"Does the Holy See see what we see?" An interpretation of CNN article by Adelaide Willert

"Letter suggests Vatican knew of sexual misconduct allegations against McCarrick in 2000"

Ray Sanchez and Aaron Cooper published an update on the accused sex offender, Theodore Edgar McCarrick. McCarrick, currently 88, has been working sacerdotally since he was ordained in 1958 at age 28. Recently 'resigned' from the ministry, McCarrick has been faced with over four accusations of sexual assault, with the ages of the assaulted ranging from 10 to 43 at the time of the assaults. In this most recent article from CNN, it was reported that a letter was sent to the Vatican in 2000 making McCarrick's sexual misconduct known. This occurred before McCarrick was made a Cardinal, and Reverend James Boniface Ramsey, author of the letter penned to the Vatican in 2000, has said that he found the 'missing piece'; a letter from Archbishop Leonardo Sandri to Ramsey giving indirect confirmation in 2006 that the Vatican had received and were aware of the allegations in Ramsey's initial letter. The Vatican has declined to make a statement regarding this.

With sexual assault being so prevalent in the modern world, many turn to religion, to the ministers of God with whom they trust their immortal souls, expecting safety, reassurance, and a new spark of faith. However, some are unfortunately met with what they ran from, or what they fear. Historically, the Vatican has had multiple allegations of sexual assault made against ordained ministers of faith all across the world, and through many centuries. Many cases of sexual assault were reported and confirmed during the 20th century, and we now see this trend tainting the 21st century.

I believe that all members of the Vatican know the history of the Catholic church. They know that when accusations demarcating the church are made, there will be a dip in faith, causing the structure of the church to fall. We can see this in multiple historical events: the sacking of Rome by the Visigoths, the Protestant Reformation (or the Reformation to extend to the formation of the Church of England), the Black Legend, the first and second Great Awakenings. In the Protestant Reformation, John Tetzel was out making statements, preaching the selling of indulgences, proving Martin Luther was correct about the church's corruption. I presume that the current members of the clergy refrain from making statements because they believe it will prevent the church from crashing, though attendance rates have been significantly dropping over the past two decades. The church knows their history and they are striving not to repeat it. Unfortunately, when so much corruption is being uncovered, the church needs to address it. Not by making statements of denial, but by making amends, purifying themselves, taking a break to think about their current situation and place in society, and re-evaluating their core values. This will help to cleanse the church of corruption, and this process mirrors what needs to be done in politics so that truth, justice, and liberty, the values the United States was founded upon, can prevail.