Word: weisner
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...reluctance to speak out surprises and hurts many Catholics. "Many Catholics in Germany had hoped that the Pope would have expressed a word of personal sympathy for the victims of abuse," says Christian Weisner, spokesman for the well-known Catholic reform group We Are Church. Papal officials, however, defend Benedict's silence. "The Pope was not part of what happened back then, and he shouldn't be part of it now," says a Vatican insider. Indeed, the Vatican has mounted an aggressive campaign to portray the scandals as an attempt to besmirch the Pope and discredit the church...
...very disappointing that the Pope has kept silent on this issue," says Chris Weisner, spokesman for the Catholic reform group We Are Church. "Many Catholics in Germany had hoped that the Pope would have expressed a word of personal sympathy for the victims of abuse," he said. Indeed, on the Good Friday before Ratzinger became Pope in 2005, he issued a resounding call for reform in the church, saying, "How much filth there is in the church, and even among those ... in the priesthood" - widely believed to have been a reference to the abuse scandals affecting the church's standing...
...report cases easily and needs to be more proactive in dealing with errant priests. "The church should actively cooperate with state prosecutors in making public abuse cases and step up preventive measures, like background checks and training young priests and children to identify and avoid sexual abuse," says Weisner. "In the past, the church's priority was to protect itself, and this encouraged a culture of cover-up and looking away," says Glück, the lay Catholic leader. "The priority now should be to care for the victims and review some of the structures within the church...
...Chris Weisner, spokesman for the German Catholic reform organization We Are Church, says the group's sex-abuse hotline has received an average of six calls a day from alleged victims in recent weeks and that 18 of Germany's 27 dioceses have been touched by the scandal. "Abuse is widespread," Weisner tells TIME. "The church is investigating the cases very reluctantly. [But] it has a duty to uphold moral standards. Catholics in Germany are extremely disappointed and angry...
...more satisfying was a private meeting with McGeorge Bundy, Jerome Weisner, Theodore Sorenson, and Mark Ruskin at the White House. Goldmark reported: "We were given a chance to discuss some of our proposals. We emerged much more sure of ourselves, because the Administration is apparently planning to employ some of the initiative we are suggesting...