In watching Pope Benedict XVI move through his American visit, we are witnessing an extraordinary example of leadership. An excellent leader is one who can read the needs of those he or she is leading and adapt to those needs. This scholar and former professor was given the responsibility, for more than 20 years under Pope John Paul II, to be the doctrinal watchdog for the Catholic Church. Being Pope is an entirely new reality and different from responsibly reining in wrong messages about the doctrine of the Church. He has adapted remarkably well to his new reality as shepherd of the Church. Isn't it breathtaking to watch an 81 year old man adapt to the needs of the Church at this time by switching gears so as to be a healer and a gentle messenger of hope? It strikes me that his forthrightly and persistently addressing the shame of the clergy scandal is a balm on the most serious wound of our American ecclesial history.
Most people I know who have incest within a family run from it and deny it. It takes a Herculean act of bravery on the part of the one who was a victim of incest to speak up because the tendency of almost everyone, including the victim, is to deny it or even blame the victim. As shameful as this chapter of our ecclesial life has been, my hope is that our wrenching over the harm done to innocents might help make all of us aware not only of our need recognize the signs that something awful may be happening, but also our need to jump into action to protect children.
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