Q & A: Elena Curti

In anticipation of Pope Benedict's visit to the UK next week, here at Q & A, we are discussing what the Pope should say and do when he is there. Our commentators are editors at the British Catholic weekly The Tablet, and today we hear from Elena Curti, the deputy editor.

The question: What is the most important thing for Pope Benedict to say or do when he is in the UK?

Elena Curti: While the Church in England and Wales now has solid procedures in place aimed at protecting children, as Catholics we still feel tainted by the cover-ups and evasiveness that have characterised the Church's response to the scandal.

I would like to see the Pope express in clear, unambiguous language his abject sorrow at the treatment meted out to survivors. He should meet them and listen attentively to them but he should also make a significant public gesture that communicates the Church's penitence and humility. The pomp and grandeur that characterise the papacy jars horribly with these sentiments.

If Pope Benedict could set aside time in one of his liturgies to stand humbly at the altar simply clad, frankly admit the Church's errors and acknowledge what caused them: pride, fear and the determination to prevent scandal at all costs. What would follow on naturally is an announcement about a programme of action aimed at preventing this happening again. This would mean breaking up the strictly hierarchical brotherhood in Rome that rules with a rod of iron and is instinctively secretive. Simply blaming the bishops - as Pope Benedict did in his letter to Ireland - is not good enough. He needs to acknowledge that the problem is one of culture and that bishops take their cue from Rome.

Stories in this series on the papal visit to Scotland and England: Hijacking or setting him free, Benedict loves Newman, by John L. Allen, Jr. Benedict finds unlikely ally in British PM, by John L. Allen, Jr. Polarized opinion on pope fills London streets, by John L. Allen, Jr. Trying to solve the church's communications problem, by John L. Allen, Jr. Pope meets with sex abuse victims, by John L. Allen, Jr. Analysis: Benedict's in a box in talking about the crisis, by John L. Allen, Jr. Pope apologizes for 'unspeakable crimes' of sex abuse, by John L. Allen, Jr. Joint statement on meeting between Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury Benedict in Britain: We get it, we've got it, let's share it, by John L. Allen, Jr. Pope calls on religions to defend environment, human life, by John L. Allen, Jr. Full text of pope's comments on the crisis, by John L. Allen, Jr. Of all people, Cardinal Kasper?, by John L. Allen, Jr. Benedict battles the 'dictatorship of relativism', by John L. Allen, Jr. Pope on crisis: 'We weren't fast enough', by John L. Allen, Jr. Benedict to step into buzz saw of dissent during upcoming UK visit, by John L. Allen, Jr. Newman still commands our attention, an NCR editorial He even prayed 'with a pen in his hand', a book review by Peter L’Estrange Hijacking Newman, by Dennis Coday Newman: the 'sense' and 'consent' of the faithful, a viewpoint by Robert McClory All this week in his Distinctly Catholic blog, Michael Sean Winters is interviewing a variety of Newman scholars: Subscribe to NCR Want to read more about important issues in the life of the Church? A subscription to NCR will keep you up to date and informed. Fr. Joseph Komonchak, taught ecclesiology at Catholic University, wrote his dissertation on Newman Christopher Pramuk, Assistant professor of Theology at Xavier University in Cincinnati Ian Ker, Professor at Oxford University and author of a Newman biography The Very Reverend Richard Duffield, the Provost of the Birmingham Oratory Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and Primate of England Related items in Distinctly Catholic: When Benedict Meets With Victims Letters between Newman and the Rev. Charles Kingsley James Roberts, assistant editor of the British Catholic weekly The Tablet Christopher Lamb, news editor of the British Catholic weekly The Tablet Elena Curti, the deputy editor of the British Catholic weekly The Tablet Catherine Pepinster, editor of the British Catholic weekly The Tablet