Pope Francis Was Often Silent on Sex Abuse Cases

We might have known that another shoe was due to drop in terms of further examination of Pope Francis' past.   Now stories are arising that per likely Vatican orders Francis turned a blind eye on sexual abuse cases while archbishop in Argentina.  It's the same old pattern that this blog has viewed over and over again around the world as bishops and cardinals have opposed gay rights, contraception and women's rights as something horrible while the rape and molestation of children and minors by priests was treated with a "boys will be boys" or "droit du seigneur" attitude and swept under the rug.  An article in the Washington Post looks at the new Pope's less than impressive record in opposing sexual abuse and his disdain for abuse victims.   Here are article highlights:

HURLINGHAM, Argentina — Father Julio Cesar Grassi was a celebrity in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. The young, dynamic, ­media-savvy priest networked with wealthy Argentines to fund an array of schools, orphanages and job training programs for poor and abandoned youths, winning praise from Argentine politicians and his superior, Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

Today, Grassi is a convicted sex offender who remains free on a conditional release after being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 for molesting a prepubescent boy in his care.

Yet in the years after Grassi’s conviction, Bergoglio — now Pope Francis — has declined to meet with the victim of the priest’s crimes or the victims of other predations by clergy under his leadership. He did not offer personal apologies or financial restitution, even in cases in which the crimes were denounced by other members of the church and the offending priests were sent to jail.

Bergoglio’s handling of pedophilic clergy under his authority offers insight into how he might approach the scandals. 

There is no evidence that Bergoglio played a role in covering up abuse cases.  .  .  .  .   But during most of the 14 years that Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rights advocates say, he did not take decisive action to protect children or act swiftly when molestation charges surfaced; nor did he extend apologies to the victims of abusive priests after their misconduct came to light.

“He has been totally silent,” said Ernesto Moreau, a member of Argentina’s U.N.-affiliated Permanent Assembly for Human Rights and a lawyer who has represented victims in a clergy sexual-abuse case. Victims asked to meet with Bergoglio but were turned down, Moreau said. “In that regard, Bergoglio was no different from most of the other bishops in Argentina, or the Vatican itself.”

Grassi was not expelled from the priesthood after the guilty verdict. Instead, church officials led by Bergoglio commissioned a lengthy private report arguing that Grassi was innocent.

One of Argentina’s best-known advocates for child-abuse victims, Sister Martha Pelloni, said she was called in several times to consult with psychologists who treated Grassi’s alleged victims. She said the meetings left her with no doubt that the priest was guilty, despite the church-commissioned report attempting to exonerate him. He was eventually convicted on the charges made by one of the boys. “A lot of Catholics have wanted to protect and defend him,” she said. “But the abuses were real.”

The Vatican - aiding by simpering and fawning members of the  media - is working hard to manufacture a positive image of Francis, but it is most likely that he's merely a less aloof version of his immediate predecessors.  One can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig.