The Catholic Church is embroiled in a pit of fire surrounding the ongoing, heinously sinful child sexual abuse that has permeated the Church for likely centuries. This past weekend Pope Francis held a televised live broadcast in which the discussion of this rampant egregious deed was discussed. And yet, the entire event came across more like an infomercial than a real self-evaluation repentant matter with constructive solutions.
1) Survivors of abuse were ‘disallowed’ from entering the conference – it was a closed door event.
2) Senior Cardinal Marx announced that files on abusers were destroyed.
3) Pope Francis was aware of the atrocities and did virtually nothing to bring justice against his house of criminals.
How do these truthisms bring belief, faith, or hope that the Vatican is really serious about doing anything? Instead, it makes the entire conference look like a sham, a flim-flam media posture event.
Francis was installed as Pope, March 2013. Over the last few decades there have been 2600 accusations against Priests in the US alone. All of these allegations were transcribed, the offender was named, and a file created. It would appear, the Church destroyed many files, meaning each successive Pope was aware of the allegation, and instead of bringing justice, they sought to destroy the evidence. No evidence – no allegation – Priest cleared.
The conference was attended by just 200 participants… mostly Bishops. But in 2018, six Dioceses in Pennsylvania found these same Bishops were guilty of covering up evidence of Priests abusing upwards of 1,000 children. So in essence, Pope Francis is putting these same morally convicted wolves in charge of guarding the chicken coup. Obviously it has worked well in the past…
But even that knowledge doesn’t break the surface of corruption that was plagued the Church for ‘decades’, I would think it is more likely centuries. In the late 2000’s, Pope Benedict XVI sanctioned Cardinal McCarrick of Washington DC for abuse allegations. Two of the allegations remain ‘sealed’ from the public, others were destroyed. And despite, the statement by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano that he instructed Pope Francis about the sanctions and allegations in 2013, Pope Francis turned a blind eye and repealed the sanctions. Why? If Pope Francis really wanted ‘justice for the children’ as he commanded the Bishops at the conference in Rome, why then did he repeal the sanctions of abuse on his own Archbishop?
But it is worse. The Vatican and multiple Bishops received reports of McCarricks ‘transgressions’ for decades before anything was done at all.
The history of the abuse within the church was not even addressed by the media until the 1980’s, within the auspices of the Franklin Scandal, and the UK Jimmy Savile sensational story. In both instances, pedophilia, abuse, was asserted against numerous high profile persons in the US and UK, including entertainment and sports figures, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and anyone with a lot of money to spend.
Like the Catholic Church pedophilia scandals, neither of these two scandals provided justice in any form whatsoever to the victims. And in most instances, the victims were actually further victimized. No one went to jail. No one was sanctioned. The stories were so high profile, so backed with $$$$ that to this day, one person was charged, Jimmy Savile.
To think that a conference of a handful of corrupt Bishops presided by a corrupt Pope would yield anything different, is like slapping Weinstein on the wrist and demanding that he write 500 times, “I will not ever do that again…” With his fingers crossed behind his back. “Pinky swear.”
Some media outlets tend to blame the Priesthood’s rule of chastity as their defense and justification. And while their manhood might be difficult to subjugate, child abuse is not a normal evolution. Pedophilia, is not a normal evolution. A Priest, a Bishop enter the Church promising to uphold chastity as a part of their dedication. If they don’t believe this is acceptable, there are numerous alternate religions that espouse Christianity that do not adhere to this particular conviction. They have – a Choice.
One of Pope Francis most revered authoritarians was Romano Guardini, who wrote extensively of Christian Socialism. Guardini embraced such philosopher’s as Nietzsche, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, who advocated Atheism. Under his pre-Pope name, Jorge Maria Bergoglio, Pope Francis was not bereft of drudge and accusations, including his purported facilitation of the kidnapping of two Jesuit Priests during Argentina’s Dirty War. These Priests were then subjected to horrific torture. Complaints were filed. And despite one of the Priests coming forward and claiming the Bergoglio was indeed complicit, and not only reluctant to help, but allegedly involved, the case was – dismissed.
Why?
Money talks.
And so, this is the Pope. This is the Francis who claims that – now – suddenly – the children deserve justice. This is the person, the man, the power vacuum that wields the whip of Catholic Doctrine and by default, core religiosity. He sits behind the gated, walled, city of the Vatican that is guarded by the most elite soldiers in the world, equipped with infinite guns and ammo, to protect the men and their wealth who have confiscated their bounty over centuries in the form of art, real estate, stocks, and gold. All the while telling the sheep what is real, what is truth, what is history, and what is – sin.
While living – the Dream.
Sexual abuse of children is a part of that dream. It is a part of the history of valuing self above the law – even, the law of God.