Here's Another Example of Pope Francis Being Weak against Priest Sex Abuse
By Paul Muschick
The Catholic Church continues talking about how it must confront once-and-for-all the evil of priests sexually abusing children. The church’s actions continue to show those words are hollow. I’m talking this time specifically about Pope Francis. The pope declined Monday to accept the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of France, who was convicted March 7 of failing to report a known pedophile priest to police. Contrast that with what the pope said only a month ago at a worldwide summit he called to address the sex abuse scandal. “No abuse should ever be covered up (as was often the case in the past) or not taken sufficiently seriously, since the covering up of abuses favors the spread of evil and adds a further level of scandal,” he said. Pope Francis condemned concealing abuses. Yet he chose to retain someone who was convicted of concealing abuses. Does he not realize the world is watching his every move on this important topic? How are we supposed to reconcile that contradiction? He could have backed up his words with action, but he did not. His inaction speaks volumes. A French court ruled Barbarin had been obligated to report the Rev. Bernard Preynat to civil authorities. Preynat is scheduled to be tried on sexual violence charges next year. According to the Associated Press, Preynat confessed to abusing Boy Scouts in the 1970s and 1980s. Some alleged victims accused Barbarin and other church officials of covering up the priest's alleged crimes for years. Barbarin received a suspended prison sentence of six months. He has maintained his innocence and intends to appeal. An archbishop, bishop, priest and two other officials who were tried with him were acquitted. In declining to accept his resignation, the pope invoked “the presumption of innocence,” Barbarin said in a statement, according to the New York Times. I’m on board with that concept. Shortly after the Pennsylvania grand jury report shook the world in August with findings that hundreds of priests had abused perhaps thousands of victims over decades, I cautioned against rushing to judgment as fresh allegations were raised against clergy. I stressed that they were entitled to due process and shouldn’t be presumed guilty by association. Barbarin, though, had his due process. A French court ruled he isn’t innocent. The pope could have accepted his resignation and reinstated him if the appeal overturns his conviction. Yet he chose not to. Barbarin said in the statement that at the pope’s suggestion, he would step aside “for a while.” A Vatican spokesman said Pope Francis asked Barbarin to do what he thinks is best for his archdiocese, according to the Associated Press. "The Holy See repeats its closeness to victims of abuse, to the faithful of the archdiocese of Lyon and the French church who are living in a particularly difficult moment," the spokesman said. I don’t see how abuse victims ever can be expected to accept the church as their ally, considering the lip service they repeatedly are given. They have faced difficult moments, too. It’s just one disappointment after another. The global summit called by the pope in February didn’t yield a concrete plan for steps that the church would take to address child sex abuse. American bishops were set to take action on their own last November, but held off at the pope’s request. Their proposals included creating a commission, with lay experts, that would review complaints against bishops; enacting a code of conduct for bishops; and finalizing how to permanently remove bishops who are found to be abusers. While the church isn’t taking action, others are. Tuesday, West Virginia’s attorney general alleged in a lawsuit that the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and its bishops “chose to cover up, and conceal arguably criminal behavior of admitted child sex abusers.” The lawsuit cited the Pennsylvania attorney general’s grand jury investigation that revealed accusations of sexual abuse against 301 priests — 37 from the Allentown Diocese — whose actions went unchecked for decades in dioceses statewide. Authorities in other states are investigating their dioceses, too. They started probes after seeing what Pennsylvania found. I’ll conclude with more words from Pope Francis, from his address at last month’s global summit on how to protect children from sexual abuse. “I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors both sexually and in other areas, on the part of all authorities and individuals, for we are dealing with abominable crimes that must be erased from the face of the earth: this is demanded by all the many victims hidden in families and in the various settings of our societies.” It’s time for the church, and the pope, to practice what they preach. Contact: paul.muschick@mcall.com
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