VATICAN CITY
The Atlantic
He stands by those to whom he’s loyal but, when faced with new evidence, is also willing to change his mind.
October 13, 2018
By Rachel Donadio
When the sex-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church flared up in 2002, in the waning days of Pope John Paul II, with allegations of a pattern of abuse by priests and cover-ups in the archdiocese of Boston, it was often dismissed at the Vatican as “a Boston problem.” When it flared up again in 2010 under Pope Benedict XVI, the atmosphere at the Vatican was a mix of stonewalling and open hostility. Back then, there were new allegations in the United States, as well as new questions about how Benedict had handled some cases of predator priests in his previous roles as head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office and as a cardinal and bishop in his native Germany. Some officials decried calumnious attacks against the Holy Father. The issue was seen in terms of sin and forgiveness more than crime and punishment.
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