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  Shepherd Wolves

By Eric F. Mallonga
The Manila Times [United States]
June 20, 2005

AMERICA'S Roman Catholic bishops have been rightly taking radical measures to protect American children from predator clergy. The bishops recently voted to bar abusive priests from Church work, to defrock them and prohibit them from further delivering homilies of morality to the laity. Some cardinals have expressed deep misgivings on the disciplinary plans that the US Conference on Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly agreed upon. They claim that the plan violates Catholic teaching on redemption: "That any sinner can be healed" and that all cases are equally treated no matter the severity. Chicago's Francis Cardinal George correctly countered that penalties are necessarily "draconian" so as to restore trust in Church leadership: "Our real convictions come from the failure of oversight of priests by bishops in the past, and the concern of parents and the protection of their children."

Certainly, when the Catholic Church takes on extraordinary responsibilities of setting spiritual and moral standards for observance by the laity, then extraordinary obligations and extraordinary standards must be established for clerics, who enforce those standards. It is indeed absurd that Catholic clerics condemn immoral and unchristian acts and practices, intimidating the laity with fire and brimstone homilies. Yet when they are criticized and condemned for their own immoral and unchristian acts, the clerics automatically demand Christian forgiveness even as there is a denial of the commission of their sinful predations on minors. None of the abusive clerics confess to sinful acts even as they abuse power in condemning lay Catholics who have condemned clerical misbehavior. There is an abuse of power and authority as Catholic clerics hold moral ascendancy over their followers when they embark on a condemnation of their critics without remorseful admission of their sinful behavior, in addition to the sexual abuse committed upon vulnerable children. Catholic priests are fast to condemn other people for their alleged immoral and sinful conduct yet do not wish to be held accountable on those same standards.

American Catholic Bishops have favorably responded and determined that clerics shall be held immediately accountable regardless of a singular or plural commission, regardless of the lightness or severity, of sexual predations on minors. In other words, every single act of clerical pedophilia is always deemed a serious and grave act. In addition, Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, observes that—"Clergy sexual abuse is a global problem. It is imperative that individual nations assume responsibility for the welfare of their young citizens and take steps to protect their youth from this type of abuse. In order to promote the safety and welfare of children, governments—particularly those who have pledged to honor the Convention on the Rights of the Child—must hold the Vatican and its national officials and employees accountable." The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child agreed with Kissling's observations, more particularly on clerical abuse in the Philippines: "The committee recommends the State party to take effective measures to prevent and protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation in the framework of religious institutions, including by investigating the magnitude of such cases and by ensuring that the perpetrators of such abuse are brought to justice and that officials of religious institutions are held accountable in these cases of sexual abuse and the exploitation of minors." Unfortunately, such recommendations will go unnoticed by a government dependent on political support of Catholic bishops and a justice secretary concerned more about his political alliances with a pedophile congressman than children's rights. These double standards are also evident in laws as legislators provide the death penalty for the act of rape committed upon a religious nun, without imposing the death penalty for the rape committed by a cleric. In this country, Catholic clerics are idolized and worshipped as the embodiment of God Himself so that clerical pedophilia and rape is unthinkable in this jurisdiction.

Pope Benedict XVI has not yet come up with any pronouncement or pastoral letter on this particular issue in his first 100 days as Shepherd of the Catholic faithful worldwide although he has come up with hundreds of pontifications against homosexuality as "a intrinsic moral evil." No papal encyclical on the rights of children and their dignity is being planned. Unless the Catholic Pontiff undertakes more radical measures in recognizing and battling the problem of child sexual abuse by its clerics, it may be overtaken by the advocacy of child rights advocates who are now demanding that child abuse be classified as a crime against humanity. Under these principles, violators, regardless of their religion, shall be indicted and prosecuted before an international criminal court. Sovereign immunity shall no longer be allowed, thus even the Pope will not be allowed to claim immunity as head of the Vatican.

Draconian bans on predator clerics and draconian measures are deemed necessary, not just in America but in the Philippines, Africa, and Latin America as well. The Vatican will have to be more concerned and more aggressive in this regard. The Pope will have to earn his title as "Holy Father," and be as concerned as parents and child rights advocates on this matter.

 
 

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