Although words are not everything, they are a beginning, especially if they reveal the heart. Perhaps we can take some hope from these words of Pope Benedict:
In terms of what we today can discover in this message, attacks against the Pope or the Church do not only come from outside; rather the sufferings of the Church come from within, from the sins that exist in the Church. This too has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way: the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from enemies on the outside, but is born from the sin within the church, the Church therefore has a deep need to re-learn penance, to accept purification, to learn on one hand forgiveness but also the need for justice. Forgiveness is not a substitute for justice.
Grace is not cheap; it costs the death of Christ, and our participation in it means that we too must die, in one way or another, and death is rarely pleasant.
Archbishop Diarmuid of Martin of Dublin said that when he read through the reports of abuse, he threw them on the floor in despair. He sees that true repentance had not occurred in the Church in Ireland.
Why am I discouraged? The most obvious reason is the drip-by-drip never-ending revelation about child sexual abuse and the disastrous way it was handled. There are still strong forces which would prefer that the truth did not emerge. The truth will make us free, even when that truth is uncomfortable. There are signs of subconscious denial on the part of many about the extent of the abuse which occurred within the Church of Jesus Christ in Ireland and how it was covered up. There are other signs of rejection of a sense of responsibility for what had happened. There are worrying signs that despite solid regulations and norms these are not being followed with the rigour required.
Renewal of the Church requires participation and responsible participation. I have spoken about the need for accountability regarding the scandal of sexual abuse. I am struck by the level of disassociation by people from any sense of responsibility. While people rightly question the concept of collective responsibility, this does not mean that one is not responsible for one’s personal share in the decisions of the collective structures to which one was part.
I am surprised at the manner in which Church academics and Church publicists can today calmly act as pundits on the roots of the sexual abuse scandals in the Church as if they were totally extraneous to the scandal. Where did responsibility lie for a culture of seminary institutions which produced both those who abused and those who mismanaged the abuse? Where were the pundit-publicists while a Church culture failed to recognise what was happening?
Where indeed? With the bishops and who cardinals blamed the Freemasons, the Jews, the New York Times, the tort attorneys, the psychologists, the victims – Anything to avoid the hard road of self-knowledge, repentance, and conversion.
This post should be required reading for such apologists as Jimmy Akin, Mark Shea and others who have not taken this crisis as seriously as they should.
Joe i am suprise u mention thos guys, u might know something i don’t.
My gripe w/Akin and Shea is that the spend more time defending the church structure instead of calling the perpetrators to account and recognizing how much of an abomination this whole thing is to a holy, righteous God. Too many Catholics are more interested in protecting the institution than in vigorously standing up for truth and righteousness, as God demands.
Pope Benedict is making a very good start. He recognizes that the problem runs far deeper deeper than people realize, and that the usual facile solutions will not be solve the problem. But the question isn’t whether he starts well but whether he will finish well — and, once he passes from the scene, whether the “princes of the church” will continue or stifle his approach.
My eyes are on Archbishop Martin who clearly names what he is speaking about. The Pope did not make clear references in what he said to the ongoing scandal of the sexual abuse of children by priests and the protection of those priests by bishops. He might have been speaking about anything. All the “meaning” has been supplied; the words themselves are not transparent as Archbishop Martin’s words are.
I was very impressed with Archbishop Martin’s words as well. I will be in Ireland during July and look forward to hearing what people (lay and clergy) at “ground level” have to say.
I agree with what Joseph writes above. However, I get the sense the Lord isn’t in the mood to let things slide back to where they were. A judgement has begun and no human power will stand in the way for long.
I have lost my faith, but I am renewed in my hope in Pope Benedict. He seems to “get it” in a way that many others do not.
The one who said “I am the truth” is not served by lies, half-truth, innuendo, or anything other than straight-forward, honest, no-holds-barred admission of the exact, painful, ugly facts.
The amazing article that came out today in “America” seems relevant to this column. The article goes in the right direction, and in that sense, I agree with the main thrust (e.g., the politics in the Roman Curia; the childish attempts of guilty hierarchs to deflect world attention from the main point (the Big Cover Up by Sodano and others); the courage Benedict XVI will most likely exercise to change the institution. What I disagree with is the typical press-speak about Cardinal Schonborn’s remarks on homosexual relationships and the sacraments for remarried persons. The remarks are facile interpretations for persons who don’t have time to read the originals. It’s the liberal bias prevalent in 90% of the media. Thinking things over seems to be out of style.
Truth lover, curial politics and self-absorbed prelates have been contaminating the Vatican for centuries and “America” is addressing it only *NOW*? Sheesh! Catholics must have been very stupid and naive for a very long time, sad to say.
Here in Ireland, it is very disheartening (speaking as a survivor of abuse) to watch the shenanigans of the Church in action. Cardinal Sean Brady will not retire despite forcing a 10 and 12 year old back in the 70’s to sign an oath of secrecy at the risk of excommunication of the church. The arrogance of the man is plain for all to see in his posing with the Pope in Rome earlier this year. As for Diarmuid Martin, he admitted to knowing of the institutional abuse that was taking place in Ireland at the time and he did nothing – he didn’t even speak out! Is that how he acceeded to his exalted position? The church is corrupt and rotten and nothing will convince me otherwise.