Un Report on Catholic Priest Sex Abuse, and a Chance for Pope Francis: Editorial

Star-Ledger
February 5, 2014

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2014/02/un_report_on_catholic_priest_s.html

Monseigneur Silvano Maria Tomasi, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office in Geneva, speaks during the so-called Geneva II peace talks conference dedicated to the ongoing conflict in Syria, on Jan. 22

The most surprising thing about today’s scathing United Nations rebuke of the Vatican over decades of unchecked child abuse had nothing to do with its content. The allegations of systemic rape and cover-ups weren’t new, nor even shocking. The report compiles a tragic list of known crimes, and scolds the Catholic Church for inaction.

The surprise, instead, was the church’s response: outright criticism of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which conducted the inquiry, coupled with the tired “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” defense the church reserves for its strongest critics.

At its lowest point, the Vatican’s response accused the committee – a panel of independent experts on global children’s issues, not UN member states – of being co-opted by gay rights and gay marriage supporters.

The clumsy retort shows that Pope Francis – who’s winning fans even among the world’s atheists for his commentary on emerging issues of gay rights and income inequality – hasn’t scratched the surface of the church’s Dark Ages mindset.

The UN report denounced the church’s “code of silence,” and called on the Vatican to compensate victims and punish their abusers – including those who protected abusive priests. The report also called for the pope’s newly formed abuse commission to thoroughly investigate the church’s conduct over decades, to require all abuse be reported to police, and to support laws that allow victims to report crimes even after a statute of limitations has expired.

During a hearing last month, the Holy See spoke proudly the steps the church has taken to protect children in the past decade – and today complained that the UN panel ignored its progress. More likely, the committee saw them for what they are: window dressing.

Benyam Mezmur, a committee member from Ethiopia, told reporters the committee wanted to see concrete measures, not wishful thinking.

“The Committee on the Rights of the Child is not in the business of saying ‘Well said,’” Mezmur said. “We are in the business of saying ‘Well done.’”

The UN report is an opportunity for the Holy See and Pope Francis to finally get it right – and to craft a concrete, meaningful response that addresses the church’s past crimes, punishes the guilty, compensates the victims and, finally, sets a path that provides for the safety of future generations of Catholic children.