LOS ANGELES (CA)
Angelus
March 26, 2019
By Greg Erlandson
The Vatican’s February summit addressing the sexual abuse of children was a mind blower for many seasoned Vatican observers. It was a rare, if not unprecedented, gathering of the heads of all the world’s bishops’ conferences.
It was a bold effort to address the horror of child abuse across cultures and to get on the same page in terms of what needs to be done. Particularly striking for me was that three of the frankest and most challenging talks were delivered by two lay women and one woman religious.
The full fury of a mother’s scorn for both abusers and the protectors of abusers was captured by Valentina Alazraki, a Mexican journalist who had covered the pontificates of five popes. She laid down a challenge unlike any I have heard in such a Vatican-sponsored forum.
“If you are against those who commit or cover up abuse, then we are on the same side,” she told the bishops. “But if you do not decide in a radical way to be on the side of the children, mothers, families, civil society, you are right to be afraid of us, because we journalists, who seek the common good, will be your worst enemies.”
I only wish there had been a similar speech from a father who could articulate his sense of protectiveness for his children and righteous anger at anyone who would harm them, be they priest or bishop, teacher or relative. Where was the voice that represented me?
Of course, there were a few fathers present, Vatican lay officials who did not formally address the assembly. Cardinals and bishops spoke, moms and nuns, but no one specifically spoke to the gathering from the point of view of a father.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.