Child Sex Abuse Taints Legacy of Pope John Paul II

Well done – my good and faithful servant. Thou art blessed as the Pope of popes. No doubt Catholics would like to think that’s how God greeted John Paul II in Heaven.

But President Bill Clinton created quite a furor yesterday with the following:

The Pope centralized authority in the papacy again and enforced a very conservative theological doctrine. There will be debates about that. The number of Catholics increased by 250 million on his watch. But the numbers of priests didn’t. He’s like all of us – he may have a mixed legacy.

(NBC News, April 7, 2005)

Granted, his timing lacked sensitivity. But nobody can deny the truth of what Clinton said about this pope’s legacy.

Why Catholics are leaving the church

Mind you, most of the growth on his watch came among poor and uneducated people in Africa and Latin America. But Pope John Paul II alienated so many with his teachings, that growth might prove pyrrhic.

For example, he condemned contraceptives, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and the ordination of women. But, in doing so, he forced many Catholics to defy the principle tenets of their faith. In fact, many Catholics fear his teachings could blow the Church asunder.

Of course, Clinton has unimpeachable standing. After all, the Monica Lewinsky scandal will haunt his legacy. I submit that the child sex abuse scandal will haunt Pope John Paul II’s.

Clinton was too sensible to draw this sacrilegious analogy. But this pope failed to discipline bishops who enabled the sexual abuse of children. And that’s bad enough. But he also failed to even speak out against this abuse.

As Clinton noted, the Catholic Church now vests all authority in the pope. Yet how can any Catholic explain any pope not using that authority to defend little children? Any answer risks making a mockery of the doctrine of papal infallibility.