Posted on 03/20/2002 6:21:24 AM PST by meandog
by Mark Shields
RELEASE: WEEKEND, MARCH 16-17, 2002
THE CHURCH'S ACTS OF BETRAYAL
Let me tell you about Tom Duffy, my pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church. Today, 50 years after his ordination, he continues to inspire his flock to feed the hungry, to clothe and shelter those in need. He visits the sick, buries the dead, comforts the lonely, welcomes the stranger, counsels the perplexed and still finds time to read almost everything. Father Duffy is both a good man and a good priest.
But because of the arrogance -- yes, the criminal indifference -- of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church he has served so well, Tom Duffy and too many good priests are now objects of suspicion. That is because the Church hierarchy, most conspicuously in the archdiocese of Boston, unforgivably betrayed young boys and young men -- whose protection, instruction and education were the Church's mission -- by allowing predator clerics to physically, emotionally and spiritually violate them. Predictably, the collateral damage from the Church hierarchy's indefensible policies has resulted in diminished public trust and respect for good priests, dozens of whom I personally know.
Too much of the leadership of the American Church was more concerned about damage control than it was with the horrible damage inflicted upon minors under its protection. A leading scholar of American Catholicism, history professor Scott Appleby of the University of Notre Dame, refuses to understate the grave consequences from the practice of reassigning rather than removing predator priests: "This threatens to erode the most important social capital any institution can have -- trustworthiness, integrity, the confidence to entrust one's children to its care and protection."
The Catholic Church, the nation's largest nonpublic provider of schools and health-care, was once cloaked in mystery. It is now shrouded in defensive secrecy. The Church has looked like an ecclesiastical Enron, with stonewalling its automatic response and preservation of the powerful -- even at the sacrifice and the suffering of the powerless and the unprivileged -- as the overriding imperative.
Through all the cultural wars of the last 40 years, one constant, one moral beacon, has been the Catholic Church's commitment to the poor and to children. That promise was broken when, for 30 years, a Boston priest was shuffled from parish to parish to prey upon his target profile, the sons of single mothers, nearly all of whom were poor children.
Respected Catholic theologian Lawrence Cunningham believes the Church is paying the price for the Vatican's almost exclusive emphasis on doctrinal orthodoxy, which has led to the "promotion of mediocrities to positions of leadership." The complicity of the Catholic clerical culture cannot be denied. If war is too important to leave to generals, then the health of the Church must be too important to leave to cardinals and archbishops.
According to Cunningham: "People are legitimately angry. They have been betrayed by this sustained assault on personal decency." But historically, he adds, "no radical changes in the Catholic Church come from the top down. Change, when it does occur, comes from the bottom up." It was, he reminds us, Saint Francis of Assisi who took the priesthood from the cloistered monastery to the town and people.
By way of information, the term pedophile priest is inaccurate. Pedophilia is the sexual disorder where an adult is attracted to prepubescent children. The majority of predator priests have ephebophilia --which is characterized by the adult's disordered attraction in this case not to prepubescent children, but to same-sex teen-agers who are in or through puberty. One other consideration: Thank goodness for the trial lawyers who dared to bring these cases to light and to challenge the corrupt status quo.
The American Catholic church needs a uniform national policy on the screening of seminarians. Emotional immaturity cannot be ignored simply because the applicant is doctrinally orthodox. The Church needs a policy of full transparency and accountability. The Church leadership must publicly apologize and beg for forgiveness for the pain and suffering its cruel indifference has inflicted upon innocent children whose lives and families. have been profoundly damaged. The Church must recognize that its priests have committed criminal acts for which they are criminally liable and cooperate fully with civil authority.
And make no mistake about it: To recover and to rehabilitate itself, the Catholic Church needs idealism, imagination, energy and dedication -- which simply means the long-delayed ordination to the priesthood of women. Sorry, Cardinal Law.
CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
If they've publicly expressed such things, which go against God's Word, why are they allowed in a position of influence in the church?
By the way, patent, if you haven't seen this already....ping.
God only knows. I sure don't.
I'm thinking of looking into the Eastern Orthodox Churches...they seem to have their #%$@ together.
Why not try a Baptist church...possibly an independent Baptist Church...a church that holds to the doctrinal truth that salvation is by grace, and grace alone, and holds true to all the essential doctrinal truths in the Bible, one where there is a great commitment to living virtuous lives and raising their children up to love and serve the Lord. And this is just for starters.
Yes, I can -- BOB JONES UNIVERSITY, Greenville, SC.
He is thoroughly unlikable.
Regarding your article of MARCH 16-17, 2002 titled:
THE CHURCH'S ACTS OF BETRAYAL
I applaud your article. But, I must admit I'm a little confused as to where you have been the last 30 years.
It's obvious you wish us to think of you as a good "churchman," but you have also been a "reporter" most of your adult life. Why is it only now that you feel the need to publish an article about the problems of the church? I'll admit to you that it's better late than never... But what about "sooner vs later" ...and just think of all the great "scoops" you've missed over the last 30 years!
One other thing Mark; I've noticed a woeful trend in your writings over the last tree decades...You seem to jump to the defense of those people, institutions, and ideas you admire only when a little heat is applied to them.
I would like to point out to you that, as a reporter, you've had the duty to tell the truth about your favorite people, institutions, and ideas in order to give them a public rebuke; And, hopefully (if you were honest and sincere), an opportunity to help them change their ways.
Again, your defense of your priest friend is noteworthy. Your defense of abortion, Bill Clinton, the Democratic party platform of abortions-motor voting-higher taxes-more government control-fewer freedoms-lower moral decency-"gay rights"-oppression of the black community-etc.-etc. over the last 30 years is a stain this single article cannot wash away!
BTW Mark, just what does your friend the priest think about your 30 year defense of "Roe vs. Wade"?
May I suggest you go to a broader Episcopal service; one that uses Rite II of the Book of Common Prayer--you'll feel more at home.
That's a liberal for you: bending sound data into silly conclusions, and (with exceptions of course) personally obnoxious.
"Gospel In, Garbage Out" -- Stan Kelly-Bootle, under GIGO.
A friend of mine, a former Episcopalian, says the he enjoyed the church, as it was "one of the nicest country clubs he has ever belonged to."
Right </ sarcasm>...the institution that bore false witness against John McCain in the S.C. GOP primary, the institution that was cited as the most overt anti-Roman Catholic, anti-semitic and racist organization of the 1990s, and the institution that almost cost George W. Bush the presidency!
Take it from an inactive Episcopalian, the ordination of women has done NOTHING to improve our denomination (rather the reverse).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.