Posted on 04/17/2008 10:00:29 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
Pope Benedict XVI chided Americans for a moral breakdown he said had fueled the church's child sex abuse scandal, ahead of an open-air mass before tens of thousands here Thursday. Gates opened at Washington's new sports stadium before dawn so that an expected 48,000 people could trickle through stringent security measures to attend the mass at 10:00 am (1400 GMT).
Benedict received a rapturous White House welcome Wednesday and met privately with President George W. Bush in the Oval Office, before addressing the pedophile priest scandal that has rocked the US church in a speech to US Catholic bishops.
Thousands of people gathered at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception late Wednesday whooped, cheered and whistled when the Popemobile pulled up outside.
The basilica's bells pealed, and inside the largest Catholic church in North America, people had no qualms about climbing onto pews to catch a glimpse as Benedict entered.
In a speech delivered after evening prayer, the pontiff berated the bishops for their poor handling of a scandal surrounding sexual abuse of children in the church.
But he urged efforts "to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores" as well as a reassessment of "the values underpinning society."
"What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" the pontiff said on the first full day of his US visit.
"Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today."
Describing clerics who sexually abuse children as "gravely immoral," the octogenarian pope warned that the scourge of pedophilia "is found not only in your dioceses but in every sector of society."
"It calls for a determined, collective response," he said, but did not outline any firm action that the Vatican intended to take to purge the church of pedophile priests.
The US Catholic church plunged into its worst crisis in 200 years in 2002 when the archbishop of Boston confessed he had protected a priest who had sexually abused young members of his church -- opening a floodgate of thousands of similar abuse cases around the country dating back decades.
Benedict angered victim support groups by praising the bishops' efforts to heal the wounds from the scandal.
"Five years ago, US bishops begrudgingly adopted some minimal promises on paper. There's no evidence to suggest they've had any real impact," Barbara Dorris, outreach director for the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), told AFP.
"The pope continues to stand behind his men - the bishops who conceal clergy sex crimes," said another SNAP member, Joelle Casteix.
"What the pope should be doing is assuring Catholics worldwide that any bishop who shields a predator will lose his job and the priests will be swiftly defrocked," she said.
Earlier Wednesday, on the first papal visit to the White House in three decades, the Roman Catholic pontiff urged Bush to prefer diplomacy to war as a way of resolving conflicts.
But aside from mentioning the plight of Iraqi Christians, he skirted mention of the Iraq war, on which the Bush administration and Vatican do not see eye to eye.
Benedict and Bush expressed concern for Christians in war-torn Iraq, agreed on the need to create a Palestinian state, and said Lebanon must be free of undue foreign influence, according to a joint statement.
The pope urged the United States to treat immigrants humanely, and called on Americans to spurn materialism and shun secularism.
On the second day of his US trip -- his 81st birthday -- the pope drew raves more befitting a rock star than the head of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.
Under a cloudless sky, Bush welcomed Benedict with a 21-gun salute, a famed soprano singing a soaring "Lord's Prayer," and an earnest "peace be with you."
Some 13,500 people packed the mansion's South Lawn waving little Vatican and US flags, as cries of "viva il Papa!" (long live the pope) mingled with the two national anthems and two choruses of "happy birthday" for the pontiff.
Thursday, after saying mass at Nationals' Stadium, Benedict plans to meet with Jewish representatives after an inter-faith gathering at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington.
That, and a planned stop at a New York synagogue, appear aimed at quelling Jewish unhappiness over the revival for the Latin Rite mass of the 16th century "Prayer for Jews" in which Catholics pray for the conversion of Jews.
I agree. Our local school teacher ran an escort service that apparently slipped by the vetting procress.
We have women teachers sending lewd photos of themselves to teens and men using the classrooms as hunting grounds.
In the past, teachers were to be exemplary models of decorum and intellectual rigor.
Who can watch television or movies? I’m embarrassed by the clothes people wear and the language they use.
As Benedict said in his homily today, we must witness better.
That goes for everyone, not just Catholic christians, but all people of faith.
Do what my family has done; opt out!
Funny. All this time I thought it might just be the "moral breakdown" of those pedophile priest, you know, those under the control of the Vatican. What a warped sense of responsibility I have. Blackbird.
But he urged efforts "to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores" as well as a reassessment of "the values underpinning society."
"What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today?" the pontiff said on the first full day of his US visit.
"Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today."
Describing clerics who sexually abuse children as "gravely immoral," the octogenarian pope warned that the scourge of pedophilia "is found not only in your dioceses but in every sector of society."
He's factually correct. The rate of abuse among Catholic clergy is comparable to that of other clergy, and teachers. What was newsworthy about the priestly scandal, however, was the cover-up of this abuse by several bishops.
I'm glad to see Pope Benedict address the "pornification" of America, but I'm afraid that his message will be lost in the MSM's "has he said enough about the abuse crisis?" approach to this visit.
I like this Pope but this is ludicrous. People have abused children throughout human history, and many of them assume positions of authority where they can have access to children; including the position of Priest.
The breakdown in morality was when Bishops decided that moving a pedophile Priest to a new congregation was preferable to getting him prosecuted and removing him from the Priesthood.
“Better that they have Millstones tied about their necks and be cast into the depths than that they harm a child.”
When did they forget this very simple message? When will they remember?
