Critique of Time cover story on Pope

June 09, 2010

Greg Erlandson, president of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing and coauthor of Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal, has written a critique of the recent Time cover story on Pope Benedict and the clerical abuse scandal.

“The real story is this: Benedict XVI is aware of the scale and the scope of the crisis worldwide,” writes Erlandson.

He has taken decisive actions (such as the removal of the founder of the Legion of Christ). He has intervened strongly in Ireland, with a remarkably honest and plain-spoken letter to the Irish Catholics, a visitation of top prelates to study the root causes of the crisis and how it was handled, the acceptance of several resignations by bishops, and a high-level meeting with Irish prelates at the Vatican. He has quite clearly led the way in encouraging local bishops’ conferences to address their scandals head on, and he has laid out the language for understanding the crisis: Endorsing the search for truth, calling for penance, not blaming the media or enemies outside the Church, but pointing to the enemies within.

 

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Further information:

• Why Time Magazine Misses the Point (Zenit)
• Time cover story rehashes old complaints against Pope Benedict (CWN, 6/4)