The other day, I encountered a young man who no longer goes to church because his faith was shakened by priest’s sexual abuse.
What do you think is the best appoarch with such a person?
It depends.
Was he personally abused?
Does he know somebody who was?
IOW, what’s the context?
Then, what is his personal knowledge of Christianity? What was his practice and his knowledge ‘before?’
Is there a particular situation in which rejection of Catholicism would have ‘benefit’ to the person?
Does he really wish to explore Christianity right now or even if he says he’s “open”, is he still reacting? Does he meet even the gentlest approaches with ‘yes but’? IOW, is he ‘ready’ to even consider that there might be, certainly not a justification (for there is absolutely no justification for abuse, ever), but that what he thinks this ‘means’ for Christianity might not be true itself? Would an attempt to talk make him even angrier and less likely to listen, not just now but later?
So a lot depends on the person himself.
I know it can be difficult when one sees a person struggling, and one knows the reason they are struggling is something ‘wrong’, and one wants to set it ‘right’. . .but a lot of people leap into ‘apologetics’ out to ‘win the battle’ (one particular argument) and wind up ‘losing the war’ because they get so focused on ‘proving they’re right’ that they completely alienate even those who might have been amenable to dialogue under the right circumstances.
So I would want to know a lot more about the young person and his situation before- and only if the time was right, right now–I would try to ‘handle’ him by dialogue.
But one thing I could do right away and in fact, would do, and would do as long as I had breath–pray for this young person and indeed for all people.
