Rome, Italy, Apr 6, 2010 / 09:56 am
In response to the media campaign designed to portray Pope Benedict as covering up cases of sexual abuse by priests, various bishops in the Middle East have expressed their solidarity with the Holy Father.
In an interview with SIR news agency, Archbishop Emil Nona of Mosul said that in Iraq, “The faithful are convinced that all of this is propaganda against the Church, designed to smear her in the eyes of the world. There is certainly sorrow over what has happened,” he added. “For our part, we are explaining what the Pope has said about this scandal as well as the measures adopted to shed light on the different cases which are being addressed with firmness, transparency and severity.”
“The grave errors committed by a few cannot cast doubt on everything that the Church has always done in support of children, young people and those who are most vulnerable,” Mosul’s archbishop emphasized.
Chaldean Bishop Michel Kassarji of Beirut said, “A scandal that is shaking the Church must not be used to discredit her... The Church, with the Pope at the helm, is confronting this scandal with firmness and it is good that people know this,” Bishop Kassarji affirmed.