Peggy Noonan: The Pope Steps In

Opinion Journal ^ | 04/19/2002 | Peggy Noonan

[Pokey78]

Can he save the American church from the sex-abuse scandal?

It has been said of Pope John Paul II that he has lived the great life of the 20th century, a life utterly emblematic of its struggles.

The pope is an old man, gravely ill, exhausted by his ascesticism. He is unable to show feeling or emotion through the Parkinsonian mask that freezes his features. When I saw him walk into a room two years ago--bent, moving slowly, his left eye drooping and rimmed red--his face seemed that of a half-submerged whale looking silently at the world, a great mammal risen from the deep.

[Pokey78]

Ping for the PNPL.

[Big Bunyip]

his face seemed that of a half-submerged whale looking silently at the world, a great mammal risen from the deep.

Peggy was stretching for that one.

[gcruse]

Heh. Pretty bad, yeah.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

The pope should be told that sexual abuse by priests is the heart of the scandal, but only the start of the scandal. The rest is the racketeering dimension--the fact that a RICO suit has been brought, could be brought, against the church, charging that it acted as an institution to cover up criminal behavior by misleading, lying and withholding facts. The church has long attempted to keep priest-abuse cases quiet through the paying of hush money--estimated at a billion dollars so far--to families instructed to sign confidentiality agreements.

Noonan strikes out. No mention of the enchroachment into the clergy and seminaries of the gay mafia and those who have enabled them. No mention of the families who insisted on confidentiality agreements to spare their families public scorn and thus, along with the hierarchies that condoned it, jeopardized other children. Purge the priesthood of homosexuals and those who enable them. Force the Cardinals and Bishops who have coddled the perverts to clean up their messes and then publicly defrock them.

[Jack Black]

How does she strike out? She suggests the same thing that you do.

[RonDog]

The pope is an old man, gravely ill, exhausted by his ascesticism. He is unable to show feeling or emotion through the Parkinsonian mask that freezes his features. When I saw him walk into a room two years ago--bent, moving slowly, his left eye drooping and rimmed red--his face seemed that of a half-submerged whale looking silently at the world, a great mammal risen from the deep.

From Yahoo! News:

Pope John Paul II is improvising three verses of a Polish Easter song, as he watches a group of Polish children performing, at the end of the open-air general audience in St. Peter's square at the Vatican Wednesday, April 10, 2002. During the audience the pontiff, confiding that his own old age helps him sympathize with the difficulties of the elderly in a fast-changing world, urged society to value their experience and wisdom and not consider them a useless weight. (AP Photo/Massimo Sambucetti)

Pope John Paul II is 81 years old.

[RonDog]

"...The pope should be told that some of the cardinals he will meet are, or have been, excusers or enablers of sex-abusers. Some are so sympathetic to abusive priests that they have written touching letters to them. No one has yet unearthed such a letter to any of the victims. This week the bishop of Joliet, Ill., Joseph Imensch, said that while priests who sexually abuse children should lose their jobs, priests who sexually abuse adolescents and teenagers have a "quirk" and can be treated and continue as priests...

...The pope should know that that is the attitude of the American cardinals going in, that they tend to view his directives as suggestions.

The pope should know that many of the cardinals he will speak to have grown detached from life as it is suffered through by ordinary people. The princes of the church live as princes of the world. They live in great mansions in the heart of great cities, dine with senators and editors, and have grown worldly not in the best sense, in real sophistication and knowledge, but in the worst. They are surrounded by staff who serve them, drive them, answer their call. They are used to being obeyed.

We all suffer from some degree of arrogance.
But I have never seen star treatment ennoble the object of that treatment." - Peggy Noonan

Also from Yahoo! News:

Seen in this photo combo are eight American cardinals of the Roman Church:

Top row from left:
Cardinal Francis George of the Archdiocese of Chicago,
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington,
Cardinal Bernard Law of the Archdiocese of Boston,
Cardinal Adam Maida of the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Bottom row from left:
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia,
Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,
Cardinal Edward Egan of the Archdiocese of New York,
Cardinal William Keeler of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Pope John Paul II has summoned American cardinals to the Vatican
for an extraordinary meeting to talk about sex abuse scandals in the U.S. church. (AP Photo)

[Catholicguy]

She doesn't suggest the same thing as Semdley, correctly, does. Noonan wrote a pretty good column but Smedley is right. She didn't go far enough.

The American Bishops formed an Ad Hoc Committee to address the issue of sexual abuse. This five member committee of Bishops includes three who have ALREADY BEEN IMPLICATED in the sexual abuse evil. One of the Bishops publicly addressed the matter in reference to canon and civil law and cautioned fellow Bishops not to destroy documents. He also instructed them that were they to turn over documents (evidence) to the Apostolic Delegate, he has immunity; ergo, the documents (evidence) could be withheld.

THIS is how the American Bishops decide to "reform" themselves. This Pope, who IS indeed a great man, will not defrock these Prelates and suspend them a divinis, he will work through the existing Hierarchy (witness his rejection of Law's resignation)issue some new "norms" and we will all congratulate ourselves that something "serious" has been done.

