By Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
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Well, will miracles never cease? In a church known for compelling confession from its followers, a remarkable one from its chief advocate came across the wires on Friday. That’s right, after decades of lying, obfuscating, blocking, destroying evidence and covering up in the most un-Christian way, Pope Francis has done what many Catholics hoped his predecessors would have done years ago — apologize AND beg forgiveness. Oh, lots of Popes apologize but it’s always with a condition … a term … a little euphemism about one bad apple not spoiling the great work of the barrel, or that the church’s pedophile problem isn’t really any worse than anybody else’s. (Really, every church has a decades old issue of unmarried priests molesting little boys and girls on an institutional level?) Or that it’s just American culture fueling the problem. (Damn justice seekers reading those beatitudes so literally!)
And in an even more remarkable statement from the most protective of secret societies, the new Pope owned it. He owned it in every sense from the philandering priests to their bishop protectors who covered for them and then unleashed the wolves on another unwitting flock. “I feel compelled to personally … ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done…. I feel called to take responsibility for all the evil some priests — large in number, but not in proportion to the total — have committed and to ask forgiveness for the damage they’ve done with the sexual abuse of children,” the Pontiff proclaimed loudly an in public. “We don’t want to take a step backward in dealing with this problem and with the sanctions that must be imposed,” the pope said. “On the contrary, I believe we must be very strong. You don’t play with children’s lives!”
To understand how remarkable this statement is you have to look back to the church’s position on the now world-wide scandal of priest pedophilia. The scandal blew up in 2002 when the Boston Globe published a series of articles exposing the problem and the church’s almost cavalier approach to dealing with pedophiles in its midst. The series created a stir in Europe too where the crimes were just coming to light. The public reaction from Rome was a curious and deafening silence. It was up to the bishops in the diocese to cleanup their own messes came the private word from Rome to the provinces. The US Conference of Bishops did what every bureaucracy does when accused of scandal — they studied it. And they issued a proclamation stating what we Catholics thought was policy all along, namely that the church owes its child members a”safe environment” in all church activities. Not exactly a mea culpa or even a “we’ve got a hell of problem here Brownie.” Just a statement of the obvious. Old men talked, procedures were adopted, the laity listened and the cover up and abuse continued.
As more and more victims came forward, the church felt the need to react again. And when over 3000 cases were filed seeking billions in damages for victims, the action needed to be higher than at a diocesan or even national level. The reaction from the seat of power was now denial, diminish, and defend. A study was published claiming that only 4% of priests over a 50 year span were suspected of abuse. Then a pious statement in 2003 from then Pope John Paul II: ” there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young”. But behind the scenes the Church had no intention of doing anything besides battening down the hatches. Cardinal George Pell described the mood in Rome:
…The attitude of some people at the Vatican was that if accusations were being made against priests, they were being made exclusively or at least predominantly by enemies of the church to make trouble and therefore they should be dealt with sceptically. I think there was more of an inclination to give the benefit of the doubt to the defendant rather than listen seriously to the complaints…
Publicly, the church was saying all the right things. Adopting procedures for kids to come forward, training laity and priests alike about what to look for when abuse was suspected, but in the litigation wars where the rubber met the road, the rule was scorched earth. A 2014 United Nations report issued scathing criticism of the Vatican’s historical efforts to block investigators and coverup crimes during those times. At the hearing, Sara Oviedo, the chief UN investigator pressed the Vatican delegation on the frequent ways abusive priests were transferred rather than turned in to police. Given the church’s “zero tolerance” policy, she asked, why were there “efforts to cover up and obscure these types of cases?” The church demurred with Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican’s former sex crimes prosecutor, politely telling the committee, “The Holy See gets it. Let’s not say too late or not. But there are certain things that need to be done differently.” Not all in scarlet vestments were so sanguine, however, with one Vatican emissary issuing this dodge: “Priests are not functionaries of the Vatican,” Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s U.N. ambassador in Geneva, told the committee. “Priests are citizens of their own states, and they fall under the jurisdiction of their own country.”
