Commentary Upon The Recent Remarks of Pope Francis Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Law Office of Michael J. Kinslow
July 15, 2014

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This week, a Church expert stated that one in fifty priests of the Roman Catholic Church has sexually abused a child. That statistic includes bishops and cardinals. The expert, Pope Francis, described the scourge of childhood sexual abuse within his ranks as a leprosy. The Pope admits that which cannot be denied by any reasonable mind: that many more in the Church are guilty of covering up the scourge. The statements were made in a recent interview the Pope had with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

While the Pope’s recognition of the scourge is welcomed, the time for words alone has long passed. Vigorous action is required. Action more intense then that employed by those who inflicted, facilitated, and ratified the abuse of children. The bishops in the Pope’s church have lost their moral authority to lead on the issue. They must stop treating survivors and their families as adversaries. Openness in the extreme is required to move the Church forward. Real hope will emerge only after the bishops produce the records of their actions and cooperate with civil and law enforcement officials investigating the scourge in jurisdictions all across the globe. The bishops must stand down in their lobbying and public relations efforts to thwart the rights of survivors and state officials to access courts to investigate wrongs committed and remedy the damage inflicted. Stop fighting against the reform of statutes of limitations that would pave the way to Lady Justice atop courthouses. Cease the efforts at cover-up and let the sun created by God shine on in. In sum and substance, the Pope must order his men to get out of the way and allow the day of reckoning, which must precede reconciliation, to dawn.

As an advocate who stands with survivors, I have seen time and again the re-victimization which occurs when the words and public relations efforts of those responsible for childhood sexual abuse do not match their conduct toward the survivor who has found the courage to come forward. I have also seen the strength that emerges when a survivor is able to access the civil and criminal justice systems and confront those responsible for their abuse. I chose a policy that promotes the latter. His Holiness, Francis, should do the same.