The Pope and the Right Issues

I give Pope Benedict XVI credit. He did not shy away from discussing the priest sexual assault issue during the early portions of his trip to the United States. In fact, he met with several victims from the Archdiocese of Boston in an unannounced meeting that was closed to the media (for obvious reasons). For a report of the meeting, go to: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/04/exclusive_pope.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4


The meeting has already been applauded by some as a sign that the Vatican "means business" in dealing with priests that have sexually assaulted people. The meeting has also been criticized as "window dressing" that looks good in the media, but does nothing to help the victims.

I view the meeting as a step in the right direction with many steps remaining. I give the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Boston credit for keeping the meeting confidential until after it took place. It would have been very easy for the Vatican to keep the priest sexual assault issue on the back burner during this trip. Fortunately, for the benefit of the many victims, including the vast majority of priest that have never sexually assaulted anyone yet are seen as pedophiles because of the action of a few priests, Pope Benedict XVI has kept the issue on the front burner duing his trip.