People, Hierarchy and clergy is an exemplary act of the papal magisterium. The expectations of those truly victimised may not be immediately assuaged by it but we others, more or less on the periphery, as it were, ought to be consoled and edified: the Pope reminds us of our sinfulness, our need to repent and seek out the merciful forgiveness of God, and to perform the works of reparation. Playing about with administrative regimes and procedures has happened in Ireland (and in their own place such realities are necessary and constructive) although, I gather, more still needs be done. The Irish bishops need to lead, to take up their crosses, and lead: or else resign themselves to marginalisation in Irish society.
The text is here.
Looking at the media this morning.... The Telegraph makes an effort to be objective, for a couple of paragraphs, and then descends to,
... He called for "concrete initiatives" to address the situation, but they amounted to little more than prayers, fastings and Bible readings....
But it does feature a press account of Mons Zollitsch's reaction in Germany, which is useful. Jean-Marie Guénois in Le Figaro is admirably serious, although I can't really imagine that reading the Pastoral Letter one doesn't comprehend that the Roman Pontiff is begging pardon of the victims--still, les Français, les Français.... (If I say, 'désolé', when someone talks about his dog's fleas, surely that is an entirely different use of the word than Benedict XVI's in this Pastoral Letter.) Stephanie Le Bars in Le Monde is equally good, and the headline, even, is fitting. Rachel Donadio at the New York Times is concerned that there be penalties and discipline.
... But the pope did not require that church leaders be disciplined for past mistakes as some victims were hoping; nor did he clarify what critics see as contradictory Vatican rules they fear allow abuse to continue unpunished....
The rest is just as sanctimonious as that: one imagines that some of those who would have become nuns of the old school, with rulers and frowns. must have gone into newspaper work. Simon Alford in the Times is Miss Donadio's cousin across the water:
...He also ordered a Vatican investigation into the Irish church, but did not mention any Vatican responsibility for covering up the scandal.
Nor did he dole out any specific punishments for bishops accused of covering up years of abuse.....
I will admit that at least the European and UK papers link to the Holy Father's Pastoral Letter.
Update on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 19:27 by
Marc
Tom Kington in the Guardian is much more sensible than I should have expected in that newspaper, and even the headline writer has captured the sense and purpose of the Holy Father's pastoral letter It is with Great Concern.
;)
