Last week Pope Benedict made a public plea for forgiveness for the sins of clergy raping and molesting children.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'forgiveness' as: 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'.
Let's examine the issues raised when examining the definition of forgiveness in the context of the pope's plea.
The granting of ‘free pardon’ would suggest that the forgiver would make a conscious move to erase all culpability and swiftly dismiss any recompense. This would allow the forgiven to get off Scott free as it were, perhaps as in the erasure of a debt in bad times, or in addressing the impulse of a 6 year old who found his hand in the cookie jar a wee bit close to dinner-time. An understandable concept. Right?
Pope Benedict has said, 'We too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved, while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again.’ (1)
‘We’? As my father used to say; ‘Who’s 'we,' Kimosabe?’
Deciphering the Pope’s ambiguous acknowledgement on the issue of clerical child sex abuse, he still continues to deflect responsibility and is now using the Royal ‘we,’ which encompasses a wide reach in its shovel of culpability. Adding the word 'we' to the words 'persons involved' one might be mistaken in thinking that he's referring to the church; the criminal priests, the complacent (and criminal) bishops and of course the Pope himself. You'd be wrong. He's including the victims and the rest of us as ingredients in his humble pie, which has been made with a glancing slight of hand.
‘We’ do not need forgiveness in the matter of the Catholic Church’s ritual abuse of it’s children. The church officials from Pope to priestly foot-soldier are the ones in need of forgiveness. But from whom; and why should they be forgiven?
This is an interesting new position from the pontiff, who three short months ago was squarely laying guilt and blame upon the Irish church, as documented in his letter to the faithful when he pronounced “considering the gravity of these offenses, and the often inadequate response to them on the part of the ecclesiastical authorities in your country.’(2) . Strong words that plainly placed all blame on the Irish Church, not the Catholic Church as a whole. Nor did he make any acknowledgement that, as it’s infallible leader, he shared in any shred of responsibility.
“The church in Ireland must first acknowledge before the Lord and before others the serious sins committed against defenseless children.” (3)
What Pope Benedict seems very capable of doing is dishing it out, but never a whisper of his own culpability in these, as yet unpronounced, crimes against humanity, for that is what they are. The rape of a child ranks right up there with murder.
In 2008 Pope Benedict celebrated his birthday at the White House with then president Bush. At that time the sex abuse scandal was rocking the U.S. Catholic Church to it’s foundations. Here too the Pope directed all responsibility back to the regions pastors. "It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged," he said. (4) Perhaps the pope needs reminding what constitutes 'reconciliation'. In order to reconcile, one has to first confess.
One year earlier the pope avoided legal criminal proceedings in Texas when the U.S. Govt. held that Pope Benedict had diplomatic immunity as the ‘Head of State’ of the Vatican. How convenient. The case had named Benedict as a defendant in his role as Director of the Doctrine of the Faith, which handled every case of sexual abuse within the church world-wide, under his personal directive. (5) As head of state - of the Vatican - and the Catholic Church, he is directly responsible for the endemic, pervasive and long-standing crimes against humanity - yet no court has managed to challenge him. He walks despite his leading cover-ups, bribery, coercion of children and their families to recant or suppress evidence of criminal wrong doing.
It would appear that in retracing the his own steps and statements through the past few years, the Pope is hoping to slip away unscathed; he is running out of excuses. His finger, must be tiring from all the pointing; perhaps Benedict would well remember that anytime you point a finger, there are many others pointing back at you.
I have stated before and I will state it again. The Catholic Church as an Institution appears to take it’s moves straight from the Pedophiles Modus Operandi. Let me run through a few of their similar ploys and plays. Both depend upon,
1. Control: Authority and complete unquestionable power over it’s victims and their family; often over local law-enforcement and government.
2. Fear. For years many kept silent, too afraid to speak out, afraid of being ostracized in the community with the ever present threat of excommunication. (see ‘Crimen sollicitationis’). (3)
3. Guilt. As an institution the church adhered to it’s own canonical laws when convenient - ‘crimen sollicitationis’- forcing many victims to make penance for their sins; the sin of being a victim. (Who makes this stuff up?)
4. Shift Blame. Already church leaders have tried to blame everything from homosexuality, to the old favorite - the Jews, the secularization of society, etc, etc.
5. Denial. Avoid culpability - denial doesn’t seem to be working anymore, so we are left with one option.
6. Arrogance. Google 'Fr. Marcial Maciel,' the founder of the Legionnaires of Christ.
This latest plea from Pope Benedict leaves me to wonder if he is finally running out of rope. Let me offer him this one piece of salient advice.
Pope Benedict, before you ask forgiveness, it is necessary to first acknowledge that you, and the institution that you lead, have done wrong. You have systematically protected and covered up for the culprits of a capital crime against our children. Not a mere ‘oops’ wrong but a wrong that in the words of Christ was the most grave of all. Many observers of these crimes against children have quoted the book of Matthew and it’s reference to Jesus’ regard for children. Let me remind you of the passage. Matthew18:6 'But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.'
Pope Benedict himself from his address to the faithful in Lisbon Portugal in May 2010 hinted at the right way forward when he said, “Forgiveness cannot substitute justice.” (6)
Surely forgiveness follows justice?
Writer: Leah Tobin Contact: ltobin@goldcoastmedia.net
Sources
1. http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0611/abuse.html
3. http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_crimen-sollicitationis-1962_en.html
4. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1564528320080416
5. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169909,00.html
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