"No He Didn't..."
Dear Pope Francis: Did you really say this in a recent interview? In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Francis acknowledged the “profound” wounds abuse leaves, but then added: “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that has moved with transparency and responsibility. No one has done more. And yet the church is the only one that has been attacked.”
Dear Pope Francis:
Did you really say this in a recent interview?
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Francis acknowledged the “profound” wounds abuse leaves, but then added: “The Catholic Church is perhaps the only public institution that has moved with transparency and responsibility. No one has done more. And yet the church is the only one that has been attacked.”
See, here’s the thing: I’d like to clarify some facts. First, the Protestant churches and Jewish movements in the U.S. began dealing with clergy sexual abuse in the mid 1980s way before the pedophilia scandal came to light. They certainly still have a way to go but at least these faith communities have been at this task. They have also taken their share of lumps from necessary media coverage and law suits both of which have motivated change and some degree of transparent response.
In case you haven’t been keeping up with U.S. media, universities and the military have been similarly challenged and both continue to struggle to respond with some degree of public accountability.
Second, a little advice here: whenever you follow your expressions of concern for the wounds created by priests’ abuse of congregants (which I believe are sincere) with these defensive statements, you completely discredit your assertions of concern. You confirm once again that the Vatican and Bishops just don’t get it.
A confessional stance and a little humility would go a long way to creating a context for an authentic response. So may I suggest an alternative statement we’d like to see:
Pope Francis, when asked about steps to implement the work of his commission on the sexual abuse of children, said: “Sadly the church has been remiss and we have not done enough yet to respond to this profound crisis among us. Other public institutions are ahead of us and we will look to them for expertise and models that we can learn from. We know that the media will continue to hold our feet to the fire until we get this right. We would expect no less.”
Instead of spending time defending what you haven’t done, use your resources to get on with the difficult task of really addressing the need for response, transparency and accountability. Then you can begin the long journey back to restoring the moral credibility of the Roman Catholic Church, which is now in tatters, and supporting the healing of so many who have been harmed.
Your sister in Christ,
Rev. Dr. Marie M. Fortune
www.faithtrustinstitute.org
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You are so right on.
I was taught to "fess up," and get on with it.
As frustrating as it is, don't give up.
Bless your heart and your ministry.
Dawn