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	A Formula for Restoring the Catholic Church's Credibility By Teresa Padovano Daily Record April 18, 2010 http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20100418/OPINION03/100416059/1096/OPINION/A+formula+for+restoring+the+Catholic+church+s+credibility All the words from the pope, all the apologies and protestations of sorrow coming from him will not give one abuse victim back his or her innocence or trust. It is time for the pope and bishops to take some concrete steps to see that the future is different from the past. It is the system that is broken. It is the system of entitlement that must go. It is strange that there is a double standard for the clergy from that of the laity. In his letter, Benedict spoke of "a well intentioned but misguided tendency to avoid penal approaches to violations of canon law." (New York Times, March 22) It seems bishops readily excommunicate lay people when their marriages die and they remarry. Some bishops even use a penal approach with people who vote their consciences in some dioceses. The pastoral approach is reserved more often with their own kind (ordained celibate males), even those who rape and abuse children. What does it take to excommunicate a priest or bishop for crimes against humanity? The Vatican has moved to end the statute of limitations in Canon Law regarding sexual abuse cases. Monsignor Charles Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith announced this change in the Vatican-approved publication, Avvenire. As a sign of solidarity with the pope and as a sign to victims of their real contrition and firm purpose of amendment, we firmly suggest that: 1. The USCCB should follow suit and lobby for the end of statute of limitation in civil law here in the U.S. They are very good at lobbying! This would be for the good of all children in our society and a service to the whole world. This would perhaps show real purpose of amendment. 2. The Vatican Secret Directive issued in 1922 and reissued again in 1962 and sent to every bishop and major superior of religious in the world, commanding that these sex abuses be keep secret under pain of excommunication, should be disclosed, apologized for and rescinded immediately. 3. That all bishops involved in these cover-ups and transfers of pedophiles should resign. The bishops might say they were only following orders from headquarters. Was that not the excuse of the Nazis after World War II! What happened to their consciences? Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), wrote in 1967: "Over the pope as expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there stands one's own conscience which must be obeyed before all else, even if necessary against the requirement of ecclesiastical authority." 4. The pope should meet in the Vatican with victims from all over the world and should receive from them directions in advance on how they can be healed. He must beg forgiveness of the whole Church for the mismanagement of so many of its leaders. It is not too much to consider that the pope might resign as a sign to all his fellow bishops, that a leader who has been complicit, even if unintentionally, in a cover-up of global proportions should surrender his position. We all have had our trust betrayed. They must go. Perhaps in the future that trust can be rebuilt, but not now.
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