Well of course he has condemned “clerical sex abuse” as “an absolute monstrosity”. What he has not done is to take any official responsibility for “the Church” which implemented policies to hide and cover up specific instances of sexual abuse.
The so-called “apology” continues:
I am happy that others can read his testimony today and discover how far evil can enter the heart of a servant of the Church.
How can a priest at the service of Christ and his Church cause so much harm? How can someone who devoted their life to lead children to God, end up instead to devour them in what I called “a diabolical sacrifice” that destroys both the victim and the life of the Church? Some of the victims have been driven to suicide. These deaths weigh on my heart, on my conscience and that of the whole Church. To their families, I offer my feelings of love and pain and humbly, I ask forgiveness. (Bold highlighting is in the original.)
Sure, we all feel bad about this. Boo hoo! But “the Church” is not responsible. It is only “the servants of the Church” – raising echoes of John Paul II’s request for “forgiveness for the sins of Her (the Church’s) children. In fact, Bergoglio further removes “the Church” from any responsibility and turns it into “a loving mother”:
It is an absolute monstrosity, a horrible sin, radically against everything that Christ has taught us. Jesus uses very harsh words against those who harm children, “If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18: 6).
As I recalled in the Apostolic Letter of June 4, 2016, Our Church must take care and protect with special love the weak and the helpless “as a loving mother”. We have stated that it is our duty to be extremely strict with the priests who betray their mission, and with their hierarchy, bishops or cardinals, who might protect them, as has happened in the past. (Bold highlighting is in the original.)
There is no hint that official Roman Catholic doctrines and policies, as well as its unspoken culture of secretiveness among its bishops and higher clergy, had anything to do with the ongoing “monstrosity”.
John, what role does obsequiousness play in all of this? The Vatican values submissiveness, so would more likely promote an obsequious priest to the episcopacy than one liable to ask questions; this would create an hierarchy less likely to confront than to conceal.
ReplyDeleteKirk, that makes a lot of sense.
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