How do we respond to the "sex abuse scandal"?

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Leo1

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I converted to the Catholic faith from Protestantism in 2007. I am coming up on my 3rd anniversary. I am proud of this Church and have never looked back. I can respond to atheist and Protestant objections, but this one is stumping me. How is this happening? What do we say? We have to face this squarely; we can not just deny the underlying truth. I also realize that many in the media and government will use this to attack the faith generally and Catholicism in particular. We need to develop a rational and organized response. What can those of us in the pews and trenches do? I know, we can pray the rosary and have special Masses - we should - but how do we get the moral high ground again? It will take decades, I fear. When we condenm abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, gay marriage, or homosexual practice, the response is “don’t talk to me about my life and how people should live when your priests are abusing children!” I am concerned we are facing the biggest threat since the Reformation. I don’t believe for a minute that Pope Benedict was involved or neglectful, but I’m afraid his reputation is damaged (falsely) and that ultimately his health may be threatened by this battle. Some will attack him with this for the rest of his papacy. I pray for the victims and even for those priests who did this and are willing to repent. I admit, I pray for God’s wrath on those priests who don’t repent and on those who use this as an excuse to attack the Church. I am angry and hurting at this same time about all of this!
 
I was sitting in the cath lab at Vanderbilt Hospital while my mother was having a stint put in when I saw this on the news…Hit me like a ton of bricks.

My moms in surgery and the church that I’ve been considering joining is on the news for THAT!..What do I do now?

The intercom came on and said that they would be prayer services in the Vandy Chapel at 8:00 so I considered going…But didn’t.

I know exactly how you feel despite that I’m not Catholic.

The church should respond by reporting them to the authorities and excommunicating them from priesthood.
 
While I am in NO way attempting to justify these priests or their actions, there are a few things we have to keep in mind with this situation.

ANYTIME there is a scandal in the Catholic church, you can bet your bottom dollar that the media is going to blow it WAY out of proportion, paint all priests with the same brush, and villify the church as much as possible. Is it any coincidence that this is happening at the same time as the healthcare bill? The church is pretty outspoken against it due to it’s pro-abortion statements.

My husband and I both work for the local school district. I can assure you (as much as this makes me positively SICK) that these kinds of abuses are everywhere. Protestant churches (I knew one molester personally, and the child as well), schools (rampant, and occurs almost every day), day cares, and just on the streets. In any place where there are children, there are going to be predators. Parents HAVE to be vigilant. The thing is, you only really hear about these abuses in the church. Why? Because the Catholic church is so anti-cultural. We preach modesty, temperance, abstinance, and life. These are all things the current culture finds disgusting, and they are looking for any failure to point and say “look! They are no better!”

I’d also like to add that given the media coverage of this, up against other instances of teachers or protestant pastors found in the same sin, I’d be willing to bet top dollar that the abuses done by Catholic priests are far more rare than other demographics. The Catholic church is just big, and therefore a prime target. I know when it happened at my old church, the pastors and board just covered it up so no one had to know and it wasn’t reported as a church offense.

I am not justifying the disgusting actions of these priests. I am not seeking to defend those who protected any of them. They should be called out, and disciplined harshly. There are just no words for the crime they committed against those so innocent and helpless. I am hoping we as a church will learn and move on.

The Catholic Church is a city on a hill, and all of the faults will be exposed by a world seeking to bring us down.

I too am a convert, (we’ve been catholic the same amount of time to be honest. I will be 3 years catholic this easter) and I can tell you that while the news saddens me, I am not shaken. I proudly belong to a church who follows Christ, and is made up of broken people. I will pray for the priests, pray for the victims and their families, and pray for the church that this will make us stronger, and more able to recognize when these things are going on so we can stop it.
 
In the US, while there was outrage about the abuse, what supposedly confused some of the higher ups was the anger directed at “management”. Because there were ample examples of repeat offenders, there was plenty of evidence to suggest that management was more concerned with getting the priests back to work than with protecting the children. This just compounded the fact that they kept everything quiet and internal, like the seperate laws for the Church were still in force from the Middle Ages. The vast sums of money involved didn’t help either, particularly for people who had had their own church closed for financial reasons.

