Pope Francis made a speech on the weekend addressing the sexual abuse scandals that have permeated throughout the Catholic Church over the last decades. Like many Catholics, I became disillusioned with the Church. Mine happened while I was still in my teens. The hypocrisy of the Church was exposed to me in a personal way. It was difficult to be angry with the whole Church when that was all I knew of faith. I was fortunate enough to see Pope John Paul II in Ottawa. We were placed in corrals of 10,000 and waited several hours to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. It didn't really matter. I felt the presence of my God. So, my feelings of the Church shifted. They became complicated. The Church also shifted. Our God became a forgiving God rather than a punishing God. I became more spiritual and less secular. My relationship with my higher power became personal. Then, Pope Francis came along. A breathe of fresh air with the promises of reform. A man worthy of worship and seemed to be the Father that we were all looking for. He is so different from anything before him. I started admitting again that I was Catholic. Unfortunately, the sexual abuse scandal continued. He was supposed to make a landmark speech about this over the weekend. He needed to reassure the following that the Church will take action to foster change. It was one of his most important speeches. It was a swing and a miss. I was disappointed yet I wasn't. I knew that despite his personal views, the Catholic Church bureaucracy has power and control of those who chose to serve it. This morning, we are waking up to the news of an Australian Cardinal found guilty of child sexual abuse. I have never heard of Cardinal Bell but it was reported that he was the third highest ranking Catholic. Pope Francis has apologized many times for acts of people representing the Church for abuse. The best apology would have been changed behavior.
Then, there is Robert Kraft. The story is actually sad. How could a man so smart be so stupid. I think we can all be a little sympathetic to an old man wanting to be sexually active, whatever that means in a man that old. And, he wanted this with no strings attached, whatever that means. There are places where that is legal. He could have had a discreet rendez-vous in his home. Being driven by a personal chauffeur to solicit is stupid in addition to being illegal. He certainly won't face any legal consequences. He is too rich. He will suffer some embarrassment. What about the NFL and their zero tolerance on violence against women. Engaging in an illegal act by purchasing sex seems like it would fit the priority. We all know that if he has been caught once that probably means he has gotten away it many times. This is a problem for the NFL. They have already been inconsistent on the zero tolerance policy depending on the situation and the players involved. They have an opportunity to take a stand on this and show leadership. They have taken the easy way out. "Everyone has a presumption of innocence until proven guilty." That is going to buy them some time. What will happen is that Kraft will plead no contest and pay a fine. Then, NFL what are you doing to do? Likely nothing because Kraft is a powerful and successful owner. Rules don't seem to apply to rich white males.
White male privilege continues to exist and it will continue to exist until they are held to the same degree of accountability that exists for the rest of the world.
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