Practicing Catholics unfazed by abuse scandals; Pope’s popularity increasing

[Habesha]

[A new poll conducted by CBS News and The New York Times](http://www.catholicculture.org/news...+(Catholic+World+News+(on+CatholicCulture.org) has found that 77% of Catholics who attend Mass weekly say that “the Vatican’s handling of recent child sex abuse reports” has had no effect on how they “feel about the Catholic Church.” An additional 12% of practicing Catholics say that they have a more positive feeling about the Church as a result of the Vatican’s handling of the scandals.

 

[Bogman]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

 

[Alan55]

I’m not sure what to make of the poll results, really. One can cherry-pick the results to tell all sorts of stories. Clearly, Catholic tend to support their leadership, despite the crisis. However, as you drill down, there are some interesting stats. For example:

•28% of practicing Catholics, and 40% of all Catholics, say that the abuse scandals have caused them to “doubt [the] Vatican’s authority.”

Obviously, the scandals are undercutting the authority of the Vatican. I would guess that the scandal has especially eroded Vatican authority in the area of its teaching on sexual morality, already hard hit by Humanae Vitae, the encyclical that focused on artificial contraception, and the increasing support for remarriage after divorce, premarital sex, and gays in society, including among Catholics. This is underscored by the following stat:

•the majority of Catholics (54%) believe that the Vatican is “out of touch” with Catholics, while 60% believe that local priests are “in touch”.

That is, most Catholics like their parish clergy, who tend to soften the Vatican’s hard line, but dismiss the authority of the Vatican as “out of touch” with their daily reality.

Sexual morality may not be the only issue on which there is an increasing divide between the laity and Rome:

•58% of practicing Catholics say that they “would let priests marry”; a smaller majority (54%) “would allow women priests”.

Just my observations (and color commentary).

 

[dnu]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

Citation please.

Do you have any idea what you are talking about?

 

[CathyLouise]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

I’m really curious - why do you say the Holy Father has only given an apology with no actions? What are you basing this upon? Are you reading only the secular press? And what do you need to know he has done to be able to forgive him?

 

[TheresaLS]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

I would ask you to study this man…this holy man. You just might be surprised by what you find and learn. He is a man that spoke to hope and change and is really delivering… Pope Benedict will make a great impact…has made a great impact. There are those that are doing their best at using the Church to divert our attention to what is happening not only to our nation, but the world. What is so disturbing is that so many bow to those that would love to have a hand in destroying what Jesus brought by the will of Our Father.

 

[Santi2]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

If Joseph Margo can be forgiving, conciliatory and start healing…why can’t you?

catholicnewsagency.com/news/abuse_victim_in_malta_pope_benedict_xvi_is_a_saint/

 

[Flame4]

I could not possibly disagree more. The holy father has given an apology with only words not actions, and for that I can never forgive him.

I don’t think you have the right to not forgive…if there is something to forgive at all (I am talking about the Pope himself, not those who are responsible for the abuse an dteh cover up.)

I don’t know if the Vatican is handling this in the best way, but first I think it is to early to make any conclusions and I also think the Holy Father is far more intelligent than myself. Despite what his actions are,** I**, have no doubt in Church authority. Yes, they have the ability to sin, for sure. But the authority given to the Chruch by Christ is not something we can choose to accept or not (the teachings of the Church.)

I think their is a slight arrogance from some people, using this as an opportunity to question Church authority. Again by this I mean its teaching (such as going to confession, now being questioned by some people I personally know), not the questioning of the morality of the abuse (obviously sin) or how the Vatican is handling this.

 

[Beau_Ouiville]

I think practicing Catholics are just numb after scandal after scandal. Right now they are wondering where there financial donations will be spent.

There’s a Delaware diocese in bankruptcy court due to the scandal. All this just numbs me.

“(Reuters) - A Delaware bankruptcy judge has been appointed to mediate settlement talks between a bankrupt U.S. Roman Catholic diocese and alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests, court papers showed.”

reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6435K920100504?type=domesticNews

 

[Mary_Virginia]

I believe with all of the many reports of past abuse that the Pope is handing these cases individually and with great care and that we, being lay persons need to realize that our Pope has alot of work to do. Apologizing for others actions is only a start and we must remember that there all such scandels in all Faiths, not just the Catholic Church. We should do all we can to support and pray for the many, many good clergy of our own parishes and realize these horrible happenings cannot be fixed overnight. I have faith in our leadership that these matters will be dealt with. I am not even a Catholic yet, will be confirmined on May 15th,2010. This is a lifelong dream come true for me. I have always had a strong Faith in the Trinity and religion is secondary, but a very important part of my growth as a Christian. I believe in and love the structure of the Catholic way and hope to be part of it for many years to come!

