Response: Where is Jesus in the midst of the Church's sex abuse crisis?

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see https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...e-midst-of-the-churchs-sex-abuse-crisis-78081

In the wake of ongoing revelations of priest sexual abuse, a very common reaction is one of betrayal… This opens up a wound of betrayal really in the whole mystical body… It is like a bandage ripped off.

I reflect “on this mystery that the Jesus who comes into this experience is Jesus who appeared with his glorious wounds. The wounds were still there. The wounds are mystically important and we can unite our wounds to Jesus.”

When we are hurting, we need to do whatever it takes: adoration, retreat, increased prayer, asceticism, solid spiritual reading, all of the things that we can avail ourselves of God’s grace to re-experience ourselves as rooted and grounded in His love.

God has a very big safety net for us…

–from a priest of the Archdiocese of New York
 
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Predators…those who would hurt others…exist in all walks of life, why should the Church be different?
What needs to happen, is for those who hurt others to be exposed and to be punished for what they do.
Our prayers go out the victims. Our prayers go to God to show us the way forward. 🙏🙏🙏
 
Where is Jesus in the sex abuse crisis? He is proclaiming to us just as he did in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” He is calling the Church to repent just as he did 2000 years ago. Similarly, Jesus is on the cross bearing our sins, even the sin of sexual abuse for those who are called to repentance and faith. Lastly, he is outside the tomb on Resurrection day, declaring to us that he is risen indeed and that through him we have new life to be transformed by the Spirit through faith. Repentance is the message at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, the Church needs to look there first to overcome the sexual abuse crisis.
 
It is part of tradition that Jesus’ agony was more than just the fore knowledge that he was going to suffer on the Cross. He also saw all those who would reject him and his Passion. Especially painful to him was the rejection of those who he had specially chosen to be his intimate friends. I put it to you that priests, bishops, cardinals, popes, and especially professed religious are those whose calling are to be his special friends of today. When one of those people sexually abuse those who are supposed to be under their care it is a rejection that is especially painful to him and this rejection was foreseen by Jesus, who is both God and man during His agony in the garden.
 
I always thought Luke 17:1-3 was there, in part, because of this abuse crisis. This scripture has helped me deal with what I hear about this abuse crisis.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and your were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard!..”
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Yes according to St. Faustina the scourging at the Pillar was for the sins of the flesh as well as the agony in the garden.
 
Part of me keeps wondering why there seems to be so much furor of recent times over the sexual abuse by priests. It is not as if this matter has not been circulating for quite some time; in 1983 a priest I knew personally was convicted of sexually abusing 2 altar boys (there had been many more abused by him; I suspect for various reasons the State could not make cases on all of them). And in the 1990’s information came tumbling out about more abusive priests and a decade later the lawsuits started in earnest; we are now 19 years later after those were filed.

I understand that the Pennsylvania matters came out due to investigative work by various district attorneys; but I have to wonder, if it (sexual abuse by priests) was out well before this last go-around across the US, if people in Pennsylvania were thinking something akin to “there but for the grace of God go we”.

I do not mean to make light of the abuse in any way; it is more a wonder at the reaction, as if they had not seen it coming (one would think they should have had an inkling).

And I don’t know which is more devastating to victims - to be betrayed by a priest, or to be betrayed by a parent; statistically there is much more sexual abuse of children by parents and close relatives than there is by priests; and in either case it is devastating to the victim. One more than the other?

Undoubtedly part of it is that we have put priests on pedestals; do we expect more of them because they are an alter Christus, than we do of parents, who are not?

I understand the feelings of betrayal; but is that simply because the abuse by priests makes the national news, and abuse by a parent/other adult barely makes the local news?

And where is Christ in all of this? I would suggest he is in the same place he has been for the last 2,000 years, through executions small and large (Hitler and Stalin vying for the most killings); the adulteries tearing up families, the sexual abuse by parents, and the multitude of other sins committed repeatedly down through the centuries.
 
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What is so disappointing is the behaviour of our Cardinals and Bishops. Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles showing what he meant by serving. The prelates lost the Spirit of Jesus years ago and we have now entrenched thuggery to the highest level.
 
Any more so than the behavior of the priests who abused?

Again, I am shocked at the apparent naivety of people…

Maybe it is just that I have been around long enough that not a whole lot shocks me any more. Saddens me, absolutely. But shocked? Nope.

We seem to forget that Judas was at the Last Supper, apparently received, the Eucharist, and then went out later that evening and betrayed Christ.

And if one is a student of the history of the Church, thuggery has been present throughout the last 2,000 years. Certainly not by all, but a review of Arianism shows a significant minority, if not a majority betraying the truth at that time (within a couple of hundred years of Christ).
 
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otjm said:
Again, I am shocked at the apparent naivety of people…
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I get that. I converted years ago to become Catholic even after a family member had told me of abuse that happened to them decades ago. I went in knowing this stuff happens, and my guard was up (just as Jesus recommended). I wasn’t shocked that this abuse happened.

However, I am upset and confused as to why it takes so long to defrock priests and for law enforcement to convict priests. Even late last year the Nytimes ran an article about a priest who was still saying mass even after the Church had paid out a few hundred thousand in settlements based on this man’s actions. How did that ever happen?! This is the type of thing that surprises me the most…not so much that the abuse itself occurs.
 
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I can’t answer about the priest; that is the responsibility of the bishop.

As to why it takes so lone to convict a priest - it takes no longer to do that than it does to convict anyone else of a serious felony. When a case starts (gets to the District attorney), it has already taken time in investigation. And the District Attorney already has a large case load; it takes its place in line. there may be a series of motions well prior to the case actually being heard; and it takes time for a defense attorney to prepare their case.

And although there have not been many, there are some cases which are not founded on facts - I know of one personally. the bottom line is that the standard of “innocent until proven guilty” still applies.

To add to that, there may be victims who simply are not willing to get on the stand and testify - and there are numerous reasons as to why. That makes getting to trial a long, arduous and difficult matter.

The same applies to the Church; additionally, we are dealing with a Church which is universal, and our concepts of justice do not always match what the Church has. It does not have criminal prosecutions;, and one of the considerations is that if the priest is defrocked, he is then out in society to do more of the same. I am aware, again personally, of a priest who was not defrocked; he also is not in a parish, but where there is control of his coming and going (or in this case, lack thereof).

The NY Times may have an answer as to why the priest is still saying Mass; keep in mind that even if the NYT knows all the facts and understands all the rules, you may still not get a straight honest assessment. in other words, don’t presume because they print something, that it is the whole complete story.
 
otjm said:
one of the considerations is that if the priest is defrocked, he is then out in society to do more of the same. I am aware, again personally, of a priest who was not defrocked; he also is not in a parish, but where there is control of his coming and going (or in this case, lack thereof).
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I agree this is a good argument for not defrocking in every case. It has certainly has been discussed here in other threads.
otjm said:
The same applies to the Church; additionally, we are dealing with a Church which is universal, and our concepts of justice do not always match what the Church has.
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There is much truth to this, and it is confusing. It is especially confusing when issues that could potentially be criminal are handled within the church while not involving whichever country’s law enforcement. The church would be better involving a country’s law enforcement as quickly as possible rather than trying to handle things on their own. Much of the shock from these abuse scandals may come from exactly this.
 
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