Pope Francis Must Do More to Protect Children from Catholic Church Abuse

By David Clohessy
The Guardian
April 23, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/23/pope-francis-must-do-more-to-protect-children-from-catholic-church-abuse

Sex abuse scandals bring shame to the Catholic Church across the world. Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

Pope Francis has made international headlines by breaking with a number of church traditions, but there is one that he sadly upholds. For centuries, most high ranking church officials guilty of child abuse or other crimes have been kept on the job, shuffled elsewhere, allowed to quietly retire or even promoted. That hasn’t changed: Vatican officials’ obsession with “saving face” still trumps their concern with saving children.

Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn clung to post and power for almost three years after he was convicted of failing to report a priest who took pornographic images of girls. Instead of being denounced, defrocked, or at least demoted years ago, Pope Francis accepted Finn’s resignation on April 21. Finn will get to keep his paycheck, his priesthood and even his bishop’s title. This summer, when US bishops gather for their annual meeting, he’ll likely be among them (as he has been even post-conviction).

Disgraced clergy often live comfortably ensconced in respectable or even prestigious church posts, basking in the glory and grandeur that accompany their exalted positions in places like Rome. Such is what passes for “accountability” in the hidebound, medieval and largely self-serving Catholic hierarchy.

By graciously letting Finn step away from his duties as head of a diocese, Francis is following the lead of his predecessors. He missed a golden opportunity to signal to both his bishops and his flock that he is serious about tackling child abuse. The Pope should have said he was stripping Finn of every role and title in the church, because he knowingly refused to do his civic and moral duty: calling police when he learned that children might have been hurt. Instead, his passive, vague acceptance of Finn’s resignation fails to deter others in high church offices from ignoring, minimizing, or concealing known or suspected clergy sex crimes.

Some might say that it is unrealistic to expect him to be more aggressive, but that’s because many still use the conduct of previous popes as a measuring stick. Yet they set a miserable standard. Genuine reform is needed to end decades of destructive and depressing church scandals and that means breaking with the past. Yes, heads should roll when the faith - and indeed entire lives - of dozens of innocent children have been needlessly shattered by horrific betrayal.

Francis is celebrated by many for being a brilliant and caring man; in some respects he is also a courageous leader. He’s made great strides in improving church finances, governance and morale. But the decisiveness he’s shown in other areas seems sorely lacking when it comes to the abuse. Increasingly, he is saying the right words, making warm gestures and taking very small, safe steps forward when it comes to these crimes. But leadership also requires firm discipline, not just soothing words and comforting symbols.

When the pontiff can’t bring the hammer down hard on one of the globe’s most egregious and well-documented bishops complicit in child abuse cover-ups, he does a disservice to disillusioned Catholics who expect real reform. Worse, he lets down those who need his protection most: our children.