Opinion The shepherds and the truth

Recently, US President Donald Trump nominated lawyer Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court judge. The same day, a mud battle in the United States began against this nomination. A woman accused him of sexually harassing her as a 17-year-old teenager during a party. There was a hearing of the two in the Senate, which was televised. The FBI investigated the matter. The sludge battle was a sad sign of the deep division of American society, but at the same time a proof of the high moral standards this society places on its representatives. And you saw how ruthlessly maladies are revealed. Ultimately it was a victory of democracy.

In the Roman Catholic Church it looks worse with the moral claim and the detection of grievances. Embarrassing things are not often discussed publicly, if this can be avoided. Priests who have sexually abused children were therefore in most cases not reported or publicly accused by their responsible. Rather they were tacitly sent to other places on earth. There, where no one knew them. There they could start afresh - meaning they could go on. Global tourism for pedophile churchmen.

  Unfortunately, now Pope Francis himself has become untrustworthy. Although he publicly denied that he has covered such offenders so far. But is that the truth?

Those responsible for this system were and still are in the highest ranks, right up to the College of Cardinals. Unfortunately, Pope Francis himself has lost his credibility. Publicly he has denied that he has covered such offenders so far. But is that the truth? In a documentary titled "The Silence of the Shepherds" on October 20, 2018, the ZDF broadcaster has revealed some important documents and testimonies.

The documentary also covered pedophilia in Buenos Aires, such as the case of the well-known priest Mario Grassi. And this case is the problem again. In St. Peter's Square in Rome, a reporter managed to ask the Pope a surprising question: "Your Holiness - in the case of Grassi - have you tried to influence the Argentine judiciary?" His answer in front of the camera: "No!". And the demand: "Why did you order this study?" (With a "study" Grassi should be relieved.)
The Pope's answer did hurt: "I never have". How could that be? The study was commissioned by his episcopal conference when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires and its chairman. He personally sent copies to the judges at the time, as they testify. Grassi was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 anyway.

Very puzzling are pictures of the pope's gestures and facial expressions in the obviously uncomfortable questions. The smiling Pope Francis turns into an angry Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who feels himself under attack. But soon he finds his famous smile back. The pictures start in minute 43 of the documentation.

The Roman Catholic Church must take seriously its duty of care for minors, otherwise in the future children and adolescents are endangered in their institutions. Young, bona fide people in a supposedly safe room, but in doubt the institutions protect the pedophile offenders and not their victims. The Pope must change that, no matter what he used to do before.