Simple Human Decency

National Survivor Advocates Coalition
July 3, 2012

http://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/editorials/

These days at the Vatican are about like the last days of a US Supreme Court session, lots of things come tumbling out in rapid succession.

In the Vatican's dash to head for the hills, literally, for cooler weather, the announcement was made of the new head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

He is Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller. He is German. He is the Bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria. He is the editor of the 16 volume work in progress "Complete Works of Joseph Ratzinger. He's had, according to news reports, a long standing friendship with Gustavo Guttierez, the Peruvian Dominican who is the founder of the Liberation Theology movement.

But we think the most significant thing about him is that when he had the chance to protect children and deal directly and forthrightly with a parish and everyone else, he chose to reinstate a priest, Peter Kramer, in 2004 after Kramer's conviction in 2000 for sexual abuse.

This is the ranking Vatican official who will be dealings with sexual abuse cases.

We believe his actions when he faced the decision about how to handle an abuser should clearly be in the forefront of how the whole Church looks at this appointment.

We ask our readers, all Catholics and all men and women of goodwill to juxtapose the Church's statements – in the persons of the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, heads of Bishops Conferences, and heads of the National Review Board, — against reality.

This specific reality of a Bishop- who automatically became an Archbishop with today's announcement – lets us know that within the last eight (8) years – not decades, years, — the protection of the priest perpetrator trumped the protection of children. This doesn't even appear to be any evidence of a skirmish, let alone of struggle, of conscience.

What would cause this man to act differently when he assumes high office?

Nothing, short of a road to Damascus experience – which in his line of work is still possible.

But short of that, we believe it is incumbent upon the supporters of survivors, not to go gently into the good night of this appointment and thereby giving silent approval, or implicit resignation that resistant is futile, or worse, impolite in the face of papal appointment.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affects the whole Church. The person who heads it is significant to the whole Church.

We believe one of the concentrated groups of people who should speak out loudly, intelligently, with wisdom but also with indignation are the nuns.

This man is the mountain unto whom they current cause is lashed.

If not for the purest of motives – those of the unbending staking of the ground that all innocent and vulnerable life must be protected including unknowing children and their parents upon whom is forced a sexual predator as a leader — then at least for the enlightened self interest one of taking the offensive against the newest sheriff in town.

Besides the nuns themselves, we believe their supporters, — those along the roadsides and in the lecture halls, the community rooms, and the small personal gatherings of the Nuns on The Bus Tour – should be in the thick of this, too.

For indeed, the Pope can act decisively and swiftly against any bishop when he puts his mind to it.

Case in point, the unceremonious removal that was also part of the great Summer leavetaking at the Vatican.

Robert Bezak, Archbishop of Trnava, Slovakia, was removed from his position. No reason given.

The same thing should happen to bishops who reinstate convicted priest perpetrators.

Simple human decency should be the wording under the calligraphy of reason.

Contact: Kristineward@hotmail.com