by John M. Curtis
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Copyright March 22, 2002
All Rights Reserved.

iverting attention to "human weakness," the Vatican failed to address what to do about egregious criminal behavior and attempts to hide it. Getting a whopping black eye, the Pope finally responded to an escalating PR nightmare, stemming from sexual abuse scandals hitting the headlines. Now in full damage control mode, John Paul II acknowledged that deviant priests yielded to "the most grievous forms" of evil and imposed "grave scandal" to the church. While admitting mistakes, the Pope's remarks fall short of apologizing or taking decisive action. John Paul signaled he has no intention of rewriting sacred traditions, including the controversial celibacy vow—virtually abandoned by most other religions. Misguided priests, wrote the Pope in a yearly 22-page pre-Easter pronouncement, surrendered "to the most grievous forms of mysterium iniquitatis [mystery of evil] at work in the world"—though not spelling out pedophilia. Calls for reform, while well intentioned, won't convince the pontiff to amend time-honored rituals.

      Pope John Paul stopped short of ordering bishops to address what he sees as a statistical fluke—with the vast majority of priests showing exemplary duty and self-sacrifice. "All of us," said John Paul, "conscious of human weakness but trusting in the healing power of divine grace, are called to embrace the misterium cructs [mystery of the cross] and to commit ourselves more fully to the search for holiness," reframing recent scandals as a new test of faith. Addressing the issue, the pope shifts attention from secrecy and cover-ups to aberrant behavior. Fingering a "few" bad apples, John Paul blames misconduct on human frailty and preserves the church's infallibility. Silencing calls for reform, he reminds Catholics that mundane matters shouldn't interfere with timeless principles. But the real issue isn't whether a few priests lose control, it's the church's attempt to ignore, cover-up and even hide perpetrators. Religious institutions in the United States still fall under the constitution and rule of law.

      Most states have mandatory reporting laws, requiring professionals to report suspected cases of child abuse—whether physical, mental or sexual. By ignoring and covering up sexual misconduct, church officials violated state laws requiring action. John Paul's right to blame guilty priests, but can't deny the church's attempt to sweep matters under the carpet. His holiness said the church "shows great concerns for the victims and strives to respond in truth and justice to each of these painful situations," despite parishes covering up claims and fighting litigation. A Le Moyne College/Zogby poll indicated that 75% of Catholics believe that the church was doing a poor to fair job of dealing with sexual abuse—and a whopping 84% say that accusations of sexual misconduct were either somewhat likely or very likely. Despite these numbers, most Catholics won't stop receiving holy communion—nor will the church collapse under a rising tide of litigation. Like big tobacco, litigation is already priced into the cost of doing business.

      Sex scandals aren't new to the Catholic Church or, for that matter, confined to the United States. In Ireland, the church paid $110 million to settle decades old sexual abuse claims. Other sexual abuse scandals have surfaced in England, France, Australia and Latin America, raising legitimate questions of how the priesthood either breeds or invites aberrant behavior. Whether the incidence of pedophilia is higher in the priesthood than the lay population is anyone's guess. Celibacy, while a test of ultimate faith, runs against human biology, creating unwanted problems. Many other religions abandoned celibacy not because they lack faith, but precisely because lifetime service isn't designed to torment or punish dedicated men of the cloth. Using minors as sex objects runs counter to all organized religions and civilized societies. Only fringe groups—like satanic cults—subscribe to ritualistic child sexual abuse. While the Vatican can certainly set its own rules, it shouldn't shelter sexual predators or victimize families without paying a whopping price.

      Payouts for sexual abuse in the U.S. have already topped $200 million with no end in sight. Recent sexual abuse scandals called for the resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law for giving cover to priests. "Grave scandal is caused, with the result that a dark shadow of suspicion is cast over all the other fine priests who perform their ministry with honesty and integrity and often with heroic self-sacrifice," wrote the pontiff, unwilling to examine the church's long history of covering up pedophilia. Under media glare, Los Angeles' Cardinal Roger Mahoney finally retired up to 12 priests for "old cases, many going back decades." While it's admirable to clean house, it's disgraceful that ordained pedophiles were left free to traumatize innocent children with impunity. "What's reprehensible is the terrible harm done to children over so many years and that it's been covered up by bishops," said Father Richard P. McBrien, professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, faulting the pope for not taking corrective action. Blaming John Paul makes good headlines, but doesn't address the basic question of how the church evades mandatory state reporting laws.

      Annual Easter messages won't correct systemic problems inside the Catholic Church. Only vigilant enforcement of child abuse reporting laws can deal with unlawful sexual activity between priests and minors. Authorities can't exempt the church from abiding by existing laws, including prosecuting perpetrators and officials sheltering suspects. "Changes and reforms will take place and they will be universal," said Ray Flynn, former mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Vatican, not addressing practical ways of dealing with child sexual abuse. Waiting for reforms to trickle down from Rome doesn't protect innocent children from victimization. Nor does it really help to debate the advisability of celibacy and controversial issues of homosexuality and pedophilia. No society—or church for that matter—can undo its own pathology by simply debating the issues. Law abiding citizens—in and out of the church—must follow existing child abuse reporting laws to remove alleged perpetrators from proximity to children. While there's nothing wrong with reforming the church, law enforcement and the courts must still do their jobs.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor OnlineColumnist.com and columnist for the Los Angeles Daily Journal. He's director of a Los Angeles think tank specializing in political consulting and strategic communication. He's author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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