My Opinion on the Catholic Church Abuse Scandal

I would like to start this blog with a short rant, which is unusual for me because I am not a big ranter. I steer clear of the “news” and I find politics to be boring. However, even with my head in the sand, I haven't been able to avoid the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. I have one thing to say:

Catholic Church, I am ashamed of you.

You know what should happen here? If a Catholic Priest or a Catholic Nun has molested a child (or several), then the Catholic Priest or Catholic Nun should be turned over to the local police and, if enough evidence has been collected against them, the Catholic Priest or Catholic Nun should stand trial. And if they are found guilty, they should go to jail. I don't know how it works where you're from Pope Benedict, but in my world, once a child molester is caught and found guilty, they are jailed....where they belong.

It's time for Pope Benedict to stand up and say, “Hey you know what, we are sorry, so deeply sorry. We cannot imagine the pain and suffering our Priests and Nuns, who were in positions of authority, have put on our faithful, impressionable children. We will fight for the rights of the children, we will remove the guilty from power and see they are justly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, because child abuse is not something we tolerate in our church. And to make things right for the victims who suffered in the hands of those in authority, we will sell off some of our priceless Vatican Museum pieces and use the proceeds to pay for counseling, because the last thing we want in our church are members who are scarred from our priests who have abused their power.”

Unfortunately what we received today was a, “Please pay no attention to the man behind the curtain who spreads 'petty gossip'.”

I know that there are thousands of Priests and Nuns who serve in their positions faithfully, and I commend those Catholics, and any individual who is in a position of authority in their church, or their school, who can positively influence the youth. But today's teenagers have enough problems to deal with, the ABSOLUTE LAST thing a teenager needs is someone in authority abusing their power and doing it in the name of God.

What irritates me is the Catholic Church's refusal to stand up and do what's right, especially when it comes to dealing with the youth. Worse, what kind of example are they setting for their church members. In a world where people seem to have such difficulty accepting responsibility for their actions, the Catholic Church could do a lot of good by accepting blame and helping to find solutions.

I recognize that it isn't “the church's” fault that so many children have been sexually abused, However, the men and women who violated church policy (and common sense), and who took advantage of children...the same children they should have been leading, are the men and women who claim to represent what Catholicism means. Their guilt, unfortunately, resonates badly on the church as a whole.

Pope Benedict seems like a nice fella and I would agree that he is dealing with a very difficult and sensitive situation. That being said, it is my sincere hope that Pope Benedict climbs out from the rock his head is stuck under and creates a positive conclusion to this terrible scandal. Abuse should not be tolerated in the Catholic Church, and as the Pope he is the only person in the world who can exert influence to make sure the abuse stops.

Moving forward, to ensure this doesn't happen again, the Pope and Cardinals need to set, and enforce clear boundaries. I know when I'm on the airplane and a passenger refuses to turn his cell phone off, when I say to him, “If I have to ask you to turn that off one more time we're going back to the gate and you're getting off the plane,” the passenger always, unconditionally, turns his phone off. The Pope could consider sending a strong worded message like, “Okay Priests and Nuns, if you sexually abuse a child you'll be defrocked, turned over to the authorities and you'll go to jail.” There, clear boundaries set, everyone know what the punishment would be for the crime.

So, if anyone knows the Pope personally feel free to forward this blog to him. If he has questions, or would like more unsolicited advice on anything, like what priceless Vatican pieces to sell, he can e-mail me at kylie@kylieklein.com.

Wow, I was a little more irritated than I thought. I apologize if I have offended any of my Catholic friends. I mean no offense. Whether you agree or disagree with my stance, I'd like to hear your opinion.

Be sure to tune in next week when I tell you a bit about my surprisingly emotional experience at the Arlington National Cemetery. Oh man, I get weepy just thinking about it.

Until then, remember,

Life's a Journey, Take Notes!