Posted on 04/17/2008 10:00:29 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Pope Benedict XVI chided Americans for a moral breakdown he said had fueled the church's child sex abuse scandal, ahead of an open-air mass before tens of thousands here Thursday. Gates opened at Washington's new sports stadium before dawn so that an expected 48,000 people could trickle through stringent security measures to attend the mass at 10:00 am (1400 GMT).
Benedict received a rapturous White House welcome Wednesday and met privately with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, before addressing the pedophile priest scandal that has rocked the US church in a speech to US Catholic bishops.
Thousands of people gathered at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception late Wednesday whooped, cheered and whistled when the Popemobile pulled up outside.
The basilica's bells pealed, and inside the largest Catholic church in North America, people had no qualms about climbing onto pews to catch a glimpse as Benedict entered.
In a speech delivered after evening prayer, the pontiff berated the bishops for their poor handling of a scandal surrounding sexual abuse of children in the church.
But he urged efforts "to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores" as well as a reassessment of "the values underpinning society."
"What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" the pontiff said on the first full day of his US visit.
"Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today."
Describing clerics who sexually abuse children as "gravely immoral," the octogenarian pope warned that the scourge of pedophilia "is found not only in your dioceses but in every sector of society."
"It calls for a determined, collective response," he said, but did not outline any firm action that the Vatican intended to take to purge the church of pedophile priests.
The US Catholic church plunged into its worst crisis in 200 years in 2002 when the archbishop of Boston confessed he had protected a priest who had sexually abused young members of his church -- opening a floodgate of thousands of similar abuse cases around the country dating back decades.
Benedict angered victim support groups by praising the bishops' efforts to heal the wounds from the scandal.
"Five years ago, US bishops begrudgingly adopted some minimal promises on paper. There's no evidence to suggest they've had any real impact," Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), told AFP.
"The pope continues to stand behind his men - the bishops who conceal clergy sex crimes," said another SNAP member, Joelle Casteix.
"What the pope should be doing is assuring Catholics worldwide that any bishop who shields a predator will lose his job and the priests will be swiftly defrocked," she said.
Earlier Wednesday, on the first papal visit to the White House in three decades, the Roman Catholic pontiff urged Bush to prefer diplomacy to war as a way of resolving conflicts.
But aside from mentioning the plight of Iraqi Christians, he skirted mention of the Iraq war, on which the Bush administration and Vatican do not see eye to eye.
Benedict and Bush expressed concern for Christians in war-torn Iraq, agreed on the need to create a Palestinian state, and said Lebanon must be free of undue foreign influence, according to a joint statement.
The pope urged the United States to treat immigrants humanely, and called on Americans to spurn materialism and shun secularism.
On the second day of his US trip -- his 81st birthday -- the pope drew raves more befitting a rock star than the head of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.
Under a cloudless sky, Bush welcomed Benedict with a 21-gun salute, a famed soprano singing a soaring "Lord's Prayer," and an earnest "peace be with you."
Some 13,500 people packed the mansion's South Lawn waving little Vatican and US flags, as cries of "viva il Papa!" (long live the pope) mingled with the two national anthems and two choruses of "happy birthday" for the pontiff.
Thursday, after saying mass at Nationals' Stadium, Benedict plans to meet with Jewish representatives after an inter-faith gathering at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington.
That, and a planned stop at a New York synagogue, appear aimed at quelling Jewish unhappiness over the revival for the Latin Rite mass of the 16th century "Prayer for Jews" in which Catholics pray for the conversion of Jews.
I agree. Our local school teacher ran an escort service that apparently slipped by the vetting procress.
We have women teachers sending lewd photos of themselves to teens and men using the classrooms as hunting grounds.
In the past, teachers were to be exemplary models of decorum and intellectual rigor.
Who can watch television or movies? I’m embarrassed by the clothes people wear and the language they use.
As Benedict said in his homily today, we must witness better.
That goes for everyone, not just Catholic christians, but all people of faith.
Do what my family has done; opt out!
Funny. All this time I thought it might just be the "moral breakdown" of those pedophile priest, you know, those under the control of the Vatican. What a warped sense of responsibility I have. Blackbird.
But he urged efforts "to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores" as well as a reassessment of "the values underpinning society."
"What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" the pontiff said on the first full day of his US visit.
"Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today."
Describing clerics who sexually abuse children as "gravely immoral," the octogenarian pope warned that the scourge of pedophilia "is found not only in your dioceses but in every sector of society."
