There is an old cliché that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Well, so is a symbol. And not only images but also gestures. Because human gestures and encounters can be living symbols made flesh and blood. They can capture the signs of the times. And by doing so they can open up new possibilities for hope, change and healing.

So it’s with this in mind I reflect upon Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the U.S. last week. Like his predecessor John Paul II, many of his encounters were intended to be symbolic.

There was his solemn prayer at Ground Zero and his speech before the United Nations on human rights and human dignity. There was his history-making visit to a New York synagogue, the first ever such visit by any pope in the U.S. There were gatherings with ecumenical leaders (various Christian denominations) and with interreligious leaders (leaders of various religions). There was even a speech on Catholic higher education.

Still, there is another one that I think was more powerful. At least for the American Catholic Church. And that was Benedict’s engagement with the evil of clergy sexual abuse of children.

As far as I know, no one expected this. No one expected Benedict to say much about the American Church sex abuse scandal. And no one expected him to meet with a group of survivors and listen to their pain. Even if only for a few brief moments.

And I think it was in this moment that we finally got a glimpse of the real Benedict. Because his engagement with the American sex abuse scandal was indeed a symbol. It was meant to bring the suffering of the victims into the heart of the Body of Christ. It made the victims known to the head of the Church. And perhaps it will put the feet of the U.S. bishops to the flames to publicly and mournfully accept spiritual and moral accountability for this evil.

At least that’s my hope. For it seems that Pope Benedict made it one of his top priorities to address the childhood sexual abuse of children by pedophile priests. From bringing up the subject to reporters before he even landed, to meeting with the group of survivors, to repeatedly bringing up this problem in his various speeches, the pope was not one to shy away from this awful issue. Instead, he engaged it directly. Now his words and meetings aren’t going to ultimately solve the problem. But they can become a symbol that can call the Church to accountability now and into the future.

This symbolic power of the papacy is one that Benedict inherited from John Paul II. Ever the actor and public evangelist, John Paul II brought the papacy into the media age with his many symbolic religious gestures. He wasn’t one to shy away from the TV cameras or from large crowds. Instead, he knew how to engage with each in order to further what he understood as his calling: to bring the Church to the world.

And he did so through many symbolic gestures. From kissing his native Polish soil to meeting with his would-be assassin to publicly withering away from disease, the former pope understood the power of images and gestures. And one of the most powerful of these was his attempt to bring the Catholic Church to atone for its past of violence and hatred towards Judaism. In doing so his paramount symbol was his visit to Jerusalem when he visited Yad Vashem and the Western Wall. Although this did not ultimately solve the problem it did help to atone for sins and to give people inspiration to continue struggling for healing, reconciliation and justice. Especially since this was a world religious and spiritual leader making such a gesture.

Even though Benedict is a much shyer and reserved man, and is a scholar and a thinker not known for having John Paul’s theatrical talents, he showed that he too understands the power of symbolic gestures by a world religious leader. He seemed to know that these simple gestures can carry the weight of guilt and atone for suffering. They can foster life, change and liberation.

Because symbols are powerful. When a religious leader like the pope makes a symbolic gesture, such as meeting with survivors of abuse, the world takes notice. And the Church that he leads takes notice. In this instance his gesture should be a small breath of hope to survivors. It should scream that victims of sexual abuse no longer need to feel like they’ve been forgotten and brushed under the rug. They are human beings who have been grievously wounded by those entrusted to serve God. They too fully carry God’s image. And they are entitled not only to healing but to justice

That’s why Benedict’s trip should remind the Church that it has a moral duty to these survivors of pedophile priests. Not only to facilitate their healing and to atone for sins but also to make public institutional changes that assure that no child will ever be abused again by clergy. For there can be no reconciliation without accountability.

A symbol can open up new possibilities for healing, life and liberation. And that, I think, is what Benedict was trying to do. That’s why he accepted a notebook with a list of one thousand names of victims of clergy sexual abuse from another survivor. That’s why he promised to include them in his prayers.

And because of that the U.S. Church might just have a chance for justice and reconciliation. That’s the power of a symbol.

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Kevin Considine has an M.A. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the largest Roman Catholic school of theology and ministry in North America. He is pursuing Ph.D. studies in Theology and hopes to become a scholar/professor. He is married to a most wonderful woman who keeps him in line and makes sure his thoughts make sense. He and his wife live on the South Side of Chicago. He welcomes comments, feedback or fits of anger and can be reached at {email considkp@yahoo.com}considkp@yahoo.com{/email}. © copyright 2008 by Kevin Considine