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	Catholic Author Says Pope Must Act Hamilton Spectator November 12, 2010 http://www.thespec.com/opinion/editorial/article/275411--catholic-author-says-pope-must-act Book argues that real change is needed to heal damage of clerical pedophilia WATERLOO Pope Benedict should convene a synod to deal with the issue of clerical pedophilia, said Michael Higgins, former president of St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. He said Rome needs to act to show Catholics that structural reform will bring about real change to the institution of the church. Higgins, now vice-president for mission and Catholic identity at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., has just released his newest book on the difficult issue of priests and sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. “I hope this book serves as a primer, a template for enlightened and informed discussion,’’ Higgins said in Kitchener this month. The book, Suffer the Children Unto Me: An Open Inquiry into the Clerical Sex Abuse Scandal, is co-authored by journalist and lawyer Peter Kavanagh. It is published by Novalis. At the end of the book, Higgins suggests changes to the way priests are educated, such as creating a nurturing environment at the seminary recognizing sexual maturation, and looking at the ordination of married priests. Higgins said the largest religious denomination in the United States is Catholic with 75 million adherents, and the second largest group is lapsed Catholics. “The younger Catholics drift away with disappointment, not anger,’’ he said. “Catholics understand human frailty when it comes to abuse, but it’s the abuse of power and authority and the inadequate response by the church that leads many to leave the church.” Higgins said he hopes his book will be used as a text by bishops, priests and lay people to openly talk about the crisis of abuse. Damage control by the church to avoid a scandal doesn’t work, said Higgins, who was president of St. Thomas University in New Brunswick after leaving St. Jerome’s in 2006. He said he and Kavanagh decided to write the book and take a critical look at the media that write the stories and inform the public and how the church as an institution responds. Higgins said often when Catholics hear news related to clerical abuse, they are not sure if it’s a new case, or “regular disclosure” of a continuing case. “The information becomes cumulative,” causing confusion among Catholics and resentment toward the church. He said the church contributes to the confusion by being vague and unhelpful when approached by journalists during a crisis. “Media reports feed the defensiveness of the church and the church becomes suspicious. It’s a vicious cycle,’’ Higgins said. He said because of its sheer size, prominence and power, the Roman Catholic Church is often attacked by the media and by dissenters. “The Catholic Church is the elephant in the room. It’s centuries old, and it’s public and visible, making it easy to attack,’’ Higgins said. A recent example of what he calls media hype was the arrest of Bishop Raymond Lahey. The 69-year-old cleric was charged with possessing and importing child pornography in September 2009. Lahey resigned as head of the Catholic diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia. He goes to trial next spring. Higgins said the Lahey arrest spurred the book on clerical sex abuse. Higgins said he was stunned at the speed of judgment passed on the bishop by the media and the public. In his book, he describes the days after Lahey’s arrest as “fuelled by a media frenzy usually accorded genocidal maniacs, disgraced press barons, stubborn and evasive former prime ministers, and befuddled host-consuming politicians.’’ Higgins said the day the news broke about Lahey he was at the installation of the new Lieutenant Governor in New Brunswick, Graydon Nicholas, the first First Nations man to hold the office and a personal friend. Higgins said he and his wife were in line and entering through the doors when his cellphone rang. A CBC producer was on the line. “She was in tears,’’ he said. She said her father was proud of Bishop Lahey for his work in the diocese and his role in addressing victims of clerical sex abuse from Mount Cashel. “She asked me, ‘What do I say to my father now?’” Higgins said. He said bishops and other chancery officials who have read his book may claim he is against the church and the book is “an exercise in bishop-bashing,’’ he said. Higgins, a devout Catholic, said nothing is further from the truth. This book, his 13th, was the first time he looked at the difficult issue of the clergy and sexual abuse. He said church officials “don’t want to talk about the issue because it’s painful. Why open the wounds, they ask.’’ “I don’t like to write about the underside of the church, but I felt a moral obligation,’’ Higgins said.
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