The single move by the Vatican which seemed to anger people the most was that Cardinal Law was apparently promoted to Rome to get him out of the picture, once his diocese was in rebellion against him. Some saw the promotion as meant to spite the people who dared challenged the Vatican’s exclusive right to name the bishop,

The important thing now is not just to get rid of the abusers, but to expose and punish those who protected them, even by their chosen ignorance, because they also violated a trust. If the people and the management will not demand this, then neither have reason to expect the respect of others.
 
I came here looking for an answer for the same reason. This is all over the news, and people just seem to be incapable of separating the sinners from the Church. As though “the body of Christ,” whole and entire, has committed these crimes.

I don’t know what to say, even as a Catholic I find myself getting queasy when I hear fellow Catholics say “this happens everywhere” or “the problem is worse elsewhere” or “why single out the Church?”

It’s true this happens everywhere, but it’s not supposed to happen here. It’s true the problem is worse elsewhere, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened here. Why do people single out the Church? Because it’s not supposed to happen here! I know exactly why they’re singling out the Church. What I don’t understand is why they’re framing up this story as though the Church is one unified perverted monster that needs to be tied to a tree out back and put out of it’s misery.

It’s the hateful bigotry that I don’t know how to respond to, because any defense sounds like I’m making excuses for predators and criminals. I don’t want predators in my Church, I want them GONE! If it turns out that the Pope was involved, I want him GONE! But the Church herself is not a predator, the body of Christ is not a predator.

This whole nightmare makes me feel like the Church, the body of Christ, is being smothered to death. It feels like a demonic force is waging a full fledged attack with the intent of killing the Church once and for all. It’s very depressing, and it’s hard not to feel completely helpless. 😦

edit: [Thinking about this a bit I was reminded of the unleavened bread, that a little leaven (sin) ruins the whole loaf. Wheat and the weeds? More like wheat and the leaven. 😦 ]
 
That the Church is singled out is proper to our role in the world. Whether the attack is because we are viewed as arrogant for claiming that role or because more is expected because that role is silently accepted, it’s the way we should expect to be treated as occupants of the moral high ground.

I’m dissapointed that this problem wasn’t handled as an opportunity to teach the human family how to heal from such deep shamefull wounds by example. It isn’t scandalous because it happened it’s scandalous because it became a dirty little secret just like it does in all families that suffer from this kind of abuse.

I handle it by being scandalized properly as a member of the family that suffers it. Non-catholics then sense the discomfort of having put their nose where it shouldn’t have been. It’s improper for non-catholics to be more scandalized by this than catholics.

I can’t be anything but ashamed and that prevents me from ever feeling defensive. I am not defending the faith by defending the Church on this matter. I let my non-catholic friends see the shame and the sense of loss that my Church failed my expectations, and let them know that I’m thankfull they expect more from the Church and that I wish I could apologize on the Church’s behalf for not living up to that.
 
It is appalling that these horrible things were done by priests and they should not happen in the Church BUT we must remember that the church is made up of SINNERS and that includes priest and bishops and so on. I do not follow a priest or bishop soley. I follow Jesus Christ and he is the only one who is sinless and blameless and all perfect. So it it depressing that these things are happening in the Catholic Church? Yes. Will my faith in Christ and in the promise that he made that his church will prevail until the end of times waver? Absolutely NOT!! It is good that these things are coming out into the light so as to be more vigilant and be prevented in the future. The church right now is being cleansed and let’s not forget that the church has gone through much more difficult times than these in the past and in the past there were also wake up calls as with he reformation and the abuses of the times. In the past there even have been corrupt popes and yet none of the teachings and dogmas of the church were touched by those corrupt popes. We are blessed in these times to have had such a saintly pope as Pope John Paul the Great and such a holy present pope as Benedict XVI!! So for those of you who are depressed and saddened and ready to give up and think the church is coming to an end I say: Do not be discouraged. Have faith in God and in his promises and pray for the clergy who are under attack and who have committed these awful sins.

Let’s remember that Jesus said the weeds would grow up side by side with the wheat otherwise if you try to kill the weeds you will also take the wheat and kill it to. The weeds will be separated by God in the judgment. God is with us and he is in control of the world

Peace!
 