These Prelates really do not seem to "get it" and we are kidding ourselves that this wonderful Pope will suddenly reverse his lifelong habits.

The American Bishops are in schism. They have constantly NOT done as he has requested. In fact, they have routinely opposed him and they have, eventually, been rewarded for their opposition. He refused to approve of altar girls. They disobeyed and installed altar girls and he again told them NO ALTAR GIRLS. They just continued to defy him and, suddenly, one day, altar girls were approved.

They have refused to accept Ex Corde Ecclesia, Cardinal Law was leading the attempt to feminise the New Testament, American Bishops....oh, just forget it. I was going to just start listing the ways in which these Bishops have publicly opposed the Pope but I wouldn't be done typing the list until - until - until, I don't know, maybe untl Ted Kennedy said something sensible

[LadyDoc]

The Pope has to contend with the "middle management". Most of the older bishops, like Law, were weak and didn't oppose the gay/politically correct/liberal middle management (think Democratic party/"we are church"/feminist nuns).

Most of the newer bishops are more conservative, and have inherited the corruption of these weak liberal bishops.

If he put his foot down, they would defy him, like the German bishops did. And the ultimate result would be a schism.

Indeed, the liberals in the US and Europe are hoping he will die so they can put their guy in charge, and change the Catholic church into a PC church like the American episcopal church. The remnant might welcome this as a way to get our own church back from the corrupters, but those of us in liberal diocese might have no where to go to church (unles there is a Byzantine church nearby)

It's a no win situation. Most of these cases in the past were settled in civil court, because it was easier for the victim and for the church. And one only has to see how the PC press lauds gay teachers and child sex manuals and child porn to see why the church got bad advice from the psychiatrists whotreated these priests, and told the bishops it was okay to put them back to work.

[Aquinasfan]

They have refused to accept Ex Corde Ecclesia, Cardinal Law was leading the attempt to feminise the New Testament, American Bishops....oh, just forget it. I was going to just start listing the ways in which these Bishops have publicly opposed the Pope but I wouldn't be done typing the list until - until - until, I don't know, maybe untl Ted Kennedy said something sensible

Yes, Peggy didn't go far enough. And the refusal of the bishops to implement Ex Corde Ecclesiae ranks right up there. It's time to purge the seminaries and colleges. If this pope won't do it, hopefully the next one will. God help us.

[joathome]

Anyone who doesn't call for the bishops indictment and eventual imprisonment doesn't go for enough. It is a crime in probably every state to protect child abusers.

For all the criticism about the press's treatment of the church, the press hasn't gone for enough as far as I am concerned. Put their BUTTS in jail. We owe these men no deference, no respect for their position. They've abused their positions of power. It's just one big conspiracy to protect the good ol' boys.

Name me ten American bishops who've spoken out harshly against their fellow bishops and I might manage to garner a little respect for some of them.

[Tuor]

TV air can be filled with easier, less inflammatory stories, with stories that are amusing and, as network producers love to say, poignant.

Keep dreaming, Peggy. The media would *love* to be able to discredit any Christian structure. The left hates Christianity. They are uneasy allies with certain more socialist Christian organizations, but, given the chance, they wouldn't mind sticking a knife into anyone who believes in God.

The World has never liked those who believed in God. Few are as worldly as the media.

Tuor

[Aquinasfan]

but, given the chance, [the media] wouldn't mind sticking a knife into anyone who believes in God.

The media is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons. The only bright spot in all of this is that the media may help to bring about the long overdue housecleaning that the American bishops have been unwilling to do.

[prognostigaator]

"

The pope should know that many of the cardinals he will speak to have grown detached from life as it is suffered through by ordinary people. The princes of the church live as princes of the world. They live in great mansions in the heart of great cities, dine with senators and editors, and have grown worldly not in the best sense, in real sophistication and knowledge, but in the worst. They are surrounded by staff who serve them, drive them, answer their call. They are used to being obeyed. We all suffer from some degree of arrogance. But I have never seen star treatment ennoble the object of that treatment. "

And then there are those who revere mr. and mrs. bill clinton.

[Aedammair]

..threatens in some ways the death of the church in this country.

Gross exaggeration IMO; if the crusades didn't destroy the church, and slavery and manifest destiny didn't destroy the protestant church, this surely will not. This too shall pass. God Bless John Paul.

[Domestic Church]

"his face seemed that of a half-submerged whale looking silently at the world, a great mammal risen from the deep."

"Peggy was stretching for that one."

Yes. Too much religion as mythology Campbellism...it doesn't wash after 9-11. The folks see the reality of good and evil all too clearly these days.

[galt-jw]

welcome to the apostasy. who needs satanic churches? when lizards like these infiltrate any church, you were better off staying home or starting a small prayer group. i detect no contrition or humility, only finger pointing and arrogant hubris. ripe for judgement, yall.

[galt-jw]

and oh yeah, maybe if the pope wasnt concerned with trying to secure the grace Christ won for him and all men through self immolation and destruction in Gods name, he might have the physical and mental acquity to know what is going on around him. nah, thats a silly idea. Rome is in flames, time for a violin hoedown.