Dear Pope: Please make your retirement count for something.
Dear Pope Benedict:
I wish you well, and I urge you to make your retirement count for something.
Why not announce you are stepping down as a healing gesture for the river of victims abused by pedophile priests? The Catholic Church - and as its leader, you - have demonstrated strategic, calculated indifference to decades of child rape and molestation. Both as Pontiff and an influential cardinal, you oversaw the transfer of priests to new parishes, where they preyed on fresh victims. Respectfully, you have done too little, too late. Please make your final announcement a truly healing one.
I ask this of you as a journalist who has covered the aftermath of the abuse, as a former Child Protection Worker who has worked with sexual abuse victims, and as a Catholic. I have written several times to the Vatican to request this.
In more than fifteen years of journalism, this is the first time I have publicly expressed a personal opinion on an issue of current affairs.
Sincerely,
Alicia Young
I really liked this site, until I saw this post. I refer you to an interview below that may shed some light on the matter.
http://www.zenit.org/article-28634?l=english
Hello Gena,
Thank you for your post. I’m sorry that I may lose you as a visitor, but I respect you are entitled your opinion – and also, that you spoke your truth.
I’m dashing out for the day, but have written myself a note to read the link on my return.
Best wishes,
Alicia
Alicia, thank you for speaking out, your words were thought provoking. The Pope was in a position of power . I think it was interesting when he said words to the effect of at times he thought God was sleeping which of course caused a huge ripple. Perhaps was referring to the abuse both sexual, physical, and emotional (I can remember being hit and punched by nun’s when I was at a Catholic school.
Holly makes some excellent points, The church needs to get connected to the real world and engage the masses instead of alienating them, healing words for the abused at his resignation would have been a powerful departing gift.
Thanks, Aurora, I appreciate your support. It’s disappointing the way the Vatican squandered its opportunity to do something worthwhile.
I agree, Holly hit on the need for the church to pull itself into the current century and welcome people instead of pushing them away.
Interesting days ahead with the choice of a new Pope, but I don’t hold a lot of hope for real change.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,
Alicia
Powerful words Alicia and I couldn’t agree more, I personally am praying for a Pope who will make a difference!
Here here! A great ‘Call to Action’ Alicia.
Additionally Pope Benedict, please endorse the use of contraceptive devices – not only to help the many people in developing countries who cannot feed their children, let alone support any more (the decision should be theirs to make not the RC Church) but also to help reduce the spread of STDs & life threatening disease such as AIDS.
Pope Benedict, please push the RC Church into the real ‘ i.e. contemporary’ world. You may actually get a larger & younger congregation returning to the Church if some of the decisions of Vatican III were made by people under the age of 80!
well said Alicia, if only they would. Sadly I have read about some of the abuse: it has taken the spirit of those who are still with us and the phyical being of those who could not longer stand the pain/shame of something they didn’t choose. Very sad.
lovely thought, it would be wonderful if he did.