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	A Call to Penance By Mathew N. Schmalz Washington Post March 20, 2010 http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/mathew_n_schmalz/2010/03/a_call_to_penance.html UNITED STATES -- Pope Benedict XVI's recent letter to Irish Catholics is a sensitive and thoughtful response to another painful exposé of sexual abuse by clergy. The letter most strikingly draws upon the image of Christ's wounded body to evoke related themes of sacrifice, healing, and renewal. But the letter surely marks only the beginning of the Vatican's public response to a crisis that now threatens to engulf the Pontiff himself as questions are raised about the handling of cases during his tenure as Archbishop of Munich-Freising. Against this background, the Holy Father's letter not only outlines a distinctively Catholic approach to sin and scandal, but also suggests how the Pontiff's personal response to the crisis might unfold. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected Pope in part because of his intellectual range. Fluent not only in Catholic theology but in recent intellectual trends in critical theory, Benedict was presented as a Pope who could lead the re-evangelization of Europe by effectively making the case for the importance of religious faith in an increasing secularized world. But what we are now witnessing is the effective "de-evangelization" of Europe, with the Roman Catholic Church risking the loss of an entire generation of Catholics who feel that they simply cannot trust the institutions of the Church to act with justice and moral courage. "Secularism" is now not the only villain; as some see it, the institutional Church has become its own worst enemy. Benedict obviously recognizes this dynamic in how he has framed his pastoral letter. The letter is addressed to "the Catholics of Ireland," and thus has a more personal quality than more formal and institutional phrases such "Catholic Church in Ireland." Secularization is mentioned, of course, but the initial emphasis is upon the distinctive witness of the Church in Ireland. The Pope recalls the work of Saint Columbanus and Saint Oliver Plunkett, the martyred Archbishop of Armagh. In making a point about the intimate connection between Catholicism and Irish society, the Pope articulates a vision of the complementary role of religion and culture in contributing to the common good. Such an approach is characteristic of this Pope, who invests so much in the appropriate intellectual and theological understanding of the cultural and social forces that impact faith in the 21st century. But while Benedict's remarks might constructively be reflected upon and debated, in this context they serve as a preamble for the true spiritual and emotional core of the Pastoral letter. "I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured." With these words, Benedict opens his extended reflection on the shattering experiences of the victims. In his acknowledgment that "no one would listen," the Pope seeks to empathize with those who were turned away by members of the Church hierarchy. By recalling the experience of the pierced and wounded Jesus, the Pope draws upon an image central to traditional Irish Catholicism and uses it to reaffirm the Catholic belief in the redemptive power of suffering. For many observers, including many Catholics, referencing Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross might seem to move discussion in the wrong direction. One of the most troubling aspects of the sexual abuse scandal is how crucial aspects of the Church's salvific economy, such as confidentiality and obedience, have been distorted not just by abusers but by superiors who saw protection of the Church's reputation as the ultimate good. The notion of the redemptive power of suffering is subject to similar distortions, particularly found in all too convenient admonitions that victims should simply "forgive and forget." Perhaps implicitly acknowledging such potential criticisms, the Pope calls for "honesty and transparency" on the part of the Church hierarchy in dealing with the crisis. To abusers, the Pope says: "submit yourselves to the demands of justice." The emphasis upon justice is joined with a pervasive emphasis on penance. Benedict not only calls those proximately responsible for the crisis to perform penance, he also envisioned a church "purified by penance." It is here we find where the on-going scandal might lead the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI. Traditional understandings of penance recognized the necessarily public dimension of atonement--an atonement that is most immediately addressed to the victims but also must move to include the entire community. Penance also is intended make to radical break from the attachments that provide the occasion for sin. For example, in his decision to discipline Marcial Maciel, Pope Benedict called the founder of the Legion of Christ to a life of "prayer and penance." Before becoming Pope, Joseph Ratzinger used the term "ablatio" or "removal" to refer the process of ecclesiastic renewal. The image is initially artistic as Ratzinger's refers to Michelangelo's understanding of sculpture as the removal of the external accretions that conceal the true essence and form of the object (Called to Communion, pp. 140-147). More broadly, ablatio can be understood as a renunciation of the external constraints that prevent us from listening to the voice of God heard in the demands of conscience. The Pope's letter to Irish Catholics can be understood as a call for truly penitential ablatio: not one mandated by Papal fiat but willingly embraced by those responsible for the crisis. Such penances, that have already included Bishops renouncing their positions, would begin to break the connection with disordered understandings of power, status, and authority that lie at the heart of the sexual abuse crisis. But this ablatio also involves Pope Benedict himself, although not in the way that is now imagined by commentators who are already calling for his resignation. As evidence of abuse continues to be uncovered in the Pope's former diocese of Munich-Freising, Benedict himself will have to address German Catholics directly and assume an even more personal tone. These personal pastoral letters, written at a time of scandal and crisis, will decisively impact future Catholic understandings of the Papacy and the person of the Pope. With the voices of victims finally being heard, the Papal ablatio we are now witnessing is the removal of the traditional formalities that often obscure the man who sits on the Throne of Peter.
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