By Stacy Meichtry
Wall Street Journal
June 11, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703509404575300302224073676.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
 |
| Pope Benedict XVI waved as he arrived in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican before a mass on Friday. |
VATICAN CITY—Pope Benedict XVI on Friday asked for forgiveness from God and from victims of sex abuse, pledging to do "everything possible" to prevent future abuse.
Speaking at a Mass marking the close of an international conference of priests, the pope said the Catholic Church had to do a better job of vetting candidates for the priesthood. He also dropped his practice of referring to abuse indirectly when speaking publicly about the crisis.
"The sins of priests came to light—particularly the abuse of the little ones," the pope said. "We, too, insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again."
The remarks stopped short, however, of the personal apology that victims' groups had expected the pope to issue in response to criticism of his handling of sex-abuse cases in Germany and as head of the Vatican's disciplinary office. Nor did Pope Benedict address what many victims say allowed the scandal to fester: The church hierarchy's decades-long practice of covering up abuse.
"The Pope still ignores the crux of the crisis—the ongoing recklessness, deceit and callousness of bishops who, even now, protect predators instead of children," said Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.
After the crisis exploded this year, the Vatican initially described it as a campaign whipped up by the media. Over time, the Vatican has recognized that the church is to blame for not stopping the abuse sooner.
The pope and Vatican have dismissed claims that the abuse was fueled over the decades by traditional church practices such as priestly celibacy. Instead, Pope Benedict has said that the sex-abuse crisis is a result of individual failings of priests unprepared for the pressures of life as a priest in the modern world.
"In admitting men to priestly ministry and in their formation we will do everything we can to weigh the authenticity of their vocation and make every effort to accompany priests along their journey," the pope said on Friday.
Pope Benedict delivered his remarks at the close of a conference marking the end of the "Year for Priests," which the Vatican planned as a celebration of the priesthood's role of moral leadership in modern society.
The scandal has cut deep into the Catholic Church's credibility at a time when Pope Benedict is grappling with declining flocks in Europe and a worldwide shortage of priests.
"The pedophilia scandal has shocked us deeply, it's not easy," said Baptiste Loevenbruck, a 26-year-old candidate for the priesthood who traveled to the Vatican from France to attend the closing ceremonies with the pope. "What is most difficult is to know that priests themselves have persecuted the Church," he said.
On Friday, the pope conceded that the sex scandal risked undercutting the year-long event.
"Had the Year for Priests been a glorification of our individual human performance, it would have been ruined by these events," he said. "But for us what happened was precisely the opposite: We grew in gratitude for God's gift."
Write to Stacy Meichtry at stacy.meichtry@wsj.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.