And some in the Curia (the Vatican’s governing bureaucracy) said all this fuss about abusive priests was an American culture problem and its perceived anti-Catholic prejudice and even its ambulance chasing lawyers. A reporter from the National Catholic Reporter put it this way:
No one [in the Vatican] thinks the sexual abuse of kids is unique to the States, but they do think that the reporting on it is uniquely American, fueled by anti-Catholicism and shyster lawyers hustling to tap the deep pockets of the church. And that thinking is tied to the larger perception about American culture, which is that there is a hysteria when it comes to anything sexual, and an incomprehension of the Catholic Church. What that means is that Vatican officials are slower to make the kinds of public statements that most American Catholics want, and when they do make them they are tentative and halfhearted [sic]. It’s not that they don’t feel bad for the victims, but they think the clamor for them to apologize is fed by other factors that they don’t want to capitulate to.
Nasty ol’ Americans with all this sentiment for justice and protecting kids! Who the Hell are they … these sexual deviates?
In ten years following the Boston Globe reports more than $2 billion has been paid out to victims either by way of verdict or settlement; cases of coddled abusers have been reported in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany and Australia; and several catholic diocese have faced the prospect of bankruptcy to protect assets from attachment. Justice seekers exact a high price it seems.
This is the second time Pope Francis has apologized, but the first time he’s condemned the church’s reaction to the scandal. He was not alone. In 2010, then Pope Benedict criticized the church for not being vigilant enough or quick enough in responding to the problem of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. A representative of SNAP, a victim’s advocacy group, responded that the criticism was “disingenuous” because, in her opinion, the Church had in fact been “prompt and vigilant” in concealing the scandal.
Still this Pope Francis seems to actually “get it” and as every Catholic learns about the sacrament of penance “there is no forgiveness without contrition, and no contrition without confession.” Now, the church’s work of emotional and spiritual satisfaction to its victims can begin.
Sources: CNS; SNAP; Huffington Post
~Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
Justice, This scandal was started by the righteous, parents who’s sons, in large number, were victims of priests. The haters were happy to join in and are easy to identify.
We’ve covered this before and if you take the emotion out of it, it’s quite simple. Perverts[can we use that judgmental term?] who prey on children and adolescents break down pretty much the way all people break down vis a vis sexual preference. About 4% of people are attracted to the same sex. I think it’s a bit lower than 4% but that’s the new figure, after EVERYONE realized the 10% figure thrown out there by gay activists was propaganda. So..if the priest scandal held to the normal breakdown, there should have been many more female victims. The fact is the overwhelming number of victims were male. So, this makes this primarily a homosexual priest problem. Can we put the freakin’ PC aside and accept the obvious facts regarding the priest scandal??? It DOES NOT MEAN most pedophiles are homosexual.
samantha
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Dredd, the politically correct definitely need some leadership, too.
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What Byron said, and this is a good beginning, but it must go all the way to backing it up with very serious action.
Do everything correctly.
The whole “gay priests” agreement was to excuse the church the same way the “this problem is a pr problem started by haters of the Catholic Church” was used to avoid the truth!
paul schulte:
Why do you think this is gay priests? my understanding is that pedophilia is a condition all to itself.
A pedophilia priest may not be attracted to adults so it is rather hard, at least in my mind, to say this was done by exclusively homosexual priests.
I’m amazed at what the new pope has accomplished…. However….. There is much to do…. But to say that something’s cannot be changed because of the canonical law…. Is not a good reason…..excellent article…
I missed a very important word. My comment should read I will NOT beleive this is a sincere act of contrition. Again, NOT believe.
Sometimes I wonder if being a molested alter boy would have been a blessing in disguise. Especially with a big payout settlement. Investing in stocks that have good dividend yields. In the mean time, NY Tim Dolan has a plan. “Hide the money”. Poof gone….we can’t pay.
