Whether speaking from the Vatican or on hurried trips to Germany, Italy and to other countries, Pope Benedict who, amazingly, had also contended with strong open criticisms from within his huge denomination for being “too slow to act”, now tells the world with teary eyes of his sorrow for the sins and shame caused by those who have betrayed their faith.

In a message specifically directed to Roman Catholics around the world and those of other Christian communities in Europe, Pope Benedict had lamented the sins of sexual abuses over decades involving some Catholic priests in various countries.

“I can only share in the dismay and senses of betrayal that so many of you have experienced on learning of these sinful and criminal acts”, wrote the Pope in a Vatican document released in March, 2010.

Such Easter weekend can, therefore, be a time for Christians of all denominations, as well as the adherents of the other major (Hindu and Muslim) and minor religions around the world, to reveal a spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood, consistent with the teachings of tolerance and respect for others as located in their own theologies and traditions.

QUOTE: - “Martyrdom is the grace of God which I do not think I deserved. But only if God accepts the sacrifice of my life, maybe my blood can be the seed of liberty and the sign that hope will soon become reality...You can simply say, if they have come to kill me that I will forgive and bless those who does it. Hopefully, they may realise that they will be wasting their time. A bishop, priest or any clergy would die, but the Church of God, which is the people, will never die or perish”, says a Mexican Journalist, two weeks before his assassination.

The murdering of Archbishop

It is certainly not a time to cast stones and be judgemental. For which of the religious faiths in our midst are without faults?

Sex, (adultery and fornication) lust, greed, blasphemy and financial corruption have tarnished the reputation of religion and religious leaders of different denominations in every continent of the globe. Even here in Europe, has not escaped such a shame, as court cases have reminded us, especially here in the Netherlands, where sex is being advertised, promoted and exposed at a national level on all television stations, each and every day in the good morning hours, yet a bishops have had to resign from their churches and many citizens are imprisoned for practising what they are promoting on the electronic medias.

The bigotry and arrogance that so often surfaced for the views, religious and/or ideological persuasions of others, have only resulted in spreading the diseases of disunity, enmity, hatred and destruction, with even priests and leading religious leaders as falling victims.

I was reminded of this harsh reality as church leaders of South and Latin Americas and some other countries observed the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and bishop Bennard Drakes of Guyana, three decades ago whom were killed by rightwing death squads, while celebrating mass in their respective churches.

As I recalled for example, by the English Jesuit Mission, Michael Campbell-Johnston in London, who has spent a great deal of his ministry in the Americas and currently serving as “parish priest” at the St. Francis of Assisi in Barbados, Archbishop Romero’s murder came the day after he had publicly pleaded to the military regime in El Salvador “to stop killing your own people”.
It was a very dark period in El Salvador’s history of brutal military dictatorship. And last month, (March, 2010) while Pope Benedict was apologising for the sexual scandals afflicting his Church, El Salvador’s President, Mauricio Funes (its first leftwing Head of State since the end in 1992 of the country’s long, bloody civil war), was apologising for the assassination of Archbishop Romero.

At the time President Funes was unveiling a mural of Romero and officially extended a “pardon” in the name of a democratic government in El Salvador, for the Archbishop’s murder.

In reflecting on the life and times of Romero, Fr. Campbell-Johnston, (familiarly known as “C.J”) who has also laboured in El Salvador and has been an intellectual reference source for the Antilles Episcopal Conference and the Caribbean Conference of Churches, (CCC) in Barbados, pointed to memorable quotations from Romero, such as the following statement from an interview with the Mexican journalist two weeks before his assassination:

It is time for the Pope and his advisors look at the question and the alleviation of their celibacies

I have been following up with much interest the controversy over allegations and accusations of child abuses by members of the Catholic hierarchy.

The Pope himself became under pressure for not doing enough to stop what appeared to be a growing and sickening problem affecting Catholic communities in several countries including Germany the country of birth of the Pope himself and Italy his perishing state.

This matter cannot be swept under the carpet and be ignored. The facts are that of so many allegations and accusations which have been made publicly by children and others of abuse cases by church leaders must be the cause of serious concern by the Catholic community.

These are by no means of any “petty issues” here, as some in the church hierarchies are attempting to project and to protect their so-called integral and internal status. The allegations of dumb and deaf children being sexually molested and abused have raised some serious questions regarding the trust and confidence reposed by the unsuspecting mass of Catholic believers, the vast majority who would find it difficult to associate the Church with such nefarious activities.

Instead of trying to explain this grave situation and making it appear as “isolation cases”, which are being perpetrated by “delinquent” members of the priesthood, it would serve the Vatican in a much better stead if there is a full investigation of theological enquiry and for such disclosures to be made available to the world the true extent of such existing problems among the men of God, in their religious faith and beliefs.

A full and open apology must be made to the world, the victimised children and all those whom are very close to them and sanctions imposed on those found guilty. Monetary compensation is not enough.

Money simply cannot be an adequate compensation for such a shameful trauma and emotional pains that were inflicted on the children by these warped minded individuals, whom have brought disgrace, intolerance, indecent and shame to the entire Catholic community and Christian minded clergies.

Perhaps, the time is now ripe for the Pope and his team of advisors to take a second look at the whole question of celibacy, especially in the context of human frailty. Human beings are vulnerable in the face of nature, be they men or women of cloth, whereby “by the fruits you shall be judged and not by your suits” or for those without shame and guilt, thereby “a guilty conscience, will always bothered a shameless heart, which will haunt and daunt us for the rest of our lives on this planet earth.

*Rev. Surujlall Motilall lives in Roosendaal, the Netherlands