Child Abuse Blog
Pope Francis Must Finally Root Out Child Abuse
by Mary Dispenza
Finally. Finally. Finally, a strong important voice in the world, the United Nations, speaks out on behalf of the rights of children and condemns the Vatican and the bishops for crimes of violence, rape and sexual abuse against children by transferring pedophile priests from parish to parish, withholding documents for prosecution and perpetuating an institutional culture of secrecy and shame.
What’s truly shameful is that the Catholic Church was not itself that strong and important voice, protecting “the least of these.” It’s shameful that in spite of Pope Francis’ refreshing compassion toward the poor and downtrodden, to datehe has not addressed the issue fully. Pope Francis is caught up in the shame and like most of his brother bishops, seems unwilling to say, “Enough is enough — not ever again in our church will one of these little children be harmed.”
The media have said the church is suffering from a “code of secrecy.” Kirsten Sandberg, the chairwoman of the United Nations, put it this way: “We think it is a horrible thing that is being kept silent both by the Holy See itself and in local parishes.”
As a survivor of rape and violence at the hands of a priest when I was a young girl, I understand that secrecy.
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