My last statement “in almost all priests” is not clear. What I meant was that Catholics are repeatedly told that reception of the sacraments is the surest path to holiness. Priests have the most intimate association with the sacraments; one would expect that except in the rarest cases (1 out of 10,000, 1 out of 100,000) priests would therefore at least exhibit good character. But at least 5 % of American priests have been sexual abusive to minors, plus the ones who have entered into abusive relationships with adults.
Clearly simple reception of the sacraments is not sufficient. What is missing? Repentance? A lively faith? Or is the expectation that the sacraments would repair grave defects such as psychopathy or extreme narcissism an unreasonable expectation?
In many cases these aberrant characters did not “sneak through.” Their defects were known or strongly suspected in the seminaries, but they were ordained anyway.
Leon, I think the problem goes back to the idea that forgiveness must be dispensed as a vending machine dispenses candy. The hurt and offended are supposed to forgive immediately upon being hurt and regardless of whether the offending party expresses sorrow, let alone repentence. That’s not just a Catholic problem; my recent experience with Pentecostal churches confirms my suspicions. Under such an understanding of forgiveness, it’s very easy for clerics to pressure people who have been hurt to forgive without demanding any accountability for the offending party. That way, the clerics in power maintain that power over the laity and other subordintes.
Of course, holding grudges over a long period of time ultimately corrodes the soul, and Jesus Himself said that unforgiveness in this life could lead to unforgiveness in the next. But the current view of forgiveness as an enabling device to protect the guilty and ignore the vulnerable is certainly not what God had in mind!
Thanks for the clarification. Yes, of course, many people have problems with Christ’s call to forgive, because it is difficult, but this is part of our Faith. That is not where the problem lies, imo. It is the way the Sacrament of reconciliation is dispensed, that can be problematic. There is usually no expectation of real contrition. It was shocking to hear Belgian Bishop Roger Vanheluwe say that he went frequently to confession, yet showed no remorse for his abuses. In that context, confession becomes a go ahead for a criminal: as long as he goes over and over to confession, he can commit his crimes over and over again, without remorse, because he knows that his sins will always “be forgiven”, in minutes. Worse, going to confession can become a tool for an abusing priest to silence his peers or superiors, via the seal of confession. The reverse is also true. There is also the problem of how spiritual direction is mixed with confession in so called “movements”, where members are forced to confess to their supervisors, or movement priests. This also can lead to various abuses by the superiors. However the Sacrament of confession, in the correct context, is a beautiful affirmation of the fundamentals of our Faith, and allows for growth. But the way it is done opens it for abuse. This issue needs study and revision. At the minimum, the confessing priest should ask and expect honesty, and before taking the new confession, be assured that some efforts were made since the last confession (sort of look back on the effect of the prior confession).
Yes Leon they were Ordained anyway, and in some cases because of …..
The sin that leads to death is lack of Faith though denial of the Holy Ghost and I think that is what we have been talking about related to “ex operae operato”. Therefore , we can rightly assume that men who have been Ordained while in grave sin are lacking Faith.The same Faith Christ asked us if He would find on earth when He returned.
Today Pope John Paul II was Beatified. After reading the testimonail of his secretary who mentioned he only saw him angry twice, I wondered why he never displayed anger over the sexual abuse by his shephers. I considered the 4000 plus residents of the Vatican owned rental properties who had lifetime leases and were evicted from the buildings in 2007. The plan was to turn the buildings into 4 star tourist hotels, despite the fact that these were elderly and disabled residents. I wondered if anyone in Rome has the Faith and if Saint making is just for financial gain purposes now.
Needless to say I was not favorably impressed.
http://www.zenit.org/article-32438?l=english
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=3856
Mary, what are your sources for saying that the Vatican planned to turn rental properties it owns into five-star hotels?
Joseph, I read all the articles at the time …from the link above and another below.
“However, the residents have accused Church bodies of indulging in a “speculative frenzy” and have formed a committee to combat the evictions, The Guardian reported.”
Here’s another
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1552644/Vatican-evicts-tenants-to-make-hotels.html
Vatican evicts tenants to make hotels 2007
“Eviction notices have also been served on five other major apartment blocks in central Rome. The elderly residents of a palazzo in Via Giulia, all over 70, were turned out when the building was made into a five-star hotel, the St George, where rooms now cost €400 a night. Many of the residents had lived in the building since the Second World War.”
I would like to add that the Legion of Christ also has been busy with the tourism industry in the Holy Land since 2005.They sure know how to invest in God! But then their founder was a god .
http://www.notredamecenter.org/articulos/articulo.phtml?se=318&ca=769&te=578&id=13551
Joseph , I made the mistake of first stating they planned to turn the buildings into four star hotels. I presume you too must have read the articles before since you asked my source for the planned five star hotels?
I say Mass at the prison every Tuesday. 90% of prisoners are male. At the time of Original Sin, the Man fell further down than the Woman. Priests are chosen only from among men because men are the weakest (morally) of the human race. Besides that, among men, the worse kind are chosen in order to show us that a priest is never to be considered ipso facto better than others. St. Paul’s sermon on the body explains that the least honorable parts of the body are covered with the greatest decorum… (I Cor. 12: 23-24).
As I look at myself, and other priests, I think Truth lover that you might be right.
I have always believed that the Son of God went as low as He could go in the Incarnation.