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	In Theory: in Light of Church Sex Scandal, What Must Benedict Do? LA Canada Valley Sun April 8, 2010 http://www.lacanadaonline.com/articles/2010/04/08/religion/lvs-intheory040810.txt Pope Benedict XVI is under increasing pressure to directly address the sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church worldwide. Questions have been raised about the actions of Benedict while he was archbishop of Munich. The latest reports from Europe are from Italy, where three men say they were abused as boys at a Catholic school for the deaf. "To the Point," a news program on 89.9 KCRW, posed these questions: Is this a smear campaign, as the Vatican claims, or is it time for the pope to explain his actions, in the interests of restoring his dwindling credibility? What do you think? The pope should most especially be a protector of children's innocence. But more to the point, the pope, and the church, in all its denominations, needs a far greater understanding of the dangerous ground that clergy live on, where some boundaries are lifted and others are blurred, and the rules are far too fluid. We don't understand half of what we're up against, but it's time we try harder to do so. The moment that I suddenly understood the nature of the sexual abuse epidemic in the church — the whole church, not just the Catholic Church — was when I was in seminary, learning how to do hospital visits and other pastoral counseling. Our class of wannabe ministers was complaining to our teacher about how difficult it is to walk into the room of a total stranger and ask deeply personal questions about the inner workings of their soul. The teacher said something like: "Yes, but that's your job now. The boundary lines of socially acceptable conversation have shiftedfor you; you are now an official crosser of boundaries." Holy crap, I thought, no wonder priests lose their way. "An official crosser of boundaries"?! That's just asking for trouble. And here's another thing: In the Episcopal Church, where most of the clergy misconduct in the church is with adults, clergy training programs in Sexual Misconduct Prevention focus on issues of power. It's not fair, they say, to use your leadership role as pastor to take advantage of people in their weakest moments, or trick them when their guard is down, assuming their safety with you. All true, of course. But really, it's more about intimacy than power. People tell us things, share themselves with us, as they would normally only share themselves with a lover. Especially for clergy who may already have issues about personal intimacy, it's confusing. And dangerous. Once, on the Monday after my first sermon in a new church, a man I had never met walked into my office, sat down, and said, "I loved what you said yesterday. I'm leaving my wife for you." He was serious — and of course, seriously emotionally challenged. But it goes to show you that what we think we understand about the relationship between spirituality and sexuality is only the tip of the iceberg. It's way, way too easy to mistake the power of the Holy Spirit for the passion of the human heart. Way too easy. The REV. AMY PRINGLE is rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in La Cañada. Reach her at (818) 790-3323, ext. 11. We all make mistakes sometimes they are very serious mistakes. We do not necessarily intend to make these mistakes, but we have a responsibility to own them nonetheless. Jesus, in the light of very serious sin, said: "Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more." Like all of us, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church has also made many mistakes, and many of them are very serious and have far-reaching consequences. As a church and as a hierarchy, we need to own these mistakes, take the consequences and make amends. The approach of many bishops in the past in reference to the child-abuse situation was based on the psychological criteria and approach of the day. As we know well today, it obviously was a wrong criterion and definitely a wrong approach. We need to own this, too. We need to say we were wrong. Even though we did not intend the consequences, we take the responsibility for them. We ask for forgiveness, and we want to make amends. We know better now, and this will never happen again. We are a human church, made up of human beings who sin. Jesus came to save us from our sins as he came to save all human beings. We long to hear from our brothers and sisters whom we have sinned against "We forgive you." We have heard it from the Lord, and we intend fervently to follow his direction: "Go then and sin no more." The REV. RICHARD ALBARANO is pastor of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Burbank. Reach him at (818) 504-4400. The first point that needs to be made is that institutions behave like institutions. What that means is that any institution will behave in a manner to defend itself, regardless of the charge. Next, I would suggest that the Vatican not claim that there is a "smear" campaign going on against it. There