Pope Benedict criticized Irish Bishops for doing wha the Vatican expected of them

Pope Benedict criticized Irish bishops for “grave errors in judgment,” which led to many children being abused by priests and nuns. Catholic Bishops in Ireland deserve the criticism, since they were complacent while priests and other members of the Church harmed young parishioners. Unfortunately, Pope Benedict glossed over the major cause: The Vatican.

The abuse allegations in Ireland are not confined to that country alone. Allegations came to light in the United States several years ago, along with Germany and many other European nations. It’s also likely that the number of allegations will increase as victims gain the courage to face the Catholic Church and their abusers.

Were the Irish Bishops also responsible for abuse allegations in other countries and continents? Of course not. Each diocese was working on orders from the Vatican, which some feel encouraged a veil of secrecy. If blame is to be assigned, a good portion of it needs to be directed at Pope Benedict himself:

While a cardinal at the Vatican, Joseph Ratzinger penned a letter instructing bishops around the world to report all cases of abuse to his office and keep them secret under threat of excommunication. Irish bishops have said the letter was widely understood to mean they shouldn’t report the cases to police.

In addition to telling bishops to keep quiet or else, Joseph Ratzonger aka Pope Benedict also contributed to the abuse of children:

…reports emerged last week that while he was archbishop of Munich in the 1980s, Ratzinger approved therapy for a priest suspected of molesting boys. The priest was then transferred to a job where he later abused more children. He was convicted in a criminal trial.

So to summarize, we have a Pope who encouraged bishops to hide allegations of abuse or face excommunication, along with personal failures that contributed to the abuse of more children after an abusive priest was transferred. His hypocritical behavior and failure to take responsibility are a disgrace to Catholicism.

As in cases in the United States, priests and other members of the church are being accused of abusing children, while the Catholic Church kept everything quiet, while offending priests were moved to other parishes to harm a new community of children. If that wasn’t bad enough, it appears that Pope Benedict might have also shuffled pedophile priests from one parish to another.

This should prove to everyone that these problems are beyond a single country. The Church’s problems can likely be linked to the types of people attracted to the priesthood. It’s not a popular thing to say, but it needs to be said. Widespread abuse over multiple continents should be enough proof that the priesthood needs to be opened up to a broader group of individuals. There are men who are happily married, good fathers, and outstanding members of their community who would probably like the opportunity to become a priest. Unfortunately, the priesthood is limited to men who aren’t allowed to marry or have children. Personally, I think this rule leads to the selection of individuals who are more likely to be prone to this behavior. You might disagree, but I don’t see this type of behavior in reverends or ministers of other denominations.

I don’t expect the church to ever embrace such a change, at least not in my lifetime. Of course, failing to address the situation will lead to members who distrust the very people they are supposed to trust.