The Latest on Catholic Clergy Abuse Scandals

Headlines on Catholic clergy abuses direct our eyes to Pope Benedict XVI, Church Leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The victims of pedophiles and child molestations have now a "louder voice" with the recent publication of the New York Times article on March 24 by Laurie Goodstein entitled "Vatican Declined to Defrock US Priest Who Abused Boys". This article spurred a media frenzy focusing on Pope Benedict XVI's role, as a former Vatican Cardinal in charge of Catholic sex abuse cases. Pressured to be accountable, the Catholic Church is condemned to own up to her transgressions.

The Media and their Perspective

The frightening increase of sexual abuse cases against children worldwide is being addressed by the media; only the spotlight is focusing on the Catholic Church. The central message to the world is the Catholic Church harbors sexual abusers with no concrete steps to address the situation. It is expected that the media will dig up more evidences of priestly abuses in the United States until it can pressure Pope Benedict XVI to speak up once more for a solid action plan.

The Victims and the Survivors of the Clergy Abuse

New York Times, not only ignited the deep-seated wounds of the victims, but also generated negative responses filled with hate-bashing and put downs against the Catholic Church. In the last decade, the victim's battle cry for recognition and action appeared to be dragged to oblivion by the Catholic Church authorities. The victims of Catholic clergy abuses feel vindicated by the recent media's attention to their cause.

For the victims, no child should fall prey to these perpetrators once again if the Catholic Church will admit to her inadequacies. No one can bring back their lost childhood. They seek an apology for what they have endured. The betrayal of the Catholic Church members when they disclosed the truth, has caused them great misery far worse than the abuse. Even their closest Catholic family, friends and their parish are apathetic to their plight and do not know how to respond or give emotional support. As they look towards the Catholic Church for healing and validation, the victims receive further victimization for the lack of understanding on this issue. The victims want acknowledgement from the leaders and her members that the abuse happened. Many victim survivors feel alienated by their Catholic brethren; their trauma hinders them from fully trusting again.

The clergy abuse survivors want the Catholic Church to divulge all the clerical abuse secrets in the open. They want the Catholic Church to be court-ordered to pay for the rising costs of their therapies. They want the Catholic Church, especially Pope Benedict XVI, to admit that they have not done enough. They need the Catholic Church to complete the process of what they had initially started.

The Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI, as the head of the Catholic family, can be compared to the father of a typical family beset by a crisis. When one of the father's sons is psychologically ill to the point of sexually abusing his younger sibling, the father will be first in shock upon discovery. The father will investigate all sides to the story. But, his actions will be limited by the substance of the facts that will be revealed to him. As he gets further down the truth, the father abhors the abuse. In the process of his investigations, the father will judge how to help both his children and the rest of his family in this crisis.

The father will not love the lost sheep less than the other child wounded by the sibling. The father will naturally move his ill child to place where he can get the appropriate treatment and hope for his repentance. To the victim child, the father will ensure a safe environment and therapy. He feels pain and will pray for healing for both of them. He will desire favorable outcomes especially knowing where the fate of the mentally ill will lead in the legal system.

While addressing this problem, his life continues with other pressing issues within his family. He must continue to bring hope and normalcy to his other children who are not directly affected by the abuse. The father will use his best judgment to protect all members of his family from the devastating effects of a scandal by solving the problem in a low profile manner. He will not announce to the world his dirty laundry. The unwarranted pressure from the media or outside spectators will undermine his efforts to facilitate change within his family. The father's actions will be criticized no matter what road he takes for the world sees him accountable as the leader of his family. The world cannot judge him for his limitations and lack of action just because they cannot see in detail what he has accomplished so far behind closed doors.

The father has a very sick son. The Catholic Church has some very sick priests. The father will aim to shed light to the sick son and brace him to face the consequences of his actions. The father is working on creating a safer environment by establishing preventive measures to protect the rest of his children. The father will aim to bring back the victim child to his or her home after the horrendous experience. The Catholic Church desires to welcome the clergy abuse victims back home as well.

Secular Society

While it is very clear for practicing Catholics to separate the priest in his humanity from his Church, the secular society treats the priests in community with the Catholic Church. In other words, secular Americans cannot draw the line between the child abuse incidences as separate from the Catholic Church. The erring priests are treated as a collective unit. In the same analogy, when an erring son makes criminal acts towards his family members, society judges each member of the family collectively and maligns the father for the scandal. Secular America is judging the Catholic Church family instead of leaving them alone to work this out.

Conclusion

Though it seems that the latest Catholic Church scandal will reflect a distaste for future priestly vocations, Catholics understand the critical role of priests in their faith. Zander Campbell, a 17 year old teen attending the St. Michael Catholic parish in Gastonia in North Carolina feels that his Catholic faith and desire to become a priest are unaffected amidst the scandal. He states that " An apple that costs $1, when stolen by a thief, will still have the value of $1 even if the thief got it for free." In other words, even if the priests' actions stole away the reputation of the Catholic Church through their abusive behaviors, the Catholic Church's value to her members will remain unwavering. From the blunders of her weak shepherds, the Catholic Church will learn and come out stronger, enduring her mission.

Sources:

"Retrospective on Clergy Child Abuse", FatherJoe.Com

Bruce Nolan, "American bishop urges Catholics to 'besiege" New York Times, Nola.Com

Edward Pentin, "Navarro-Valls on the Abuse Crisis", National Catholic Register, NCRegister.Com

Kelly Clark ,"Causes and Effects of Abuse", Snapnetwork.org