London, England, Apr 5, 2010 / 23:06 pm
British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, published an article in which it defended the actions of Pope Benedict XVI in his work to eradicate pedophilia within the Church. The publication also noted that change won't come about within the Church until the rest of the Vatican falls into stride with the Holy Father.
In a Monday morning editorial, the Telegraph observed that in his Easter message, "The Pope spoke from the heart because he has been prominent in the battle to expose abusers and those who have protected them." Alluding to the Pope's Letter to Irish Catholics, the British paper noted his apology as "sincere and absolutely merited by the monstrous nature of the betrayal."
In the piece, however, it was added that while the Pope has been on target, "It is unfortunate that the Vatican has not been able to maintain that tone."
The paper referred to Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa's Good Friday homily from St. Peter's in which he spoke of the current attacks on the Church and the Pope and compared them to the "collective violence suffered by the Jews."
Fr. Cantalamessa begged pardon for any offense in an interview with Italy's Corriere della Sera on Sunday, saying that "if against every intention of mine, I have irritated the sensibilities of the Jews and the victims of pedophilia, I am sincerely regretful and I ask forgiveness for it."
The editorial went on to say that a more productive approach to defending the Holy Father has been taken by Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who the Telegraph remarked, "showed far greater sensitivity" on Sunday when he said that the Church is ashamed while at the same time "acknowledging our guilt and our need for forgiveness."
The article concluded with a sharp line to Benedict XVI's collaborators within the Holy See, "Repairing the damage caused by the child abuse scandal will be a long process but cannot even start until the Vatican demonstrates the same determination to root out abuse – and the same penitence – as Pope Benedict himself has shown."