Okay, as a revert who became a Baptist for 20 years before coming home, I would like to chime in. Keep in mind my wife and daughter are both converts. I’m going to say a few uncomfortable things. It does no good ignoring the 800 pound gorilla sitting on the couch.
Across the Tiber there were, and still are, abuse scandals. Also keep in mind the ‘innocent until PROVEN guilty maxim’.
We live in an increasingly depraved age, and it is getting worse, just as our Lady said it would at Fatima. Perhaps the entire abuse scandal is a form of divine chastisement of the modern Church. The “new springtime” has been mired in one of the ugliest of all sins since its inception in the 60’s. I would dare say that pedophile priests are one of the many “fruits” of the modern Church’s attempts at being ‘relevant’ to an increasingly depraved society…along with apostasy, heresy, etc. In the 60s and 70s seminary doors were opened to anyone who wanted to become a religious without proper vetting. As a result, many **sexually depraved individuals **entered into the priesthood.
In an increasingly depraved age, the Church needs to be more vigilant, not letting her guard down for a moment.
Yes there have been corrupted priests in the past. The key difference is that the priests were hypocrites. They’d preach the truth and then do their dirty deeds in secret. Since the 1960s, priests have preached error and then put the fruits of that error into practice with their deeds. This is what sets our crisis apart from those of past times.
In times past corruption was borne from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Today corruption is also borne out of a lax Church infested with error from within.
Let’s stop whitewashing, lets stop pretending the gorilla is not in the room. Only a return to strick discipline, obedience, and tradition will heal the Church.
To you converts. when I was a Baptist preacher and things got tough, I would keep in mind Colossians 3:
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.** 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
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12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
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15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.**
Becoming a Catholic is not like joining the Elks club. You are joining the Church of all Ages, the Church of Paul, Francis of Assisi, Augustine.
If anything, this scandal makes me MORE traditional, not less. Because tradition is where the Church will recover.
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people just seem to be incapable of separating the sinners from the Church
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That is because there is no separation. The idea that the Church is a country club for saints is a false notion. It is not. The Church is a hospital for the sick. ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3.23). It is only through the Church that we come to a saving knowledge of Christ, through Her sacraments, through our membership in that mystical body, through shared experience, communion, and grace, as sinners seeking holiness.

It is often those who have a skewed idea of what it is to be a Christian, who are the first to throw stones at the fallen and loudly proclaim their indignation. If anyone should be offended it is the Lord, and yet it is the Lord who says, “neither do I condemn you.”

Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." Mat. 9:13

The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."
Mat. 11:19
 
You are more likely to be abused by parents, school teachers, and sports coaches. Yet these sets of people have influence on the young and are generally regarded as worthwhile.

It angers me greatly when the evil of a certain man is used to attack the Church. Nothing is ever said of those faithful priests, who spends hours offering Masses for the souls entrusted to them, hearing confessions, getting up at 3am to visit dying parishioners, giving constant spiritual direction and then are looked upon with contempt.
 
we should respond by saying the samething that should be said to any church or organization that is guily don’t cover up clean house.
 
Leo1 said:
I converted to the Catholic faith from Protestantism in 2007. I am coming up on my 3rd anniversary. I am proud of this Church and have never looked back. I can respond to atheist and Protestant objections, but this one is stumping me. How is this happening? What do we say? We have to face this squarely; we can not just deny the underlying truth. I also realize that many in the media and government will use this to attack the faith generally and Catholicism in particular. We need to develop a rational and organized response. What can those of us in the pews and trenches do? I know, we can pray the rosary and have special Masses - we should - but how do we get the moral high ground again? It will take decades, I fear. When we condenm abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, gay marriage, or homosexual practice, the response is “don’t talk to me about my life and how people should live when your priests are abusing children!” I am concerned we are facing the biggest threat since the Reformation. I don’t believe for a minute that Pope Benedict was involved or neglectful, but I’m afraid his reputation is damaged (falsely) and that ultimately his health may be threatened by this battle. Some will attack him with this for the rest of his papacy. I pray for the victims and even for those priests who did this and are willing to repent. I admit, I pray for God’s wrath on those priests who don’t repent and on those who use this as an excuse to attack the Church. I am angry and hurting at this same time about all of this!
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What must we do? We must be the ***best ***catholic christians we can possibly be(through God’s grace of course)… we must proclaim the Gospel both in what we say (in what we say, how we say it , in defending the faith(apologetics) & in spreading the faith (evangelization)) and in what we do (i.e. we must LIVE the faith). If telling someone that something is wrong isnt working, SHOW them by your virtuous actions in Christ.

