UNITED STATES
Ledger-Enquirer
Mary Sanchez
Millions of Catholics eagerly await Pope Francis’ arrival in the United States this fall. Like no other Christian leader in recent years, this humble, empathetic man has moved the world with simple words and deeds of virtue.
Yet whatever pleasant surprises and breakthroughs may be in store during the trip — which includes a stop in Cuba, speeches before Congress and the U.N., and an outdoor mass that will likely draw millions in Philadelphia — joy will be tainted by an unmistakable pall. The Catholic Church in America is still weighted by the sex abuse scandal, in the image it projects to those outside the faith, by the financial costs of the settlements, and in how it has divided those who remain in the pews.
I would have liked Francis to witness the conversation I did between two women this week in Kansas City. They spoke in hushed tones, alternating between anguish and tenderness, before parting with an embrace. The women had never met before.
A news conference had brought them together, and they discovered that they had an unholy bond. They believe that, decades ago, they were abused by the same priest, who is now dead. It was long ago, before they married and had children, before their hair began to gray, but the wounds were raw.
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