Light of the World - Ch 2

Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 2 - The Abuse Scandal

The chapter headings in the book are somewhat arbitrary: clearly this was one long interview, subsequently broken into chapters for the sake of turning it into a manageable book.  And clearly, Peter Seewald had a set of questions to ask, and a progression through them, which shaped the interview and the subsequent book.

So it should be no surprise that the first questions in this chapter have nothing to do with the Abuse Scandal.  Rather they are setting the scene;  they deal with the Holy Father's immense, and perhaps surprising, popularity at the start of his pontificate, and the fact that he managed a seamless transition from his great predecessor, and also the Benedict himself had always been aware that it would not always be easy: at his election he had asked: 'Pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves.'  When Seeger reminds him of this prayer, his answer includes the reflection: 'If there had been nothing but approval, I would have had to ask myself seriously whether I was really proclaiming the whole gospel.'


Then there are a few questions around the lifting of the excommunications on the bishops of the SSPX, particularly the controversial Bishop Williamson.  This topic is explored in more depth in a later chapter. At this stage, there are a coupe of things that emerge clearly.  One is that press distorts and misrepresents what is going on in this case, sometimes through ignorance, and sometimes willfully.  The other is that the `pope was following canonical process, not endorsing the views of  Williamson or the others, nor giving them any official role in the Church.

Then we get into the Abuse Scandal itself.  A few things stand out from this discussion, too.  one is the intensity of the pain the Holy Father feels as a result of the abuse, and his compassion for the victims.  Another is his understanding of the need for justice and love to play an equal part in the Church's response.  He touches too on the fact that the media love to attack the Church, recognising Seewart's statistics which show that abuse involving Catholic priests is disproportionately low in comparison with other groups - but quickly pointing out that that provides no excuse whatsoever. and that the media could not attack the Church in this way if there were not evil within the Church.  The other message that comes through very clearly is his determination to avoid the recurrence of any such tragedy.

As with Chapter One, this was a fascinating read, and despite the difficult subject matter, it was a pleasure because one felt that one was getting to know the Holy Father better and better - and to like him more and more.