POPE FRANCIS IMPROMPTU REMARKS TO THE PAPAL COMMISSION: CONFUSION AND DISTORTION OF THE TRUTH

In an article appearing The Tablet, Pope Francis is quoted as admitting he had made a mistake with softening the sentence of an abusive Priest and said he had learned from this.

In addition, Francis is reported to have said that he will never pardon Priests convicted of sexual abuse and admitted the Church waited too long before taking the matter seriously. 

The Holy Father met with the Papal Commission for the Protection of Minors charged with establishing and overseeing policies related to the sexual abuse of children by Clerics.  

However, during the hour long meeting, rather than speaking from a prepared speech, Pope Francis offered 20 minutes of off-the-cuff remarks. 

One of the 14 members of the Commission present at the meeting was Baroness Hollins, a Professor of psychiatry and member of the House of Lords. 

“He said if paedophilia is proven then he will never pardon an ordained Priest and that the Church has come late to an understanding of how serous this matter is,” she told The Tablet.

So much for the “pastoral accompaniment” and "sensitivity" which the Holy Father insists be shown by Priests to others who commit serious sins or engage in lifestyles contrary to the moral precepts of the Scriptures and ages-old moral teachings of the Church!

If the Baroness Hollins is accurate in quoting Pope Francis having said that “he will never pardon an ordained Priest”, I find it most difficult to reconcile a Papal attitude that appears to be so whimsical in its determination of who is to be forgiven and who is not.

The Church and the Holy Father himself insist that those who engage in the sexual abuse of minors are suffering from an “illness.” 

And so, it becomes even more confusing that the Pope does not admit that the pathology of such individuals might somehow mitigate their personal responsibility for their actions.  

Shouldn't those who act out their pathological disorders be treated with some modicum of understanding and mercy?  

I am not suggesting that these disordered individuals be returned to active ministry, but I am asking that they be shown some measure of compassion and concern.

There appears to be a fundamental inequity in the Pope's eagerness to mete out justice to the Ordained versus the judgments he imposes upon others who act out their psychological or moral disorders.

Furthermore, I am disappointed that the Pope and other Prelates continue to deny that the real scandal involving the sexual abuse of minors is homosexuality and not pedophilia.

Evidence is overwhelming that the majority of abuse cases involve the sexual abuse of adolescent boys by homosexual Clerics and lay men who represent the Church.

I find this misrepresentation of the facts most disturbing in a way that suggests the Pope’s remarks conform to a certain political correctness than constitute an honest appraisal of the situation and desire to apply a serious remedy to it.

I appreciate the fact that the Pope wants to address the matter and is embarrassed by the Church’s reluctance to address it for so long.

But redemption from this scandal will never be achieved so long as the real truth is ignored or denied.