As a Catholic, I feel compelled to respond to the recent editorial concerning the church’s response to sexual abuse scandals in Ireland and across the globe and show that the church is not complicit in the abuse of minors.
Individuals have made mistakes in handling the abuse cases, but to say that the Church, or Pope Benedict, has not or is not taking active steps toward remedying the situation is completely unfounded.
In his most recent letter to the Catholic Church in Ireland, Pope Benedict stated that “urgent action is needed” to solve the abuse crisis and that religious who violated minors must “answer for it [their actions] before almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals.”
Furthermore, he admitted that “serious mistakes were made” in dealing with the scandals and that the church would “continue to cooperate with civil authorities in their area of competence.” Benedict believes in justice both inside and outside of the church.
While these statements alone are strong enough to demonstrate Benedict’s outrage over the situation in Ireland and all over the world, he went further. Benedict announced that he intends to hold an Apostolic Visitation for certain dioceses in Ireland. This is the most intense form of investigation that the Pope can launch, requiring months of research, hours of interviews, and tireless work on the part of several bishops appointed from around the world.
However, Benedict’s efforts to cease the sexual abuse problems within the Church did not begin with this letter. Benedict’s efforts began as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (CDF) when he was put in charge of handling the abuse scandal.
In 2002, U.S. bishops developed the Dallas Charters in order to prevent future abuse of minors. Among many other guidelines the Charters established that, first, “Dioceses are to report an allegation of sexual abuse to civil authorities,” second, all dioceses will have Victim abuse Assistance Coordinators who will assure that victims voices will be heard, and third, Background checks are to be conducted on all church personnel in contact with children.
These steps are concrete resolutions to stop further abuse, but according to Cardinal Francis George, a key player in the creation of the Dallas Charters, the approval of the Charter by the Holy See was accomplished “largely through the guidance of Cardinal Ratzinger.”
Additionally, Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, played a crucial role in allowing for direct administrative action by Bishops in sexual abuse cases instead of the usual lengthy canonical trials.
The progress made under Pope Benedict has been significant. An independent survey concluded that the number of sexual abuse allegations in 2009 was the lowest since the survey began in 2004. While even one allegation is unacceptable, the actions taken by the Catholic Church and Benedict himself to protect the faithful provide ample evidence that strides are being made to correct the problem. This, at least, is undeniable.
Joe Hart is a freshman majoring in economics and German.
