As I’m sure you’re all aware, the catholic church has been taking a lot of heat from the media worldwide regarding the cover up of sexual abuse by priests within the church. I understand that officials within the church I belong to stand accused of ignoring, or even aiding these despicable excuses for human beings. Those who abused may have been punished, but those who failed to act on information they held have not.
I consider myself a spiritual man, but it pains me deeply to even be associated with an organization so morally bankrupt. I cannot pray without these thoughts entering my mind, and and have stopped attending masses because of the anguish it causes me. Should I abandon the church and find my own path?
god bless you all.
I know this is hard, and all of us are affected. Don’t think that others are not angry. We are. But we are asked to be Christ to all–even the abusers–if they seek forgiveness. It’s sickening, but if we pray daily “forgive us our trespasses” we need to remember what follows “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
You are probably a much better Christian than I am and probably a much better person. I am a sinner, I know I’m a sinner. I can’t pat myself on the back because I’m not a pedophile (I’m not one, but my own sins are just as foul to God, I’m sure). If I did, I’d be like the Pharisee saying, “Oh thank you God for not making me a foul pedophile. Why look, I’m such a great person, I’m all for the children, I want these fiends ripped and tortured and damned because I’m such a great and good person”. . .and all the time, I’d be expecting God to turn a blind eye to MY sins because they weren’t being broadcast on the telly 24/7 or they weren’t the ‘sin of the month’.
One day I am going to stand before the great Judge and my sins will be laid bare. . .not only to Him, but brought again before me, and before you, and before every living being. No excuses, no rationalizations, no “but gee God at least I wasn’t a PEDOPHILE”. . .I’ve repented, I’ve confessed, but the temporal guilt remains and even though I am forgiven I will still stand there and relive every miserable, foul, filthy rotten sin I ever committed. It’s just that if I have truly repented and ended my life in a state of grace, even those filthy miseries will still be the foul sins they are, but my repentence will shine out greater because of God’s mercy.
One day one of those pedophiles may stand before the great Judge and his sins will be laid bare. Despite our current shrieks of rage and hatred, this man too, if he has repented and been purified, and forgiven, and ending his life in a state of grace. . .he too will stand there and his sins will be made white as snow not because he didn’t sin, but because of his humble repentence, obedience, and God’s mercy.
Will we, if we see such forgiveness of a ‘foul pedophile’ from God, turn ourselves from God’s mercy and refuse to 'forgive as we are forgiven?" I wonder. I just know that I can’t, of myself, forgive these men, and so I must–I MUST–beg our Lord and God to forgive them if they seek forgiveness.
Otherwise we are indeed turning from Him, and He alone has the words of eternal life.
