Law's power a symbol of deeper crisis

[struggle4progress]

The flap over Cardinal Bernard Law’s appearance as celebrant of one of the nine Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica during the period of mourning for the late Pope John Paul II may seem a minor dustup in the long trajectory of the clergy sex abuse scandals.

After all, only two people showed up to protest, the Mass went on as scheduled, the controversy was not expected to have an effect on the conclave, and the headlines faded quickly. <snip>

If the sex abuse scandal and resulting crises of authority and credibility in the church could be so easily collapsed into such notions of forgiveness and redemption, the matter would have been over long ago. It isn’t that easy. The community can forgive but still waits for an accounting. <snip>

It bears repeating that the sex abuse crisis is no longer mostly about sexual abuse. It is more enduringly a crisis of authority and accountability. Law lost his position in the United States only after a torrent of bad publicity and enormous pressure from priests and laity in the archdiocese. <snip>

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2005b/042205/042205y.php

[DemBones DemBones]

1. Look around at NCRonline and you'll find an article

written prior to his election about what a Ratzinger papacy may be like. It points out that John Paul II made some bad episcopal appointments and that Ratzinger kept him from promoting the German bishop who later had to resign because of sex scandals in the seminary in his diocese. Ratzinger has had to deal with all the pedophile cases so he knows the score better than John Paul did.

Let's pray for Pope Benedict XVI to guide the Church wisely.

[struggle4progress]

2. Since I'm not a Catholic, my view of the Pope is perhaps irrelevant:

Benedict XVI wouldn't have been my choice, but I paid careful attention to his initial remarks, and I thought he did OK there.

In any case, as a Lutheran, I will continue to pay attention to ecumenical issues and hope that the scandalous schisms of the Church can be healed.