The news has been full of cases of sexual abuse within Roman Catholic church the past couple of weeks. People are justifiably outraged and distressed and much of their anger is directed toward the Catholic church itself. Sadly, most people's authority on the Roman Catholic faith appears to be Dan Brown and that really isn't terribly accurate.
I'm neither qualified nor educated enough to explain the ins and outs of my church well but my opinion is this: When an individual has committed a terrible act, that individual is to blame. They and they alone are responsible for their actions. People who place the blame on the Catholic church rather than on the men who actually hurt and abused these children, are lessening the guilt of the individual. When abuse occurs, the fault lies within the mind/brain/heart/soul (take your pick) of the person who commits such acts. The priests who abuse children do not speak for God and they do not speak for or represent the Catholic church.
The second issue I have is that the abuse is often blamed on the celibacy of Catholic priests. I feel it has little to do with this. A man whose mind is disturbed enough to abuse a child will do so whether he is supposed to live in a celibate state or not. A man who abuses a child is a pedophile not a man struggling with his celibate state. (If it were only his celibacy he was struggling with, a normal man would go out and find a consenting adult.) Unfortunately, there are married teachers and coaches who also sexually abuse children. There are so many children abused by family members within the "safety" of their own homes. I think to blame celibacy is to oversimplify greatly.
I hope anyone reading this understands where I'm coming from. Abuse should never happen. I wish with all my heart such a world existed. I wish people cherished and protected innocence with all the strength they possessed. I wish God was more present in the world today.
I find the abuse of children so horrific, so appalling that it fills my soul with shuddering fear and great, great sadness. There is nothing that can justify or excuse it. I believe that the destruction of a child's innocence causes God and His angels to weep. A Heaven, this world most certainly is not.
In fact, to quote Aldous Huxley, "I sometimes wonder if this Earth is another planet's Hell."
7 comments:
Amazing thoughts on paper..you should publish this, really, it is exactly what I have been trying to convey to non-catholics and some old ex-Catholics...send it in to the newspaper, something...Wonderful Colleen, thank you
Ok, a few thoughts Colleen:
1. I agree that when an individual has comitted a terrible act, that individual is to blame. But this claim is fairly uncontroversial, and unaddressed is the fact that people blame the institution because they believe that someone's terrible act has been covered up or minimized by a larger institution. We know this has happened in the past.
2. Regarding celibacy, my impression is that a person unable to deal with his or her own committment to celibacy, if he or she is going to break that vow, then they will generally do so in a "normal" way (through the consent of another). To connect a person's inability to deal with his vow of celibacy to the abuse of a child is an unjustified leap (so we agree).
Last year a well known priest admitted that he had violated his promise of celibacy. As it turned out, he had fallen in love with a woman. People can understand this, because it is normal. This would be the normal expression of a person "unable" to deal with his celibacy. Abusing a child would not be "normal" response.
However, while it is true that coaches and teachers and many others can and do abuse children, its difficult to hide your sexual deviancy when your a teacher or a coach, and constantly in the attention of others. However, if you are priest, and everyone knows that priests take such a vow, could the priesthood provide a safe place for those with sexually deviant habits? The question has been asked.
3. Also worth noting (you don't mention this, but I think it is an important reminder), is that a homosexual man who has been ordained a priest, if he is unable to maintain his promise of celibacy, he too will seek what to him is a normal expression of that sexuality. That wouldn't be the abuse of a child. Celibacy itself isn't to blame, and neither is homosexuality. The Pope said as much on his flight to the United States a few years ago.
4. While I understand where you're coming from, and while I don't question for a moment your concern for those people abused, in the Seminary I attend people have very strong opinions abuot the way in which the Pope has been treated by the media. However, why hasn't the abuse of so many children evoked the same level of concern from such individuals? If you stopped to ask such people, of course they would tell you they are concerned about such childen (and I believe them), but that's not the point.
5. The best reporter on papal activity in the english speaking world is John Allen Jr. If he says there's a problem and that problem extends to the Pope, then there probably is.
Anyways, that's all I have to say. I hope all is well.
I grieve with you dear Colleen over the pain and the woundedness of our world.
Yet, I hope with you that there is a coming day of restoration, renewal, and victory.
