THE Vatican moved assertively to confront the widening sex abuse scandal across America.
Last month, American cardinals, responding to a direct behest from the Holy Father, converged at the Vatican to discuss the scandal. It is not clear whether the Pope was driven to call the meeting mainly by charges that he had been unsympathetic to the crisis or by a dawning awareness of its severity. Whatever the reason, he is to be commended for seizing the initiative.
It is important, however, that the meeting produced real results, not just comforting words. According to news accounts, the Vatican may be willing to entertain debate on complex and contentious doctrinal issues like celibacy, the screening of gay candidates for the priesthood and the role of women in the Church.
Obviously, centuries of doctrine are not going to be re-written in a two-day meeting, even presuming an inclination among participants to make major changes. But at the very least they should aim for a credible strategy for dealing with the problem – a system that has allowed senior figures in the Church to tolerate and hide – and thus has encouraged – the molestation of children by sexually predatory priests.
What all the lay world, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, is waiting for is a clear and universal set of guidelines that would help the Church – particularly seminaries and local parishes – detect potential abusers before ordination.
Most critically, the guidelines must give specific and uncompromising instructions on how to deal promptly and effectively with priests suspected of sexual abuse.
There is only so much the Pope can do in terms of micro-managing diocesan behaviour. But the meeting reflects a healthy awareness on his part, and that may help shed sunlight on a huge problem that has been allowed to fester too long in the shadows.
It also reflects an awareness that this may be a systemic problem that goes beyond the failures of individual authorities.
CHRIS MADEIRA Everton Park, Qld