He's factually correct. The rate of abuse among Catholic clergy is comparable to that of other clergy, and teachers. What was newsworthy about the priestly scandal, however, was the cover-up of this abuse by several bishops.
I'm glad to see Pope Benedict address the "pornification" of America, but I'm afraid that his message will be lost in the MSM's "has he said enough about the abuse crisis?" approach to this visit.
I like this Pope but this is ludicrous. People have abused children throughout human history, and many of them assume positions of authority where they can have access to children; including the position of Priest.
The breakdown in morality was when Bishops decided that moving a pedophile Priest to a new congregation was preferable to getting him prosecuted and removing him from the Priesthood.
“Better that they have Millstones tied about their necks and be cast into the depths than that they harm a child.”
When did they forget this very simple message? When will they remember?
The premise is FALSE; the breakdown in society did not lead or motivate multitudes of priests, bishops and church leaders to homosexual perversion and pedophilia. It was the lusts of their own heart and their own perverted desires that led to the raping of boys and girls for DECADES and the RC chuch did everything in it's power to cover up the scandal (including "pope" John Paul spiriting away Cardinal Bernard Law to a cushy safe from prosecution retirement in Rome.) for years and years until it could no longer be covered up. The book "The Faithful Departed" documents the facts and "the breakdown in society" excuse doesn’t cut it.
By the way, the last time I checked, the new "pope" is the same as the old “pope”, he has done everything in his power to continue to protect Bernard Law in cushy retirement from prosecution and from having to deal with any of those nasty questions about his part in protecting homosexual, pedophile, priests and church leaders throughout his so-called ministry.
I’ll just have to write this off as another sign that the entire world suffers from ADS (America Derangement Syndrome). Blackbird.
I agree with the pope on the overall message, though naturally the media and other assorted folks will run with the “he’s blaming someone else” angle. However, the scandals always seemed to be more about homosexuality than pedophilia, per se. Has he addressed specifically the issue of keeping homosexuals out of the seminaries?
Sadly, the Church's cover up, inaction, and the explanation above, casts a poor light on the good priests who devote their life to God and his teaching. Shame on the Pope for giving such an excuse.
It is the Marxist/Anarchist Teacher's Union and the Democrat party. Does Brother Benedict understand that he has been part of and is now Brother Benedict does not display leadership nor Shepherding of the flock Brother Benedict needs to seek the face of G-d and He also needs to address Roman Catholics in leadership positionsWe all know the origin of pedophilia in American society.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
in charge and responsible for the Pedophilia in the Roman church.
or he would take personal responsibility and fix the the problem.
take responsibly for the pedophilia in the Roman church.
who promote the murder of the most innocent.
I don’t think that anyone is trying to excuse the pederast priests scandal by general social mores. Would you rather the Holy Father not comment on the society we live in?
Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God's people throughout the world. Rightly, you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims. It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.
Responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the President of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was "sometimes very badly handled". Now that the scale and gravity of the problem is more clearly understood, you have been able to adopt more focused remedial and disciplinary measures and to promote a safe environment that gives greater protection to young people. While it must be remembered that the overwhelming majority of clergy and religious in America do outstanding work in bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the people entrusted to their care, it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm. In this regard, your efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care, but for all of society.
If they are to achieve their full purpose, however, the policies and programs you have adopted need to be placed in a wider context. Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person. This brings us back to our consideration of the centrality of the family and the need to promote the Gospel of life. What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today? We need to reassess urgently the values underpinning society, so that a sound moral formation can be offered to young people and adults alike. All have a part to play in this task - not only parents, religious leaders, teachers and catechists, but the media and entertainment industries as well. Indeed, every member of society can contribute to this moral renewal and benefit from it. Truly caring about young people and the future of our civilization means recognizing our responsibility to promote and live by the authentic moral values which alone enable the human person to flourish. It falls to you, as pastors modelled upon Christ, the Good Shepherd, to proclaim this message loud and clear, and thus to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores. Moreover, by acknowledging and confronting the problem when it occurs in an ecclesial setting, you can give a lead to others, since this scourge is found not only within your Dioceses, but in every sector of society. It calls for a determined, collective response.
-A8
I agree to a point. Priests who prey on children could also be part of the problem, not a result of society.
Don’t confuse Benedict’s detractors with facts.
How dare you!
No I would rather he tell the truth and be honest with the ACTUAL cause and reasons behind the rape of boys and girls by multitudes of homosexual pedophile priests and leaders within the Roman Catholic church for decades and not try to deceive the masses with false and phony excuses that try and whitewash the responsibility of the church and put the blame on "society" instead of where it really belongs.
Please cite the excuse you think His Holiness made.
EWTN aired a private interview with the Pope before his election, in which he was asked about the sex abuse crisis. I'll summarize his remarks:
jmouse. Read what the Pope actually said. He was not blaming the abuse on society. He was saying that children need to be protected. Part of protecting them is to shield them from those things in society which fuel an unhealty and unChristian view of sex. More and more we see the culture normalizing homosexual behavior, promiscuity, fornication, adultery and shameful as this is the sexualization of children. Some experts argue that intergenerational sex (their term I call it pedophilia) is not alway harmful and can even be beneficial. Its all about love you see.(sarc)
If you think these messages of the culture do not contribute to the sexual abuse of children you are very wrong. If you think pornography is not used to help break down moral barriers to profane sex you are wrong. If you think the liberization of teachings on sexuality that polluted even the seminaries had no bearing on the crisis you are wrong.
And if you really want to protect children from sexual abuse shutting down the government schools would be an excellent start.
Cardinal Law who unsuccessfully tried to cover up the crimes is being protected from the American justice system by Pope by having him work in the Vatican.
Law is not under indictment, nor is there a warrant for his arrest, nor AFAIK does anyone currently want to depose him (yet again). How is he being "protected from the American justice system" when the American justice system has no current interest in him?
That's a misleading title. The first paragraph says that he stated that it fueled the scandal. Cause and fuel are two different things, IMO.
The headline is an outright lie. Before people start criticizing the Pope, read the transcript of the entire speech. Then you have the right to discuss what you think of his intentions. His comments on the plane, and during this speech, and his private, unpublicized meeting today with actual abuse victims, all have shown in word and deed he puts clear responsibility where it is due.
In his speech most of the words about the pedophilia situation were extremely harsh on the bishops, and as soon as I heard the Pope make this ONE statement about the larger problems in society, I thought “Oh no, this is the line the MSM will pull out of context.”
Sure enough, they have, but I would not expect Freepers to be so gullible and jump to conclusions based on a biased and quite limited interpretation of a very lengthy and complex address.
Yes, he did not use the word “homosexual” but referred to the importance of candidates for the priesthood being sound, healthy men, and mentioned priestly formation rooted in values and faith. He’s also said it’s better to have fewer but better priests. He also addressed this issue in 2005.
The bishops know exactly what the Pope’s talking about, he probably prefers not to create a media frenzy by saying “homosexuals should not be priests” but he has implied that in various ways in different contexts. A few courageous bishops themselves also tried to get focus on that particular problem at their last US Conference.
“Aw, everybody does it”
The general breakdown in morals and manners is quite evident if one is old enough to remember what things were like in 1960. Thousands of priests and dozens of bishops went along with the demands of the culture. They just wanted to be relevant, to be tolerant, to be :good ole Joes” rather than shepards. When the morale of any elite corps cracks, then one gets this sort of stuff.
If Pope Benedict is truly sincere in his desire to heal the pain of the perverted priests' victims, he will defrock Bernard Law for starters. Does anyone believe this will happen?
Also, keep in mind that many or most of these priest abuses took place in the '50s. The "breakdown" of society which we now refer to did not begin in that decade.
Regardless of what has occurred in the general population, I wish the Pope wouldn't compare that to the abuses of priests.
These men, according to the Church, received a calling to dedicate their lives to God and, thereby, they took on the responsibility of leading others, adults and children, to live good and holy lives.
According to the words of the Pope, we now can view priests as not much different than the average good person who gives his/her life to caring for children, teaching them right from wrong, and always being there for them.
The laity who take care of their parents, are there for their friends, support their families, help out in many other ways, do not have to put anyone in the Church hierarchy on a higher plateau than that of themselves.
People have been willing to talk about sex abuse as well as other offenses by priests forever. What was unusual was the failure of the Church to apply its own discipline. As for the “American criminal justice system,” surely you know that prosecutors have a spotty reputation for handing cases of sexual abuse, because so many occur inside of families. That same “criminal justice system” that has just decriminalized sodomy, which is the crime of which 80% of the priestly perps were guilty . A system that seldom prosecutes gays for having sex with underage kids is supposed to prosecute gay priests?
