BishopAccountability.org
	Church Must Confess Extent of Sex Abuse Cover-up Philly Burbs March 11, 2011 http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/opinion/editorials/church-must-confess-extent-of-sex-abuse-cover-up/article_eba73f92-c99d-50af-a130-5dc5c8bc1761.html IF YOU'RE A DEVOUT Catholic, and maybe even if you're not, headlines like the one that topped our Thursday edition - "Suspended priests are named" - must tear at your soul. What followed was a story identifying 21 priests who have been relieved of their duties by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia pending further investigation into allegations that they were involved in molesting children. The story hit very close to home: Photographs further identified five of the six accused priests who worked either in Bucks or Montgomery County. The archdiocese has been engaged in full-time damage control ever since a scathing grand jury report last month led to rape charges against two other priests, a former priest and a former Catholic school teacher. The grand jury also charged a high-ranking church official, a monsignor, with covering up the crimes. And it said perhaps as many as 37 priests remained in the ministry even after the archdiocese learned of their offenses against children. In a message to the faithful on Ash Wednesday, Cardinal Justin Rigali said: "The archdiocese is having re-examined cases of concern to the grand jury +. We are likewise re-evaluating the way we handle allegations. The protection of children is paramount." Many would question that last statement, and for good reason. As repulsive as the actions of individual priests against vulnerable children are, what has greatly angered so many within and outside Catholicism is the apparent church subculture that in some cases at least turned a blind eye toward clerical abuse and was more interested in protecting the abusers than the abused. This organizational cover-up can in no way be defended, and anyone with any knowledge of it must share the condemnation. Shortly after the grand jury released its report, Rigali gave assurances that no priests remained in the ministry who had admitted to or faced allegations of sexual abuse of children. Given the latest suspensions, did the cardinal misspeak? Or are he and other church officials genuinely in the dark about what's going on in the parishes of the diocese? The church must be thorough in reviewing the accusations that prompted the suspension of almost two dozen priests and cooperate fully with civil authorities. More importantly, as Rigali noted, church officials must look inwardly to determine, in political parlance, what they knew and when they knew it. And then, in the spirit of the church's own sacrament of penance, make a good confession, seek forgiveness - in this case from the church community - and then vow to sin no more. Indeed, the church teaches that forgiveness is never out of reach, even for the most egregious of offenses. But recognizing the offense, admitting it, expressing remorse and promising not to repeat it are all necessary steps in the process. The Catholic Church must own up to its role in the priest sex abuse scandal, however deeply it was and maybe still is involved. That's the only way it can restore the faith of the faithful.
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