Pope Benedict Beginning to Walk the Talk?
An earlier post called attention to Pope Benedict XVI’s apology to Catholics in Ireland for decades of child abuse by priests. He didn’t discipline or fire bishops and church leaders who had allowed the abuse to continue and who had covered it up. It’s been reported today that an Irish bishop has resigned and that the Pope has accepted the resignation. There’s little question that the bishop was forced to resign, so is the Pope beginning to walk the talk of his apology?
It’s way too early to tell. Today’s news reports also note that since December, five Irish bishops have tendered their resignations, but Benedict has only accepted two of the resignations. What’s the hold up?
No one has ever accused the Vatican of moving quickly. Some would argue that the decades-old child abuse calamity is the best proof that the Church is virtually paralyzed when a crisis strikes and quick action is needed. Walking the talk requires thoughtful, but swift, action to avert disaster. The sex abuse charges are serious and shouldn’t be met with a knee-jerk reaction. They haven’t been. Decades have past, and given the horror of priestly offenses, the tortoise-like response of Church leadership is better labeled crawling the talk.
Benedict is in a tough situation. If the scandal is as pervasive as some contend and has been condoned in every country for decades, cleaning house, while appropriate, might remove so many leaders that the Church’s hierarchy could crumble. Critics of the way this crisis has been handled would applaud such a result, but it’s easier said than done when you’re the person at the top of the hierarchy.
Benedict is clearly trying to provide leadership out of this mess. His leadership could be a model for leaders of all kinds throughout the world. Time will tell.
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I wonder how many of the leaders tried to do something but were hushed up? The Church is not like a normal employer. Our employees have not taken vows and can go somewhere else with very comparable little effort. Perhaps that is why the Pope has not accepted all the resignations he received.
I think it must also be tough for any organization whose main focus is supposed to be redemption and forgiveness to just toss the bad guys out. They most certainly needed to act, and a cover up was a bad idea. I am just saying they can’t be looked at as a regular employer. Their issues go much deeper and are much more complicated.
Nae,
Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment. As ususal, you make good points.
I agree that the Church is not a regular employer. However, it’s arguable that because it’s not (taking vows and such), it should hold itself to a higher standard than a regular employer.
John