I am not impressed. 1. No one has been excommunited for covering this scandal up and allowing these criminals to continue abusing children. ( They have for ordaining women and fighting for women’s rights.) 2.. The Italian church has issued its policy and it says that priests who offend In this manner WILL NOT BE TURNED OVER TO THE POLICE. 3. Americna Bishops are still trying to use bankruptcy filings to avoid liability just the way NYC Cardinal Dolan did at his las posting.
Until Dolan and the like are demoted and defrocked and the Vatican orders all documents releasesd, oveffers up all church officials for depostion including the reired Pope and reports all abusers and accomplices to the authorities I will believe this is a sincere act of contrition. It is all PR. Just remember how this same man reacted to the UN report. It is all about protecting the institution. The church wont give you absolution unless you are contrite why should they be forgiven with out evidence that they are.
Paul,
The reason there has been no attack on gay priests, as a group, is because homophobia is not politically correct, while faithphobia is. It is the same templated culture when it comes to female pedophiles, or female anything, for that matter. When Hillary, Sebelius, or Napolitano screwed up, no one labeled them old women, unlike the politically correct fashion against men where it is open season on anything that can be tied to male gender.
Dredd, the politically correct definitely need some leadership, too.
Here is an example of what I mean by his leadership qualities.
President Jimmy Carter recently said what other leaders of our nation have been afraid to.
Like the Pope, he tells it like it is:
(Salon). Leaders must tell their people when they are adrift off course, so that they can get back on track.
It is an act of love, not hate.
Mark,
As I have written before, this Pope truly seems genuine and guided by the best of values of the Catholic Church. I have always found it remarkable that there are many pushing for deification of the last Pope when Pope Francis has transformed this Church and its priesthood in a relatively short time.
I have long said there were 2 groups attacking the church on the pedophile priests. The first group was righteous. They were comprised of Catholics and non-Catholics who were disgusted by the actions of the priests, and even more so the hierarchy covering up and moving priests around to strike again. The second group did not so much care about the victims, they just hate the church and saw a great opportunity for vengeance. You’re seeing that here. Great post, mespo.
Oxa:
Of course you’re right! Why would anyone associate mandatory eternal damnation into the fires of Hell with being “compelled” to do someting. You’re just “required” to go to the confessional annually. That Hell stuff for comitting a unabsolved mortal sin is just optional in your version of Catholic ideology. I’ll cite you to St. Peter.
Admit you were wrong and move on. Maybe even read the piece.
Compel and require are not synonymous.
oxa – you have two prime duties as a Roman Catholic 1) go to confession once a year and 2) do your Easter duty. The author is right.
Oddly enough, there has been an attack on the Church for covering this up, which is warranted. But there is no attack, as a group, on the number of gay priests who committed these acts.
And almost daily I read an article of another female teacher arrested for having sex with an under-age student. There is no movement to shut down the school system.
OXA:
“a church known for compelling confession from its followers”
I stopped reading after that sentence. Why waste my time reading the rants of someone who is so obviously and deeply ignorant of the subject on which he writes?
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church requires all Catholics to particpate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (nee Penance) at least once per year.
See what 8 years of Catholic school will do for ya! (Part II, THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY, Section 2, Chapter 2)
Your bias is showing!
“a church known for compelling confession from its followers”
I stopped reading after that sentence. Why waste my time reading the rants of someone who is so obviously and deeply ignorant of the subject on which he writes?
It’s not just the Catholic Church. Every month for decades Freethought Today has referenced newspaper articles from across the country on serious crimes committed by clergy from a wide array of denominations. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, It’s hard to understand why people today still support a church that has such a long and prurient history filled with such huge numbers of atrocities against children.
I am not Catholic, but I liked this Pope from the beginning.
Now he is showing something all leaders should have.
Courageous post Mark E.