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	What Should Pope Benedict XVI Do? By James Christie Ottawa Citizen April 3, 2010 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/What+should+Pope+Benedict/2760034/story.html CANADA -- What Pope Benedict ought to do depends on two factors. The first is what he may or may not have done. The other is what is required of him by virtue of his office as Pontiff. Before responding further to a difficult and delicate question, let me note a few things for the record. First, abuse of children and, for that matter, anyone who is vulnerable, is wrong. The church has always known that; the church has always acknowledged that. Period. Second, both abuse and its aftermath are tragic for all concerned. Third, regardless of what restitution may be necessary and what reconciliation possible, measures must be taken to minimize the risk of any further abuse anywhere, any time. Before tapping the keys this morning, I tapped into Google and read several accounts available on line from several sources, including Der Spiegel International and The New York Times. With respect to Benedict's own actions, there is no whisper of a hint of a suggestion that he has ever himself been implicated in anything untoward. There are accusations that he may have been aware of wrongdoing and have done little or nothing about it. If so, that is a sin not of commission, but of omission. An inquiry is underway. I have no doubt that he will permit it to do its work, and then consult his soul and conscience. As a fellow Christian, I am enjoined by Jesus not to judge him, but I do pray for him. As Pontiff, Benedict is the head of a world-girdling, hierarchical ecclesiastical system. President Truman was right. The buck stops in the Papal offices. His course as Pontiff is straightforward but difficult to pursue: repentance, restitution, reconstruction of church systems and, with God's grace, reconciliation. If any Pope is capable of such, it is Benedict. Rev. James Christie is a minister of the United Church of Canada. He is dean of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Winnipeg.
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