MEDIA:THE VATICAN daily, L'Osservatore Romano, yesterday issued a vigorous defence of Pope Benedict XVI, arguing that he is the victim of an anti-clerical, anti-Catholic media lobby.
Responding to reports in the New York Timesof the alleged mishandling in 1996 of US paedophile priest Larry C. Murphy by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, at the time Prefect For the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, L'Osservatorecomments: "The prevalent media tendency is to ignore the facts and to twist the interpretation of what happened in order to present an image of the Catholic Church in which it seems to be almost the only organisation responsible for sex abuse crimes, an image which simply does not correspond with reality. But this is an image which serves well in the all too evident and ignoble attempt to, at all costs, besmirch the figure of Benedict and his closest collaborators."
In its editorial, the paper argues that "transparency, severity and a firm line" with a view to throwing light on clerical sex abuse has always been the criteria indicated by Benedict to the entire church, adding: "Clearly, this modus operandi – which is entirely coherent with his own record and with his more than 20-year long period as Prefect of the Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) – frightens those who do not want the truth to emerge but would rather prefer to manipulate, with no basis in facts, horrible and painful episodes that go back many years. The most recent example of this comes from an article in today's New York Times. . . . about the serious case involving priest Lawrence C. Murphy".
Quoting the senior Vatican spokesman, Fr Federico Lombardi, L' Osservatoresays that the "canonical question" on which Cardinal Ratzinger and his number two, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, were asked to issue a ruling was "in no way linked to any potential civil or penal proceeding against Fr Murphy", adding: "One can easily conclude from reading the reconstruction of the case done by the New York Timesthat there was in fact no cover-up".
In essence, L'Osservatoreargues that Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Bertone followed correct Vatican procedures, although it makes no reference to the claims in the New York Timesthat the CDF ignored the case for two years, failing to respond to two letters about Fr Murphy from the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland.
L'Osservatoreclaims that, in response to Fr Murphy's 1998 request that canonical proceedings against him be dropped for reasons of his failing health, Archbishop Bertone called on Fr Murphy's superiors to carry out all appropriate "pastoral measures such as canon law 1341 to limit the scandal and to establish justice".