Benedict is a wise man, and more worldly, by far, than his predecessor. He knows that the current crisis has ensured that his papacy will be the first of a new sort of scathed papacy: henceforward, no pope will be beyond the reach of his flock, and the wrath of his flock. His predecessor was the last “infallible” pope. Benedict XVI is the first of the fallible popes, and a recognition of that fact lies at the heart of all reform to come.
And so it is important that Benedict be allowed to conduct himself with dignity, to be free from the shadow of gaudy prosecution, and to be unhampered in his dialogue—impassioned, honest, painful, and emotional—with Catholic faithful around the world. The church is worth saving, but only the church can save the church. Lawyers can’t. Let us, then, allow Pope Benedict to get on with the most important task that has ever confronted a pope in the modern era. In the unlikely event that he hasn’t the wisdom to do the right thing, we can be sure that his flock will tell him so.
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