Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dublin Archbishop Martin Disheartened by Church Sex Abuse Response

One of the few heroes - assuming that the term even applies - in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal has been Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (pictured at right) who has pushed for the resignation of bishops and other high clerics implicated in the reassignment of known predator priests and/or the cover up of their crimes in the name of "protecting the Church." Never mind the lives and souls of the sex abuse victims. The BBC has an article in which Archbishop Martin discusses his unhappiness with the Church's piss poor [my words] response to the literally world wide sex abuse scandals. Indeed, Martin has been much more responsible that has Papa Ratzi who has seemed far to worried about protecting bishops from their own malfeasance. Here are some highlights:
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Speaking to the Knights of Columbus in Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin said he felt "disheartened and discouraged". He talked about the lack of willingness by some in the Catholic Church to begin the "painful path of renewal".
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There were "signs of subconscious denial on the part of many about the extent of the abuse," he said. The Archbishop said he was surprised at the way church academics and church publicists acted calmly as pundits on the root causes of the abuse, as if the scandals had nothing to do with them. Where were they, he asked, while a Church culture failed to recognise what was happening.
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Bishop of Killaloe Dr Willie Walsh said he largely agreed with Dr Martin's comments on the Catholic Church's handling of clerical child sexual abuse. Bishop Walsh said the Catholic hierarchy was still in denial.
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Unfortunately, Pope Benedict XVI seems to lack any motivation to clean up the filth within the hierarchy that not only allowed the abuse to go on but actually conspired to cover it up. I see no much needed reforms occurring under Benedict. Worse yet, given how John Paul II stacked the College of Cardinals with reactionary ideologues, there's little hope the next Pope will be one to either will be one to conduct the drastic house cleaning that the Church needs so badly.

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