I am not sure what the right metaphor is — “putting the cart before the horse” or “shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted” — but we need some horse sense to be applied to a very difficult situation: sex abuse in the Catholic church.
Pope Francis is going to convene an abuse prevention summit and his bishops have to speak to victims first so that they can understand what has happened. This seems like a good idea, but why hasn’t it already happened, as the problem has been going on for at least a number of decades?
The pope should simply state that sex abuse is wrong, criminal and unforgiveable and that anyone involved through action or inaction is not welcome in the church in any capacity.
This is not a complex concept. Sex abuse is wrong and must be stopped, and the first step is to call it out and disown the offenders.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