May God Bless and Keep You All, Mary

 

[Rich_Olszewski]

Obviously, the scandals are undercutting the authority of the Vatican.

Sexual morality may not be the only issue on which there is an increasing divide between the laity and Rome:

I believe that the days of “Pray, Pay, and Obey” are over as far as most laymen are concerned.

 

[KC91]

The more unpopular among the enemies of the Church a Pope is, the greater that Pope is. Benedict is a great Pope!

 

[TheresaLS]

There are those who revere Mahoney and Dolan but suspect Pope Benedict…leaves one wondering…or it should??? and don’t forget about the good father Pfluger…

 

[Adeodatus]

I believe that the days of “Pray, Pay, and Obey” are over as far as most laymen are concerned.

For liberal Catholics, the days of “obey” were over like 50 years ago.

 

[TheresaLS]

For liberal Catholics, the days of “obey” were over like 50 years ago.

One very good reason why some cafeteria Catholics are criticizing Pope Benedict…

 

[Alan55]

I believe that the days of “Pray, Pay, and Obey” are over as far as most laymen are concerned.

The “obey” part has been eroded as educational levels among the laity rose, but I think that Humanae Vitae (1968) was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Most married Catholics felt that they could not follow Church teaching on this important issue, yet they chose to remain Catholics.

Catholics haven’t been very good at the “pay” part for a long time compared to evangelical Christians, Mormons, etc.

 

[Adeodatus]

Catholics haven’t been very good at the “pay” part for a long time compared to evangelical Christians, Mormons, etc.

I’m guessing that actually the “pray” part hasn’t been doing very well the last 5 decades or so, either.

So far from the days of “pray, pay, obey” being over… I think we’re reaping the fruits of their overness and many are hungering for their return.

Personally, my hope is that the days of “(free) sex, drugs and revolution” are over. I guess we’ll see.

 

[Dee_S]

I believe with all of the many reports of past abuse that the Pope is handing these cases individually and with great care and that we, being lay persons need to realize that our Pope has alot of work to do. Apologizing for others actions is only a start and we must remember that there all such scandels in all Faiths, not just the Catholic Church. We should do all we can to support and pray for the many, many good clergy of our own parishes and realize these horrible happenings cannot be fixed overnight. I have faith in our leadership that these matters will be dealt with. I am not even a Catholic yet, will be confirmined on May 15th,2010. This is a lifelong dream come true for me. I have always had a strong Faith in the Trinity and religion is secondary, but a very important part of my growth as a Christian. I believe in and love the structure of the Catholic way and hope to be part of it for many years to come!

May God Bless and Keep You All, Mary

Well said, Mary Virginia. It’s not easy to stick by the Church when church men in it do such terrible things, now and in the past. But I like your suggestions very much. In fact, there is something of a Catholic joke that goes like this…“What is the proof of the Divine origin of the Catholic Church?”…answer is “That is has survived 2,000 years of the Clergy!”.
If we ‘hold tight’, expecially to the Mother of God, she being our mother, will console and guide us through all these inner storms when our Church appears to disappoint us.
God Bless

 

[Redbaron998]

I would be among those that have increased faith and respect for the Church for how well they have handled it since news really broke out. Considering the many other institutions that were plagued by the crisis (such as schools and sports) the Church reacted the most positively by far.

Thanks be to God

 

[Borealis]

As laymen, we do not have the right to question the authority of the Catholic Church. After all, the authority was granted by Jesus Christ himself, not by any sinful man. It was given TO sinful men, but as Christ himself said, ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’

The sex abuse scandal does nothing to make me feel as if the Church is losing authority. On the contrary, it makes me feel angry at liberal Catholics who swarmed the seminaries in the sixties and seventies and decided to make their own religions within the Church, misleading millions of Catholics.

As for Humanae Vitae…if more people actually READ this beautiful encyclical and realize that everything the Holy Father predicted would happen has indeed come true, then perhaps they would recognize that not only is the Church’s authority strengthened by this, but it is iron-clad.