The discussion on the responsibilities for the "abuse of defenseless children and young people by members of the Church", especially by priests and religious, seems to be calming down, insofar as this is possible. It remains now to repair these very serious offenses to God and to the violated persons, and to give way to civil and ecclesiastical justice. Perhaps it is also time - Benedict XVI wrote - to meditate on the causes of "these sinful and criminal acts" and to reflect on "the way in which they were dealt with by the Church's authorities".

In his letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Pope has pointed out three main causes that may have triggered these abuses that we all deplore: an inadequate determination of the suitability of candidates to the priesthood and religious life; an insufficient human, moral, intellectual and spiritual training imparted in seminaries and novitiates; and the omission of the punishments provided by the Church for such crimes, for fear of damaging the good name of the Church. The three causes are also part of what the Pontiff calls the "current crisis".

Benedict XVI is logically concerned about the "current crisis," an atmosphere that is difficult to define, which affects many social strata and which, to a large extent, has its roots in the revolution of May 1968, to refer to a frequent cliché in historiography. Some autobiographical writings (for example, the memoirs of Eugenio Trias) have pointed out the devastating effects of this crisis, which obliges us to reconstruct many aspects of human coexistence, beliefs and values. Joseph Ratzinger, who lived through the tsunami at the University of Tübingen, has given much thought to topic. That is why he says in his letter to the Irish: "A new vision is needed to inspire and impel the present generation and future generations to treasure the gift of our common faith. And he also points out concrete measures: prayer and penance.