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	Teary Pope Prays with Victims of Abuse By Joseph Brean National Post April 19, 2010 http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2923467 Pope Benedict XVI met privately with eight adult victims of child sex abuse after a Mass yesterday in Malta, and expressed his "shame and sorrow," according to a Vatican spokesman, who described the meeting as "intense but serene." "He prayed with them and assured them that the Church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future," Reverend Federico Lombardi said. One of the men, Lawrence Grech, told reporters the Pope had tears in his eyes during the 20-minute meeting in a chapel at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rabat. In a news conference aboard the Papal plane, the Pope is also reported to have described the Catholic Church as "wounded by sin." The Pope has met with child sex abuse victims before, in the United States and Australia. But this meeting was the first since the scandal has grown over his personal response throughout his career, from an archbishop in Munich to a top-ranking cardinal under John Paul II, and now as pope himself. Criticism has focused on his alleged willingness to tolerate and conceal abusers "for the good of the universal Church." As the Pope's first major act since his call last week for the Church to do "penance," the meeting also marks a shift away from the defensive positions taken by some Church leaders, who have blamed abuse on homosexuals and compared clergy to Holocaust victims, persecuted by a biased media. It also coincides with wider efforts to contain the scandal. In Toronto-area churches yesterday, a letter by Archbishop Thomas Collins was read out, announcing an expert review of his diocese's procedures for abuse allegations. He said he will ask for a report by the end of July, authored by "a qualified group of lay people, recognized as having relevant experience with youth, psychology, legal issues and ethics." In the letter, Archbishop Collins described the abuse cases in the Church -- which he said mostly involve crimes from long ago, before stricter rules were written -- as "dramatic exceptions to the fundamental reality of priestly goodness." "But just one priest gone wrong causes great suffering, and as we hear of evil done by some clergy in our own communities and around the world, we are all filled with dismay. Steady reflection upon this painful reality challenges us to work more effectively to do all that we can to ensure that this evil does not afflict the vulnerable in the future. The reality of abuse is rooted deeply in the fact of fallen humanity, and in the evil that can infect the human heart. It is found throughout society. Though we may never expect to be fully rid of it, we must never cease to try to do so," he wrote. The Maltese men are plaintiffs in a civil suit that has revealed a slow response by Church officials to alleged sexual abuse at an orphanage in the 1980s and '90s. Their case has been of particular interest because one of the victims later committed a serious crime himself, the murder of a gay man that he said was the product of his rage at the abuse. Before the meeting, the Pope gave a public Mass at the Maltese capital, Valletta, to mark the 1,950th anniversary of Saint Paul's shipwreck there on his way to Rome. The Toronto announcement follows a similar policy review in Halifax, which has been especially roiled over the case of Raymond Lahey, former Bishop of Antigonish, who is charged with possession of child pornography. The Vatican, likewise, has updated its rules for bishops who become aware of possible abuse. There have been many other diocesan responses to the sexual abuse scandal, but not all have been so penitent. In Calgary last month, Bishop Fred Henry took a more combative tone, calling child sex abuse "a sin found in all societies and nations," and scolding newspapers for "par-rotting" unsubstantiated "attempts to personally embroil" the Pope, and inviting readers to "speculate on why." FROM THE BISHOP'S PEN It seems that not a day has gone by in recent weeks without hearing of Catholic priests who have sexually abused those entrusted to their care, or of the failure of their superiors to deal rightly with that. We should always be thankful when wrongdoing is revealed, for that can lead to renewal, but in the face of this constant criticism, Catholic clergy and lay people alike can feel discouraged, angry, confused, and ashamed. In the Archdiocese of Toronto, for more than 20 years we have operated under sound protocols and procedures to deal with any accusation of misconduct, and they have served us well. Our Archdiocesan "Procedure for Cases of Alleged Misconduct," was first introduced in 1989. The procedure, which is readily accessible on our website, is transparent and fulfils every obligation of law in Ontario and Canada. It was revised in 1991 and again in 2003, but we need to review it again. I will be asking a qualified group of lay people, recognized as having relevant experience with youth, psychology, legal issues and ethics, to examine carefully whatever we can learn from other groups, and by July 31, 2010, to recommend any ways that our procedure can be made even more effective.
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