How to answer why we stay Catholic amidst abuse scandal

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This video was empowering to me. I even took what he said here and gave a talk to 20 men in my Church.

God Bless
 
Carmelite1983 said:
The Catholic Church has no higher correlation of abuse than any other religious or secular organization out there. This has been proven many times.
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I’ve read that before but am glad to read it again, for the sake of our Church.
 
LaughingBoy1503 said:
Tell them that they had better get their kids out of public school if they live in the usa because teachers sexually abuse kids all the time so they had better not support public schools. There have been many scandals involving teachers and students for many years.

Also tell them they had better leave their country if their government has ever done anything wrong because they are supporting that government with their taxes. They are also paying corrupt politicians salaries. I love America but my country has definitely done wrong things in the past so there is no way these people should stay here and support the big bad government.
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I think your response misses a critical difference between what happens with school teachers/ government officials and what has happened with the Church.

The Church presumes to have moral authority over its flock. Catholics turn to their priests and bishops (all the way up to the pope) to guide them spiritually and morally. This isn’t the case with any other segment of society.

Those who don’t understand how someone can stay, are really saying (usually) they don’t understand how they can stay in an environment where the betrayal has been so intense and on multiple levels (the terrible acts, and then the cover-ups that took place).

I am fine with people staying in the Church, even after all that has happened. I don’t question why someone would stay. But I think the difference I pointed out gets missed on a regular basis, so I thought I would comment.
 
30Something said:
Hi all! I am a convert of almost 5 years, and have no intention of leaving the Church.
But I’m trying to figure out the best answer to why I remain Catholic amidst the abuse scandal. A fellow sister in Christ reminded me that we are to follow Christ first and foremost.
I just read a disturbing article in Vogue mag about a mother who left the Church because she refuses to be “party to abuse”.
How to explain to people that staying in the Church is not supporting abuse?
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The Church is a hospital for sinners, not a haven of saints. (Well, at least not the Church Militant here on Earth…)

If I’m in a bus crash and severely injured, and me and everyone on the bus are brought to the hospital, and I learn that 15 people who were on the bus with me have died, should I attempt to get up outta my hospital bed and forego treatment? Or should I stay in the hospital and hope and pray I make it out alive?
 
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Carmelite1983 said:
Every other church and secular organization for that matter has abuse issues.
The Catholic Church seems to make the headlines though, since we have over 1.5 billion members.
My child is equally at risk beating alone with a teacher, coach, volunteer, tutor, mentor, family member, coworker, supervisor, etc etc.
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This is the kind of thing I read regularly that makes me think the Church is an absolute failure and should be abandoned immediately.

What you’re saying is that a man anointed to be an “alter Christus,” personally selected and formed by a bishop who is not only a shepherd but a successor to the apostles, is no different from any random teacher, coach, volunteer, tutor, mentor, family member, coworker, supervisor, or other totally secular person.

“We’re no worse than anyone else” is hardly a motto to live by or a reason to remain in the Church.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
What you’re saying is that a man anointed to be an “alter Christus,” personally selected and formed by a bishop who is not only a shepherd but a successor to the apostles, is no different from any random teacher, coach, volunteer, tutor, mentor, family member, coworker, supervisor, or other totally secular person.
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That’s exactly what the Church has always taught, and does teach.

Priests are regular people, subject to all the same sins as the rest of us. It is an error called “clericalism” to put priests on a pedestal as if they are superhuman. In fact, clericalism played a huge part in enabling the abusers to abuse in the first place. Average Catholics had the erroneous mindset that Priests were impeccable.

In fact, due to their vocation and the high office they fulfill, I’d say they are more likely to be tempted by the Tempter, and so they are even MORE likely than a layman to fall victim to certain sins.
 
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SuscipeMeDomine said:
We’re no worse than anyone else” is hardly a motto to live by or a reason to remain in the Church.
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It’s called humility, my friend.

Not only did the great Saints believe “we’re no worse than anyone else” - many of them believed “we are as bad or worse than EVERYBODY else!”
 
I would say stay in the Catholic church because that is where Christ is. It is still the only place to find salvation and if she thinks she is going to go somewhere and find a church that doesn’t have sinners she will soon be greatly disappointed.

Trust in Jesus, that He is still here and will answer our prayers for help.
 
I suggest people read this article written by a Priest about the term “alter Christus.”

He writes about how all Christians are essentially called to become “alter Christus,” but that Priests are doubly called because on top of their normal Christian vocation, they have the added vocation of the Ministerial Priesthood and the dreadful, terrible, awful responsibility of administering the Sacraments: https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/S...567/ArticleID/8029/Priest-Alter-Christus.aspx
 
c1949 said:
civil
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Clearly, the abusers did not follow the laws of the Church.

Neither did the bishops. The Church had rules about crimes/sins like these, and the bishops ignored them.

I prefer to consider those who follow the laws and rules of the Church.
 
Okay I did also say that we should hold our priests to a higher standard.
It’s still a valid point that the Church is not a more dangerous place than most others. Especially since many seem to think that it’s instead a bastion of sin and abuse above any other organization. Simply not true. That’s my argument.
 
I’m someone who was very much treated illegally by a Catholic school I was employed by. I was laid off for getting pregnant by my husband of 10 years. Apparently “pregnancy and teaching don’t mix. New moms belong at home.”

My family nearly lost our home, lived on ramen and canned food, lost the ability to breastfeed due to malnutrition…it was awesome. The archdiocese told me “We’re a private school we can do what we want.” and the lawyers I contacted wanted to use my case to whip the tar out of religious freedom in my state so I chose not to press the issue legally…

But no matter what happens, who does what…the church is bigger than the actions of the current hierarchy. The church is so much more than who is doing what. The immoral and cruel actions of a few don’t change the truth and love of God. I pray God would cleanse his church though…it seems weird that I was told by the same people who laid me off for being pregnant, that had I gotten an abortion or was gay they’d “totally have my back.” eyeroll
 
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I have to chuckle at seeing even Fr. Mike use the old marketing device of putting the word “SEX” in letters twice as big as the rest of the words, in order to get the viewer’s attention.
 
I stay because of the Eucharist.

People are not giving up on marriage, family and parenthood in spite of abuse stories from those institutions.

People are not giving up on government and the police and the justice system because of abuse.

The Church is not just the Pope and the clergy, it’s all of us Catholics, both here on earth and in heaven.
 
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It’s also deeply unfair to characterize the Church based on the actions of the abusers, but the most faithful and loyal people who do serve, both religious and lay, are ignored as somehow not representative of the Church.
 
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Yes,

We don’t defend evil, even in our Church
Address them honestly with truth. We would not deny evil or corruption in any other organisation. We should be totally open and honest. And in my Diocese we are.
it happened. It happened in my Parish, my Diocese. It was wrong, it is wrong. It is being dealt with here. It is now being dealt with at the highest level of the Catholic hierarchy.

The Catholic Church has done things through the centuries that are wrong, this is one of them, but it was not every Catholic, not every clergy, not religious member, not every laity member
And quite frankly it was satan attacking and attempting to destroy the Church.

We can’t beat around the bush and nullify or diminish the extent of this and how it crushed lives and caused a great loss of faith.

We can only say we are still here. You did not turn us away from God, Jesus, the Trinity. You did not destroy our faith, you won’t.

Stay close to the Blessed Virgin. It is her job to crush satan under her heel. Prayer, penance, witness.
 
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