It’s no secret I’m a Roman Catholic.
So, we’re fair game for non-Catholics armed with the question, “What do you think about the priest scandal?”
Sometimes the question is asked from genuine concern and other times it’s asked by someone wanting to get in a dig about Catholicism.
How could anyone say anything that would nullify the transgressions of the minority of priests who broke their vows to the church and to their flocks?
Their actions have marred the good works of thousands of others who have dedicated their life to the demanding vocation of serving God and his flock.
Pope John Paul’s conclave in Rome this week is a good start toward a healing process.
We don’t know whether the meeting will help heal the scars of those abused over the years but we do believe the church owes them some form of assistance such as paying for counseling or other mental health services.
We have to raise our eyebrows at charges of events that reportedly happened 30 or 40 years ago. We’re not saying they didn’t happen, only that the passage of time often clouds facts. It’s also too easy to make a charge against someone who has passed away since he’s no longer able to have his day in court.
Those abusers found guilty must face man’s punishment through the court system and deal with God’s punishment through the sacrament of reconciliation and ultimately on their individual judgement day.
In this world, they should not be shuffled from parish-to-parish, nor should they be allowed to remain practicing priests.
Those who knew of the abuse issues and swept those transgressions under the rug should face church and legal sanctions.
A key factor to remember is that the number of priests involved in this issue is small compared to the number of priests serving the worldwide church.
The Roman Catholic church does not exist for just North Americans, it is worldwide and has existed for 2000 years.
American Catholics have chipped away at the church for decades, trying to redefine its rules and roles to blend into a society that sways with the wind or the latest pop culture on television.
Catholics and non Catholics alike must remember that we’re talking about a minority of priests and that this issue is not confined to just priests. Church leaders of virtually every faith have succumbed to similar sins of the flesh.
Pope John Paul this week called for priests to be “perfect, holy and celibate” despite the effort by some Catholics to allow women into the priesthood and to allow marriage rather than celibacy.
What we have seen in our nearly half-century of living is the dedication of those devoted to the spiritual rather than the material and the long term good of others above the short term needs of self.
We can say without hesitation that throughout the course of a lifetime spent around priests and nuns, we have never witnessed so much as an off-color remark made by them, nor learned of such by any of our relatives or close friends.
Our local priest, Father Harris, is a shining example of a man committed to God’s work in our church and for others in the community at large.
His sermons are works of art that keep his flock pointed toward the finish line and not the trials and tribulations of daily life.
The Roman Catholic church will survive this scandal as it has for centuries before.
The changes necessary to continue that mission should begin immediately.