| A Commentary on the Scandals of the Catholic Church By: Stephen Chanderbhan - 10 November 2002 (Music: "African Noel") |
| One Sunday a while back, I was sitting in church with mom and dad. A young couple came in and sat a few pews ahead of us. I had seen the two before and I believe the boyfriend (as they seemed to be bf/gf) was not Catholic. She was just dragging him along, maybe trying to convert him. Anyway, as we stood and sang the opening hymn, "All Are Welcome" (Marty Haugen), there was this stanza in a verse: A place where saints and children tell How hearts learn to forgive Obviously, this means that we are shown an example of perfect compassion and love in Jesus Christ - our model for living. However, I looked at the couple and as soon as that stanza was sung, he turned to his girlfriend and began to smirk. I wondered why. I don't know why and would hate to speculate, but there is the word "children" in there - and that was my first impression. I don't know what was going on in his mind, but maybe it was "Oh look - even the songs say 'O.K. Timmy, you must fogive me for molesting you - I am a priest you know.' " The very mention of it makes any non-Catholic / pseudo-Catholic laugh in scorn and ridicule. What I'm saying is that the recent sex scandals of the church have dealt it a blow. It's no longer a holy institution looked at with reverence and respect. Many people view it now as either a haven for sex offenders and pedophiles or a laughingstock. It has been an embarassment, sometimes, to be a Catholic. Nowadays, whenever you mention it, you get "Oh - so have you been touched by your parish priest?" Well, maybe it's only the really nasty ones who say that, but this gives you my point. People have lost respect for the Catholic Church, and the sit back and laugh as the Church staggers on and struggles to get back on track again. Its most vocal advocates have been humbled; its most vocal opponents have been emboldened and provided with ample material for launching invectives against it. The Church is being beleaguered with the derisive laughs of the public and the accusations of hypocrisy and incompetence. Granted, one should not look at what society may think of him or her, the Church's influence, however, will now be tainted. Its prestige has been severely damaged; its influence much less highly valued. The Church may not be viewed as a respectable institution anymore. Its advocacy of life will be tinged with the scandals; its advocacy of the abolition of the death penalty will be marred by these events. The Church is not viewed as a great religious insitution whose leadership is stable and sound; rather, the public sees a fractured church - divided between those insisting on increased lay involvement and traditionalists who have utmost faith in the hierarchy of the church as it is. I think what I'm trying to say here is that it's a matter of RESPECT. That is the one thing that the Catholic Church has lost for itself, and it doesn't help that it is the Church in the USA. Americans by their very nature have a tendency to accentuate the negative. Turn on the news - what's on - not the feel good story - not the good news story - but the killings, the robberies, the rapes, the terrorists, etc. "One bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch," but that bad apple sure makes for some good dirt. Look at political ads - "My opponent wants to cut this, has voted to stop this, and will do this in office ... so vote for me - I know what you really want." Oh, really? (Side note: now, it's no longer "Pro-Life;" it's "Anti-Choice" - MD. Gubernatorial Race Campaign Radio Commercial for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend) All in all, Americans tend to focus on what's wrong insteadof what's right. I admit, I am the same way a lot of the time as well; we all have to be at times unless we live in an unrealistic utopia of bleary eyed optimism - and lose our sense of reality. But focusing on the negative also distorts reality. The truth is very few priests out of the thousands in the country are guilty of any wrongdoing in this regard. Instead of telling of the priests who preach to the homeless, who work in soup kitchens, who visit the elderly, who teach catechism, who are dutiful and loyal, the media tells of the priests who prey on young children - a mere fraction of a percent of the priests in the nation - and yet, our minds are led to believe that the whole institution is rotten. That is not to sa a rational mind cannot sift out the sensationalism from the facts. I myself am trying to be a third person observer; this is what i perceive may be happening. But those people who are easily swayed may view the church in this way. The sins of the few hold consequences for the many. The church's handling of these situations has not always been the best either. Settling lawsuits, transferring known offenders, and generally covering up the scandals for a while have not been noble ways of handling the scandal. All I can think of is that the Church is trying to save face in a society where reputation is important. The Church is an institution whose values run against society; they are "counter-cultural." But, at the same time, one must realize that the Church must operate WITHIN that society in order to survive. That is why it is important for the Church to maintain a good reputation and good relations with society without compromising its values. Now for the disclaimer - I by NO MEANS defend what those priests did. It was heinous, wrong, and evil. Those men's minds were perverted and their motivations for becoming a priest were skewed. Temptation will always enter into the hearts of man, especially those who have given up a very enticing aspect of life to serve God. For the priests, this aspect was sex - their vows of celibacy were not to be taken lightly. They succumbed to the pressure; they had the opportunity to gain grace from God in overcoming temptation, but they failed. I do not defend everything that the Church has done to ameliorate the situation. I'm sorry, but transferring a priest to another parish just doesn't cut it for me. I realize, though, that it's a fine line to walk: justice and punishing a wrong or forgiveness and a second chance. I don't think the repeat offenders deserve a second chance, but those whose youthful indiscretions may have led to a fleeting incident, and whose ministry has been otherwise clean, should keep their collars. I look at what society wants - excommunication - harsh penalties - defrocking and the like - and I say, "I don't blame you, but let's be reasonable. Let's not condemn the whole church for trying to resolve the problem with evenhandedness even to the accused priest." It's like a mother whose son has been shot who sees the killer in court and screams, "I want you to die! You killed my son - now experience his pain! Experience my pain!" Quite frankly, I must admit, if I had been molested by a priest I might have a different point of view on this. But I always have believed, as Aristotle did, that abolsutes are almost never right - the "just means" are what will be best. The Church has been (and continues to be) challenged in finding a way to solve this problem. I have no solution myself, but I may offer my suggestions. Allow the laity to have some say - to get a new perspective. But, get a wide base of laity - young, old, rich, poor, different races. Make the hierarchy work together - like at Dallas in the summer, but even more often. Instead of coming up with bureaucratic solutions, look for spiritual answers. While society looks for results immediately (and this should not be ignored), the Church must look forward and try to repair itself. It must try to become again what it has always been meant to be - a haven for spirituality, morality, values, and love. We must remember - this is a divine institution entrusted to human care; let us pray for the divine to return again to it. |