After two days of silence and a barrage of criticism for failing to address the latest clergy sex abuse scandal in the United States, Pope Francis finally has spoken....and said little.
"The Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors," said a statement issued by the Vatican on Thursday.
"Regarding the report made public in Pennsylvania this week, there are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow," Vatican spokesman Greg Burke wrote.
Why these words were not spoken directly by the Holy Father is a source of dismay to many.
The Pennsylvania Grand Jury report released on Tuesday consists of more than 1,300 pages detailing allegations that 301 Clergy members throughout the State had been accused of sexually abusing a total of more than 1,000 minors over the past 70 years.
The Vatican noted the majority of abuses graphically detailed in the report occurred "before the early 2000s," predating a series of reforms enacted throughout the Church after reporting from The Boston Globe revealed decades of abuse allegations by Priests and systematic cover-ups by high-ranking Bishops and diocesan officials.
"By finding almost no cases after 2002, the Grand Jury's conclusions are consistent with previous studies showing that Catholic Church reforms in the United States drastically reduced the incidence of Clergy child abuse," the Vatican statement said.
Of course, that self-serving statement is totally gratuitous since a number of cases are presently being assessed to determine if the allegations made are credible.
But, perhaps more importantly, the Vatican ignores the fact that, even after 2002, Bishops responsible for the cover up of abuse crimes have yet to be held accountable for their and their delegates criminal misdeeds.
The Vatican's poorly executed sleight of hand in trying to distract the People of God from those truly responsible is both ineffective and reprehensible.
In the United States, the report follows the resignation of the former archbishop of Washington, D.C., Theodore McCarrick, after allegations that he engaged in sexual activity with adults and abused minors for decades.
Similar clerical sex abuse scandals have emerged in Europe, Australia and, most recently, Chile, severely undermining the moral authority and credibility of the Catholic Church.
The statement sought to assure victims that Francis "is on their side" and vowed to "root out this tragic horror."
Really?
As I wrote in an earlier post, the “feigned shock and shame” game won’t work anymore.
Actions...actions...actions speak louder than words.
The People of God deserve more, much more, than raised eyebrows and timid gasps from a "spokesperson" of the Vicar of Christ.
Those who abused and those who were complicit by their silence must be held accountable to the same standard of intolerance, be judged and punished accordingly.
To date, the Pope’s silence on that regard remains deafening indeed.
I am left to wonder what the Holy Father's response would have been if it were reported that 301 Priests had not re-cycled their empty soda cans or glass bottles!
What has happened to our beloved Church?
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