This Never Works

My first exposure to institutions that persist in denial as the ship goes down was the two years of revelations that culminated in Richard Nixon's resignation in the summer of 1974. I was perplexed then, and remain perplexed as to why when institutions and/or individuals are faced with this kind of cataclysm, they do not get out in front of it, own all of their mistakes and at least prevent further damage.

When they do, they almost invariably survive. And even prosper. Openness and reconciliation are wonderful restoratives.

Yet here we are watching the Catholic Church following this same well-worn path to almost certain catastrophe. Few if any believe the denials any longer. Today, National Catholic Reporter concluded a statement on this issue as follows

The focus now is on Benedict. What did he know? When did he know it? How did he act once he knew?

The questions arise not only about his conduct in Munich, but also, based also as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. A March 25 Times story, citing information from bishops in the United States, reported that the Vatican had failed to take action against a priest accused of molesting as many as 200 deaf children while working at a school from 1950 to 1974. Correspondence reportedly obtained by the paper showed requests for the defrocking of the priest, Fr. Lawrence Murphy, going directly from U.S. bishops to Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, now the Vatican secretary of state. No action was taken against Murphy.

Like it or not, this new focus on the pope and his actions as an archbishop and Vatican official fits the distressing logic of this scandal. For those who have followed this tragedy over the years, the whole episode seems familiar: accusation, revelation, denial and obfuscation, with no bishop held accountable for actions taken on their watch. Yes, there is a depressing madness to this story. Time after time, this is a story of institutional failure of the deepest kind, a failure to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a failure to put compassion ahead of institutional decisions aimed at short-term benefits and avoiding public scandal.

The strategies employed so far -- taking the legal path, obscuring the truth, and doing everything possible to protect perpetrators as well as the church's reputation and treasury -- have failed miserably.

We now face the largest institutional crisis in centuries, possibly in church history. How this crisis is handled by Benedict, what he says and does, how he responds and what remedies he seeks, will likely determine the future health of our church for decades, if not centuries, to come.

It is time, past time really, for direct answers to difficult questions. It is time to tell the truth.

To engage on this issue -- to insist on the truth -- is to love the Church, not to despise it. Yes there are those who hate the Church, but for those of us who love it, now is the time to step up.