a message for the catholic church
Child abuse of any kind is something that should NEVER happen anywhere at anytime. We need to address this as a global issue, not a church issue.
But as far as the Catholic Church goes, all I can say is He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. (John 8 vs 7)
It’s important not to go overboard or exaggerate the extent of abuse that happens at the hands of religious authorities. It does indeed appear to be the case that, for example, the Catholic Church has no more abusers within it than the general population at large. However, I have to blink several times at some of the horrendous attempts by Catholic adherents to justify the actions that their church has taken. Let’s explore the Catechism of the Catholic Church for some pointers to problem areas.
Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself, isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.
When the Catholic Church deigns to tell the world that consenting adults having sex for pleasure are ‘morally disordered’, they have to expect a certain amount of scrutiny concerning how seriously sex rules are taken by the members of their organisation. Condemning adults for having safe and consensual sex while covering up grotesque sex crimes that have ruined the lives of thousands of children, thousands of adults, is scandalous, depraved and could easily be described as the highest level of moral disorder that exists.
Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort.
Anyone who wants to be chaste can be my guest. But let’s not pretend a supernatural entity is handing it out as a present for good behaviour. Those with a low sex drive are likely to succeed. Those with a high sex drive are likely to develop a psychological disorder or simply find a secret partner. Any Catholic who takes chastity seriously would have question, given the success rate, just how interested their god is in handing out this gift.
Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.
So, let’s be clear, for any institution to boast that their level of child abuse does not exceed the level found in the general population, is disgusting. If that institution seeks to impose offending moral values damning harmless human behaviour, while only succeeding in achieving average levels of criminal behaviour against children, their position is embarrassing. If that institution claims an all-powerful deity is behind them, guiding and strengthening their adherents, and they can still only achieve average levels of criminal behaviour against children, their position becomes absurd.
When that institution has been exposed from top to bottom as having covered up this criminal behaviour, allowing known sex offenders to continue working with children, and placing more time and effort attempting to protect the reputation of the institution over protecting vulnerable children, the institution is shown to vile, reprehensible and morally repugnant. As far as the Catholic Church goes, all I can say is, those of us that haven’t abused children, and would never cover up the abuse of children, are telling you you need to get your shit in order.
Ah, but do remember: the bishops and the priests ARE NOT “employees” of the Holy Sea.
Church officials should be arrested on this excuse alone.
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The attempts to excuse or justify or exempt themselves are grotesque. Another post had a whole ramble about how many of the cases were referred to Rome. If the rest of society accepted the ‘it’s nothing to do with us, it’s normal’ line of thought there would be no efforts in place to protect children.
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They offer up the excuse that their abuses don’t exceed that of the level of the general population as if that is an acceptable thing, or to excuse the behavior, or maybe it’s their way of saying that they’re only human. I don’ t know. But when you are the self-proclaimed arbiter of morality, you should expect to be held to the moral standard you espouse.
Early in some of my research on the Bible and it’s origins I came across this: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rcccast.htm
Their corruption has not been, and is not now, limited to abuse. That is just the very worst of their transgressions.
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Oh, and I should add, child sex abuse is not limited to the Catholic Church either. All denominations have their fair share. So much for “the old sinful nature becoming a new creation”.
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That’s an excellent line of reasoning based on the Bible – women are to be silent in churches so we’ll mutilate young boys in order to keep high voices in the choir. Wow. Anything can be done in the name of the god God based on the clear instructions in that holy book he inspired. Ah, the proud history of the One True Church …
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And even after the practice was banned by the church, in order to keep the evil women from opening their pie holes in church, the bishops looked the other way as this mutilation was performed so that they could keep an all-male choir strictly for their own pleasure as they enjoyed hearing their soprano voices.
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Methinks they’ve been looking the other way for quite a long time.
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One of your most incisive posts to date.
Good stuff.
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I have nothing to add. Very well said
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