Abuse Coverup Must Have Consequences, by Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe, March 21, 2010

Abuse Coverup Must Have Consequences

By Joan Vennochi
Boston Globe
March 21, 2010

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/03/21/abuse_coverup_must_have_consequences/

BOSTON (MA) -- ALL ROADS lead to Rome, when it comes to the Catholic Church and the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

But they also loop back to Boston.

The most recent revelations about pedophile priests come out of Germany and threaten to ensnare the current pope.

Bernard Law

Back in the 1980s, the archdiocese led by Joseph Ratzinger, archbishop of Munich and Freising, and the future Pope Benedict XVI , ignored repeated warnings about a priest accused of sexually abusing boys. According to current news reports, while Ratzinger was in charge, the accused priest — the Rev. Peter Hullermann — was transferred to Munich for therapy. But, he was allowed to return to parish work and interactions with children. In 1986 — several years after Ratzinger had been transferred to the Vatican and put in charge of reviewing sex abuse cases — Hullermann was convicted of sexual abuse. Even after that conviction, the priest continued working with altar boys. He was finally suspended, just this month.

It sounds familiar, right? That's because the basic story line closely parallels what happened in Boston under the watch of Cardinal Bernard Law, who once dreamed of becoming the first American pope.

Law was at the epicenter of the scandal that rocked the church from Boston to Rome in 2002. As allegations of the sexual abuse of children by priests were revealed, Law ducked, dodged, and lied about what he knew and when he knew about it. As public pressure built, underlings took responsibility. Ultimately, it became clear in depositions that Law knew about the sexual misconduct, moved the transgressors from parish to parish, and covered up for them.

Eventually, Law was forced to resign his position. Yet, he retained his cardinal's hat and never provided full details of his role in the scandal. He was transferred to Rome, where he is archbishop emeritus of Boston and archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. He took full part in the conclave that selected Ratzinger to succeed John Paul II.

Allowing Law to escape accountability is the Vatican's original sin.

Since the Boston scandal, a disturbing history of clergy sexual abuse, and an institution committed to covering it up, has been revealed across this country and abroad, in Ireland, Australia, and now Germany. The current pope has met with victims of clergy abuse and apologized for the sins of the past.

But deep apologies and strong, new anti-abuse policies avoid the root problem. Church higher-ups like Law shuffled predator priests from parish to parish and then escaped legal responsibility for their actions. The church provided sanctuary and with each revelation, it is clear why.

What happened here was part of a much larger pattern. What was happening in Boston was happening in Munich, with the blessing of the archbishop in charge. The practice of protecting predators rather than children was institutional. It spanned the globe and accountability extends to Rome.

So far, a deputy who served Ratzinger in Munich at the time is taking responsibility for the personnel decisions involving Hullermann. Eventually, the details will catch up with the former archbishop of Munich, just as they did with Law. Even a pope cannot escape truth forever, although serious consequences for a sitting pontiff are hard to imagine.

Meanwhile, the news out of Germany is a reminder of the opportunity missed in Boston. It is one thing for the hierarchy of the Catholic Church to protect higher-ups like Law. It is quite another thing for the secular world to go along with it. In Boston, a misplaced deference allowed that to happen.

Thomas Reilly, the Massachusetts attorney general at the time, took a pass on prosecuting Law or the Boston Archdiocese for criminal conspiracy. Several priests were prosecuted and went to jail for their individual acts of abuse. But the scandal was bigger than a single priest. It was as much a product of secrecy and cover-up by the church and the full conspiracy has never been prosecuted in court. That may be the biggest sin of all.

The church can allow history to repeat itself as long as the secular world lets it.

Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com