Francomenz

Despite how it looks, I have actually not been an underachiever with this blog – at least not deliberately. Turns out there were technical problems at Blogger and I hadn’t bothered to check in for a few days. But that’s not what’s unbelievable.

Truly unbelievable would be the Vatican, which, earlier this week, had the sheer gall to allow – excuse me, endorse – Cardinal Bernard Law (the same Cardinal Bernard Law who assumed the ostrich’s stance during one of the most high-profile cases of pedophilia in the Catholic Church) presiding over a mass in honour of the late pontiff. Now, I’m sorry, but…how can I couch this nicely…WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?!!?!!?

At a time when the Catholic Church should be cleaning house and ensuring that the next pope has the fortitude to stand up for the truth in every sense of the word – moral, spiritual, ethical, legal – this is nothing short of a stinging slap in the face for victims who suffered at the hands of John Geoghan and priests like him who abused their power; suffered essentially at the hands of decision-makers like Law and now, it seems, the Vatican itself. Their wounds, never properly healed because no one was ever really made to take responsibility, are now gaping open again.

The message is clear: the Church does not take seriously the trauma that has been inflicted on these victims of sexual abuse, who were all innocent children at the time of the crimes. The Vatican has tried to sweep the whole deal under the carpet by paying off accusers to the tune of US$100m. And now, the Vatican rewards Law’s behaviour by putting him front and centre for the whole world to see. Apparently, if you close your eyes to the wrong-doing happening all around you, you may get stripped of your post as Archbishop of Boston – but (thumbs up!) you will be transferred to Rome to serve as archpriest of the St. Mary Major Basilica – which is, ironically, one of the most well recognized churches dedicated to Our Lady. It seems pedophilia (or at least pretending it doesn’t exist) pays.

If Cardinal Law had one shred of respect for his priestly vows, his Church, or the suffering of the victims, he would have done the right thing and declined. But it seems as if his need for absolution is greater than the greater good. In 2002, he apologized for “decisions which led to suffering”. Yet, here we are in 2005 and he has successfully managed to make that apology even more hollow by making yet another decision that has compounded that suffering. A scary thought that he is one of the Cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope. Even scarier that the Church is still making like an ostrich.

I had no idea that the death of Pope John Paul II would be the subject of my first post, but his passing has turned out to be a significant global event, reaching far beyond the boundaries of religious or political affiliation.

I want to talk about what his papacy has meant to me – and this revelation in and of itself was a surprise. I am Roman Catholic, and every weekend since he assumed the role of Holy Father in 1978 (okay, most weekends) I went to Church where Mass was said and praying for him was part of the format. I remember thinking (I was nine at the time of his appointment) that he looked like a teddy bear – he had a kind face and a special sparkle in his eyes. He was a natural communicator, the first Pope of the media age and if you’ve read my profile, you can imagine the appeal this held for me! This would not be a papacy conducted from an Ivory Tower – Karol Wojtyla was a man of the people. He also turned out to be a great conservative, and while I did not agree with the Church’s position on every controversial issue (I still maintain that the issue of female priests, for instance, will remain a hot button topic until a woman is ordained) I had to respect his unwavering faith in his decisions.

In 1985, right in the midst of what I termed my “Christian Identity Crisis”, the Pope visited Trinidad and Tobago during a pilgrimage to the Caribbean. It was a big deal. He said Mass in our National Stadium, where thousands turned out to see him, including me. He entered the stadium in grand style in his “Pope-Mobile” (his preferred means of transportation after the assassination attempt) to chants of “We Pope! We Pope!” (Translation: Our Pope.) He was ours.

Judging by the outpouring of prayers and good wishes from the international community (including China!) over the last few days, he actually belonged to the world. As my Uncle, a Bishop, said on our local news tonight, “He was a man of tremendous power – yet gentle.”

I think it is an approach to power that most world leaders could learn from. How unsettling is it that two men as radically different as the Pope and Robert Mugabe shared international headlines for the last two days? Just as unsettling, I suspect, as the fact that what the Pope most admired about Trinidad and Tobago twenty years ago – our ability to live peacefully with one another in a multi-ethnic, mutli-cultural, mullti-religious socety – is now being severely compromised, fuelled by the flippant talk of our leaders.

When John Paul II bade his farewell to a buoyant T&T so long ago, he proclaimed, “I will remember you not for your majestic mountains, but for your cheerful faces that reflect the glory of God. I am now leaving you, but part of me will go with you and part of you will come with me.” May the part of him that stays be his spirit of inclusion.

Requiem eternam dona eis Domine
Et lux perpetua luceat eis