Not the full picture

YOUR editorial (March 22) suggests Pope Benedict blamed the secularisation of society for the child abuse crisis. He did no such thing.

In section 4 of the letter, he mentions the process of secularisation merely as part of an historical account of the church’s position in society, but he does not blame it for the crisis. However, in the next paragraph he cites some very specific causes, namely the inadequate training and selection of clergy, a tendency to favour the clergy and other authority figures over the laity and a misplaced concern for the church’s reputation and the avoidance of scandal. In doing so, he is very clearly pointing to the church’s own inadequacy in handling the issue.

It’s a pity your editorial did not see fit to present the full picture.