I never thought I would ever use anything from the ultra-left ueber-liberal online bastion called the Huffington Post since I never even bother to check it out. But this one, spotted by a follower of Lella's blog, surprised me, especially considering its author. Mr. Dershowitz is one of the best-known lawyers in the United States and a best-selling author, as well, who is also Jewish and unabashedly ultra-liberal. The article is, therefore, not entirely free of liberal stereotypes about the Church and about pedophilia.
'Thou shalt not stereotype'
by ALAN DERSHOWITZ
April 9, 2010
Having criticized particular Catholic cardinals for blaming everything -- including the Church's sex scandal -- on "the Jews," let me now come to the defense of the Pope and of the Church itself on this issue.
To begin with, this is an extraordinarily complex problem, because the Church has at least five important traditions that make it difficult to move quickly and aggressively in response to complaints of abuse.
The first tradition involves confidentiality, particularly not exclusively the confidentiality of the priest with regard to the penitent. But there is also a wider spread tradition of confidentiality within the Church hierarchy itself.
Second, there is the tradition of forgiveness. Those of us outside the Church often think, perhaps, that the Church goes too far in forgiving. I was shocked when the previous Pope immediately forgave the man who tried to assassinate him. But this episode and other demonstrate that the tradition of forgiveness is all too real.
Third, there is the tradition of
the Church regarding itself as a state. The Holy See is a sovereign state.
The Catholic Church is not big on the separation of church and state, as are various Protestant denominations. [In this respect,
The Catholic Church, like Orthodox Judaism, believes that matters affecting the faithful should generally be dealt within the Church, without recourse to secular authorities.
[Two misconceptions in this premise. One the Church is not identical to the Vatican nor vice-versa. The Vatican represents the Church's institutional headquarters, as it were, the human administration that exercises a federal overview on its 3,000-something autonomous dioceses. And Mr. Dershowitz overlooks that the very idea of separation of Church and state is a cncept that originated with Jesus himself - "Render unto Caesar..."]
Fourth, the Vatican prides itself on moving slowly and in seeing the time frame of life quite differently than the quick pace at which secular societies respond to the crisis of the day.
Fifth,
the Catholic Church has long had a tradition of internal due process. Canon Law provides for scrupulous methods of proof. The concept of the "devil's advocate" derives from the Church's effort to be certain that every "t" is crossed and every "i" is dotted, even when it comes to selecting saints. [Thank you, Mr. Dershowitz, for showing your lawyerly appreciation of this.]
None of these explanations completely justifies the long inaction of the Church in coming to grips with a serious problem. But they do help to explain how good people could have allowed bad things to happen for so long a period of time.
Nor is the Catholic Church the only institution that has faced problems of sexual abuse. Every hierarchical body, especially but not exclusively religious ones, has faced similar problems,
though perhaps on not so large a scale. [That is a liberal stereotype bandied about thoughtlessly, as if there were no statistics that consistently and unfailingly show that priests constitute an almost negligible minority of pedophile offenders. It is the relentless media focus on them that makes it appear - deliberately - that the problem is 'on so large a scale' as Dershowitz sees it.]
The problem of hierarchical sex abuse has only recently emerged from the shadows. Singling out the Catholic Church and stereotyping all priests is simply wrong.
Pope Benedict, both before he became Pope and since, has done a great deal to confront the issue. He changed the policy that kept allegations of abuse within the authority of local bishops, and he acknowledged that the local option had encouraged shifting abusive priests from parish to parish, thereby hiding their sins from potential new victims. He also met with abuse victims and recognized their victimization. He has not tried, as other members of the Vatican hierarchy have, to publicly blame the problem on "the Jews," "the media," and others.
It is obvious that despite Pope Benedict's good efforts,
more must be done, and not only by the Catholic Church but by all institutions that have experienced hierarchical sexual exploitation.
They must create structures that assure prompt reporting, a zero-tolerance policy, and quick action, so long as these processes are consistent with due process and fairness, not only to alleged victims but to the accused as well.
It's easy to forget, in the face of real victims with real complaints, that there have also been false accusations as well. Processes must be put in place that distinguish true complaints from false ones. [And that, if applied and when applied, is what Church regulations and canon law seek to do scrupulously.]
Most importantly, this tragedy should not be used as an excuse to attack a large and revered institution that does much good throughout the world.
Blame must be placed with precision and praise should be given with precision as well. The eleventh Commandment, thou shalt not stereotype, must never be forgotten.
Thank you, Mr. Dershowitz. I hope some of the truths that you point out touches the mind of some of the Huffington Post's captive audience who are slaves to secular ideology and its worst and most persistent stereotypes about Catholicism and Catholics.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 11/04/2010 12:36]