As a Catholic mother raising my children in the faith, I recoiled in horror when the sexual abuse crisis crested in the media six years ago. I was a colonel in the Illinois State Police then. Soon after, the church asked me to examine dioceses' compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the plan the bishops developed in 2002 to deal with this crisis.

I retired from law enforcement and began work as a compliance auditor, then as executive director of the bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection. My goal: To help the church recover from the sheer devastation of betrayal, pain and hurt.

Through it all, one question nagged me: Does the pope really get it? Does he understand what his brother bishops and priests have done and how much people are hurting? Does he realize how critical his leadership is right now? Is Pope Benedict the right pope for this time in the Catholic Church?

It was frustrating to learn in 2007 that only 17 percent of self-identified, active Catholics had any idea about how strongly the bishops responded, especially after 2002. It was even more frustrating to learn that when the other 83 percent were asked what should be done, they recited actions the church already had taken.

I relate to diocesan staff who work to ensure that the charter is implemented. I speak often with the victim assistance coordinators and the safe environment coordinators that every diocese is required to have. They work hard, often with no recognition let alone praise.

What I have seen is that all are where they are for a reason. I see the hand of God in who they are and why they are where they are. No exceptions.

As head of the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger reviewed the heartbreaking sexual abuse cases sent from the United States (and from all over the world, in fact). I wondered then too if those cases and the pain of the victims touched his heart.

Pope Benedict's April trip to the U.S. spoke volumes. His mention on the plane of the shame and pain of abuse before he even landed, his continual mentioning of this betrayal and shame to his bishops, priests, religious and faithful, his meeting and apology in person to the victims --- all of these made clear that he gets it that people acting on behalf of the church did horrible things that caused pain that lasts a lifetime. He gets it that all in the service of the Catholic Church are to protect and not harm children.

He also gets it that the bishops' "efforts to heal and protect are bearing great fruit not only for those directly under your pastoral care," he said, "but for all of society."

Here's what he was referring to:

--- Victim assistance and safe environment coordinators

--- Codes of conduct

--- Policies and procedures, all published, requiring prompt response to any allegation of clergy sexual abuse of a minor

--- No more coerced confidentiality agreements; no more secrets

--- Open and transparent communication policies

--- Safe environment training of all children in the care of the church; about six million to date!

--- Safe environment training of any adult who has ongoing unsupervised contact with children

--- Background evaluations of all clergy and other adults who have ongoing unsupervised contact with children; about 1.6 million to date

--- Lay involvement on diocesan review boards addressing allegations of sexual abuse

--- A National Review Board of lay personnel with specialized expertise to work with the bishops to develop best practices for keeping children safe.

From my post I know that the church is not yet where it needs to be in addressing this crisis, and I will do all that I can to move it forward, never to go back. But my overarching question for almost six years --- does the pope get it? --- is answered. He gets it, and he is the right pope for this time.

Teresa Kettelkamp is executive director of the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.