When the conclusion of the “Year of the Priest” was announced last week, no one was probably more relieved it was over than Pope Benedict XVI.
It was a tough year for the Catholic Church, where decades of child abuse at the hands of Catholic priests came to light in droves and rocked the church to near irreparable damage. But in a closing Mass to more than 15,000 assembled priests in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict finally apologized for decades of abuse from Catholic priests and begged the forgiveness of God and all the victims involved. “In the very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light,” the pontiff said while blaming “the enemy” and “Satan” for the abuse scandal. His remarks drew both applause and praise from priests.
But the pope’s comments did not appease several organized groups of abuse victims who have continuously called for more action from the church. “How many times can you apologize before you take action?” asked Joelle Casteix, Southwest Director of the victims group Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, who was in attendance at the outdoor Mass. She said she would not be satisfied until the church instituted a zero-tolerance policy where abusive priests and those who covered up their crimes were turned over to civil authorities and expelled from the church. She also added that although priests might have been inspired by the Vatican gathering, the pope didn’t provide them any tools with which to deal with the problem. “They leave here and what do they really have?” she asked. “Nothing. Inspiration doesn’t really save a child.”
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