…But defensiveness and institutional self-protection are not Gospel values. "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." by E. J. Dionne

E. J. Dionne: Church's worldly weakness - Philadelphia Inquirer

The Vatican has dealt with the sexual abuse scandals as other institutions would. It should be relying on its Christian values.

How in the name of God can the Roman Catholic Church put the pedophilia scandal behind it?

I do not invoke God's name lightly. The church's problem is, above all, theological and religious. Its core difficulty is that, rather than drawing on its Christian resources, the church has acted almost entirely on the basis of this world's imperatives and standards.

It has worried about lawsuits. It has worried about its image. It has worried about itself as an institution and about protecting its leaders from public scandal. In so doing, it has made millions of Catholics righteously furious and aggravated every one of its problems.

So instead of going away, the scandal keeps coming back - lately, in a form that seems to challenge Pope Benedict XVI himself. It was sickening to read Thursday's New York Times story reporting that Vatican officials "did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church."

In Germany, the pope's home country, more than 300 victims have come forward in recent weeks, and Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose party has Catholic roots, called the scandal "a major challenge for our society."

…The church needs to show it understands the flaws of its own internal culture by examining its own conscience, its own practices, its own reflexes when faced with challenge. As the church rightly teaches, acknowledging the true nature of our sin is the one and only path to redemption and forgiveness. Read complete article – Philadelphia Inquirer 

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

Kids Are Being Hurt!!!

"Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well-considered, and yet fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child's spirit." Erik Erikson

Georgetown University 

E.J. Dionne Jr.

Professor

GEORGETOWN PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTE (GPPI)

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr. excels in defining for readers the strengths and weaknesses of competing political philosophies. His analysis of American politics and trends of public sentiment is recognized as among the best in the business. He believes America is about to enter a new progressive era, a period of reform in government and renewed civic activism in our communities. Photo

Dionne spent fourteen years with the New York Times, reporting on state and local government, national politics, and from around the world, including stints in Paris, Rome, and Beirut. The Los Angeles Times praised his coverage of the Vatican as the best in two decades. Read more – Georgetown University

The Washington Post - E.J. Dionne Jr.

He is a University Professor at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution. Dionne has been a frequent commentator on politics for National Public Radio, ABC's "This Week," and NBC's "Meet the Press." His book "Why Americans Hate Politics" (1991), won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award nominee. He is also author of "Stand Up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge" (2004), and "They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate The Next Political Era" (1996).

Dionne received the American Political Science Association's annual Carey McWilliams Award in 1996 for a major journalistic contribution to the understanding of politics. In 2002, he received the Empathy Award from the Volunteers of America, and in 2004 he won the National Human Services Assembly's Award for Excellence by a Member of the Media. Read more – The Washington Post

BERKLEY CENTER for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs – Georgetown University

E.J. Dionne, Jr.

Georgetown Public Policy Institute

E.J. Dionne is an influential columnist, University Professor at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His book Why Americans Hate Politics (1991), won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award nominee. He is also author of Stand Up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge (2004), and They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate The Next Political Era (1996). In January 2008 Dionne spoke at “Debating Jim Wallis's book The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America,” an event co-sponsored by the Berkley Center and Sojourners. Read more - BERKLEY CENTER - Georgetown University