Dear Pope: A “Mystery”?
I’m puzzled. In a recent talk in Ireland about the sexual abuse of children by priests, you described the situation as a “mystery” when you addressed the Eucharistic Congress.
I’m puzzled. In a recent talk in Ireland about the sexual abuse of children by priests, you described the situation as a “mystery” when you addressed the Eucharistic Congress.
“How are we to explain the fact that people who regularly received the Lord's body and confessed their sins in the sacrament of Penance have offended in this way?" said the pope, referring to church staff who abused children. "It remains a mystery," he said. "Yet evidently their Christianity was no longer nourished by joyful encounter with Jesus Christ. It had become merely a matter of habit."
Webster defines “mystery” as “something not understood or beyond understanding.” It is really no mystery that some priests, pastors, rabbis, coaches, etc. have sexually abused children. They are predators. And contrary to some opinions, being ordained as a clergyperson does not magically mean that clergy then do no harm and commit no sin. Learning that a priest is a predator and then leaving him in place or simply moving him around does nothing to protect other children or to help him with the hole in his soul.
The real mystery here is why it appears that the common practice by Bishops for years in the Catholic Church was to leave predatory priests in positions with access to vulnerable children and youth, cover for them, and not report them to law enforcement where their crimes could be addressed. This is the mystery that is beyond the understanding of most laity and many priests and religious.
Your rhetoric in discussing the child sexual abuse crisis has improved in recent years. But describing sexual abuse by clergy as a “mystery” is a setback.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune
FaithTrust Institute
www.faithtrustinstitute.org
P.S. I will reserve judgment on your choice in hiring Greg Burke, a news correspondent for FOX News as your new communications consultant. Perhaps Mr. Burke can help you find your way out of this mystery.
A Mystery?