Addressing the media in the Vatican Wednesday, Pope Francis expressed his “shame” in the Roman Catholic Church. This is after a report, released Tuesday, that estimated more than 330,000 children had been abused by clergy and church officials since the 1950s.
Pope Francis has expressed “shame” for himself and the Roman Catholic Church for the scale of child sexual abuse within the church in France and acknowledged failures in putting the needs of victims first. https://t.co/oquUxcwL1V
— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) October 6, 2021
But is his “Shame” sincere? Pope Francis has a history of protecting child predators in the ranks of the Roman Catholic Clergy. Before becoming the leader of the Catholic faith, Pope Francis was known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio The Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. In this position, he commissioned a 2600 page study to discredit the victims of Father Julio Cesar Grasse; A Catholic Priest convicted of sexually abusing a teenage boy.
The Shame of the Church
The Catholic Church has been mired in sexual abuse cases for decades. Leaving the Church’s legacy tattered and stained. Instead of actively fighting the problem, Church leaders instead hide behind the bureaucracy of the system turning a blind eye on those who need them the most: the People.
Many Catholics have a high degree of disgust for Church leaders who abuse their power. This does not mean they would abandon their faith. However, it will ultimately be up to the congregants to hold their leader’s feet to the fire. But the odds are ever not in your favor making the fight for the protection of innocent children all the harder.
What Can We Learn From All of This?
The truth is that the Pope is just a man. He will disappoint and sin just like any other man. But a sinner with ultimate power and no checks and balances leaves the door wide open for evil to invade.
Head of #FrenchCatholic bishops conference asks forgiveness after report finds 330,000 victims of church sexual abuse between 1950 and 2020 pic.twitter.com/Bdpc6kgw5T
— Kwitter (@Kwitter12085169) October 5, 2021
Much like governments that forget they are created to serve the people, Church leadership can fall to the temptation of power and forget their role as servants. It will be up to the people to hold them accountable.
