It's enough to make your head spin. Our pastor read a letter from Cardinal Rigali regarding the abuse scandal, as well as a follow-up statement the cardinal made in response to the news that 37 priests who stand accused are still in active ministry. The cardinal released a statement assuring the faithful that there are no priests in active ministry who stand accused. So who do we believe?
That's where we get into a bit of semantics and word play. I have the feeling that somewhere between the Archdiocese's position and the statements of the grand jury and the victims, the truth lies, waiting to be uncovered. I continue to support my pastor and my parish. I would be a liar if I said I didn't have reservations about the Archdiocese. While my pastor read the statement today, nearly in total lieu of a homily, you could feel the heaviness and the sorrow. No one walked out, and I didn't think anyone would. I wondered if the same was true at the Novus Ordo Masses. However, after reading the statements from District Attorney Seth Williams, himself a Catholic and the same man who drove the investigation into Kermitt Gosnell's horror chambers, I must question the wisdom of the Archdiocese investigating complaints itself. The victims appear to have fared no better than they did before the scandal first broke. One of the victims deemed to have no credibility took his own life a year after his claims were dismissed. The DA has urged any other victims to come directly to his office rather to than to the committee set up by the Archdiocese to handle complaints of abuse.
When it comes to the lives on innocent children, it's best that if you must err, you err on their side. Does this mean every accusation is credible? No, but the church risks too much by being the sole entity that reaches that conclusion. Some people think this is all about money. In the end, it's going to cost the church much more than dollars. And Our Lord will be crucified yet again.
I ran across your blog via Father
ReplyDeleteZ's blogpost on the current issue with
the grand jury report.
I have also been on the look out for
Catholics in Philly.
I am in the RCIA program at Old St. Joseph's
Church in Society Hill.
I like your thoughts in general so I
am going to put you on my blogroll.
Personally I am not worried about this
whole scandal among priests because it
does not change the fact that Christ is
Lord.
P.
exactly Pete, and to me, that's what's so tragic, that people cannot distinguish the difference. It's also grossly unfair to the majority of priests, who are good and holy.
ReplyDeleteI know Old St. Joe's well. Before I changed jobs, I would sometimes make it to Noon Mass there if I couldn't go to my usual weekday morning Mass. I also volunteered there for a short time making Saturday lunch for the homeless. I look forward to the day when I can do so again.
God Bless you
"Personally I am not worried about this
ReplyDeletewhole scandal among priests because it
does not change the fact that Christ is
Lord."
---Pete....with an applause from The Little Way
St. Paul spends a good chunk of Romans noting that grace abounds whenever there is sin. He then questioned if we should sin more, that grace abound more still?
NO WAY! He replied. You are dead to sin when in life to Christ.
Priest molestings and Christ is Lord should not be uttered in the same breath. There is no relationship, or we may just as well throw out the Book of Romans and tell the priests to help themselves to all the children they want, eh?
This is one of the most appalling statements and agreements I have encountered on the topic.
It is not tragic that people can or cannot distinguish the difference in good priest or molester priest. The tragedy is that Christ CAN distinguish, and HE will do something about it to the priests in error (think millstones and necks would be far easier than his plan).
People are fully aware there are good priests or every pew in every church in every country would be empty.
The fact that it occurred by folks held to be on a higher standard, the fact that silence ensued, sponsored by a man who will become beatified as saint in May, while hushing massive sin, by many under him, is noted by Jesus Christ more than any and all people put together. His blood flowed on the Cross,for future sins, and I suspect on that Good Friday long ago, the sins of the apostles of this day, made a gusher of blood in those three hours.
This evil upon the church is satanic in nature.
Jesus Christ is cleansing the temple anew, not with whips, and overturning tables,...but with a simple weapon found in Ephesians 6 on the elements making up the Armor of God.
The Belt of Truth is being swung by the One who proclaimed "I am the Way (not Theresa) the Light, and The Truth".
That belt of truth is to be worn by Christians always, never taken off. For then, Jesus Christ surrounds us 360 degrees, and no evil comes near our tent when Christ is guard.
What if 5 of 11 ORIGINAL disciples molested kids after Pentecost? Would Jesus be Lord? YES.
Would the Church reach the ends of the globe one day? Yes. But add centuries more due to the evil exposed within. That is what we are going through.
Say, gravity is gravity.
Water is H2O.
The laws of physics are the same.
And all three have as much to do with sins of the fathers, about as much as Jesus is Lord.
The church has been deeply wounded by the actions, the effects on victims and their young ages, and the silence thereafter, along with moving an unfit priest to serve elsewhere and repeat the sordid mess over and over.
Pray ALL evil priests are exposed NOW, not later.
Only after all are removed can the Truth grow, salvation spread, and works of mercy have meaning.
You do not feed the hungry by day, molest children by night, and grow a church.
All of this pus must be removed asap.
Oh yeah, Jesus is Lord, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. So where were all these molesters in centuries past? Lawsuits galore? Evil growing within?
And with Jesus is Lord tomorrow, what do we do with HIS church to cleanse it now and make it worthy of our Lord?
Forgive me. Add mercy for my view.
The above two comments shook my soul.
We are to love mercy, justice, and walk humbly with our Lord....not fool with kids.
The first part is Micah 6:8.
The last part is from the book of satan.
I am not a rant nut on this; I am furious these men have attacked the church from within...freely!
On the rant nut part, I confess that Fr. Z. sells everything but indulgences on his blog, needs a bishop and diocese to work in too.
He has too much time on his hands, helpful to satan that way.
I read him one month and had my computer cleansed. You will rarely see the word "Jesus" there.
Just malice and discontent.
God forgive me for speaking strongly what I feel is His truth.
