For at least the last half-century, Catholic Priests have been sexually assaulting and raping children. For at least a half-century the Catholic Church has been systematically attempting to cover it up and shield those responsible for these crimes from the law. Now after all this time people are speaking out in record numbers and the Vatican’s response is to blame the victims, blame the media, and blame the devil. This week the topic of the Washington Post’s “On Faith” section is: Anti-Vatican bias?
A senior Vatican priest last week compared outrage at Pope Benedict's handling of sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church to the persecution of the Jews. Church leaders disavowed the comments, but went on to complain about a "vile," anti-Vatican media campaign aimed at weakening the papacy and its authority.
Is the news media being fair to the pope? Is the media biased against the Catholic Church or its hierarchy? How would you advise the pope?
It is an undisputed fact that there have been multiple incidents in which Catholic Priests have sexually assaulted and raped children. Let me repeat that because it bears repeating. It is an undisputed fact that there have been multiple incidents in which Catholic Priests have sexually assaulted and raped children. It is also a fact that for at least the last 50 to 60 years (probably longer) the Vatican has systematically attempted to cover up these crimes. The Church has moved priests accused of these crimes from parish to parish in order for them to avoid prosecution. Some of the more high profile accused priests were even moved into the Vatican for their protection.
Now that this has all come out and evidence that the current Pope not only knew about these crimes, but also played a large role in the systematic cover-up of these crimes, the Vatican is crying persecution. Holding criminals accountable to the law is not persecuting them, it is prosecuting them.
The sad fact is that not only is there no media campaign to persecute against the Catholic Church, but there is also no media campaign aimed to prosecute the Catholic Church. Why hasn’t the media demanded that the nations of the world put pressure on the Vatican to turn over all those who are accused of these crimes? Why hasn’t the media pressured the Vatican for all the information on priests suspected of being part of these cover-ups and of the priests involved in the crimes themselves?
While many in the media are asking the Pope to resign, few are asking for the Pope and other Church leaders to be accountable to the law. Far from a media bias against the Catholic Church, it seem like the media has a soft spot for religious institutions even when their leadership is filled to the brim with pedophiles and those who hide them from the law.
It is time for the Pope to realize that he is not God on Earth anymore. Even though there are roughly a billion Catholics, most of those Catholics don’t consider the Pope infallible. If the Vatican wants to end this scandal, then they have to humble themselves before the laws of man. They must turn over all records and all information pertaining to priest accused or suspected of pedophilia. They must also stop shielding those priests from prosecution and encourage them to turn themselves in to the law.
Then we can move to the cover-up and prosecute those involved in that aspect of this scandal. Those people (including the Pope) should also surrender themselves to the international justice system. What the Vatican should not do is to continue to blame everyone else except themselves. This only serves to make them look even guiltier to the general public and demonstrates that far from being the moral authorities that they claim to be, this institution and its leaders are more concerned with escaping justice than upholding justice.
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On Faith Series:
On Faith: What is heaven like?
On Faith: Disbelief in the pulpit
On Faith: Catholic Church’s attempt to blackmail Washington fails
On Faith: Is proselytizing overseas religious freedom or coercion?
On Faith: Should religion have a role be in U.S. foreign affairs?
On Faith: Should the president be a religious figure?
On Faith: Does God allow Haiti to suffer?
On Faith: Media biased against Christians?
On Faith: Free speech vs. God
On Faith: Religion’s Impact 2009
On Faith: Climate change a moral issue?
On Faith: Good News -- Oral Roberts is dead
On Faith: Just war or holy war in Afghanistan?
On Faith: A crèche in the White House?
On Faith: Swiss ban on Islamic minarets
On Faith: holidays or holy days?
Atheism 101 Articles:
Atheism 101: What is the difference between atheism and agnosticism?
Atheism 101: Is there moral grounding without God?
Atheism 101: What happens when we die?
Atheism 101: The Purpose of Life
Atheism 101: The Nature of Good and Evil
Atheism 101: The Problem of Evil
Atheism 101: Is the Bible the inspired word of God?
Atheism 101: The anti-intellectualism of religion
Atheism 101: Why has Christianity demonized nudity, sex and sexuality?
Atheism 101: How to respond to the lord, liar, lunatic argument?
Atheism 101: Does it take more faith to be an atheist?
Atheism 101: What came before the Universe?
Atheism 101: How to respond to the ex-atheist
Comments
<For at least the last half-century...</i> ??
In truth, it's more like for the last millennium, ever since they stopped allowing priests to marry and have sex.
I notice those complaining about an anti-Catholic 'bias' never say the media has an anti-pedophile bias.
Mike, while I agree with you that this problem has been going on for longer than a half-century, it's my opinion that if they allowed priests to marry and have sex the church would attract as many run-of-the-mill rapists as it does pedophiles now. The fact is the church provides easy access to victims and covers up the crimes that are committed, making it very attractive to sexual criminals.
Several Points:
1.) Is the there a bias. I'd have to say yes, because corruption and molestation is going on in other denominations, especially the fundamentalist ones.
2.) Should the Pope go to jail? He shouldn't have been elected in the first place, but had the advantage of being the only white guy in the top five.
3.) Should the media correct its bias by investigating other denominations? Hell yeah, especially since their getting a (tax) free ride on their own abuses.
Thank you for an insightful and thoughtful analysis.
I posted it to Facebook.
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