Madam, – I am conflicted on hearing the news that Pope John Paul II is to be declared “Blessed” on May 1st, Divine Mercy Sunday (World News, January 15th).
I truly admire the late Holy Father and don’t doubt his greatness in so many ways. However, he showed very little understanding of the scandals that have harmed the church so much and displayed no compassion for the victims of predators among the clergy.
He refused to meet victims when asked, unlike Pope Benedict XVI, who has done so on numerous occasions. Is it not too soon to beatify John Paul II? Our tradition is that the path towards sainthood takes much longer than just five years.
The One Who is Divine Mercy seeks those wounded by abuse in the church to comfort them and heal them. John Paul II did not. Beatifying him so soon sends the message to survivors of clerical sexual abuse that the institutional church still does not comprehend the extent and depth of the multi-levelled harm, inflicted by clergy abusers on their victims. – Yours, etc,