Confessions

Earlier I wrote a series of posts about the Nicene Creed and why I am Catholic. I do acknowledge that the Roman Catholic Church is a human institution. It has its flaws, and it has its apologies to offer.

Long ago, within a few weeks of Jesus' death, the Holy Spirit inspired Christians to form a church. It was a perfect institution. Then Father, Son and Holy Spirit made the one mistake they have ever made throughout all eternity. They let people into that perfect institution. (Well, at 58 years of age, I may have something to say about shoulder and hip joints. If I'd been there at the creation, I might have had some useful tips to offer. ) (jk!!) So much for perfection. And please don't bother me with the idea that your church is perfect. No human institution is, and nothing brings out the cynic in me like a claim of perfection, either by an institution or by an individual.

So, let the apologies begin. Not from the Catholic Church - I am obviously in no position to offer such apologies - but from me. One, and only one, communicant member of said Church.

TO A LOT OF KIDS. TO A WHOLE LOT OF KIDS:

The institutional church has offered apologies for the clerical sexual abuse issue. Numerous dioceses of the Church have been sued, and some have gone into bankruptcy. That is as it should be, and maybe we haven't yet paid enough of a price.

To those who were abused, I am so sorry that this happened to you. I can't imagine the pain, the suffering, the sense of betrayal. The list of people around whom you should have been absolutely safe and protected would include parents, doctors, police, teachers - and your parish priest. I deeply regret that this was not so for you, and I suspect that your experience has led you to doubt whether you could ever be safe around anyone. I know it doesn't help much, but for what it's worth, this is truly a hot  button issue for me, largely because of your hurt.

It does seem that factions within the church have decided to get on their hobby horses over this. From the conservative side,.it was "Get the gays out of the priesthood!" (Yes, I think we will also owe apologies to our GLBT friends, if for no other reason than this.) The problem I see with that position is that the Catholic Church does not hold that homosexual orientation is a sin. If the orientation is not sinful, and if one is taking a vow of celibacy, what's the issue? What, exactly, is the difference between gay and straight celibacy?

Another problem with the "Get the Gays out!" approach as a solution to clerical sexual abuse is that it reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of pedophilia. The majority of pedophiles are not gay. Most are straight. Many are married, although many of those marriages are troubled. Pedophilia, like rape, is not a crime of sex. It's all about power. The pedophile's marriage tends to be troubled because these people do not deal well in relationships in which the power is equal, and that's what a marriage is.

My approach to pedophile priests: as soon as a credible allegation is made the priest would be suspended from all clerical activity pending investigation. The allegation's credibility would not be determined by the bishop, but by a board consisting of qualified people (qualification details would be too much to address here). If the board determines that the priest is guilty, defrock. Immediate, first offense. Another characteristic of pedophiles: they don't grow out of pedophilia, and they don't age out of it. The church authorities should cooperate in every possible way with criminal investigation ad prosecution. Come clean; be an open book.

And about the bishops' complicity: if a bishop hears of a priest who may be abusing youngsters, and the bishop's only action is to move the priest elsewhere and shield the priest from publicity, does that not make the bishop an accessory after the fact? And, if that priest then commits further abuse at the new parish, does that not make the bishop an accessory before the fact?

From the left, the hobby horse was, "Let them marry!" See the above info about the marital status of pedophiles.

An apology is also due to the priests of the Church. The vast, vast majority of priests understand celibacy, see it as the gift it is, and live it faithfully. Statistics I have seen indicate that, in the very worst dioceses, at the very worst, about 4% of priests may have been engaging in such behavior. I can just hear the snide "You know they all do it." What ill-informed blather! What I know is that very few ever did. Almost all remain the faithful servants of the Lord that they were called to be. I thank God for them, I'm lucky enought o have some as friends, and I apologize to all who have been painted with this brush.

There are other apologies we owe, and I'll discuss them, as well. But, for many of these, I would not hold your breath waiting. We just recently got around to apologizing for what happened to Galileo.

Thanks for hanging out for a few. As always, I would love your thoughts.