PRIOR POPE FIRED ABUSIVE PRIESTS

RECENT  DATA:  While he was in office, Pope Benedict XVI fired at least 571 priests over four years.  All were found guilty of child molestation under canon law of the Roman Catholic Church and were terminated.
 

Of that number, 400 were defrocked in 2011 and 2012.  That represents an increase of 134% over the 171 men who were fired in 2008 and 2009.

This information came to light this week as Archbishop Silvano Tomasi appeared before the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, a U.N. panel looking into the matter. Tomasi is the Vatican’s U.N .ambassador.

BACKGROUND:  Before he was elevated to the papacy, Benedict XVI – then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- took action in his role as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, after he determined “that bishops around the world weren’t following church law (by putting) accused clerics on trial in church tribunals.”

The Vatican can defrock a priest, a penalty which permanently removes him from the priesthood and forbids him from practicing. (In essence he is fired.). However, the Vatican has no legal means by which to punish him any further through incarceration.

The latter can only be meted out by secular authorities after a civil trial.  That is why, under guidelines adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), a priest against whom a credible complaint of molestation has been brought is to be immediately reported to civil authorities.

 

That happens even before the matter begins to wind  its way to the Vatican for a person to be removed from the priesthood, should the evidence support the charges.

IMPACT and PROGNOSIS:  The Diocese of Metuchen, which serves Catholics in Middlesex, Hunterdon, Warren and Somerset counties in New Jersey, has implemented some of the most stringent policies and practices in the U.S. to address this problem.

 

Bishops are ultimately accountable to the Pope.  Similar to state governors in the United States, they have no authority over one another.  One bishop can be following the intent of the USCCB guidelines to the letter, while another may not.

Even with the best vigilance, enforced under the most stringent rules, molesters can and do slip through the cracks, just as in other professions.

Pope Benedict XVI took the bull by the horns in starting to clean up “the filth,” as he so succinctly put it several years ago.  Those actions continue under Pope Francis.

Undeniably, the Roman Catholic Church has taken severe body blows due to the egregiously irresponsible behavior of certain high-level prelates in the hierarchy.   Obviously, the church has lost much credibility since early in 2001, when I began assessing this problem.

One of the most tragic results of this entire sordid episode is that it has caused many Catholics to lose faith and to drop out.

 

Also, it has dishonored the shock troops of the Catholic Church in America – the thousands of decent priests who continue to faithfully and responsibly carry out their pastoral responsibilities each day, despite the miscreant actions of some of their bosses.

There is no sense in denying the effects of this situation.

 

Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that the 2000 year-old Roman Catholic Church will simply fade away.  Each time that it has faced a life-threatening situation, someone has come forward to exemplify transformative leadership.

Today, I believe that the man from Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio – now Pope Francis, may be that person.

Thanks for reading.  Take care of yourselves and have a peaceful week.