Hoping It Will All Go Away

The biggest news story in the world by far (apart from who Sandra Bullock's husband's been humping) has been the Catholic Church's efforts to deal with the numerous child abuse scandals plaguing it.

This is bad news for the Pope and the hierarchy of the Church, but they've seen off worse scandals, and the institution will survive.

But the confused and disorganised responses to the crisis suggest there is nobody on top of things. The Pope appears to be hoping the whole thing will just blow over. Why else would he stay silent while others stupidly compare the treatment of the Church to anti-semitism, or dismiss the scandal as "idle chatter"?

I don't know whether the Pope has been personally involved in any of the cover-ups. His supporters say he has energetically pursued abusers and tried to drive them out of the Church. But he and the other notables of the Vatican profess to be devoted to God, while continuing to deny what is becoming increasingly obvious - that many of the cover-ups were sanctioned, if not ordered, by those at the top. If these men have sinned they should be falling to their knees and begging forgiveness. Their public countenances suggest they are still in denial, or are just hoping they'll get away with it.

Hardly the behaviour of men who profess a selfless devotion to God.