Finally. Finally Pope Benedict is acting the way we figure the leader of the largest Christian organization in the world should, with humility and honesty and compassion. After what I felt was an appalling evasion of responsibility in the widening sex scandal of the Roman Catholic church there have been important developments in recent weeks. The pope met with a group of abuse victims in Malta, listening to them and shedding tears with them. He has sought and received resignations from a number of bishops in Ireland and Germany who appear to have covered up many of the abuses. Now he has made a statement taking responsibility for what has happened rather than "passing the buck." This was in the Washington Post yesterday:
His strong comments placed responsibility for the crisis squarely on the sins of pedophile priests, repudiating the Vatican's initial response to the scandal in which it blamed the media as well as pro-choice and pro-gay marriage advocates for mounting what it called a campaign against the church and the pope.
Speaking en route to Portugal, Benedict said the Catholic church had always suffered from problems of its own making but that "today we see it in a truly terrifying way."
"The greatest persecution of the church doesn't come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the church," the pontiff said. "The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness but also justice."
The comments marked Benedict's most thorough admission of the church's own guilt in creating the scandal. Previously he has blamed abusers themselves and, in the case of Ireland, the bishops who failed to stop them.
"The greatest persecution of the church doesn't come from enemies on the outside but is born from the sins within the church," the pontiff said. "The church needs to profoundly relearn penitence, accept purification, learn forgiveness but also justice."
The comments marked Benedict's most thorough admission of the church's own guilt in creating the scandal. Previously he has blamed abusers themselves and, in the case of Ireland, the bishops who failed to stop them.
How does this "coming clean" sit with you? Is it too late, or are you encouraged by this change of direction?
2 comments:
I don't believe it is ever too late. It may feel like it was long in coming and some may not be able to hear it now because it took so long and more may have suffered because it took so long, but it's never too late.
I'm with you Deb. I have no affection for the current pope, but that doesn't mean that he can't change. And God didn't put me in charge anyway!
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