Benedict's Greatest Success?

Pope Benedict XVI's journey to the United States is, rightly, being hailed as a huge success, both for him personally and for the Catholic Church in general.

The scandals of the last few years had seen many congregants slip from the Church and the perceived lack of outcry from the Church hierarchy was viewed as a sign that the Church was out-of-touch or uncaring.

It was also a change for the Holy Father to see first hand the United States and its culture which could perhaps have been seen by him as a dangerous purely secular society that threatened the morals of its citizenry.

By meeting with many victims of the clerical abuse scandal, the Pope was able to reassure the flock that he did care very much about the issue.

Even before his arrival in the U.S., the Pope had spoken on the issue, but the meeting with five victims from Boston, a meeting held at his request, provided visible proof of the efforts he is willing to make to heal the rift.

As Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston told the Boston Globe: "I think it has been very positive, in helping to understand the serious damage that is occasioned by child abuse.

"I think in the past, people were not aware of the long-range effects. And, certainly, if you have the opportunity to meet with survivors, it becomes very apparent that this kind of tragic activity in their childhood often marks a person for life and is a source of great distress."

"It also, I think, has given me an opportunity to try and reach out to survivors and to help them to realize that in the Catholic Church we have a great sorrow for what happened to them," he continued.

"And many of the survivors themselves, in my experience, are looking for a way to reconnect with the church. Some have walked away from the church, but others have a real desire to have a relationship with the church."

There is still much to be done, but by confrontinmg the issue during his trip, and not trying to ignore it, Pope Benedict has taken the first steps towards reconciliation.