UNITED STATES
Huffington Post
Michael D’Antonio
Like the victims of authoritarian states who remain devoted to their countrymen, many Catholics who were sexually abused as children by priests remain fiercely loyal to their faith and their fellow believers, who actually constitute the church. For them, Pope Benedict’s resignation and the conclave that will convene to name his successor, spark hope for a Catholic Spring that might bring the Vatican into the modern world.
To understand this hope, it helps to consider the recent report on American Catholics by the New York Times, which showed a steep increase in dissatisfaction with the way the church has handled the sweeping sexual abuse scandal that began 30 years ago. Three-quarters approved of Benedict’s resignation and a solid majority prays for the next pope to be more liberal on issues like birth control, the ordination of women, and marriage for priests. Sixty-two percent favored gay marriage, which is truly anathema for institutional Catholicism.
Beyond the opinions of lay people, the hope for a Catholic Spring is inspired by the same powerful forces — social media and the spread of democratic ideals — that have supported various Arab Spring movements and continually fuel the transformation of Chinese society. Here the media, both the conventional press and new web-based social tools, are speeding the pace of change by distributing information worldwide in real time and enabling the mobilization of great masses of people who never before possessed the means to organize in this way.
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