Cuomo Rips Off The Pope – OpEd
On January
15, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cited a quote by Pope Francis that he
said offered support for the Child Victims Act; Cuomo’s remarks were
included in his State of the State and Budget Address. In doing so, he
seriously misrepresented what the pope said. Indeed, he exploited the
pope to serve his own political interests.
The Child Victims Act would amend the statute of limitations, making it
easier for alleged victims of sexual abuse to bring suit, even if the
offense took place decades ago.
Cuomo began his statement on this issue by rolling out his Catholic
credentials. He was an altar boy, he said, and his religion is important
to him. But it is obviously not that important: if it were, he would
not have taken the occasion to inform the audience of his disagreements
with the Catholic Church.
The New York Governor said it has been “painful” for him to differ with
the Church’s teachings on marriage and abortion. Unlike the Catholic
Church, Cuomo supports the right of two men to marry; he also believes
that the unborn child should have no rights.
Cuomo also mentioned his disagreement with the Catholic Church on the
Child Victims Act—meaning in this instance his disagreement with New
York State bishops, especially New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
What Cuomo did not say is that the bishops support holding every
institution, public and private, to the same standard with regard to all
future cases of sexual abuse. With good reason, the bishops do not
support the “look back” provision which allows for the adjudication of
old cases: most of the alleged offenders are either dead or out of
ministry.
Cuomo told the crowd that he is “fully aware of the position of the
Catholic Church, and of the opposition of the Catholic Church” to the
Child Victims Act. This was deceitful.
He knows that the Catholic Church does not stand alone in opposing this
legislation: Jewish groups, the Boy Scouts, and the insurance industry
are all opposed to it. Why did Cuomo single out the Catholic Church? In
doing so he sowed the seed in the minds of lawmakers that the Church
opposes justice for victims, which is a cruel distortion of reality.
Worse was Cuomo’s total misrepresentation of what the pope said. Here is
the quote that Cuomo cited. (Initially, he did not attribute the quote
to the pope, saying only that these were the words of a “wise man.”)
“The abuse of minors is an offense so brutal. The Church cannot remain
indifferent to this, and the Church must punish such priests, and that
includes support for legal action. There is no other way out of this,
because it’s a crime. No, worse! It’s leaving them alive, but
destroyed.”
Immediately following Cuomo’s recitation of these remarks, he told the
audience that these were the pope’s words. “We stand with Pope Francis
and we [must] pass the Child Victims Act this year, because if you
believe in justice for all, then you believe in passing the Child
Victims Act and follow the leadership of Pope Francis.” A huge photo of
the pope was shown on a screen at this point, allowing Cuomo to further
exploit the Holy Father.
Cuomo stands with the pope? Not on cohabitation. Not on marriage. Not on
abortion. Not on transgender issues. Not on school choice. Not on drug
legalization. And no, not even on the Child Victims Act. There is
nothing the pope has ever said that could be interpreted as justifying
the singling out of the Catholic Church for legal redress. Nor has the pope ever spoken to the issue of suspending statutes of limitation for old cases.
Cuomo’s Catholicity is his business, but it is our business to call him out when he hijacks Catholicism to buttress his agenda.