Have a great Easter week ahead of you. I thank you for the encouraging comments you leave at my blog. Such a delight it is to have met someone like you, so deep, so full of insights, and what depth of feeling you are able to express on your posts!
Love
Lidj
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for commenting.
1. My claim about the individual being responsible for their own actions wasn't meant to be controversial so I'm ok with that. I can understand people's anger when they think that an issue so serious has been hush-hushed by the very people who should confront it. I didn't address that though because I don't know the full story, what has been done and what hasn't, and I doubt the media does either so I didn't want to comment on that aspect of it or make my judgments based on what as been presented in the news. I feel many people do this and I would rather make no judgment at all in this case than make an inaccurate one at present.
2. "However, if you are priest, and everyone knows that priests take such a vow, could the priesthood provide a safe place for those with sexually deviant habits?"
It could but ideally, no place should provide a safe haven for those who abuse children. It is silence and shame that allow abuse to continue unchecked and that isn't right. As for the priesthood, many priests are good, Godly men who uphold the commitment and vows they have made and it's sad that they suffer as a result of the bad priests.
When you have heard people ask that question, what do they usually propose should be done about it? I'm curious.
3. I didn't mentioned it outright but it was included in this: "(If it were only his celibacy he was struggling with, a normal man would go out and find a consenting adult.)"
4. I can imagine that in the seminary there are very strong opinions and it is sad if the actual abuse itself hasn't evoked as strong a response as the way the pope has been treated in the media.
Thank you for your thoughts and comment! Much appreciated! And yes all is well with us, thanks.:) See you in about a month!
Judi and Lidj, thank you very much for your comments as well. I appreciate them so much.
God bless.
Beautifully written, Colleen..... I agree with you, and Kelly, I also agree with most of the things you said. I would just like to add that recently I read that 4% of priests have been creating these problems....... seems to me that would leave the the majority of priests as good men, trying to do Gods work in a difficult and sometimes dark world. I think we also have to remember that the abuse of children is high in day cares, schools, sports teams and well, just basically everywhere that children can be found. It is one of the saddest facts of life, and I think no matter who abuses a child, priest, teacher, sports coach or step-father, severe penalties should be given. Jesus chose twelve MEN to follow him as apostles and one of those was Judas, the first bad priest. Why would we think that today will be any different? There are and always will be bad men who pose as good! I wish this wasn't the case, but its as old as time. Lets think less of the Pope, who is a godly man, and start concentrating on those people (priests, bishops, teachers, coaches, step-fathers, etc) who hurt children. Lets get some jails built, people!
"I would just like to add that recently I read that 4% of priests have been creating these problems....... seems to me that would leave the the majority of priests as good men, trying to do Gods work in a difficult and sometimes dark world."
Thank you for sharing that...4 percent is still 4 percent too many but it does show that the majority of priests are Godly men.
I love your whole comment, clear, concise and intelligent...thanks!!
Colleen this was quite a powerful post...and a subject that has become extremely close to home in our part of the world.In our very SMALL local paper news of abuse from not only a priest but a local 'boy' who became a priest has been in the news for quite some time...
When non-Catholic's and Catholic's alike are getting their information from the news media, many times it is totally bias and relates only a certain amount of truth..
To say as anonymous states that the Church is not facing nor taking responsibility is somewhat true, but not that accurate...
yes, some bishops have passed the buck, moving priests here and there EVEN all along knowing they were causing harm, TERRIBLE harm to the parish's they were sending them....
Yes the Pope is the leader and in being in that position, full responsibility comes upon him to deal with those under his leadership, the flock!
As someone who is in a position of leadership (president of the Catholic Women's League of our parish), when I was installed, I also received 'problems' that were not of my making, but HAD to be dealt with....
People keep saying priests should marry..well if they are a pedophile, marriage isn't going to help!!
Being celibate does not make a person a pedophile either...
As for what you shared here and not being "I admit freely and somewhat regretfully that this area of writing is not my expertise, there are others who are far more skilled than I am at discussing the hard stuff....what you shared is something that many of us 'non expertise' Catholics also feel in their hearts but many don't have the 'avenue' to put it down in words like this...but it does get discussed...
I keep praying for our Church..also asking God to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness for His Son's Name sake!!
Blessings dear sister of faith...
Post a Comment