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Special Report
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Roman Catholic Church Abuses
Can you trust in the Catholic Church now ? Church Abuses |
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Recent Church Abuses in Australia SYDNEY, July 19,2008 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict apologised on Saturday for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia, saying those responsible should be brought to justice."I am deeply sorry for the pain and suffering the victims have endured," the pontiff said in a homily in Sydney.
"These misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation," he said. "Those responsible for these evils must be brought to justice." Victims of church abuse in Australia have been calling on the pope to issue a public apology during his visit to Sydney for World Youth Day, July 15-20.2008 Broken Rites, which represents abuse victims in Australia, has a list of 107 convictions for church abuse, but says there could be thousands of victims as only a few cases go to court. The pope confronted the issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States during a visit to Washington in April, meeting victims and vowing to keep paedophiles out of the priesthood. Sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has overshadowed the pope's visit to Sydney, with the church reopening a 25 year-old abuse case in Australia only days before the pontiff arrived. Benedict said sexual abuse by clergy had damaged the Catholic Church."I would like to pause to acknowledge the shame which we have all felt as a result of the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy and religious in this country," he said during a mass inside Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral. "I ask all of you to support and assist your bishops and to work together with them in combating this evil. Victims should receive compassion and care..." Victims of abuse have said the pope must not just apologies for past church abuse but implement an open and accountable system of investigating abuse claims. They say the Catholic Church in Australia continues to try and cover-up abuse.
US Catholics worry for future According to an opinion poll, more than 70% of Catholics in the United States believe the Church is in the midst of a crisis. Many are very unhappy about the way it has dealt with - or rather has failed to deal with - the scandal of sexual abuse by priests. But few say their own faith has been shaken by the revelations, and only 3% think they may now leave the Church. The 63 million Catholics in the United States form the largest religious group in the country. Social influence But because it is such a diverse nation, Catholics remain a minority, making up just under 23% of the population. It is nevertheless a significant minority that forms an important part of the social fabric of many towns and cities, and influences many aspects of American life. The finances of the Catholic Church are difficult to unravel, as each diocese is a separate legal entity. But globally, this is one of the wealthiest branches of the Church; with income from 19,544 parishes across the US estimated at $7.5bn annually. The money supports a substantial infrastructure at parish and diocesan level, with a network of schools, colleges and hospitals across the country. The Church provides education for 2.7 million pupils in elementary and high schools, making it the largest provider of private schooling in the nation. Last year, the number of enrolments to Catholic schools was down slightly (by 1%) for the first time in a decade, but 43% of Catholic schools still have a waiting list. Estimates of the number of people who attend services regularly rely on the honesty of people questioned in surveys. But according to recent figures, 38% of Catholics say they go to mass once a week. That figure hides a big difference between Catholic women (49%) and Catholic men (26%). But while congregations may be holding up, or even increasing, the number of priests remains a cause for concern. Catholic Church Shaken by Sex Scandals The Catholic Church is now counting the cost of the revelations of sexual abuse by priests. The growing sex scandals in Europe and USA has created a crisis of trust for the church, with claims that senior clerics failed to take action for years. The perception that church leaders have kept quiet about the problem has increased public anger over the activities of a small minority of their priests. In the past, a priest who prompted complaints might have been moved quietly to a different area. "Initially, the church viewed sexual offences as sins to be confessed, rather than a sickness to be treated," says Father Curtis Bryant, a psychologist who has treated American priests. "Catholic authorities liberally forgave and trusted the offending priest, as they would any penitent, instead of putting him out of ministry." Father Bryant is a former director of inpatient clinical services at the St Luke Institute in Maryland. It is one of the few centers in the United States that treats priests who are sexual abusers.
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Hammad Yousuf
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