The dilemma Benedict XVI will have to face is whether to keep talking about the crisis every time he travels, and if he does, how to do it in a way that’s constructive.
When Pope Benedict XVI tackled the crisis aboard the papal plane to the United States in 2008, saying he was “deeply ashamed” and that “we will do what is possible so this cannot happen again in the future,” it was big news. The pope raised the crisis four other times during his trip, earning credit for candor.
A Gallup poll after the trip found that two-thirds of Americans said it had improved their image of the Catholic church, with most citing the pope’s meeting with victims of sexual abuse and his words on the crisis as the trip’s most important element.
Two years later, Benedict is once again visiting an English-speaking nation, and once again he’s spoken on the crisis multiple times. He responded to a question aboard the papal plane at the outset of his trip to the United Kingdom, and again today.
What a difference two years makes.
Someone has put up three videos of the early part of the service from Westminster Abbey here, here, and here. Perhaps the remainder including the Pope’s address will turn up some time. It was, remarkable!
Unless I’m missing something, we’re largely talking about abuse cases from the 70s and 80s. Is there an effort to cover up or frustrate investigations? Several Bishops have resigned. The church has long since instituted the basic safety measures in line with other churches. Many of the perpetrators are now dead. Meanwhile, in the Episcopal Church (I assume among others), allegations from that time continue to leak out, although with far less fanfare (and, worse, with the same kind of equivocal response by, e.g., Ed Browning, for which Benedict is being pilloried)
What exactly is it that Benedict is supposed to do that is not being done?