Opportunity lost

It is regrettable that Pope Benedict XVI made no reference in his Easter homily to the sex-abuse scandal that has globally for several decades beset the Roman Catholic Church, for which throughout that period the heirachy has strenuously concealed details from the knowledge of the police, let alone its faithful adherents.

There had existed a reasonable expectation the Pope would make some comment - even apologise for the church's incompatible behaviour or at least accept personal responsibility as head of the church- but none was forthcoming.

Only in his earlier pastoral letter to Irish Catholics was there a statement of contrition and an expression of shame and remorse towards victims of historical abuse at the hands of priests and religious brethren in Ireland.

But the outrage has not been confined to Ireland, dreadful as the offending was in that country.

It occurred on every continent and was kept "in house" and from law authorities.

The Catholic Church has taught, and indeed claims, infallibility in its objective definitive teaching with respect to faith as well as morals, but that does not mean its adherents, including its religious brethren, are considered infallible in their subjective interpretation of its teaching.

The claim of papal infallibility occurs when the Pope speaks as the spiritual head of the church, when he teaches some doctrine of faith or morals.

Thus, while some clergy have asserted the church and its priests are above secular laws, that is a denial of the true meaning of its dogma.

The events involving the abuse of children nominally and actually under its care will have undoubtedly raised many concerns in the minds of believers: among them the question of how their church could justify on any moral ground the protection of alleged abuser religious brethren from possible prosecution by the secular State.

The Pope and the church have failed to answer that adequately, although the reasoning that the preservation of the church's reputation and authority was paramount is widespread.

While it is said Pope Benedict has been prominent since his election in exposing abusers and those of his clergy who have protected them from prosecution, it is also claimed that when a cardinal, in charge of the Vatican office responsible for disciplining priests, he intervened in church trials but did not alert secular authorities, and when an archbishop in his native Germany could have but did not intervene in at least one important case.

Yet he is also on record as having denounced "filth" in the church, has previously stated a policy of zero tolerance for offenders, and acted against a church order whose leader was accused of many molestations in the United States.

Nevertheless, the rhetoric, in many minds, has not matched the actions which, in far too many cases worldwide, have been no more than light disciplinary measures sheltered within the institution.

If the response from Pope Benedict to the concerns of the public and of the faithful everywhere has been less forthright than hoped, it has been worse from those advisers closest to him.

At Easter, his personal preacher likened the criticism to the "more shameful aspects of antisemitism" - a ludicrous claim for which he later apologised; and the dean of the College of Cardinals asserted that the controversy amounted to petty gossip; others have suggested or implied the whole business is a media "beat-up", a charge so removed from the truth as to be delusion: it was in fact the print media that exposed the hideous crimes of the past 20 years.

The scandal threatens not only the present Pope's legacy but also that of his predecessor, Pope John-Paul II, at present being considered for beatification.

He led a church that tolerated paedophile priests until 2002, when the scandal became widely public, and for 26 years allowed individual dioceses to take sole responsibility for investigating allegations: in the United States alone, where 4% of its priests were tainted, this meant bishops were able to protect accused clerics.

Of the 3000 cases the Vatican has received since 2001, only 10% of the accused priests have been defrocked.

Pope Benedict can resign - church law allows it - but that is highly unlikely and indeed, may not be appropriate.

More acceptable might be a public instruction to all bishops to refer allegations of abuse to the secular authorities, such as the police, as soon as they are made.

The Pope needs to offer solutions - on the eve of his election he referred to paedophile priests as turning Catholicism into a "sinking ship" - lest the church he leads founders on its own rock.