Benedict paying for John Paul's sins?

John Allen provides some helpful perspective on Pope Benedict's role in the clergy sex abuse scandal.  He argues that Benedict had a change of heart in 2001 when then-Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was given responsibility for investigating abuse allegations.  Ratzinger read every file.  Previously, he had attributed the criticism to a hostile secular press.  Now, as Allen puts it, he had "undergone a transformation" and was "determined to get something done."

Pope Benedict, until just recently, had been given generally decent marks for his handling of the crisis.  The problem is that Cardinal Ratzinger's own archdiocese--the one where he had ultimate responsibility--is now implicated in covering up for an abuser.  Allen raises the obvious question:  Can Benedict credibly ride herd on other bishops if his own record, at least before 2001, is no better?

Now comes a Reuters report saying that then Cardinal Ratzinger tried to convince Pope John Paul to investigate an Austrian Cardinal who abused young boys and monks.  It alleges that Ratzinger's opponents in the Vatican convinced John Paul not to investigate. 

The cardinal in question was the late Hans Hermann Groer, removed as Archbishop of Vienna in 1995 following sex allegations.  The source for the story is Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn of Vienna.

I'm no cheerleader for Pope Benedict, but one wonders if he's being blamed for some of John Paul's sins.  When no inquiry into Groer was launched, then Cardinal Ratzinger said, "The other side won"--the "other side" being, as Clerical Whispers puts it, the "Vatican old boys’ club that Cardinal Ratzinger never joined, and which didn’t want sex abuse cases to 'damage the good name of the Church' (ie, disturb their back-slapping suppers in favoured trattorie)."

This hardly fits current conventional wisdom.  The former Pope was charismatic and loved by many.  The current Pope is neither, which makes it psychologically easier to pin the bad news on him.  Rather than jump to conclusions and call for Benedict's head, however, maybe closer attention should be paid to John Paul's minions, still ensconced on the heirarchy, who "won" on Hans Groer. 

(Benedict is) facing a terrible situation, no doubt about it; and no doubt also he made mistakes himself: the fact that he was far more vigilant than other cardinals doesn’t mean he was vigilant enough.

But history will show that it was Benedict XVI, not John Paul II, who initiated the “purification” of the Church to remove its “filth” – his words, and uttered long before this current crisis arose.

Photo:  AP

 

Comments

[Hypatia]

It's been obvious for some time that as far as the media is concerned Benedict is paying for being John Paul's bad cop. Whatever his failings he was working hard on this while JP II was out sightseeing and waving to his adoring public.

[John Petty]

There's still too much "circle the wagons and protect Holy Mother Church," but it does appear Ratzinger's record is better than his predecessor's.

[barefoot shoes]

Theres Actually a strip done by pekar on Albert Alyer, and Joe lovano, real interesting, i don't agree with him on ayler though...........

[Puma California]

You're absolutely right. Our dreams are often our brain's way of "talking" to us. thank you.