Pope Benedict XVI

The new Pope may very well be the wise and wonderful person we had hoped for, however I was dismayed (for obvious reasons) to hear rumors the other day that he may have been instrumental in coordinating the cover-up of the priest abuse scandals beginning in 2001. While these are only rumors at this point, it is disappointing that The Vatican does not implement a more strident approach towards ensuring its members that these offensive behaviors will cease, at once. Obviously, outrageous behavior can occur even in the secular world, but the perception by the public is that by maintaining virtual silence on the issue, the Church is condoning abusive behavior, which is not the case. But perceptions sometimes can be reality. Even though we agree these cases are relatively rare, the "sweeping under the carpet," or even the perception of such, makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. It angers me that this casts a dark cloud over the Church and is obviously very disturbing news. I, as I'm sure many of you do too, hope for and look forward to the day when this issue would be addressed in a manner befitting a civil and moral organization. Or, at least, have the public perceive this problem as being handled in a prosecutorial manner and not just a manner which is that of forgiving sins, as important as that is, too. I would urge Pope Benedict XVI to condemn any abuse of children, apologize for any past transgressions by the minority of offenders out there, and to issue a statement ensuring every parishioner around the world that any future cases will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will remain hopeful that the new Pope will fulfill his mandate to have the Catholic Church held in high esteem and to maintain a strict following of moral and ethical behavior.