Pope Benedict is in America with the prime objective of healing the rift due to the Church’s mishandling of the many abuse cases perpetrated by Catholic paedophile priests.
But America being what it is, the visit has a flash and materialistic touch to it. For instance, did you know that the Pope wears Prada shoes? And I don’t know what Jesus would have made of the vendors selling Benedict-adorned garb, including bumper stickers, T-shirts and rosary beads with the theme of the trip, “Christ Our Hope.”
But let us stick with the serious business of the trip.
In Washington, Pope Benedict, for the first time, met with and listened to a small group of adults who, when children were not only sexually but also “spiritually” abused, one of the victims, told CNN.
He added, “I told him (the Pope) that he has a cancer growing in his ministry and needs to do something about it.”
The Pope admitted that the church “very badly handled” the scandal and he is doing his utmost to repair the damage. He after all was, although not Pope, in a very influential post as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome when the scandal hit the headlines in 2002 and the Vatican was reluctant to deal with it.
More than 5,000 clergymen were accused of molesting about 12,000 victims, according to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Here in Malta we have had our fair share of paedophile priest scandals, which had not all been properly dealt with.
Now is it a coincidence that we are having a mini, mirror (though not quite) apology from the Church here in Malta.
I will explain why the message here is not quite reflecting the Pope’s message. Rather than concentrating on the much wider problem of sexual abuse of children by priests, some of us have gone on a witch-hunt of the nuns at Lourdes Home. Now as far as I know, because the report still has not been made public, the nuns were not found to have abused the children sexually or spiritually. We were told that physical abuse took place.
Now those of you who read my column would know that I think that abuse of any kind is despicable, more so when the victims are children and the perpetrators are adults who portray themselves as pious, having given up a worldly life to perform God’s work.
But that covers priests as well as nuns. What seems to be happening here is that attention is being directed away from the paedophile priests, and I am getting more than a hint of misogyny.
Somehow, the fact that the Superior General at Lourdes House has approached Apogg for help in relocating the children living there, since the nuns feel they ought to close the Home, has been turned into a gesture of arrogance.
The Times editorial on Thursday said “Bishop Grech, for the umpteenth time, reiterated his policy that Lourdes Home will still be run as a children’s home. Does it mean the nuns are openly challenging the Bishop’s authority?”
Is that what this issue is about - authority? Or are the nuns using common sense?
The issue is about the children’s wellbeing, and if the nuns do not feel they can provide it they are behaving correctly in wanting to close the home. The Mother Superior obviously feels she cannot implement the recommendations.
It is very easy to say it must stay open, but what support is being given to not only keep the home open, but to also see that the problems are solved?
What training, in dealing with the particular problems of children in care, has been available to the nuns? Has the Mother Superior just been handed the recommendations and told to get on with it?
She is being chastised for “seeming” not to have “removed the sisters who abused the children”. Are those the only recommendations? We just do not know. It is all speculation.
Again since the media is not privy to the report, we do not know the whole story. We need to be rather more cautious in passing judgement and not rely on leaks with their own agenda. Bishop Mario Grech should release the report and stop the witch-hunt.
It also concerns me that a lay person who grew up in the home has “been removed”. First of all these are human beings, not furniture; and however bad their behaviour they still need help. Isn’t that what Christianity is all about? It is certainly not about witch-hunts.
Where has the person who has lived in an institution all her life been moved to? The priority is the children’s wellbeing, but we cannot just dump erring human beings. And it seems to me that is why the Superior has decided that closing the Home is the best option available to her.
To have a well-run children’s home you need the right environment, including enough cash to run it efficiently.
Of course there are times when stress will take its toll and that is why it is crucial to have trained staff with a supportive structure, which supposedly Apogg could supply.
Of course everyone was shocked that children were treated cruelly and it must not be allowed to happen again. But to avoid it we have to put our money where our mouth is. Pillorying the nuns is no solution.

pamelapacehansen@gmail.com