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	Pope Orders Bishops to Investigate Accusations New York Times April 20, 2002 http://www2.jsonline.com:80/news/intl/apr02/36937.asp Rome - Pope John Paul II explicitly addressed sex scandals involving priests Saturday, ordering bishops to "diligently investigate accusations" against those who break their vows of celibacy and chiding any who might see the priesthood as an easy life. In his most direct and extensive remarks since the scandal started convulsing the American church, the pope made clear that mandatory celibacy is not open to discussion, either during the planned Vatican meetings with American cardinals, or at any other time. The pope has summoned all American cardinals for meetings Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss possible solutions to the sex abuse scandals. Many American Catholics see mandatory celibacy as one cause of the scandals. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles said last week that he intends to put the issue of whether priests should be allowed to marry on the table at the meetings. Several American cardinals have spoken out on the abuse issue in recent days, acknowledging that they are on a mission to restore their credibility and bolster their moral leadership, though none but Mahony has addressed doctrinal issues. On the eve of his departure for Rome, Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York issued a letter to be read this weekend in parishes throughout the archdiocese. In the letter, Egan asks for prayers as "I embark upon this important journey," and, for the first time, acknowledges that mistakes may have been made in the handling of sexual abuse cases both in New York and in Bridgeport, Conn., when he previously served as bishop. No deal on celibacy Saturday, the pope made clear, as he has in the past, that clerical celibacy was not open for discussion. In a speech to bishops visiting from Nigeria, he said, "The value of celibacy as a complete gift of self to the Lord and his church must be carefully safeguarded." He said, "The life of chastity, poverty and obedience willingly embraced and faithfully lived confutes the conventional wisdom of the world and challenges the commonly accepted vision of life." He told bishops to aggressively address allegations of misconduct. "Behavior which might give scandal must be carefully avoided, and you yourselves must diligently investigate accusations of any such behavior, taking firm steps to correct it where it is found to exist." The pope also suggested that the church should strive to be more open in its response to scandals. "It is of the utmost importance that openness, honesty and transparency should always be the hallmark of everything that the church does." In unusually direct language, John Paul warned priests that their lives were not supposed to be easy. "The priesthood must never be seen as a means for improving one's lot in life or in terms of gaining prestige," he said. Many at the Vatican see the sex abuse scandals as a result of morally lax attitudes, and they say some priests need to be reminded that they are called to live in austerity. The pope took up that theme when he said, "Priests and candidates for the priesthood often live at a level both materially and educationally superior to that of their families and the members of their own age group. It is therefore very easy for them to succumb to the temptation of thinking of themselves as better than others. "When this happens," he told the bishops, "the ideal of priestly service and self-giving dedication can fade, leaving the priest dissatisfied and disheartened." He said priests must instead imitate Christ's "complete self-giving for the sake of the flock and the advancement of the Kingdom." George Weigel, the pope's biographer, called Saturday's remarks "an ongoing theme of this pontificate that has obviously reached a new level of urgency" in light of the scandals.
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