The Pope should be educating the bishops rather than Catholic Universities

Here comes Benedict on his high horse presuming to have the cure for Catholic universities when his bishops have performed execrably in re-sending pedophiles to abuse children and abusing victims again by humiliating them when they are seeking justice and by denying them compensation for ruined lives. The question that Benedict must answer is admission of guilt by priests and bishops in the U.S. did not come until the secular courts forced them to admit guilt and to give compensation for the victims.

In other words they did not admit anything until they were caught. Before the pedophilia scandal broke in full force in 2002 Benedict and the CDF were in full gear on the inquisition given impetus by the document Ex Corde Ecclesia. They succeeded in creating an atmosphere of suspicion and fear on Catholic campuses while they ignored the flagrant abuse of children by priests and bishops which has been known, but not corrected, in the church for a long time.

In 1967 in the Land of Lakes statement, several Catholic Universities declared that the most effective way to run Catholic Universities was to make them truly professional academic institutions which would respect science while maintaining a Catholic ambiance. The key point was that the Universities would be outside the sphere of Vatican influence which was seen as detrimental to the growth of true learning.

Now Benedict is starting down this ugly road again. What he should do is find ways to protect and nourish children which is the first duty of the church.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/13/AR2008031304176_pf.html