What is quite discouraging about this article is the not only what happened to the woman who was raped, but the Pope’s response to the situation. The Pope is in the highest position in the Catholic Church which is followed by having the most power over the church. Therefore he has the power to remove powerful officials underneath him (the Bishop in India accused of rape) who commit a crime or even a sin as they like to put it in the church. I’ve heard many reasons why the Pope doesn’t respond to these accusations of rape but one main reason that he doesn’t respond to cases involving rape of many different people, many of whom are children is that he doesn’t want to give off the impression that the church is corrupt in such a way that it is. I would have to say that his idea of the church seeming strong by not addressing these terrible accusations is in fact just weak. If he were to give justice to the victims of rape by Catholic officials by removing them and bringing them to court he and the church would seem so much more stronger than the alternative. There aren’t just a few “bad apples” out there in the church there are hundreds and thousands of them including the one in India, who are taking advantage of people who are vulnerable. No one should have to feel powerless as the result of rape and no one should be able to avoid the law like many Catholic officials are able to do. They hide behind the Pope in order to escape justice, but the Pope should be bringing them to justice, instead of protecting them in the first place because it contradicts what the entire Catholic church stands for. The individual people of the church need to know what’s going on, or if they do know already they shouldn’t let religion overshadow the problem. We are all human and so are the Catholic officials, no one is more important than the other, no matter the status quo they hold. Therefore everyone and anyone regardless of who they are as a person should be brought to justice in every circumstance possible.
