Eugene Robinson: Pope Benedict Must Take Action

[Rage Inc.]

(edited for copyright purposes-proud patriot-moderator democratic underground)

At its holiest time of the year, the Roman Catholic Church is being forced to confront not only the central mystery of the faith -- life after death -- but also a more worldly riddle: What did the Holy Father know, and when did he know it?

Questions about whether Pope Benedict XVI was personally involved, as he rose through the church hierarchy, in sweeping under the rug incidents of sexual abuse by parish priests have put the Vatican on the defensive. A top legal official of the Holy See even felt obliged to argue, in an interview with the Rome newspaper Corriere della Sera, that the Vatican is not legally responsible for any failure by individual bishops to properly handle reports of abuse -- and that, in any event, Benedict is a head of state and thus beyond the jurisdiction of any foreign court.

A spokesman said that Benedict sees the sex scandal as a "test for him and the church" and is spending Holy Week in "humility and penitence." Another official, Cardinal William Levada, took a much more aggressive approach, releasing a lengthy statement attacking newspaper stories that have sought to investigate Benedict's role. Levada, who is prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- essentially the Vatican's chief enforcer on matters of faith, a post Benedict held for more than 20 years before becoming pope -- singled out the New York Times' reporting as "deficient by any reasonable standards of fairness."

The most explosive allegation is that Benedict, in his old job, did not take action to defrock a Wisconsin priest, Lawrence Murphy, who had molested as many as 200 boys at a school for deaf children. Benedict's office halted a church trial of Murphy when it was learned that he was terminally ill; the priest was investigated by civil authorities as well but never faced charges. He died in 1998.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040102804.html

At this point, I think that the aptly-named Benedict can only atone for his treason toward the church by resigning.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

1. You know he's not going to do that.

[Stuart G]

2. It ain't going to happen....