Pope Francis Must Lay down the Law at Abuse Summit
Toledo Blade
The defrocking of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick last week offered hope that the Catholic Church is finally getting serious about clergy sexual abuse of minors. Now, Pope Francis needs to follow up the unprecedented punishment of Mr. McCarrick by reading bishops and other church officials the riot act during the four-day Vatican summit that began Thursday. The Vatican has indicated that the summit, which includes more than 100 bishops ordered to Rome from around the world, will emphasize prevention of abuse, adherence to child abuse laws, caring for victims, and avoiding cover-ups. However, the agenda also includes “prayer and discernment,” and the Pope has cautioned against “inflated” expectations, leaving some critics concerned that the gathering will be more window dressing than anything else. The pontiff got the gathering off to what some perceived as a soft start by offering the church leaders 21 “reflection points.” The Pope, criticized last year for downplaying child sex abuse in Chile, can’t afford to let people down now. In the U.S., people are seething about a Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse, released in August, that painted a horrific picture of abuse and cover-ups stretching back decades in six dioceses. More than the church’s reputation has been affected; some parishes have reported declining attendance and shrinking financial support since the report’s release. Prompted partly by the grand jury’s findings, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last fall prepared to adopt a series of reforms, only to be told to hold off because the Pope preferred handling the mounting crisis — clergy sexual abuse is a problem in other countries, too — through a gathering of worldwide church leaders. Critics assailed the delay, and now much is riding on the summit. Last week, the Pope defrocked Mr. McCarrick — expelled him from the priesthood — for sexual misconduct. Mr. McCarrick, formerly the archbishop of Washington, is the highest ranking church official to be laicized because of the scandal. His ouster was an excellent stage-setter for the summit. Wednesday’s meeting between a dozen abuse victims and a handful of church officials could have been another such moment, but the former came away disappointed that Pope Francis chose not to attend. While Mr. McCarrick is not the only bishop or cardinal accused of committing sexual abuse, most of the complaints against church leaders involve their moving of pedophile priests from parish to parish and covering up their predation. Pope Francis must not only remind bishops of their legal and moral obligations, but make clear that they will suffer career-ending consequences if they fall short. Zero tolerance must become institutionalized. The Pope also should use the summit to address what may be another brewing scandal, one involving priests who have fathered children. The Vatican recently confirmed that it has secret guidelines for handling these cases, and some of those fathered by priests are angry at what they consider to be the church’s abandonment of them. This is a tall agenda, but it’s important that Pope Francis make the most of this opportunity to right the church. He may not have another.
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