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THE QUESTION
Pope Benedict's response to sex abuse by clergy
Should Pope Benedict XVI be held responsible for the escalating scandals over clerical sexual abuse in Europe? Should he be investigated for cases of abuse that occurred under his watch as archbishop of Munich or as the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcer? Should the pope resign?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on March 26, 2010 1:13 PM
FROM THE PANEL
Can the pope restore the purity of Catholicism after Altargate?
This is Altargate. The hierarchy, not the faith, is in jeopardy. The pope need not resign. He must do something far more difficult: convert.
Posted by Timothy Shriver, on April 4, 2010 10:07 PM
Church needs an accounting of the soul
How long will people continue to turn for moral authority to a body that has failed to live up to its promise to protect its most vulnerable members? How can the faithful look to the Church for guidance if the Church neglects to courageously and proactively address its own darkest wounds?
Posted by Sharon Brous, on April 2, 2010 7:53 PM
Brutal and foolish to link Catholic scandal with Holocaust
To use the sufferings of the Jews as an analogy for the church's public discomfort -- given our painful shared history -- is indescribably tactless.
Posted by David Wolpe, on April 2, 2010 3:19 PM
Hyperbole, vitriol and death by crucifixion
You have to wonder if the Roman Catholic Church circa 2010 is what Jesus had in mind as he hung on the cross. Probably not. On the other hand, the current explosion is likely not a surprise to him.
Posted by Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, on April 1, 2010 9:21 AM
Anti-Catholic bias and irresponsible reporting
The question of whether Pope Benedict XVI should resign is, frankly, silly, because it assumes guilt where none has been proven or even credibly asserted. Joseph Ratzinger has been more involved than any other senior churchman in confronting what he once called the "filth" in the Church; when might that fact begin to frame some of the coverage of the Pope and the Church?
Posted by George Weigel, on March 31, 2010 3:36 PM
The Church's moral accountability
The week will be remembered as the moment when a Catholic Church crisis that had gained notoriety in several countries, starting with the U.S. in 1985, suddenly emerged as a global issue and reached the Pope himself.
Posted by Terry McKiernan, on March 31, 2010 10:41 AM
Pope should be held accountable
Pope Benedict XVI may not need to resign in light of the current scandal swirling around the Roman Catholic church, but he sure needs to show leadership. The entire situation is painful to learn about, but what is most troubling...
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on March 31, 2010 8:52 AM
A pope resign? Mind-boggling but soul-healing
The silencing and gagging of victims in the name of protecting the church hierarchy at all costs, even if that cost includes the ongoing suffering of children and the Catholic faithful, is stunning. Despicable. Unbelievable. Incomprehensible. And truly, truly heartbreaking.
Posted by Donna Freitas, on March 31, 2010 7:06 AM
Pope should abandon institutional self-protection, embrace transparency
Besides being very crucial to the moral credibility of Catholic hierarchy, this crisis has also eroded the faith of believers in religion in general and resulted in their falling confidence.
Posted by Rajan Zed, on March 31, 2010 4:02 AM
Benedict should stay - and clean house
Should Benedict resign? No. He should do what a good father would do: Root out the filth in his house, acknowledge the church's past failings frankly and let his flock know, in both word and action, that he shares their fury at these unspeakable crimes and their resolve that they never be repeated.
Posted by Colleen Carroll Campbell, on March 30, 2010 7:25 PM
Pope Benedict's karma
The pope is now reaping some of the fruits of the narrow-minded approach to life that he has promoted for decades, an approach that may have benefited some, but has hurt countless others both inside and outside the Church.
Posted by Ramdas Lamb, on March 30, 2010 2:20 PM
Children before doctrine
Church and state are separate, except when the church decides to reach beyond that wall we hold so dear. And when innocent children and the faithful flock are horribly scarred, any church, temple or mosque can consider its privilege lost.
Posted by Aseem Shukla, on March 30, 2010 1:01 PM
Ordination does not = immunity from prosecution
Child abuse is a crime. Covering up a crime is also a crime. Ordination and a position in the Roman Catholic hierarchy does not make one immune to the consequences of criminal behavior.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on March 30, 2010 12:54 PM
Everyday believers vs. institutional scandal
The purging that is about to happen in Rome is a necessary and long overdue thing. The sad fact is that the longer it drags on, there will be a dark cloud sitting over Catholics. Benedict should resign.
Posted by Mark Tauber, on March 29, 2010 7:53 PM
Open the books, tell the truth
The claim that Cardinal Ratzinger was more theologian than manager, his attention captured by the intricacies of doctrine, not the activities of those under his leadership, actually undermines his moral authority, by suggesting that he put intellectual fascination ahead of his duty as a leader of leaders.
Posted by Daniel C. Dennett, on March 29, 2010 3:44 PM
Who holds the pope accountable?
In Roman Catholic polity (at least since the Middle Ages), the pope is accountable to no one - except, presumably, to God. We can only hope - and, for the sake of the victims, pray - that Benedict finally, all these years later, does the right thing.
Posted by Randall Balmer, on March 29, 2010 12:59 PM
Pope Benedict won't be intimidated
I don't know what the Pope should do, but I know that hiding behind the mantle of victimhood at moments such as these is what brings down communities and their sacred institutions. The "rock upon which the Church is built" could crumble if the Vatican doesn't figure that out soon
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on March 28, 2010 4:42 PM
Ratzinger is the perfect pope
No, Pope Ratzinger should not resign. He should remain in charge of the whole rotten edifice.
Posted by Richard Dawkins, on March 28, 2010 7:03 AM
What did he know and when did he know it?
A more interesting question for me is whether legal action can be taken against a pope. Unfortunately, not only is the pope immune from prosecution under Vatican law, it appears that he also enjoys diplomatic immunity from prosecution under international law as a head of state. Such is the result when church and state meld.
Posted by Herb Silverman, on March 27, 2010 4:02 PM
A time for apologies and amends
The Church has been embarrassed and shamed enough by clergy sex scandal disclosures before. If the Pope recognizes that mistakes were made, he should make apologies and amends. If he recognizes that he was the one who made the mistakes, he should similarly clear the air and, using his best Latin, cry "mea culpa."
Posted by Max Carter, on March 27, 2010 6:16 AM
Do we expect the Holy Father to do a perp walk?
it appears this Pope is trying to work through a problem that was not adequately addressed by previous regimes. In as large an organization as the Roman Catholic Church, with its dense network of power relationships.
Posted by Jason Poling, on March 26, 2010 9:20 PM
Who could replace Pope Benedict?
If investigation reveals that Cardinal Ratzinger participated in covering up abuse in Europe, and if the pope resigns -- who could replace him?
Posted by Tom Flynn, on March 26, 2010 4:37 PM
Save & Share:
dcodco: replace with a pope who cares about poeple, especially the kids, not just the church. The present pope and all the cardinals want to protect...