To use a war analogy, imagine yourself a soldier landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy in 1944,if you’ve seen saving private ryan you understand what I mean. Now if you’ve seen that movie you will notice that those soldiers were getting slaughtered at the beginning…but they perserved and they ended up winning the battle ( & the rest is history…). Its the same in this situation… we’re getting slaughtered by the fact that some of our leaders(priests & bishops) in the Church have given up their authority by doing these terrible things which consequently has given us catholics a bad name(i.e.don’t talk to me about my life and how people should live when your priests are abusing children!"). Firstly we must realize that it is NOT all priests who do this and 2ndly we must pray for our priests & for more young men who will generously respond to the call to serve as FAITHFUL priests.We must perservere, we must pray, we must proclaim the gospel to the nations…

Like Fr Corapi says: “Pick up your weapon (refering to the Rosary) Soldiers & fight the good fight!”

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Amen.

Your brother in Christ,
Zachary
 
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:15-16)
 
" the response is “don’t talk to me about my life and how people should live when your priests are abusing children!”

Well the truth is our priests ( meaning all) are not abusing children—a small percentage have been convicted. I have to ask exactly how many Priests there are in the entire world and exactly how many have been convicted. If you listen to Bill Maur (sp?) one would think there is a Priest lurking behind every bush to harm children.

Yes, I am standing up for our Priests. Not those that have committed abuses, but those that have had to carry the burden even though they have not harmed one child.

I agree VERY much with stuart12 in that no one says what endless work our Priests do for the sick, elderly, homeless, orphaned, and daily Masses they say plus hearing confessions and the list goes on. Some prefer to focuse on the bad apples so they can voice their displeasure with the Church. I respect and admire greatly our Priests for all they do for us.

Just last night on the news there was a very small blurb about a protestant minister that was hauled into jail for molesting children----I NEVER hear anyone mentioning how terrible it is that this goes on in other religions and that there are cover-ups there but let a Priest do something wrong and holy smoke the world is bent on the Churches distruction.

Please, don’t get me started. I already have high blood pressure. :cool:
 
horselvr said:
" the response is “don’t talk to me about my life and how people should live when your priests are abusing children!”

Well the truth is our priests ( meaning all) are not abusing children—a small percentage have been convicted. I have to ask exactly how many Priests there are in the entire world and exactly how many have been convicted. If you listen to Bill Maur (sp?) one would think there is a Priest lurking behind every bush to harm children.

Yes, I am standing up for our Priests. Not those that have committed abuses, but those that have had to carry the burden even though they have not harmed one child.

I agree VERY much with stuart12 in that no one says what endless work our Priests do for the sick, elderly, homeless, orphaned, and daily Masses they say plus hearing confessions and the list goes on. Some prefer to focuse on the bad apples so they can voice their displeasure with the Church. I respect and admire greatly our Priests for all they do for us.

Just last night on the news there was a very small blurb about a protestant minister that was hauled into jail for molesting children----I NEVER hear anyone mentioning how terrible it is that this goes on in other religions and that there are cover-ups there but let a Priest do something wrong and holy smoke the world is bent on the Churches distruction.

Please, don’t get me started. I already have high blood pressure. :cool:
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I do know that I have mentioned how terrible this abuse is regardless who does it . Protestant, Catholic whoever. There is a man in Oregon who was a boy scout leaderwho is in jail for the samething.It doesn’t matter where they come from sick is sick. My Priest says that when he goes to town he wears casuals because he has been jeered at. That is sad, cause I know my priest is not an abuser.The reason for the CC is because it is held up to higher standards then most.
 
dove1967 said:
With Honesty!!
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I agree with this one.

Also, we must never forget that the victims, and those who love the church for that matter, have a right to be angry. You can’t just say (and no one I know is saying this) something like, “It’s the eternal church, that excuses everything”.
 
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