The Cardinal didn’t bugger anyone, and his handling of the abuse cases received the right response: he was fired from his job ,or kicked upstairs if you like. What your want to do is to punish the Cardinal for poor judgement, not a crime under church law, nor really under civil law. Many a public school has sent many a school teacher on his merry way for committing actions like those ascribed to these priests. Usually it was because the parents did not want the matter to be brought to light. As in many a rape case, the victim would be injured by a prosecution by having to take the stand. Very often the school board was not made aware, and certainly the local prosecutor did not want to get involved. Out of sight, out of mind. What the Cardinal did wrong was to behave no better than a secular institution.
How dare you!”
Stop. The Church handled the sexual abuse scandal very poorly. As well, the sick priests involved were the responsibility of the Church. Yes, morals of our society have become worse over the years...But, that being said, do not try and confuse those issues of poor society morals with the sick and twisted priests which in many instances the Church was aware of, and pretty much turned a blind eye. On one hand he is correct that coinciding with the sexual abuse by the priests was a down turn in morals among society, but that is not the issue he should be addressing...He sides step same by discussing society problems as a whole, and not what transpired in the Church, waht caused it, what they are doing to ensure it does not happen again, and what they are doing to help those harmed.
This is an unpleasant issue the Church to this day has tried to side step, many reasons relating to civil legal issues, but none the less...for you to believe that people who acknowledge the Church's position in playing down these issues as detractors to the pontiff is ridiculous. I suppose if something had happened to your child at the hands of a priest maybe you would think otherwise.
The industry I am in has afforded and provided me information on many instances of the abuse these twisted individuals participated in to the degradation and assault of the children they were to shepard. The Church, per the advice of counsel for the most part, has had to keep silent as to the assaults, the cover ups. Any public statements could and would hurt any defenses to same. Unfortunately, it destroys the Church's image and standing among it's flock. As well, for the Pontiff to try and confuse social issues with this ugly predator priest problem is ridiculous and off point. He almost would have been better off saying nothing and just meesting with those affected directly privately.
Someone finally found just the "right" title...
Jmouse007 and others:
I am thankful to Pope Benedict whose writings and clear teachings are refreshing in this world of as he puts it, one that embraces “a dictatorship of relativism.” Furthermore, I appreciate the Pope for meeting with those who have been the victims of “sexual abuse” by Priests. I pray that this might be the first step toward the beginning of healing.
Still, I have some concerns as to why is it that sexual abuse of minors seems to be portrayed in the TV media as a “Catholic Problem”. I would like to point out a recent article from the Protesant/Evangelical magazine Christianity Today. The online version of the article posted on 4/10/2008 states:
“In the last three years, an average of 23 new articles each day have appeared in secular media sources revealing sexual abuse allegations arising in Protestant churches in the United States. Protestant denominations have been tempted to call sexual abuse a “Catholic Problem”; this simply is not true. within the past eight years, verdicts, judgments, or settlements exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars have been levied against Protestant churches for sexual abuse allegations arising from children participating in minstry programs.”
So, from my calculation, that is 25,185 allegations of sexual abuse of minors that happened in Protestant churches. In addition, there have been stories of huge abuse in American public schools, although I don’t have the figures to cite.
So again I have some questions, 1) Why has the TV media not covered this story, 2) Why is it that non-Catholics use the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church, which is a serious moral failure on the part of the individual priests who perpetrated this crimes, and the Seminaries who ordained these men and Bishops who failed to address the warning signs.
I think part of the reason is the secular-media, driven by the spirit of the evil one (Satan), knows who in the end is the real McCoy is, and that is the Catholic Church. It is an institution that goes back to antiquity and is one that can’t be forced by the secular-media’s agenda to conform to the spirit of the age in terms of abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, and sexual morality, etc.
In summary, as Pope Benedict alluded to, there is a dictatorship of relativism in U.S. culture that has contributed to a break down of absolutes in terms of what is right and what is wrong, which in turn is impacting the moral foundation of all America, not just Catholics and the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, the TV media (CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC) does not seem to care about sexual abuse of minors. I will exclude Fox News as Bill O’Reily on his show has helped hold judges, who don’t sentence individuals who sexual abuse minors, feet to the fire on this issue. Finally, again, I am grateful that Pope Benedict is addressing it, but it seems there are some here who will never give the man credit. It makes one wonder, if many use the failings of the Church at the human level (Catholic Theology views the Church as the Body of Christ, so just as Christ had a Divine and human nature, the Church is a visible sign of a spiritual Communion of God and Humanity), to justify not wanting to confront the moral failures in their own lives, rather than seeking reconciliation and conversion to Christ.
God Bless and Regards
bumpus ad summum
The gay subculture in the American seminaries, the breakdown of American society. They both have the same root cause and we all know what it is.
The pope is correct.
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