The RCC didn’t do this, or support it…men* within *the Church did this. Let’s not make the mistake of drawing lines in the sand with our Christian brothers and sisters–over this issue. We must not look at the scandals as having anything to do with the Catholic Church, from a spiritual standpoint. And say…‘well, my church would have handled this differently.’ The fact remains…it’s not the faith that is at fault…it’s not the RCC as an institution that is at fault…it’s the individual men within the RCC who were at fault, and that we must pray for.
I think you make good sense here…it is, indeed, individual, sinful men within the Church who are at fault. However, there is such widespread hatred for the Church that it is the Church herself who is portrayed as corrupt by those anti-Catholics from across the spectrum, from certain fundamentalists to atheists.
I believe, however, that a good deal of the recent vitriol heaped upon the Church with regard to the clergy sexual abuse scandal has been brought on by some within the Church who should know better. We have had rather up close and personal dealings with the abuse situation in our diocese due to my husband’s position as a local journalist. The bishop here has responded by “circling the wagons” when a credible abuse allegation has arisen, keeping the scariest, most tenacious lawyers on retainer, stonewalling as long as possible, and obfuscating when he feels it necessary. He has ALWAYS chosen to support the status quo at the expense of victims - in most instances here, teenage boys, along with several vulnerable adults. My husband did a lengthy interview with him in which he told boldfaced lies (as proven in later depositions) about abusive clergy.
We have seen the destroyed lives left in the wake of broken promises and have been dismayed by the utter secrecy of the local proceedings. In every instance where there has been a settlement, victims have been made to promise secrecy in exchange for whatever deal was made. Truth and transparency, not to mention contrition, has been in short supply.
Here, they still don’t “get it”. They don’t get that the more they stonewall, the worse they look. I will never, for the life of me, understand why more good priests don’t rail against those few who have sullied the names of the many, thereby playing right into the hands of those who gleefully use this abuse scandal as ammunition against the Church they hate. (Those few here who have spoken up have been sent to the “boondocks.”)
I am saddened by so many Catholics who have actually jeered victims who have come forward; I can only imagine that they find the truth about some of their “favorite” priests so horrible that they simply cannot bring themselves to believe it, and therefore choose to blame the victim instead. I have seen my husband, a good Catholic husband and father, and one of the few practicing Catholic journalists around, ostracized and actually dis-invited from local Catholic events that he has supported, emceed, hosted, etc., for years because he has dared to cover this issue.
We will soon be seeing charges brought against yet another popular priest here; I have no doubt the same wall of secrecy and obstinacy will be erected by those in power. This long, sad chapter in our Church’s history is not over, as some simply refuse either to learn, or acknowledge their complicity.
I have my own ideas - quite disconcerting - about why there seems to be such a number of priests who are either abusive, homosexual or ephebophiles (preferring adolescents) but that is for another day and post…
Thanks for reading and letting me vent…clearly, this has been, and still is, a huge and upsetting issue in our family.
