Bonnie Erbe

Catholic Sex Abuse Scandal Harming Pope's Poll Numbers

April 19, 2010 RSS Feed Print

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Everybody has been talking about it. But now we have quantified data proving the point: Most Americans and most Catholic Americans think the Pope has done a terrible job dealing with the priest pedophilia scandal. CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey results released Friday also indicate that recent revelations about that matter have hurt the pope's standing with the public:

Fifty-nine percent of American Catholics questioned in the poll have a favorable view of the pope, down 19 points from February. Among all Americans, the slippage is even greater: from 59 percent in February to just 35 percent today. "Only a quarter of U.S. Catholics have an unfavorable view of the pope, but they don't seem satisfied with his track record on the growing and persistent scandal within the church," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.

Now, does anyone really think the Church or the Pope might re-think how to handle this ongoing tragedy and the public relations disaster it has created for the Church? Of course not!

This is an institution, governed as it always has been, by fallible and often corrupt human beings. If anyone still believes the Pope has any sort of connection to God, I would like that person to explain how he or she can possibly continue to believe that such a connection exists under current circumstances. Please avoid using excuses for what the Church leadership has done. They provide no insight to those of us outside the church as we try hard to understand what keeps people in the church.

Tags:
Catholic Church,
Pope Benedict XVI,
Vatican,
polls

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I believe that the time has come for the Vatican to face Justice for the heinous crimes it has committed throughout the centuries against innocent victims: From the victims of The Inquisition whose only crime was refusal to conform to Roman Catholicism and thereby face martyrdom at the burning stake-as well as Rome's present controversial worldwide-child abuse sexual scandal conspiracy involving Church prelates, Bishops even the Bishop of Rome-No one is above the law, even though the Vatican enjoys Sovereign Immunity, it will ultimately face the Justices of the world as well as God's Justice and Judgements-Currently in the State of Oregon the Federal Judiciary has turned down an Appeal fom the Vatican and thereby opened the way for litigational court proceedings against the Vatican respecting a case involving child-sexual-abuse-In my opinion, Soveriegn Immunity doe not apply with respect to the Vatican: Let the Vatican be tried in a Court of Law like anyone else-!! Vinney7461 Vinney

Vinney7461 of CA 10:35PM June 28, 2010

Yes, the Catholic Church is an "institution", the same way the United States is an institution. The United States is a nation established by men, while the Catholic Church is a Nation, a Kingdom, established by God. That was the Gospel: "The Kingdom established by God is here" - Jesus was anointed (baptized) as the King.

He appointed Peter (and his successors) as governor until he returns, to proclaim the Gospel and welcome all who desire it into citizenship in this people, this nation, this Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

What keeps us joining to the Catholic Church, the Kingdom God established, and remaining its citizens is that we find life here.

While some people are two-faced (such as priest abusing children while proclaiming that people who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom), they will be found out and, like Judas, go their own way.

But we are citizens of a Nation, Bonnie, all who were baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are citizens of that nation, some fully aware of it, others having gone their ways and forgetting that citizenship over the years. Others, thinking religion is simply a facet of their life as Americans (or whatever country) and forgetting it is their whole identity: You say you are an American (identity); I say I am a Catholic / Christian / Citizen of the Kingdom God established (identity).

The Pope is Holy, not because he is sinless, but, in the pure definition of that word "holy" the Pope is "set apart for use by God in temporally governing His Nation on earth". Catholics are also holy in the same way, not because we are sinless, but because we are a people set apart by God which He regards as His People on earth.

All the baptized were marked as holy, as citizens of His People. Some make a mockery of their identity, others do not. Polls will not change Church government as they do American politicians; if anything they will simply show where we have not spoken the message of the Gospel clearly, because anyone who has heard it clearly will not want to be apart from the Kingdom of God.

John of MN 9:25PM April 27, 2010

I think we all should be united. We all have flash and flash is week. I am not worthy to be saved but its because of God's grace that i have been saved. If i have been forgiven than i should learn to forgive. I should try to find out the log in my own eye first and should pray to God that He may give wisdom to church to handle this issue. Further, it is devil who create doubt in minds as he created in the minds of Adam and Even in the garden. Devil tried to create doubt in the mind of Jesus as well but he was defeated by Jesus. I have no doubt in my mind that pope is a good leader. Actually its devil who want to stop him from what he want to do. I also feel bad because of these pedophilia cases and i think action should be taken against the responsibale but at the same time also beleive that obediance is the key to success and whatever pope will do will be acceptable.

Shahid of ID 11:53AM April 22, 2010

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.

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