While abuse victims see statement to Irish as clear failure, flock divided
Pope Benedict XVI’s first pastoral letter on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church drew sharp criticism yesterday from local victims and their advocates, who said the pope failed to place responsibility on church hierarchy, acknowledge his own role in the crisis, and address its multinational nature.
But among area parishioners attending evening Mass yesterday, reaction was mixed. Some joined victims in calling the letter a missed opportunity, while others welcomed it as a balm for wounds left by the abuse scandal.
Some were unfamiliar with the 4,500-word letter, which was directed at Catholics in Ireland and will be read at churches across that country today. The pope expresses “shame and remorse’’ while apologizing to abuse victims and their families, and he chastises Irish bishops for their “grave errors of judgment’’ over the years in mishandling reports of abuse.
“While this is very lengthy and much more emotional than anything he’s said before . . . he still isn’t calling for any of his bishops to resign, he still is not demanding that they disclose the names of the abusers and the files, and the names of the enabling bishops and other church officials,’’ said Anne Barrett Doyle, codirector of BishopAccountability.org, a Waltham nonprofit research group that documents the sexual abuse crisis. “So he’s not really calling for accountability. He’s just simulating that.’’
Related links:
Anger and disappointment in Ireland as the Pope's letter fails to heal – by Carissa Casey in Dublin – Telegraph.co.uk – Read more
Vatican failed to heed sex abuse lessons from Canada – by Sandro Contenta - Toronto Star - Read more
Arrogant, corrupt, secretive – the Catholic church failed to tackle evil – by Fintan O'Toole – guardian.co.uk – Read more
Pope Offers Apology, Not Penalty, for Sex Abuse Scandal – by RACHEL DONADIO and ALAN COWELL – The New York Times – Read more
Irish public unmoved by pope's apology – by Henry McDonald, Ireland editor – guardian.co.uk – Read more
Father Hans Kung blames Catholic views on sex for clerical child abuse – by Ruth Gledhill – Mar 9, 2010 - Times Online - Read more
Pope letter on Catholic sex abuse scandal meets Irish skepticism - Christian Science Monitor - Read more
Merkel demands "truth and clarity" on abuse scandal – Reuters – Read more
Pope's Irish letter faces critical Catholic world - By Shawn Pogatchnik - Associated Press Write – Boston.com – Read more
Doctor: Catholic Church ignored my warnings about child molester – Frederik Pleitgen - CNN International - Read more
Will the pope's pastoral letter on child sex abuse silence the critics? - Deutsche Welle – Read more
Full Disclosure - The Roman Catholic Church must confront its failings with contrition – TimesOnline – Read more
Kids Are Being Hurt!!!
This about the reckless endangerment of children in a calculated, purposeful strategy to protect the institutional Church - By Jason Walsh – December 2, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor – Read more
New Catholic Sex Abuse Findings: Gay Priests Are Not the Problem – by DAVID GIBSON – Politics Daily - November 18, 2009 - Read more
Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation, Dr. Gregory Herek, University of California at Davis & Yale University & City University of New York – Read more
RC hierarchy child sexual abuse “cover-ups” ordered by Benedict XVI to avoid public outrage & criminal charges - falsely accused gay priests WATERGATE? Read more
Ratzinger, Hurley, Maida & Accomplices - Kids Are Being Hurt!!! (Sequential Order of Reactions) Read more
"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
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