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	Guest Column: Catholic-Bashing Describes Times' Coverage of Pope By Frank E. Bognanno Des Moines Register April 14, 2010 http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100414/OPINION01/4140334/-1/LIFE04/Guest-column-Catholic-bashing-describes-Times-coverage-of-pope Any response to the Register's March 31 editorial, "Pope Should Explain His Role," should answer two questions: What are the sources of the accusations against Pope Benedict XVI as archbishop of Munich and later cardinal in charge of disciplining clergymen accused of sexual abuse? Second, what does the documentation actually tell us? The Register clearly notes that "much of the controversy ... falls into the realm of opinion and speculation ..." Also, correctly, the editorial observed that the pope "deserves credit for an aggressive stance on child abuse by priests during his papacy, including meeting with victims ..." In fact, while prefect of his congregation at the Vatican, he was intimately involved with drafting the sanctions such as we have in the church in the United States that address the cases of child abuse. The recent article in the New York Times, the basis for the Register editorial accusing the cardinal of ignoring abuse cases, seems inconsistent with his record. The disconnect becomes more apparent when examining the sources used by writer Laurie Goodstein: The lawyers who have civil suits against the Milwaukee Archdiocese, one of whom has a case against the Vatican in the Supreme Court, with a direct financial interest in the matter being reported. The Times accuses then-Cardinal Ratzinger of failing to take actions against an American clergyman who was an active pedophile in the early 1970s. The Times' own Web site recounting the documented evidence shows the cardinal was never directly involved with this particular case. The Times now seems to be backing away from previous innuendos. Recently, the presiding ecclesiastical judge in this case, Thomas T. Brundage, called the reporting by the Times and the Associated Press "sloppy and inaccurate," as he stated, "I was never contacted by any of these news agencies, but they felt free to quote me." He further states: "I have no reason to believe that he was involved at all. Placing this matter at his doorstep is a huge leap of logic and information." Last week's accusatory article by the Associated Press titled "Letter Shows Future Pope Resisted Appeals to Remove Abusive Priest" refers to a clergyman of the Oakland diocese, already removed from active ministry in 1981. The headline is misleading. The bishop requested permission of then-Cardinal Ratzinger to hold a formal trial to also remove the man from Holy Orders. His reply was a form letter in 1985 advising the bishop on the various issues to consider in the trial proceedings. Permission was granted for the trial and the man was laicized in 1987. Unfortunately, editorials around the country have parroted the Times' editorial and articles. Much of what has been peddled as fact is now shown to be false. (See www.dmdiocese.org.) Second, in the 1970 case of a pedophile clergyman from the diocese of Essen, Germany, who was sent to Munich for psychotherapy, Ratzinger, the new archbishop, entered him into rehab. The attending psychiatrist recommended to the vicar general, Msgr. Gerhard Gruber, that the man was "fixed" and could return to the work force. Little was known 30 years ago about this mental disorder. Today, we all recognize it as virtually incurable. Gruber followed the doctor's recommendation and reassigned the man without the prior knowledge or permission of the new archbishop. Gruber has admitted his mistake. There is no hard documentation showing Ratzinger to have known of the reassignment. For Goodstein to take a 30-year old case, which was handled by another official, and discredit the present pope with it, is tabloid journalism. The lack of documented evidence about the then-archbishop/cardinal's involvement in this and the Wisconsin case sounds like a new chapter in "The Da Vinci Code." Sexual abuse of children by anyone must be reported and prosecuted. That includes abuse by teachers, coaches, care providers, ministers, rabbis and civic leaders. Not just Catholic priests. Not all articles about child abuse by Catholic clergy are Catholic-bashing. Responsible journalism has prodded the church into crafting the best child-protection requirements and practices of any institution in our country today. But the Times seems to have taken the energy behind the Germany and Wisconsin cases as an opportunity to smear the present pope. That's Catholic-bashing.
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