The Catholic Church has long struggled with priests not being able to keep their habits clean. Is Pope Francis the hero we need, or is it too late for change?
After being long removed from popular opinion and general sanity, the new Pope has done a good job of getting the church back in the public’s good graces.
His papacy has been more humble and more ?inclusive, calling for less greed , more environmentalism and respect for ?homosexual people.
Some problems will take longer to resolve than others. Child abuse is the big one.
This past week, the pope met with victims abused by priests and asked for their forgiveness. He has said the Vatican will not tolerate sexual abuse of children any longer.
Still, after such a long precedent of covering up these crimes, it makes us wonder whether it will be possible for the church to right these wrongs and truly change for the better.
The Editorial Board believes the pope truly means well, and this is not just a publicity stunt to make the church look better.
But we also believe that real change is tough to ?enact, and it will take more than words and meeting with a few victims to get results.
Most of the Catholic Church is a fine organization run by good people. But power always attracts those who would abuse it.
There have been reports saying priests have been abusing children for decades. Only recently has this been admitted as an issue that needs to be fixed.
We shouldn’t let these criminals diminish the good the church does, but we also can’t overlook their turning a blind eye to this abuse.
It will take time and a great deal of effort to change the Catholic Church. Large institutions by their very nature move slowly. The change might also be messy, revealing even more problems.
But if it means less kids are getting abused, we think everyone can agree that’s the best option.
Moving forward, our hopes do rest with Pope Francis. If he really pushes the church to be better, we think he can start them down a better road.
It will not be easy, and it’s unlikely that everything will suddenly be right and that there won’t be any more sexual abuse. But steps in the right direction do matter.
So, Pope Francis, we ?really hope you don’t let us down.
@ids_opinion
