Why should Philadelphia host the pope's visit?

Philly.com
March 12, 2014

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20140312_Why_should_Philadelphia_host_the_pope_s_visit_.html

PRICE TAG to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia? $10 million to $15 million?

That's the figure that Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput mentioned as the cost of hosting the Catholic Church's World Meeting of Families in 2015, especially if it includes a visit by Pope Francis.

Morally, how can any religious denomination consider spending that kind of money, no matter who the contributors are?

One can understand the financial benefit to the city and to the entire area that hosting such a high-profile international meeting would have.

What mayor or governor would not be interested in figures with seven or eight numbers before the decimal point? After all, that's to be expected; it's their job. And if Pope Francis attends - Mon Dieu! Of course, Mayor Nutter and Gov. Corbett are going to Rome with Archbishop Chaput to seal the deal.

But for the church? Morally?

The people of the Archdiocese have had a pretty rough time of it these past 10 years, what with the revelations of two grand-jury reports on the Archdiocese's conspiracy in enabling and covering up the sexual abuse of so many children, the merging of their parishes and the shuttering of their churches. And then there are the school closings.

Shouldn't it be a very different story for a church in trouble?

This past First Friday, along with a few survivors of clerical sexual abuse, I was picketing for statute of limitation reform outside the Archdiocesan office building at 222 N. 17th St., so I didn't hear firsthand what was said inside. One person, however, a survivor, came out early and he said that there were no hardball questions asked at the press conference.

No hardball questions?

According to the archbishop, the 2015 event is scheduled as a five-day "celebration of traditional family life and values," a "gathering of prayer, teaching and jubilee," which "will promote Roman Catholic values," so what kinds of hardball questions could one possibly ask?

Well, when I asked a prominent Philly newsman as he exited the meeting, he recognized me and answered, "No, there is a time and place for that."

Did he really mean that a meeting concerning a world gathering on family-life values by a major religious denomination was not the time or the place to include questions about the protection of children?

Perhaps questions like:

Is it likely that Pope Francis will come to Philadelphia given the church's dark and continuing history of sexual abuse and cover-up as evidenced by the 2005 and 2011 Philadelphia grand jury reports, the decadeslong facilitation and the protection of known predators by church hierarchy and their representatives?

With this factual history of priests, bishops and their minions intimidating and threatening victims and their families with lawsuits, silencing, excommunication and even eternal damnation, can one realistically believe that people will take seriously what the church has to say about "family values"? After all, church leaders have failed to protect "the Lord's little ones" for so long.

There is also the fact that Archbishop Chaput - along with the bishops of Pennsylvania, the state's Catholic Conference and help from powerful legislators in Harrisburg - continues to oppose Senate and House bills advocating for broader statutes on the sexual abuse of children - all children.

Chaput's misrepresentation of Colorado's proposed legislation some years back successfully defeated that bill, so there's no reason to think that the same method cannot work in Pennsylvania.

Oh, and by the way, I can't make the trip to Rome because I'll be attending the National Children's Advocacy Center's 30th annual Symposium on Child Abuse, in Huntsville, Ala., from March 24 to 28.

Sister Maureen Paul Turlish

New Castle, Del.