Is there a real, sustained, anti-Catholic bias in our midst? Absolutely.
And it's not likely to disappear anytime soon.
Should we be nonetheless outraged at the crimes and the coverup? You bet!
Should we be nonetheless outraged at the crimes and the coverup? You bet!
Are the Church and its leaders responsible? Yes!
Is it likely that the coverup reached the very highest levels of the Church? It certainly seems so.
Has the Church really come clean on this notorious and disgraceful chapter in its history? No. I don't think so.
What has happened is indefensible. It is an affront to all human decency and sensibility. And yes, it makes me VERY angry.
In the name of those who were abused -- and in the name of the faithful --I say: Go after every last one of the culprits. Ferret them ALL out.
And the sooner the better.
1 comment:
The Holy Father commented recently in his book, "Light of the World", specifically about the recent cases of abuse that came from Ireland. He said that, in his opinion, that one of the contributing factors was the insulated culture of Catholicism- that at times the Church is too self-contained and loses perspective about its true nature. I think the same is true about the current situation in the States. The danger of an insulated culture that can occur with the bureaucracy of the Church is one of the main reasons this all happened. The actions of a minority of priests and the moral failure of the hierarchy does demand accountability, esp. when it effects the most vulnerable of us, our children.
However, as you alluded to in your post, the anti-Catholic bias that most certainly exists has taken this opportunity to their advantage. As awful and terrible as these actions are, there has also been instances of unreasonable placing of an extreme value judgment of the past with modern eyes.
The trouble is of course telling the difference and the consequences of getting things wrong on either side of the issue is a dire thing indeed.
As you well know, I, too, have a bias and while it may difficult to see from the US, there have been significant changes that I've seen firsthand that shows that the Church herself has implemented to do the very thing that all of the faithful demand of her bishops and her priests.
It is my hope and prayer that the justice system of our country is just as diligent in doing the right thing and avoids getting swept up the media firestorm/witch hunt or using this crisis as an opportunity for their own gains.
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