A Long Overdue Apology

One may think that the letter from the pope reflects positively on the church but I see it differently. Religiosity and Spirituality have been in steady decline over the past century with the emergence of scientific knowledge. People's level of faith has shown a rapid decrease in the past two decades which makes me wonder about the arrival of Pope Benedict's letter. Why was this apology not delivered many years ago when the abuse was made known to Cardinals and higher officials in the church?

The way I see it this apology in no way justifies what happened and because of the delayed actions of the church, many more innocent people have been the victims of abuse. It seems that this apology is a plea for survival of the church knowing that many of its followers have walked out. Personally I was brought up with a very Christian background with religious values instilled in my childhood but as I grew older and became aware of the clerical child abuse in the church I turned away and lost my faith. Now I don't know what to believe and those weekly Sunday masses have become something I attend now and then to keep my dad happy.

There is little religious significance in mass for many people anymore and numbers are dropping continuously. Many officials of the church covered up abuse scandals signing secrecy oaths. This is nearly as bad as carrying out the act themselves. To think that the priests who weren't abusing were covering up for those who were is revolting and it allowed for sick individuals like Brendan Smyth to abuse numerous victims. Cardinal Brady was aware that this evil man was re-offending time after time and he allowed it to carry on. He said himself he would resign if he was made aware of abuse and did nothing about it. Why hasn't he resigned?

The worst thing of all is that certain members of the clergy hold a view that there was no law stating that clergy members were permitted to report to authorities. So do they think it's justifiable not to act on something that they know is wrong because the law didn't specifically say "if you know of abuse, report it to the authorities", and since when did the church adhere to the law. They were the law in Ireland for a very long reign of terror up until recently. This apology just doesn't cut it for me. It is too late. I think the church did nothing because they thought they didn't have to but now that they have lost their power in modern society they fear for the existence of Christianity or at least its present form.

It is too late for an apology and maybe for the best. Religion will still persist, just not in its previous twisted form and I think there is still hope for all those abused who still search for meaning. Maybe they can find answers in science or in new religious movements. Maybe the Vatican need to do a little more than apologise. Perhaps it is time for a Vatican III.

SOS