are too many charges against priests all over the world for there not to be some truth about the accusations of sexual abuse. But to center on what Benedict did or didn't do when he was in Munich is an attempt to treat the symptom and not the disease. For me the disease is the requirement of celibacy. True, I am a Protestant, and maybe as such I should not criticize the Roman Catholic Church. Also, we Protestants have our sexual scandals, too, although they usually involve a member in our church and not little boys. What is needed, I believe, is an end to the requirement of celibacy. The earliest popes were married, including St. Peter, and the celibacy requirement came later. And the requirement was instituted not for sexual reasons but for inheritance reasons. Also, as I understand the situation, the Catholic Church needs priests. Wouldn't now be an ideal time to end the celibacy requirement? The human male sex drive is a strong one, and so allowing priests to marry won't end all the problems, but it would be a good first step. The REV. CLIFFORD L. "SKIP" LINDEMAN is permanent pastor of La Cañada Congregational Church. Reach him at (818) 790-1185. Benedict's credibility is indeed diminishing; he can be set free by truth or established as credible after all — if he will but speak to these issues. It is the moral thing to do, the responsible thing to do. And if sin or wrongdoing needs to be recognized, at least he can have a clear conscience. Nothing is hidden from God. And God cares so much for these victims — enough to give them victory where sin is hidden. Accountability should be required of the perpetrators. Immunity is horrendous. Covering up abuse is not new to humanity. Those we would least expect to do it, certainly do. Mothers turn a cheek as their own kids are abused, and it is never reported. People in high positions lie to keep their jobs — and reputations. From what I have learned as a pastor and what I hear as a psychotherapist, I believe it is quite possible there is truth to these allegations. And sin is present in covering them up. For example, immunity as head of state, that's an easy out; a 1962 document containing a coverup is professed not to be evidence; and the statement that the abusers were not employees of the Vatican are simple distraction techniques, at best. Dismissal of the case sought by the Vatican before Pope Benedict XVI can be questioned is appalling. Not giving voice and value to those who were abused — just because the people doing it were more powerful than they — is immoral. This is a low blow. It teaches that if you have a high position it is acceptable to break the law and sin. Sadly, every week in my office, I see victims of this type of denial and the dismissive behavior of perpetrators and others who know. People's lives are ruined so that sinners and lawbreakers can remain undisciplined or concealed. Silence is not golden in this case. The REV. KIMBERLIE ZAKARIAN is a marriage and family therapist at La Vie Counseling Center in Pasadena. Reach her at (626) 351-9616, Ext. 181, or by e-mail at kimberlie.zakarian@gmail.com. As public awareness escalates regarding these sex-abuse scandals, I cannot imagine why the pope would not come out with a supremely authoritative response. He should address the subject, and he'll have to do so with an admission of faulty institutional protocol and personal participation within that system. Why did he and others cover up, and why on earth would pedophile priests be reassigned after their egregious sins? I believe it's because of the sacramental view of ordination the church holds. Sure they want to quash scandal, but they don't want to relinquish their position that priests are divinely imbued with the power to transubstantiate the communion elements from food to flesh. If priests are so ordained of God, how do you fire what are God's own supernatural servants? The trickle-down effect would render every priest a mere mortal. Where would their authority go? Currently in Ireland, Protestant priests are pulling off their clerical collars lest the public confuse them with their Catholic counterparts. Why? Because pedophilia is such an odious perversion that citizens have lost faith in those wearing them, and they look upon such outward identification with disgust. To regain credibility, the pope needs to admit organizational mishandling, and then order the immediate expulsion and defrocking of every pedophile priest so that none exists within church ranks, then cooperate with civil authorities. Every man is a sinner, even if saved, and just because one pursues religious vocation doesn't gain him perfection this side of heaven. That said, there are sins, and there are sins. When personal proclivities of such base nature surface to harm the very ones the priest is supposed to shepherd, it shows him unspiritual and invalid. The pope should simply rule the ordinations of such annulled, and in doing so he may preserve the innocent clergy majority and even repair the reputation of the religion.
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