral letter. At weekend Masses Pope Benedict's letter was read out to congregations in parishes across the North West. The Pope issued a heartfelt personal apology to the people of Ireland and to thousands of victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. A number of Derry priests were said to be visibly upset while reading the letter, telling the people they shared in their "anger" about the abuse. Local school principal Marie Lindsay said many people felt the letter did not go far enough. A spokesman from VOTF said: "There are aspects of Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral letter that we warmly welcome - especially the recognition that a 'new vision is needed, to inspire present and future generations' in Ireland. "We welcome the papal recognition of the insights that survivors of abuse bring to the church and hope that this will inaugurate an intensive period of listening to them and their families." However they said the Pope failed to recognise a basic structural problem in the church. "Secularism is blamed for a weakening of faith in Ireland, but there is no acknowledgement that it was secular agencies such as the media, the police, the civil courts and the state that uncovered a problem kept hidden by the church's own systems of governance. There is no recognition in the pastoral letter that the concentration of powers exercised by bishops led to a conflict of responsibilities, to a culture of secrecy and in too many cases to an unjust and intimidatory response to victims which compounded their sufferings. "As it was these secular processes which created the circumstances that led to the Murphy report - and to this pastoral letter to Ireland - we find it remarkable that the letter makes no reference to this, and sees no serious problem with structures of church governance that did not make church leaders accountable for their actions, or for their failures to act, until secular agencies stepped in. "Changes are needed to canon law to bring about openness and accountability in the governance of the church, ridding us finally of the culture of deference and secrecy that has caused us so much disgrace, distrust and pain. We regret that the pastoral letter has missed an opportunity to acknowledge this need, but hope that greater transparency and accountability will nevertheless come about as the church continues to learn." Principal of St Mary's College, Marie Lindsay said she understood why some people felt the letter "did not go far enough." "The strongest criticism I have heard is the fact that all roads did not lead to Rome, and the blame was laid with Irish Bishops; the question needs to be asked - who appointed these Bishops? "This does fall short of what people expected, there was opportunity there for the Pope to be much clearer. "The best way to look at the letter is to see it as the beginning of a process, an opportunity to learn from lessons of the past."
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