Curious, most curious…
I find it interesting that Cardinal Law in Boston resigned after the abuse brouhaha, and yet Cardinal Mahoney, who is facing an equal mess in LA, is sticking around–at least, thus far. But then again I have never been a fan of his so I may be too hard on him. But I doubt it.
I don’t write much about the priest scandals because, quiet honestly, and this may shock some of you, they don’t really shake me on that level. I never expected priests to be perfect. The Church is a human-run institution. Yes, Christ founded it. Yes, the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. But remember Judas Iscariot was an Apostle. Not all of the men who serve the Church serve it well and with honor. Some of them are just bad apples and some of them are criminals. That doesn’t excuse what they do. And if what they are accused of actually happened (which I doubt, in some cases, but that’s just me), then they deserve punishment. However, some proof would be nice. I would support groups like SNAP and Voice of the Faithful a heck of a lot more if their mission didn’t also happen to include church reform and things other than victim support and getting justice for them.
Here in Ohio we had a Senate bill last session that would’ve extended the statute of limitations for crimes like these, with a 25 or 35 year “look back” period. Fortunately this didn’t make it into the passed version of the bill. I don’t care what someone did, at some point the evidence is gone, memories are not reliable, witnesses have died, and it’s just he said/she said. And who do you believe then?
I have never thought that priests were somehow supposed to be more perfect than the rest of us. They are men. Men who are ordained, yes. Who are supposed to serve God and His people well and faithfully, yes. But they are still human and they can still screw up. That doesn’t mean I’ll leave the church or stop giving in the collection basket or become disillusioned or whatever. I think the people that put priests on this incredible pedestal are the ones who are disillusioned. As the Count says in the Count of Monte Cristo: “I’m a count, not a saint.” We have many Godly men in the priesthood. We also have scoundrels. But we shouldn’t punish all priests or the whole Church because of the bad actions of a few.
