UNITED STATES
Christian Catholicism
Jerry Slevin
Pope Francis in his 79th year complains understandably about fatigue. It is difficult to understand, however, how and why he prioritizes his use of his limited energy the way he does. The biggest crisis the pope faces is curtailing promptly and transparently his subordinate bishops’ mismanagement of child abusing priests. If Catholic Church religious leaders cannot be trusted with children’s safety, the leaders cannot be trusted with anything else — it is that simple. Yet today, 4/12/15, Francis focused on a 100 year old World War I event involving Turkish Muslims and apparently avoided meeting with his own advisers on priest child abusers. The advisers had traveled to Rome after weeks seemingly of unheeded public complaints to the pope. The pope found time to meet with US evangelical fundamentalists before the recent US Congressional elections, but seems too busy to meet with advisers he picked. What is really going on here?
Four members of Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory commission traveled to Rome to voice their concerns in person about Francis’ appointment of a Chilean bishop accused of covering up for the country’s most notorious molester. The four met not with Francis, but with Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, who at least agreed to relay their concerns to the pope about the appointment of Juan Barros as bishop of Osorno in southern Chile, according to the commission members statement as reported. Of course, by now the pope had already been fully briefed on their concerns. If he fails to respond, let us hope the commission members, all 17 of them, continue to press the pope to match his actions to his rhetoric.
Barros, the former chaplain of Chile’s armed forces, has faced unprecedented popular and ecclesial opposition ever since he was named by Pope Francis in January. More than 1,300 church members in Osorno, some 30 diocesan priests and 51 of Chile’s 120 members of Parliament sent letters to Francis urging him to rescind the appointment. Barros has denied wrongdoing. A junior Vatican official had defended the appointment in a 19-word statement March 31 that avoided the real issues. Pope Francis has evidently carefully avoided the subject, even though he reportedly was involved in Barros’ appointment and likely knows him. Please see the superb and relevant analysis, “Vatican Defends the Chilean Appointment” here, BishopAccountability.org .
Yet its unclear how effectively Barros can lead going forward. Already, as AP has reported, a recent meeting between Barros and angry parishioners fell apart when Barros showed up with two body guards and police dogs, security measures taken after his installation ceremony was marred by unprecedented and violent protests inside the cathedral. The hounds of heaven seem less effective on earth!
So, as members of the pope’s own abuse commission were arriving at the Vatican to try to meet with Pope Francis to protest his appointment of Bishop Barros in Chile, Pope Francis seemingly managed to divert media attention to a 100 year old event. The pope instead sparked a diplomatic row today by calling a World War I Ottoman Turk massacre of Armenians 100 years ago “the first genocide of the 20th century,” prompting Turkey to accuse the pope of inciting hatred.
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