(Newser)
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Pope Benedict didn't join the many bishops in countries plagued by sex abuse scandals who said "sorry" during this Holy Week, and you won't hear that word come from his mouth any time soon. That's because the Pope "operates on an entirely different public relations plane to media-savvy politicians reacting to every swing in public opinion," Jeremy Taylor writes in the Independent.
"The Pope is there to play the long game, and does not bend to the whim of either his opponents or his flock," Taylor writes, pointing to the fact that the pope's castigation of Irish bishops occurred after years of abuse allegations were voiced in Ireland. For now, the Vatican's approach is to "portray any criticism as part of a global secular conspiracy to undermine the Catholic faith," while arguing that Benedict is actually breaking down the "culture of impunity" created by John Paul II that led to abuse without punishment.
