Pope Benedict at Crossroads, Charles Lewis, National Post , March 27, 2010

Pope Benedict at Crossroads

By Charles Lewis
National Post
March 27, 2010

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/story.html?id=2732758

Pope Benedict XVI appears at a youth festival held in St. Peter's Square this week. The Pontiff is facing growing criticism of his handling of child sexual abuse cases. It comes after fresh ...

The Roman Catholic Church has been defending its handling of the pedophile priests in its midst for several decades -- but at least up until a few months ago the murky waters of this scandal were at a safe distance from its popes.

Now with unproven media allegations that then-cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope who was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, failed to remove clerics in both Germany and Wisconsin who were known as dangerous to children, the Vatican is facing a new level of crisis management.

Marco Politi, a veteran Vatican journalist, told The New York Times that Pope Benedict is now at a crossroads. "What's extraordinary is that the scandal has reached the heart of the centre of the Church. Up to now it was far way -- in the States, in Canada, in Brazil, in Australia. Then it came to Europe, to Ireland.

"Then it came to [Germany]," he said. "Then it came to his diocese, and now it's coming to the heart of the government of the Church -- and he has to give an answer."

Close observers of the Church say the Vatican, even the Pope himself, must take responsibility for those things that took place under its watch in order to preserve the institution's moral authority.

Fr. Thomas Rosica of Toronto, a member of the Pontifical Council for Communications, said the thing not to do now is take a defensive posture.

The Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published a front-page editorial this week denouncing "the evident and ignoble intent to wound Benedict XVI and his closest advisors at any cost."

"It's not the best way," said Fr. Rosica, who also runs Salt & Light, a Catholic television network. "They don't understand the full impact of what's happening [in terms of public perception]."

If underlings of Pope Benedict were made aware of abusive priests and did not act, whether the Pope knew or not, responsibility has to be shouldered, he said.

"A leader is responsible not only for things he actually saw but what was under his watch. The best possible thing that could come about now is the Vatican admits that an error had been committed, that oversight had taken place -- and if that were to come from Benedict himself that would be very important.

"He could say, 'Under my administration, under my watch, an error was caused that has come to light and we are deeply sorry for that.' "

Fr. Rosica added, "This issue has nothing to do with papal infallibility, it has to do with humanity and humanity has flaws and those flaws can cause grievous errors that can be sinful. We admit that, acknowledge that, and move forward."

Fr. Thomas Reese, an American Jesuit scholar and an expert on the Vatican, said the Pope now has to make it clear zero tolerance for abusers is the law of the Church.

"If a priest is involved in one case he has to be removed from ministry forever. That would be a good start and it would show the Church takes this seriously." He acknowledged Pope Benedict has grown in his understanding of the abuse crisis and has become an important force in the Church for tackling the crisis.

The Pope got rid of Marcial Maciel, the founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ movement, because of accusations of sexual abuse, acting when John Paul II failed to act.

It was later revealed Maciel had fathered a daughter. He also made apologies to the American victims of abuse when he was in New York and recently wrote a letter of apology to Irish Catholics.

Fr. Reese said the Irish letter was important, but "it almost said too much" by seeming to assign some blame to liberalizations under Vatican II and the increasing secularization of society.

"In something like this, the only response [from the Pope] is to apologize and apologize and apologize," he said. "You can't blame the media or the culture or any of that nonsense. It's just counter-productive and it makes the Church look like it's trying to excuse this behaviour and that is disastrous."

Fr. Richard McBrien, a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, agrees the Pope has to go beyond letters and apologies to only specific regions of the Church where abuse took place. It has to be more "sweeping," said Fr. McBrien, who added this latest scandal is eroding the Church's moral authority.

"He has to ask for the resignations of bishops who moved predatory priests from place to place, thereby exposing children and young people to continued abuse -- abuse that is not only immoral but criminal."

Raymond Arroyo, the news director and lead anchor of Alabama-based American Catholic broadcaster Eternal Word Television Network, said to move past this the Vatican has to follow the basics of "public relations 101."

The Vatican must use "transparency," he said. It should collect all the facts, bring forward whatever is there.

"Then make the case he wasn't involved or admit there was some knowledge and then apologize."

But he also said the Vatican must work to shape the story.

"I've known Benedict for years and I know that he has been the most aggressive in getting rid of abuse. The problem is very few people know that."