Unspeakable

Pope Benedict was in the news this weekend. While on a visit to Great Britain, the Pope expressed his grief and shame about the continuing scandal of pedophile priests. I'm glad to hear the apology and hope that it is part of a sincere reassessment of the Catholic Church in dealing with this crisis. I have never been a fan of this particular pontiff, but I'd like to believe that these words contain sincere repentance and a commitment to bring about change.

One thing that the Pope said really struck me. He referred to the actions of the abusers as "unspeakable crimes."

That's a very apt phrase and it sums up what, in my mind, is a great deal of the problem. When a child is abused we don't talk about it. There's so much shame involved that everyone, the child, the family, the community all get quiet and act as if it never happened.

That's what most of the protests have been about. The abuse is terrible, but the attitude that the incident then needs to be hushed up, makes things even worse. Without honesty there is no accountability. Without victims able to tell their stories there is no justice.

That's why I am happy to see Benedict's words. Even if, as some critics say, this is more a political gesture, at lease the unspeakable is finally being spoken, and that's something that needs to happen. No matter how ugly reality is, we can never hope to change a situation until we face it.