Children before doctrine

Q: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?

There is tragic irony when those seen to personify loyalty, fortitude, tenacity--well, the attributes of a Rottweiler-- fall in the eyes of their flock. Mere mortals, as we are, we ceaselessly imbue superhuman intuition, foresight and judgment in those vested with the perception of a direct line to God. Ochre robes of a sannyasin (Hindu monk) or the clerical collar of a priest--powerful symbols of renunciation and spiritual communion--we worship those who don the cloth. But as high as we place them on the rostrum of awe, it is just as hard to recover our crestfallen selves when they reveal human frailty falling very short.

The horrors of what went on in the sequestered environs of too many rectories is spilling out in waves--the sheer numbers, the global scope, the scarred victims--we are all outraged Catholic laity today as the human tragedy unfolds. We are all Catholics because no religion has been spared the ignominy of seeing their exalted paragons of virtue falling prey at some point to the most ignoble of sins--lust, violence, greed. Whether they sanctioned a suicide bombing or were the cause of an innocent man's own suicide from shame, every organized religion has its moments of humiliation when rogues dissemble within their midst.

It is good to remember that the faith, its faithful and its spiritual leaders cannot be conflated. A religious tradition existed long before today's leaders arrived on the scene, the faithful continue to evolve and conform to their moment in time and leaders come and go. Hindus are watching one of their own fall today as a swami seems to have fallen short of the celibacy and renunciation required by his vows.

No less than 265 popes have come and gone over two millenia, and I am sure there are those that Catholics rightly deify and those that are better relegated to the dustbins of time. And, despite it all, the Catholic faith inspires a billion around the world to a life of virtue and goodness.

Pope St. Gregory (540-604 A.D.), I am told, was the Greatest of the Great for his renowned acts of charity and brotherhood with the poor, and John Paul II is celebrated for reinvigorating a faith with charisma and the power of love (though his call for the "harvest of souls" in India is recalled as one misstep); it seems, sadly, that Pope Benedict may not join that pantheon of papal greats.

The power of the Catholic Church, as a socio-religio-political force--arrayed with its own diplomatic corps, unmatched wealth and influence--rests on its rigid structure and hierarchy. This structure is unique to Abrahamic traditions, certainly, as the organic, grassroots movements within Dharma traditions do not have a centralized authority vesting one with the final word. Like the Caliphs of Islam of the past, Pope Benedict speaks with a voice that is the ultimate authority of Catholicism. He sits atop a structure based on an apostolic constitution with the power to decree.

That structure is a source of strength and finality, but I believe that in that structure lies a great vulnerability. When a card falls under this house, the falling dominoes can eventually reach the very top. To a non-Catholic observer, it certainly seems that this wretched affair is getting very close to that top. Children were abused and broken, and too many failed to heed then the stifled cries that we all hear today. Acts of omission are as serious as the acts of commission today--no statute of limitation limits the pain of abuse.

Catholics will have to decide when their house is clean, but the force of law must extend a firm hand as well. 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. The sinners will meet Divine justice, no doubt, but mortal retribution is a must for today.

Views expressed here are the personal views of Dr. Aseem Shukla, and do not necessarily represent those of the University of Minnesota or Hindu American Foundation.

By Aseem Shukla  |  March 30, 2010; 1:01 PM ET Save & Share:                 
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