BishopAccountability.org
	Editorial: What the Pope Should Do Providence Journal March 31, 2010 http://www.projo.com/opinion/editorials/content/ED_pope31_03-31-10_VMHTQ30_v20.40571b5.html UNITED STATES -- It has been nearly a decade since widespread allegations of sexual abuse by priests rocked the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. Now similar allegations are sweeping Europe. And new evidence suggests that, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger shielded a U.S. priest from accusations that he molested some 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin. So far, the pope has taken only modest steps to try to calm the mounting outrage. In Ireland, where last year two scathing government reports revealed decades of abuse, he issued a letter of apology. And last week, he accepted the resignation of one bishop, John Magee. Yet Bishop Magee will keep his title as head of the Diocese of Coyne, in southern Ireland, and is likely to continue with pastoral work. At least four other bishops have reportedly offered to resign, but the pope is resisting accepting their resignations. Meanwhile, in Germany, hundreds of alleged victims have come forward since a news report centering on a Jesuit high school was published in January. In one 1980 case, an accused priest was ordered by Archbishop Ratzinger to undergo treatment. He returned to work and allegedly molested more children. The Vatican contends the pope was unaware of this development at the time. Hundreds more cases have surfaced in Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The scandal demands more than a weak apology. In Ireland alone, victims are said to number in the tens of thousands. The pope grants that the church may have been more concerned about protecting its image than protecting children, but so far, its priorities seem unaltered. The Vatican must bring more of the men responsible to account, and discipline or expel them. Going forward, the pope would be wise to universalize the zero-tolerance model now in place in America. Under rules adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, any priest accused of sexual abuse is automatically suspended, and an investigation ensues. Also, the case must be reported to local authorities. One reason that abuse became so common was that the Church handled these cases in such secrecy. That made it difficult for crimes to be alleged and prosecuted, or even for civil cases to have much impact. Often, the Church would just move an offending priest to a new location and deny that a problem existed. Cultural considerations kept police and prosecutors from involving themselves, even when abuse victims had the courage to speak up. His own apparent role in these cases puts Pope Benedict on shaky ground. He must recognize that the actions in question are crimes, not just moral failings, and align the Church with that understanding.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.