Well, Keystone, I'm sorry to have offended you, but it doesn't change how I feel. I think maybe you misunderstood. I am not suggesting that we should let child molesters get away with their crimes. However, Jesus Christ Himself promised us that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. Yes, the pus has to be purged. It's shocking that this was not done already when the last grand jury report came out in Philadelphia in 2005. But I am not going to lose my faith or leave the Church because of the sins of some priests. I am not going to punish Christ and myself by abdicating my faith. So when I say I am not worried, what I mean is that I trust the words my Lord spoke when He told us we would be persecuted for Him, but that the gates of hell, which is what we're seeing in all different shapes and forms in Philadelphia, will not prevail. The church has to be purged of many things. Child molesters are just one of those things. It will be smaller, but it will also be purer and stronger.
ReplyDeleteYou are entitled to your opinion about Father Z. Father has his own trials with which he does not burden his readers, so unless I know something more specific which Father himself wishes to reveal, I'm not comfortable picking up a stone to hurl at him. I do not agree with anyone 100% of the time, including many of those whose blogs I link to from this one. I'd worry if everyone agreed with me all the time, too.
@keystone; in no way did I intend
ReplyDeleteto dismiss the scandal of abuse, but
simply make the point that Christ is
the Lord, in the fullness of what we
experience through the Holy Spirit.
So all the pain will be healed by the
power of God, through all manifestations
of the heavenly powers.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary be at the
front of this healing action.
I agree with Little Way, " the gates of
hell shall not prevail".
Well, here's me disagreeing with you Joyce. I think you have an obligation to assume that anyone is innocent until proven guilty, especially a priest. The overwhelming majority of priests are innocent and decent people. It would be unfair to assume anyone is guilty without any evidence. It's up to the district attorney to find the criminals and the evidence and a jury to convict. It's up to them to work this out. We are just humble parishners. I choose to think the best of any priest until proven otherwise.
ReplyDeleteNo I am not in the least offended by you Joyce.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I am proud of you for having posted my comment "as is".
And I did not misunderstand your faith in the least; it is evident in all of your prior posts I have read.
This has to end, and I find this frustrating that every time it settles a tad, a new wave of exposure comes along. I get furious that the church leadership is cavalier in attitude that the old ways will prevail any longer.
Light needs added to expose all truth in any form of evil underway
(I also choose to not limit this to molesters alone).
As to the Fr. Z quip, if the church leadership would speak on Jesus alone, not on their catechal quibbles, to build and edify the church in unity, I would agree and voice a kinder approach to Z. But selling magic monk coffee, buy me a mac (from Apple), and the myriad buttons to give HIM whatever earthly pleasures he seems to need, detracts from a priestly calling in a way I will still cling to. His mention here is merely due to Pete popping by from there, and reminding me that the fellow needs to homily more, and heckle for money less.
We all have crosses to carry and that won't cut it for Fr. Z. to be exempt.
His mantilla poll was a lost opportunity to homily reverence of mantilla significance. HOW MANY want or don't want is meaningless.
I was in the Holy Land last spring. I went to the Western Wall...one of few places there is no doubt Jesus Christ stood there. Women are shuffled to one small viewing area, and men, the wider part of the wall. But if you want to proceed, there is a basket with head covers. You put them on, or stay away from God's presence...and believe me, you feel it intensely long before you hit the wall.
All of Z. stuff came to mind as I read Proverbs at the top of Abbey Roads. Be at peace as far as possible with others. My peace is to NOT read his cup of poison and malice. That is far from stonings.
Indulgences split the church and the Holy Spirit laments the lack of Unity.
Z's indulgences are still for sale, but you do not get into heaven in dollars with him, you get mystic monk coffee.
This is not the business of the church universal to sell coffee, buy a Mac and the rest.
My quibbles with him are at rest, for I choose to not read him.
As for Pete joining here and bringing his beliefs as a homeboy, I add welcome home.
My grandson was diagnosed autism early enough to be caught and minimized. My family moved to Philly to cure him. (Better facilities). I am eternally grateful for the entire area for what they have done for the child. You would never suspect he began life autistic.
And if I could post my favorite picture of him, it would be his winning smile, with a large crowd in the background, as his dad took him to a Phillies game!
I will add I have perused a series of Catholic Blogs, including gay/lesbian/ and any other point of view, pro or con Vatican II, etc to see if there be merit to one side more than another.
I have deleted RSS feeds on many as they just do not adhere to scriptures, or worse, they publish comments in agreement with their cause, view, etc, but delete those with an opposing stance. That means all I can read there is the bloggers view, even in comments. Buh-bye.
We are to tithe regardless of how it is spent.
(Even payouts to victims)
Our obligation is to return what we have been given (a portion). Some of that can also be time, in addition to money. I must choose wisely where I choose my tithed time to read material that draws me closer to Christ....or away.
I was impressed to read a comment by a "Manny" that was casual as if he were present in person, at odds with the blog contention, and biblically correct.
I believe his "stones" moved me to this site first.
Sometimes, a stone hurled in water lets you ride the resulting waves outward, to better reading material.
Dominos vobiscum.
I forgot to add this stuck out at me too:
ReplyDelete"The church has to be purged of many things. Child molesters are just one of those things. It will be smaller, but it will also be purer and stronger."
---The Little Way
The other day I was reading a blogpost that contrasted two scriptures:
One said a cord of three strands is not easily broken.
The other simply added wherever two or three gather in my Name, I am with them.
Cords can be people as well as strings.
Smaller, purer, and stronger fit right with those scriptures. I was pleased to see the line in your contention, and I agree.
Narrow Gate....not many will enter
(though MOST suspect they will).
It is all about Christ; nothing about us.
Have a grand week at your STILL, new job.