Falling on deaf ears: Pope Francis doesn’t fully grasp accusations against church

Watertown Daily Times
February 27, 2019

https://bit.ly/2EAkhHQ

The Vatican’s Gallery of Maps is lined with painted topographical maps of Italy.

Pope Francis attends a closing Mass of the Protection of Minors in the Church meeting Sunday at the Regia Hall at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. It is a global child protection summit for reflections on the sexual abuse crisis within the Roman Catholic Church.

If Pope Francis is concerned that some people spend years accusing the Roman Catholic Church of wrongdoing, perhaps he should consider the institution’s history of covering up instances of sexual abuse and trying to silence victims.

Catholic authorities from around the world traveled to the Vatican last week for a summit to address the sexual abuse scandal. This is the first time the church has convened such an event pertaining to the issue.

Pope Francis on Thursday delivered a speech to representatives of the Archdiocese of Benevento, which is in Southern Italy. He spoke of the love that Saint Pio of Pietrelcina had for the church.

“He was distinguished for his steadfast faith in God, firm hope in the heavenly realities, generous dedication to the people and fidelity to the church, whom he always loved with all her problems and her adversities,” according to a transcript of the pope’s speech posted on the Vatican’s website. “I will pause a little on this. He loved the church, with the many problems the church has, with so many adversities, with so many sinners. Because the church is holy, she is the bride of Christ. But we, the children of the church, are all sinners — some big ones! — but he loved the church as she was. He did not destroy her with the tongue as it is the fashion to do now. No! He loved her.”

As he has done previously, Pope Francis said many of those who make repeated accusations against the Catholic Church have a malicious intent.

“He who loves the church knows how to forgive because he knows that he himself is a sinner and is in need of God’s forgiveness. He knows how to arrange things, because the Lord wants to arrange things well but always with forgiveness: One cannot live an entire life accusing, accusing, accusing the church. Whose is the office of the accuser? The devil! And those who spend their life accusing, accusing, accusing, are — I will not say children because the devil does not have any. But [they are] friends, cousins, relatives of the devil. And no, this is not good; flaws must be indicated so they can be corrected. But at the moment that flaws are noted, flaws are denounced, one loves the church. Without love, that is of the devil.”

It’s understandable that Pope Francis wants people of faith to continue loving the church. He is correct that it has been a source of much good in the world.

It also should be noted that the Catholic Church has taken significant steps to prevent the victimization of children. Its measures have reduced reports of abuse since being implemented nearly two decades ago.

However, the pope appears to be tone deaf with his periodic comments linking accusations against the church to a devilish mindset. Many people suffered greatly at the hands of predatory priests. Then they were preyed upon by church officials who spent considerable time and resources blocking efforts to bring these crimes to light.

When your life has been shattered by an institution that showed few signs of sorrow, love can be hard to conjure. Victims should be excused if their warm fuzzies for the church have dried up.

What they need is justice, and the Catholic Church has not provided this in full measure. If Pope Francis wants the accusations to stop, he needs to ensure everyone in the church accepts responsibilities for its atrocities and works diligently on compensating those it betrayed.