Pope defends accused bishop, denounces accusers. The pattern is familiar.

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 19, 2018

In the bad old days, when Catholic parents reported that a priest had abused their child, and/or that the pastor was aware of the abuse, the bishop might scold them, saying that their complaints were nonsense, saying that they had no proof, accusing them of calumny. The bishop might make these harsh statements, in the bad old days, even if he was fully aware of charges against the priest—even if he had encouraged the pastor to resign because of his mishandling of the situation.

These are the bad old days.

But in the bad old days the faithful parents still had some reasons to hope for justice:

• They could hope that a petition to Rome would reach the ears of the Pope. But now it’s the Pope who is denouncing the accusers.
• They could hope that the secular courts would provide satisfaction. But the secular courts in Chile have already rendered their verdict—acknowledging the strength of the accusations—and the Pope is not swayed.
• They could hope that mass-media outlets would investigate their claims, putting more pressure on the bishop to take them seriously. But now the mass media still give Pope Francis the friendliest of coverage.

In the bad old days, a bishop could dismiss and insult aggrieved parents just because he could: because no one held him accountable.

These are the bad old days.