In some of his strongest public comments since the sex scandals broke three months ago, Pope Benedict XVI warned today 11 May 2010 that the greatest threat to the Catholic Church comes from “sin within” rather than from outside.
Forgiveness Is Not a Substitute for Justice
The Vatican's initial response to sex abuses in which it blamed the media and the Church's opponents for the escalation of the scandal, with one top Vatican official going as far as dismissing reports of a cover up of sexual abuse as “petty gossip”. But the Pope made clear its origin came from within the Church itself.
“Today we see in a truly terrifying way that the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies, but is born of sin within the Church,” he told reporters, in response to a question about the sexual abuse scandal. (BBC, 11 May 2010)
The 83-year-old German pope, who is facing the worst crisis of his five-year-old papacy, said the Church had to seek forgiveness from victims of sexual abuse but also recognized that “ forgiveness cannot be a substitute for justice.”
The pope made his comments on the plane taking him to Portugal, where he is planning to visit the shrine at Fatima to mark the anniversary of the day in 1917 when three Portuguese shepherd children reported having visions of the Virgin Mary.
Although nearly 90% of people in Portugal are reported to be Catholics, only about 20% attend Mass regularly, according to the BBC's Vatican correspondent, David Willey. (11 May 2010)
Financial Crisis Demonstrates the Need for Moral Responsibility
Pope Benedict has already been trying to clean the Church from within, accepting the resignations of a few bishops who either admitted they sexually abused youngsters or covered up for priests who did. One Vatican official in charge of handling sex abuse cases has said recently that he would not be surprised if the pope asks for resignations. (The Globe& Mail, 11 May 2010)
Portugal has been one of the countries affected by the economic crisis. Its economic growth has been pedestrian for years, averaging less than 1 percent between 2001 and 2008. The the global downturn brought a steep contraction of 2.7 percent last year. (Statesman, 10 May 2010)
The pope noted the financial crisis demonstrated the need for “moral responsibility” in the economics sphere and noted that he outlined his vision for a more ethical financial system in his 2009 encyclical “Charity in Truth.”
Badar Salem - Badar is a freelance journalist based in Dubai, UAE. She has a BA in Journalism and Political Science from BirZeit University in Palestine ...
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