The premise is FALSE; the breakdown in society did not lead or motivate multitudes of priests, bishops and church leaders to homosexual perversion and pedophilia. It was the lusts of their own heart and their own perverted desires that led to the raping of boys and girls for DECADES and the RC chuch did everything in it's power to cover up the scandal (including "pope" John Paul spiriting away Cardinal Bernard Law to a cushy safe from prosecution retirement in Rome.) for years and years until it could no longer be covered up. The book "The Faithful Departed" documents the facts and "the breakdown in society" excuse doesn’t cut it.
By the way, the last time I checked, the new "pope" is the same as the old “pope”, he has done everything in his power to continue to protect Bernard Law in cushy retirement from prosecution and from having to deal with any of those nasty questions about his part in protecting homosexual, pedophile, priests and church leaders throughout his so-called ministry.
I’ll just have to write this off as another sign that the entire world suffers from ADS (America Derangement Syndrome). Blackbird.
I agree with the pope on the overall message, though naturally the media and other assorted folks will run with the “he’s blaming someone else” angle. However, the scandals always seemed to be more about homosexuality than pedophilia, per se. Has he addressed specifically the issue of keeping homosexuals out of the seminaries?
Sadly, the Church's cover up, inaction, and the explanation above, casts a poor light on the good priests who devote their life to God and his teaching. Shame on the Pope for giving such an excuse.
It is the Marxist/Anarchist Teacher's Union and the Democrat party. Does Brother Benedict understand that he has been part of and is now Brother Benedict does not display leadership nor Shepherding of the flock Brother Benedict needs to seek the face of G-d and He also needs to address Roman Catholics in leadership positionsWe all know the origin of pedophilia in American society.
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach Adonai
in charge and responsible for the Pedophilia in the Roman church.
or he would take personal responsibility and fix the the problem.
take responsibly for the pedophilia in the Roman church.
who promote the murder of the most innocent.
I don’t think that anyone is trying to excuse the pederast priests scandal by general social mores. Would you rather the Holy Father not comment on the society we live in?
Among the countersigns to the Gospel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God's people throughout the world. Rightly, you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims. It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.
Responding to this situation has not been easy and, as the President of your Episcopal Conference has indicated, it was "sometimes very badly handled". Now that the scale and gravity of the problem is more clearly understood, you have been able to adopt more focused remedial and disciplinary measures and to promote a safe environment that gives greater protection to young people. While it must be remembered that the overwhelming majority of clergy and religious in America do outstanding work in bringing the liberating message of the Gospel to the people entrusted to their care, it is vitally important that the vulnerable always be shielded from those who would cause harm. In this regard, your efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care, but for all of society.
If they are to achieve their full purpose, however, the policies and programs you have adopted need to be placed in a wider context. Children deserve to grow up with a healthy understanding of sexuality and its proper place in human relationships. They should be spared the degrading manifestations and the crude manipulation of sexuality so prevalent today. They have a right to be educated in authentic moral values rooted in the dignity of the human person. This brings us back to our consideration of the centrality of the family and the need to promote the Gospel of life. What does it mean to speak of child protection when pornography and violence can be viewed in so many homes through media widely available today? We need to reassess urgently the values underpinning society, so that a sound moral formation can be offered to young people and adults alike. All have a part to play in this task - not only parents, religious leaders, teachers and catechists, but the media and entertainment industries as well. Indeed, every member of society can contribute to this moral renewal and benefit from it. Truly caring about young people and the future of our civilization means recognizing our responsibility to promote and live by the authentic moral values which alone enable the human person to flourish. It falls to you, as pastors modelled upon Christ, the Good Shepherd, to proclaim this message loud and clear, and thus to address the sin of abuse within the wider context of sexual mores. Moreover, by acknowledging and confronting the problem when it occurs in an ecclesial setting, you can give a lead to others, since this scourge is found not only within your Dioceses, but in every sector of society. It calls for a determined, collective response.
-A8
I agree to a point. Priests who prey on children could also be part of the problem, not a result of society.
Don’t confuse Benedict’s detractors with facts.
How dare you!
No I would rather he tell the truth and be honest with the ACTUAL cause and reasons behind the rape of boys and girls by multitudes of homosexual pedophile priests and leaders within the Roman Catholic church for decades and not try to deceive the masses with false and phony excuses that try and whitewash the responsibility of the church and put the blame on "society" instead of where it really belongs.
Please cite the excuse you think His Holiness made.
EWTN aired a private interview with the Pope before his election, in which he was asked about the sex abuse crisis. I'll summarize his remarks:
jmouse. Read what the Pope actually said. He was not blaming the abuse on society. He was saying that children need to be protected. Part of protecting them is to shield them from those things in society which fuel an unhealty and unChristian view of sex. More and more we see the culture normalizing homosexual behavior, promiscuity, fornication, adultery and shameful as this is the sexualization of children. Some experts argue that intergenerational sex (their term I call it pedophilia) is not alway harmful and can even be beneficial. Its all about love you see.(sarc)
If you think these messages of the culture do not contribute to the sexual abuse of children you are very wrong. If you think pornography is not used to help break down moral barriers to profane sex you are wrong. If you think the liberization of teachings on sexuality that polluted even the seminaries had no bearing on the crisis you are wrong.
And if you really want to protect children from sexual abuse shutting down the government schools would be an excellent start.
Cardinal Law who unsuccessfully tried to cover up the crimes is being protected from the American justice system by Pope by having him work in the Vatican.
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