Pope John Paul II And Pope Benedict XVI: Their Charts And Their Apologies
The Catholic Church has been rocked by scandalous revelations about the now-retired Pope Benedict XVI who, according to a recent study, issued more apologies in his time as pope than all of the other popes in history.
According to research from Jim Beckford of London School of Economics, Benedict XVI has apologized for at least six incidents including the sexual abuse scandal during the reigns of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. There were also times when he was simply saying sorry for offending someone or something else. Some of these apologies were issued during his time as pope, but some were issued during his time as a cardinal.
The sexual abuse scandal began while John Paul II was pope. The Boston Globe reports that "John Paul's towering legacy was overshadowed by revelations that he had ignored the pleas of numerous American bishops to remove abusive priests."
However, the sex abuse scandal didn't really take off until Pope Benedict XVI took over because many alleged perpetrators were being brought to justice while he was on the papal throne. The scandals continued under the reign of Pope Francis I.
A large number of accusers claimed that at least seven priests raped them as children during the time John Paul II was pope. The Boston Globe reports that some victims are still fighting for reparations from the Vatican in order to help with their healthcare bills and other living expenses."
There were also incidents of abuse under the reigns of John Paul II and Benedict XVI which Beckford estimates were reported by just over half a million people.
Benedict XVI was allegedly known for apologizing on behalf of his predecessors. The Catholic Herald reports that he explicitly apologized for the "suicide of a gay man" in 2010 and also apologized "for the abuse of children, young people and adults." BBC reports that he later issued an apology for priests giving communion to the wrong person.
No Apologies From John Paul II
There were also numerous incidents being alleged by victims during the time of John Paul II. The Globe reports that there were over 150 accusations against him ranging from sexual assaults to physical abuse which ultimately led to his resignation. There are multiple websites dedicated to listing the crimes of John Paul II which include everything from rape, torture and murder to child sex, child molestation and war crimes.
Some of the crimes, however, were never proven.
It is important to note that the pope during John Paul II's time was Angelo Sodano. Sodano was then made cardinal in 1993 and was installed as John Paul II's chief spokesman and later became Pope Benedict XVI's chief secretary of state. Of course, no official apology was ever issued by Sodano or the Vatican despite accusations being made against him.
While it's clear that Pope Benedict has issued numerous apologies in his time as pope, it seems that John Paul II is never to be held accountable for the accusations. There were two occasions when John Paul II was forced to make a public statement about allegations of child abuse by his close friends. The first was in 1997 when controversial priest Marcial Maciel was accused of sexually abusing minors and molesting seminarians. John Paul II finally admitted that he had been wrong about Maciel's fitness for consecration despite being warned against him by multiple people.
The second instance happened in 2002 when in a letter addressed to the archbishop of Buenos Aires, John Paul II was forced to admit that a "gay priest" he placed into ministry provided "sodomized" young men with alcohol and erotic pictures.
While the Catholic Herald reported that Pope Benedict XVI "apologized for not putting people before institutions," it seems that neither John Paul II nor his Curia are able to apologize for any of the crimes they were allegedly responsible for.
Pope John Paul II With A Third Of The Popes In History
While Pope Benedict's apologies are extensive and make up the majority of his time as pope, there are some cases where he was just apologizing. Beckford notes that there were several instances where John Paul II apologized but they were not more than a few words in length. That includes when he said sorry to people in a newspaper interview after being asked about the cardinals who criticised him and also "apologized" for priests who committed suicide.
According to the chart, the graph shows that there were 45 popes prior to Benedict XVI and he apologized more than a third of them.
The Sex Abuse Scandal In The Catholic Church
The sex abuse scandal within the ranks of clergy in the Catholic Church has been one of sweeping proportion. There are billions of dollars being paid by the church in order to compensate victims as well as many members who have been defrocked. There were two reports in 2010 and 2011 which revealed that "hundreds of priests raped or molested children across the United States." The Boston Globe reports that over 10,000 people have claimed to be victims of clerical sex abuse since 1950.
It was mainly under Pope Benedict XVI's guidance that the Catholic Church finally admitted its sins and started to take steps to make things right.
Conclusion
Pope Benedict said he apologized for the sex abuse scandal because he is keen to repent for his own sins. Beckford notes that "the catholic church's position isn't really to apologize, but it's to ask forgiveness (for their crimes)." Unlike some other apologists and defenders of the Catholic Church, Benedict has a contrite attitude about child sex abuse scandals and other assorted irregularities in the church.
Source: http://freedommag.