Once again, your apology just isn’t good enough

Uh-oh …

In light of the ever-increasing tide of reports throwing hundreds and hundreds of cases of Church-hidden child sexual abuse into sharp relief, Pope Ratzi penned an apologetic letter to the Church of Ireland specifically, yet one that could also be read to any of the numerous countries in which allegations of child molestation at the hands of filthy priests have arisen, condemning their loathsome acts – yet without actually placing any of the blame on archaic and transparently failed Church or Vatican policies, nor demanding that any discipline be brought down upon those who have for so long fought to keep these reports under tight wraps, thus protecting child molesters and endangering the children in their care.

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI rebuked Irish bishops Saturday for "grave errors of judgment" in handling priest sex abuse cases and ordered an investigation into the Irish church. But he laid no blame for the problem on the Vatican's policies of keeping such cases secret.

In a letter to the Irish faithful read across Europe amid a growing, multination abuse scandal, the pope apologized to victims but doled out no specific punishments to bishops blamed by Irish government-ordered investigations for having covered up abuse of thousands of Irish children from the 1930s to the 1990s.

"I recognize how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice," Benedict wrote.

"Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors of judgement were made and failures of leadership occurred. And this has seriously undermined your credibility and effectiveness."

Ireland's main group of clerical-abuse victims, One in Four, said it was deeply disappointed by the letter because it failed to place responsibility with the Vatican for what it called a "deliberate policy of the Catholic Church at the highest levels to protect sex offenders, thereby endangering children."

"If the church cannot acknowledge this fundamental truth, it is still in denial," the group said.

In other words: “We’re deeply sorry, but don’t expect us to take any real responsibility, or especially, to do anything about it.” Hey, I mean, shit happens, right?

Except when “shit” equates to “molesting, abuse and rape of innocent and helpless children by those who are supposed to take care of them”. In which case it’s an ultimately vile act that should be dealt with swiftly and severely.

One in Four has it pegged: until the Church actually accepts and admits that it’s their policies of covering up child sex abuse cases and protecting child molesting priests that are responsible for this disgusting affair, any simpering little words of apology they send out simple aren’t good enough.

(via @BreakingNews)