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	Benedict Address Sex Scandal at UN By Dr. Judy Kuriansky New York Daily News April 19, 2008 http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/04/19/2008-04-19_benedict_address_sex_scandal_at_un.html Would the Pope talk to the American public about the church's sex abuse scandals? If so, what would he say? Those burning questions on people's minds before the Pontiff's visit were certainly answered as the esteemed head of the Catholic Church addressed the issue head on even before landing on U.S. soil. "We are deeply ashamed," the pope told reporters on the plane. "We will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future." "No words of mine can describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse," he also said. While critics have called for more apology, the Pontiff promised to prohibit pedophiles from the priesthood. And, to the surprise of many, he also talked and prayed with five sex abuse survivors. The same questions about whether the Pope would address the church sex abuse scandal had circulated amongst those of us affiliated with the United Nations, in anticipation of the pontiff's appearance at that international body today. But the Pope did not mention that issue, nor the other topic people had speculated about: the war in Iraq. What Benedict XVI did focus on in was an issue far less controversial but certainly crucial: human rights. The issue is timely, as the Pope's visit purposefully coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It's an issue I and my colleagues at the UN care deeply about, as our upcoming conference of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accredited at the UN focuses on that topic. Thousands of NGO representatives will convene in Paris this September to discuss human rights. "Human rights, of course must include the right to religious freedom," the highest leader of the Catholic Church told the UN dignitaries, invited VIPS and NGO reps, explaining in sophisticated language replete with theology and philosophy, that these rights are "understood as the expression of a dimension that is at once individual and communitarian a vision that brings out the unity of the person while clearly distinguishing between the dimension of the citizen and the believer." While never referring to any specific dispute or war in any part of the world, the Pope made it clear that it is human rights, and not force, that must be the route to end war and poverty. States have a duty to protect people from human rights violations, he added, emphasizing the need for dialogue and diplomacy. But if States fail, he advised, the international community should intervene. What was most impressive about the Pope's visit to the UN in my view (as a person who spends much time at the UN) was an event likely overshadowed in the press by His Holiness' visit to Ground Zero, welcome at a Jewish synagogue by a Holocaust-survivor rabbi, and Mass at Yankee stadium. It was the Pope's address today to the UN staff -- a rare occurrence for any dignitary. Special, too, was that the staff was invited to hear the Pope in the same august hall --the General Assembly --where governments usually meet. It is likely this address to the staff, as opposed to closed meetings with high level officials, that probably accounted for the more intense enthusiasm throughout the UN for the Pope's visit to that august body, compared to thousands of VIPs and world leaders who have appeared there. That the Pope addressed the UN staff also most impressed Dave and Susan Konig, hosts of their "Speak Now" show on the Catholic Channel on Sirius Radio 159. When I called in to the program to report about the Pope's UN visit, Dave marveled at how the Pope took time to talk to the "real people." TV journalist Rita Cosby who was also at the Pope's UN visit and on the show with me, echoed my observations about the Pope's apparent joy at being among the people and noted his pleasure when the choir from the United Nations International School sang for him. Cosby, the author of the best-selling expose about Anna Nicole Smith, "Blonde Ambition," had met with the previous pope. As a psychologist, what was also most impressive to me was not just that the Pope addressed the UN staff, but that the theme of his message was that if being a "family." Indeed, in my view it is the dissolution of the family in so many places worldwide that is at the basis of so many local as well as international problems. His words seemed to make those in the room feel like a family. "The United Nations is often spoken of as the 'family of nations'," His Holiness said. "By the same token, the headquarters here could be described as a home, a place of welcome and concern for the good of family members everywhere. "To all of you -- the translators, secretaries, administrative personnel of every kind, maintenance and security staff, development workers, peace-keepers and many others thank you, most sincerely." What a way to make "ordinary" people feel extraordinary. What was he thanking them for? As the Pope said, "The work that you do makes it possible for the Organization to continue exploring new ways of achieving the goals for which it was founded." The tone and language of this talk to staff was far more casual, informal and personal than his address two hours earlier to officials and VIPS, which he mostly read. His message was still about the serious issue of morality; yet it was consistently tied to the theme of "family." "In the internal debates of the United Nations, increasing emphasis is being placed on the 'responsibility to protect'," the Pope said. "Indeed this is coming to be recognized as the moral basis for a government's claim to authority. It is also a feature that naturally appertains to a family, in which stronger ones take care of weaker ones." As a psychologist, I note how important -- and impactful -- it is to acknowledge people for who they are and what they do. The pope did this masterfully, as he told the staff members and blue collar workers: "On a day to day level, it is you who lay the foundation in which that work is built, by the concern you show for one another in the workplace, and by your solicitude for the many peoples whose needs and aspirations you serve in all that you do." The message also acknowledged the value of multi-culturalism. "The personnel here constitute a microcosm of the whole world," he said, " in which each individual makes an indispensable contribution from the perspective of his or her particular cultural and religious heritage." At many points in his address, the Pope smiled and looked at the crowd of about a thousand, lucky enough to have secured a ticket and to get close to a Pope clearly pleased to be with them. His obvious warmth and comfort was echoed in the crowd's response and the palpable excitement in the room and spontaneous cheers at various points as he spoke. Cheers had also broken out when the President of the General Assembly, H.E. Srgjan Kerim (from the Republic of Macedonia) welcomed the Pope, wishing him a "happy birthday and happy anniversary." The month of April has meaning and significance in the Pope's life, he explained, as he was born on April 16th, appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Vellerti-Signi on April 5th, 1993, elected Bishop of Rome on April 19th, and started his pontificate on April 24th, 2005. The Pope's speech ended with a prayer: "I assure you and your families of a special remembrance in my prayers. May Almighty God bless you always and comfort you with his grace and peace, so that through the care you offer to the entire human family, you can continue to be of service to him." The audience rose to their feet and those in front thronged towards him, their cameras high in the air, snapping photographs a scene indeed also rare at the UN. The Pope, smiling, crossed the stage and extended open arms to each side of the large assembly hall, as if offering a blessing, and then bringing his hands together in front of his chest. A staff member from one of the UN agencies exiting the speech remarked, "This is the best experience of my life. I will remember it forever." A cafeteria worker clutching her ticket said, "I am going to frame this, and look at it every morning before I go to work, and every night before I go to bed and remember I was blessed by the Pope."
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