SHOULD THE POPE APOLOGISE?

Many years ago I remember that a relationship of mine floundered because I was always too quick to apologise. I was rather battered by events at the time so was always saying sorry for even the most minor of infringements. Time has moved on, and whilst I will gladly hold my hand up if I am in the wrong, I do not wear my guilt as a hair shirt.

Hence I do not approve of the current vogue that sees our political leaders rushing to apologise for sins that were committed by their nations centuries or even decades ago. So I beg the question should the Pope be apologising for the child abuse cases in Ireland?

Before I go on regular readers of my blog will know that whilst I was brought up a Catholic I have long since lapsed. I also have to stress that whilst I was taught by nuns, brothers and priests – and spent much time in their company – I have never been subjected to any abuse mentally, physically or sexually.

However it is quite clear that Catholic children have suffered at the hands of the very people who they should have felt they could trust the most in Ireland, Germany, the USA and around the world.

Yet was it the Pope’s fault? It could be argued that as the head of the Catholic Church the buck stops with him. Many popes may have liked to think that they were the almighty but if you are a believer then ultimately the buck stops with God – and hence when the offending priests, bishops, cardinals and popes face their maker they will have to answer for their sins.

A bishop stated on television on Saturday that if properly read the Pope’s letter to the faithful in Ireland would take around 40 minutes to get through. That sounds to me like punishing the congregation more than the clergy. I also fear it is diverting the attention away from the pervert priests and guilty hierarchy.

My priority would be for the paedophile priests to have the full weight of the law thrown at them. If the hierarchy were complicit in a cover-up then they should also be charged as accessories. I was going to say that both are nothing more than common criminals but that of course would slander many err-do-wells who may have broken the law but do not sexually abuse the innocent. None-the-less justice will not be served until they are shamed in courts of law and thrown behind bars.

If there is a God – whoever he, she or it may be – then religious justice will follow in due course and not be handed out by men in robes in Rome who for so long were happy to look the other way.

For now we have to settle for criminal justice which should not be lessened or avoided because of a government’s subservience to the Holy Roman Catholic Church or any other organised religious group.

I firmly believe the abused children should receive retribution – I just question whether the Pope is the man for the job.

TALKING THE PAPAL TALK

Pope Benedict XVI summoned the Irish Cardinal and bishops to Rome to drag them over the coals of hell fire on the child abuse issue.

A Vatican statement told us:

“The Holy Father observed that the sexual abuse of children and young people is not only a heinous crime, but also a grave sin which offends God and wounds the dignity of the human person created in his image.”

Actually it’s a heinous crime and a grave sin regardless of a person’s age.

For 99.9 per cent of the population of the world the Pope was stating the bleeding obvious regardless of a person’s race or creed.

What needs to be explained is why one Irish Catholic priest abused over 100 children.

Why this is not only an Irish problem but one that is to be found in all countries with a large number of Catholic clergy.

Why the Catholic Church has been a refuge for paedophiles and whilst paedophiles felt safe in the bosom of the Church of Rome.

It is all very well to know that Pope Benedict can talk the talk – the church has been doing that for over 2,000 years.

What the world –and especially the victims - is waiting to see is if the Catholic Church can walk the walk.

I’d say at present it’s at the crawling stage!