Shirking responsibility: the Catholic Church
sexual abuse scandal

By Chito Vela

Having always held the Roman Catholic Church in high regard, it has been especially troubling to witness the current sexual abuse scandal. It is devastating to know that the church looked the other away as hundreds of young Catholics were being sexually abused by their parish priests. How the church could knowingly let such a horrible sin fester and grow within its own community is unfathomable. Almost as troubling, though, has been the Catholic Church's response to the scandal. Instead of admitting its mistakes and asking for the forgiveness of the laity, the church has chosen to aggressively defend its hierarchy and blame everyone and everything except itself.

In Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law refuses to step down even after admitting to moving a priest from parish to parish despite strong suspicions that he was a pedophile. Luckily for Cardinal Law, there is no law in Massachusetts that requires people to report knowledge of sexual abuse against a child. If this had happened in Texas, he would be facing criminal charges. Adding insult to injury, the Boston Archdiocese, in response to a lawsuit filed by the family of a six-year-old victim of sexual abuse, accused the boy and his parents of contributing to the crime through their own negligence. The Boston Archdiocese even refused to accept a settlement negotiated by their own attorneys to a lawsuit brought forward by victims of sexual abuse, citing the financial burden it would impose on the diocese. Apparently the finances of the church are more important than justice for the victims of its own negligence. One would expect this type of behavior from Enron, not the Roman Catholic Church.
In Mexico, leading bishops arrogantly responded to a growing sex abuse scandal by declaring that "dirty laundry is washed at home," meaning that the church would punish offending priests itself and not turn them over to the authorities. After a huge uproar from Mexico's 90 million Catholics, the Cardinal of Mexico City acknowledged that priests in Mexico are not above the law.

The response of the Vatican, most of which has been to blame the media and liberal American culture, is equally disappointing. Vatican officials have tried to focus the blame on individual priests while denying their own responsibility to monitor and oversee them. An article by a high ranking Vatican official claimed that the church's hierarchy is "neither morally nor judicially responsible for the acts committed by one of their clergy" and urged church leaders to confront cases of abuse without going to the authorities in order to defend the "good name" of the priest. While the church is understandably concerned with false allegations of abuse, its first priority must be to prevent sexual abuse and protect and support victims of past abuse. Other top Vatican officials discount the entire scandal, claiming the church has more pressing concerns and that the problem is limited to the United States. In reality, the problem is a global one, with allegations of covered up sexual abuse surfacing in Ireland, Mexico, Brazil, and Africa.

The church is already feeling the effects of the sexual abuse scandal. Donations have fallen and major donors are withholding their support until certain reforms are made. Even worse, though, is the damage to the moral authority of the church. Over the last few decades, the church has been an effective advocate for justice and reform all over the world, and is seen as a protector of the poor and defenseless. World leaders often turn to the Roman Catholic Church as an unbiased, neutral party that can help in resolving disputes. Pope John Paul II even courageously admitted past mistakes of the church and asked for forgiveness, helping cleanse the sins of the past and preparing the church to lead in the future. So much of the goodwill the church has built is being compromised by its refusal to accept responsibility for turning a blind eye to the horrible acts committed by so few of its priests.
The ultimate solution to the problem may be a change in the church's attitude toward sexuality. Rome's insistence on celibacy prevents so many good men from becoming priests and drives so many individuals with sexual problems into the priesthood. While church leaders condemn homosexuality as a sin, studies suggest that between 20-40% of priests are homosexual. Though the tradition of celibate, male priests is 1,000 years old, it is just that -- a tradition. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that priests must be male and celibate. The church must seriously consider breaking that tradition.