The Loss of Credibility. Reflections No 493, 9 July 2010

Many disagree. Defenders and promoters of good moral living and child protection want the Church to direct efforts to promote healthy and values-based sexuality for youth and actively promote children’s rights. They say the Church hierarchy should take a positive stand and promote the 'Theology of the Body', as Pope John Paul II taught in his famous book. (Editor's note: Pope John Paul II taught his 'theology of the body' in a long series of Wednesday audience talks in the early days  of his pontificate). It teaches the sacredness of the human body and understanding of genuine human love and sexuality.

The Church leadership must follow the Pope's lead and break the circle of silence about the sexual abuse of children in society by clerics and parents and the failure of church and government authorities to prosecute the abusers.

This seeming tolerance and cover-up must end and the youth and children have little or no trust in the authorities who fail to protect them. They must see that abusers are held accountable, only then can government and church gain credibility. No school program on the mechanics of human sexuality will be effective without active child abuse preventive education for the leaders of society.

They must take action to curb the rampant sexual exploitation of children and the tolerance for sex tourism, the sex industry and pornography, especially child pornography. We are the shame of the world for allowing such abuse of children and women and yet the leaders don’t seem to acknowledge there is any problem at all.

Children are damaged and led astray by unfaithful parents, celebrities, politicians, clergy, movie and sports stars. The people, especially youth, are taught to admire and imitate. Their idols are leading them astray. This immorality is what needs to be addressed by true teaching in words and action.

Pope Benedict himself has pointed out that sin within the church itself. The cover-up of abuse and disregard for victims drives youth away from the Church and that has to be reversed. The Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia, issued a pastoral letter last 5 July that makes similar challenging comments (see www.preda.org).

When young people engage in unhealthy sexual behavior they are only imitating what they see in the adult world around them, on television and the internet. The fact that pornography is so widely available and that it is allowed to proliferate unchallenged by the government or Church is what needs to be seriously addressed.

There is little new that youth will learn in school that they don’t already know from bad experience. They say four in every ten children have experienced sexual molestation.

The failure of the government and church leaders to speak out in unison against rampant sex tourism, trafficking of people into to sex slavery in government-licensed sex bars and clubs is a joint failure in moral leadership.

In the Philippines as elsewhere there are bishops, priests, religious, lay people and missionaries all taking a stand for justice and fighting for human rights by speaking out and risking their lives. Like Archbishop Oscar Romero, they are the true credible prophets and disciples of Jesus Christ. We can be proud of these thousands of unknown and unsung heroes, but we should learn more, imitate and support them.

The human rights workers at Preda children's home give protection to the abused children, the youngest of whom is a 2-year-old. They help hundreds. They handle 35 legal cases of child abuse against abusers and half of them have not been acted upon by prosecutors. The others are stuck in courts. Let’s face the reality. Child abuse in the home and community is rampant where children as young as two are raped and abused and there is a stunning silence.

How can the youth believe in a system run by those supposed to protect them allow abuse or ignore their suffering?

A few school lessons or church sermons or letters misses the whole truth of the situation - corruption unrestrained.