Church Must Lead in Gender Inequality Fight, Says Agency

Maureen Paul Turlish »

Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:35 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

Recent articles on the occurrence of human trafficking and sexual slavery right here in the Delaware Valley, in both the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Stop slavery here and abroad,” (08/03/08), and in the Philadelphia Daily News, “Sex slaves: Twice a victim,” (08/01/08), are every bit as shocking as was the release of the Philadelphia Grand Jury Report in the fall of 2005.

Anyone who considers that there is no relationship between human trafficking, sexual slavery and the widespread sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, which is a much broader and deeply systemic problem then the sexual abuse of children alone would indicate, is not facing reality.

During his recent visit to Australia, Pope Benedict XVI made a forthright public apology to victims of the abuse that has rocked the church in recent years.

There is no doubt that the pope’s words meant a great deal to the victims of sexual abuse with whom he met but it is now time to put the sincerity of those words to the test.

During his visit to the United States in April Pope Benedict XVI vowed repeatedly “to do what is possible so that this cannot happen again in the future.”

In Australia the pope spoke to senior clergy saying he was “deeply sorry” for the suffering caused by the acts of officials. He went on to say that “these misdeeds, which constitute so grave a betrayal of trust, deserve unequivocal condemnation. They have caused great pain and have damaged the Church’s witness.”

Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Victims’ Advocate
maureenpaulturlish@yahoo.com