What part of “no” don't the cardinals understand?

        I read Pope John Paul II's statement on pedophile priests and his message seemed pretty clear to me. “People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young.” Sexual abuse is “by every standard wrong and is rightly considered a crime by society.”

        Just in case you still don't get it: “It is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God.”

        These statements came at the request of America's Catholic bishops, many of whom have disgraced themselves by covering up the sins of priests who abused children. In cases spanning decades, church leaders transferred such abusers to new parishes rather than risk the taint of scandal on the institution of the church. Once the story got out, many of these same leaders spent months saying they had never understood the seriousness of the problem. They petitioned the Pope for this week's meeting, asking for his guidance in how they should deal with the situation.

        So after hearing the above statements from the Pope in a private meeting Tuesday, several American cardinals stood before microphones and said they were not sure how to interpret John Paul's remarks.

        “It isn't clear to me” said Cardinal Frances E. George of Chicago. “He says there's no place in the priesthood for those who harm the young, but also speaks of conversion. So I'm not sure where that leaves us on zero tolerance, and there's no consensus” among the bishops.

        On Wednesday the cardinals bemoaned the fact that the Pope had not unequivocally told them whether they should adopt a “one-strike and you're out” rule. Do the rules need to be etched on a stone tablet by the finger of God before these guys will take them seriously? Somebody should have told the Holy Father that Americans don't understand rules unless you translate them into a baseball metaphor.

        The cardinals should wake up and listen to the faithful, where there is plenty of consensus. Priests shouldn't abuse children. Ever. As the Pope said, those who do “have no place in the priesthood.” How hard is that to understand?

        But instead of taking the pontiff at his word, the cardinals issued a statement that creates a new standard of morality. “Notorious” pedophiles will be kicked out. Those who are “not notorious,” can stay and be counseled.

        What is the difference between “notorious” and “not notorious?” Apparently “notorious” refers to serial predators, like those the church used to move from parish to parish until the number of victims piled up so high they could no longer be ignored. “Not notorious,” is for someone accused of abuse only once or twice, whose reputation isn't yet infamous enough to cause a major scandal.

        Dealing with abuse in terms like these is merely an attempt to dodge the problem. In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, church leaders say there are “fewer than five” priests believed to have been abusers who still are practicing. “Fewer than five,” keeps the problem vague and indistinct. It also makes it hard for anybody to determine if it has been adequately addressed.

        Some dioceses have awakened to this reality. On Thursday the Archdiocese of New York announced that any victim who promised to remain silent as part of a civil suit settlement in an abuse case is now released from that restriction. That is an example that all dioceses, including Cincinnati, should quickly follow.

        Church leaders who worry about the legal ramifications of such revelations convince people that they care more about the institution of the church than they do about the victims of the abuse. As an “institution,” the church should be no more sacrosanct than Enron. If the “institution” has to pay damages or if its executives suffer embarrassment, or even prosecution, it has no bearing on the validity of the faith for those who believe.

        That was the Pope's message when he told the cardinals that the church still believes in the power of faith to bring redemption to sinners. If the abusers are truly sorry, they can still get to heaven. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't have to go to jail first.
       

        Contact David Wells at 768-8310; fax: 768-8610; e-mail: dwells@enquirer.com. Cincinnati.Com keyword: Wells.

Tax hike could lead smokers to N.Ky.
Cigarette tax increase divides Ohio legislators
Hurt eagle might fly again
Nursing home stats debated
Food, faith Coleman's solace
10-year-old Northside boy struck by car, hospitalized
Church meeting results disappoint some in area
Land gain means ramp loss
'My Favorite Year' an exuberant feast
New citizen review panel takes shape
Tristate A.M. Report
BRONSON: Empower whom?
HOWARD: Some Good News
SMITH AMOS: Lessons in racism
WELLS: Pedophile priests
Detective leaves job after domestic incident
Husband guilty of murder
Lakota lab project done in memory of boy
Lebanon gets OK to annex site
School boundary plan revisited
Columbus getting tough with OSU partyers
Columbus priest reassigned
Concealed weapons illegal again
County, city have water pact
Democratic candidate raises more than opponent
How much they've raised
Traficant hires two lawyers
'21st century thinking' cited
Democrats roll budget through
Kentucky News Briefs
Ky. justices uphold murder conviction
No unusual foal losses seen this year
Right to Life adds Pill to list
Two Cabinet seats filled