WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette
By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
bkush@telegram.com
Pope Benedict’s announcement Monday at a consistory, or gathering of cardinals considering candidates for the sainthood, caught many area religious authorities and local Vatican watchers by surprise.
“Popes in the modern day just don’t quit so one has to believe that Pope Benedict is pretty sick and that the stresses of the job are really beginning to take a toll on him,” said Mathew N. Schmalz, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross.
Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus said he learned of the resignation after turning on the radio for the morning news. …
The groups said Pope Benedict “kept the culture of secrecy intact” and that he allowed hundreds of bishops who knew of the abuse to remain in their jobs.
“Instead of remedies, he gave us words. Instead of true penitence, he gave us public relations,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks priests accused of sexually abusing individuals. “His failure to enact real change in the church’s handling of sexually abusive priests will be his significant and shameful legacy.”
Ms. Doyle said Pope Benedict could have enacted true reform by forcing the immediate resignation of bishops who did little or nothing to stop predator priests. …
“Pope Benedict followed the same script church officials have used for years, speaking of abuse in oblique terms and only when forced to do so — ignoring the cover-ups, using past tense, as if to pretend clergy sex crimes and cover-ups are not still happening now,” added Barbara Dorris, a spokeswoman for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
She said Pope Benedict still has time to “show true leadership and compassion” to take tangible action to safeguard vulnerable children.
Ms. Dorris urged the College of Cardinals to think about the sexually abused when picking a successor.
“For the church to truly embody the spiritual teachings of Jesus Christ, it must be led by a pontiff who demands transparency, exposes child molesting clerics, punishes wrongdoers and enablers, cooperates with law enforcement and makes true amends to those who were hurt so greatly by Catholic priests, employees, and volunteers,” she said.
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