| In addition to documenting
assaults by more than 60 priests, the Philadelphia
report alleges a cover-up
by the late Cardinal John Krol, the former archbishop
of Philadelphia, and his successor, Cardinal Anthony
Bevilacqu, who “retired” in 2003.
A series of technicalities makes it impossible for
the perpetrators of these crimes or those who covered
up for them to be held liable. No charges can be brought
against a diocese because it is “an
unincorporated association rather than a corporation.”
In other cases, statutes of limitations have lapsed.
But surely these technicalities cannot stand in the
way of justice — certainly not when the chain
of command leads to the top of one of the world’s
largest religious institutions. Surely we can count
on the Vatican to make restitution for the damage
done to thousands of innocent children and their trusting
parents through a combination of repentance, financial
restitution, punishment where appropriate, and a thorough
examination of what went wrong at the highest levels
of the church.
Um… Would you settle for a witch-hunt
against gay seminarians in the US instead?
I hope so, because that’s all you’re
going to get. In a move uncannily reminiscent of a
certain American leader who responded to Osama Bin
Laden’s terrorist attack by invading an uninvolved
but oil-rich country, the Vatican has decided to avoid
addressing its real problem — pedophile priests
and widespread corruption throughout its leadership
— by taking a page from the Inquisition playbook.
“Better
targets,” as Rumsfeld would say.
Who cares that homosexuality is not what motivates
men to have sex with 10-year-old boys any more than
heterosexuality is what motivates men to rape women?
So what if the vows of celibacy should, and for many
years did, render moot the question of sexual identity
in the church?
The Right Reverend Franics Maniscalco, spokesman
for the US bishops’ conference, sounded like
he’d been studying Rove’s play-to-the-base
strategy when he rolled out the Vatican’s new
plan last week. “With gay rights, people have
put this forward as a lifestyle that is acceptable,"
he intoned.
But even the mainstream press isn’t fooled
this time. Even straight people understand the difference
between being a pedophile and being queer.
“The Vatican is presenting this inquiry as
‘a service’ to American bishops after
the recent sex-abuse scandals,” mulls Newsweek.
“But the investigation guidelines say nothing
about pedophilia — sex with children —
which was the problem at the center of the crisis.”
The
London Times dismisses the idea of asking after
candidates’ sexuality, noting that “The
right question is: ‘Will the candidate for the
priesthood be a potential danger to children or the
young?’”
None of which, of course, is likely to dissuade the
Vatican from its pursuit. And why would it, given
the distinguished record of its current Pope, Benedict
XVI, who rose to prominence in the Vatican as Pope
John Paul II’s enforcer?
Highlights of the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s
tenure as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith (CDF) — the Vatican’s office
of doctrinal enforcement — included opposing
Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union
on the grounds that“Europe
should be preserved as a Christian entity,”and
issuing a memo prior to last year's presidential elections
instructing
pastors to
refuse Communion to pro-choice politicians and
their supporters.
But perhaps the current Pope should best be remembered
for his past role as head of the Vatican office to
safeguard the faith and the morals of the church.
His assignment there was to investigate allegations
of wrongdoing, but his primary accomplishment was
to prevent any from surfacing.
His defense of his dear friend Father Marcial Maciel
— a leader of Catholic youth charged with molesting
dozens of the young men under his tutelage some years
back — is particularly touching in this regard.
When reporter Brian Ross from ABC News approached
Ratzinger in Rome with questions about the allegations
against Maciel in 2002, “Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger became visibly upset and actually
slapped Ross' hand."
When, in the late 90s, some of Maciel’s accusers
had filed a lawsuit in the Vatican’s secret
court that sought his excommunication, Ratzinger,
“quietly
made the lawsuit go away and shelved it. There
was no investigation and the accusers weren't asked
a single question or asked for a statement.”
Not until December of 2004, when Pope John Paul II
was clearly dying and the race for papal succession
had begun did the Vatican open a full-scale investigation
into charges against Maciel. In late May of 2005,
a month after the death of the Pope and Ratzinger’s
accession to his mentor’s post, charges were
suddenly dropped. A Vatican spokesman would only say
that there was no longer an investigation —
and that none
was expected in the future.
But then, that month after Cardinal Ratzinger’s
transformation into Pope Benedict XVI was auspicious
in many ways. One of the new pope's first actions
was to have his lawyers ask President Bush to declare
him immune from liability in a civil lawsuit that
accused him of conspiring with the Archdiocese of
Galveston-Houston to cover
up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian
in Texas during the mid-1990s. (A special thanks to
Pam
at the House Blend.)
Mere days after the story hit the news earlier this
month, the US government filed papers saying that,
“as pope, Benedict enjoys immunity as the head
of a state — the Vatican.” Allowing the
lawsuit to proceed would be "incompatible
with the United States' foreign policy interests.’”
O but it’s good to have Friends in High Places.
Nancy
Goldstein can be contaced by email at goldstein.nancy@gmail.com.
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