Benedict Undercuts Francis on Abuse Narrative: The 1960s Made Us Do It

Pope Benedict's letter from his hideout blames the sexual revolution in the '60s for crimes against children committed on his watch. Code: women's liberation is to blame.https://t.co/gOhvNHK737

— Miriam Duignan (@MiriamTDuignan) April 11, 2019

Pope Benedict has written an astonishing letter on the abuse situation, which he calls a set of "notes" on this topic. Here’s my summary of his notes:

Civil Rights Center in Tennessee and Black Churches in Louisiana Burn as Hate Crimes Increase

Churches burned, death threats against civil rights leaders, synagogues attacked - and 3rd straight year of hate crimes spiking, according to FBI. This is happening, not hypothetical. pic.twitter.com/Q3aFJ3yj9t

— Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) April 7, 2019

Tweets and articles with a common theme that have caught my eye in the past few days, which I want to share:

Paul Elie on "Seeming Transparency" of Dioceses Releasing Lists of Priests "Credibly Accused" of Sexual Abuse of Minors

For most American Catholics, the fact of sexual abuse by priests and its coverup by bishops has long been an everyday reality. Will this story ever be over? https://t.co/AJDVLxMr7K

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) April 8, 2019

 

Paul Elie, "What Do the Church's Victims Deserve?":

Kathleen Holscher on Lack of Attention to Colonialism and White Supremacy in Accounts of Catholic Abuse Crisis

In today's Tablet, a valuable reminder from historian Kathleen Holscher of the University of New Mexico that how we view the abuse story in the Catholic church depends on how we frame it — and on who is doing the framing: Holscher writes,

SNAP Holds Media Event in Charlotte: Bishop Peter Jugis Endangering Children by Refusing to List Names of Predator Priests

An update for you about the continuing refusal of the Catholic diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, to release a list of names of predator priests who have served in that diocese — even after the second in command in that diocese, Monsignor Mauricio West, stepped down from his position as chancellor last week (and here) after the diocesan review board found credible allegations that he sexually abused a student at Belmont Abbey College when he was Vice-President for Student Affairs there in the 1980s.

My Gratitude for Your Birthday Wishes

Miriam Toews' Irma Voth and Tara Westover's Educated: On Patriarchal Religion and Misogynistic Violence

It's by accident — or synchronicity — that I happen to have read Miriam Toews' novel Irma Voth at the same time that I'm reading Tara Westover's Educated. Toews' book explores the lives of several young women and girls in a Mennonite family in Mexico, which previously had roots in Manitoba (and before that in Russia). Westover focuses on her experiences growing up in a survivalist Mormon family in Idaho.