This year the religious symbolism of Easter could not be more resonant for the Catholic Church. Each day from Good Friday to Easter Sunday offers the Church a profound spiritual message as it confronts the horrific effects of the crimes of clerical sexual abuse, which have convulsed the church, first in the United States, and now in Europe.
Start with Good Friday, the day that commemorates the death of Jesus of Nazareth. On that day, Jesus willingly surrendered himself to his fate, which would lead to his brief trial, his grueling torture, his arduous walk to Calvary and his ultimate crucifixion. The Catholic Church, too, is undergoing a kind of crucifixion.
But not in the way that you might think. And not in the way that you might think of "the church."
Because I'm not talking about the hierarchy here; nor am I talking about the recent critiques of the Church in the public square. I'm talking about something else, something more fundamental: the "People of God," to use a striking image from the Second Vatican Council, which transformed Catholics thinking about the church. Despite the common parlance, "the church" is not simply the hierarchy -- the bishops, archbishops, cardinals and popes -- but the men, women and children in the pews, particularly those who are poor or suffering in any way.
Thus the primary and greatest suffering in the Catholic Church in past decades has been among the victims of the crimes of sexual abuse, which destroys lives and entire families. It is a scourging for them, as surely as Jesus was scourged at the pillar. These are the victims; these are the crucified ones; these are the Christ-figures in our midst.
Moreover, like the nails pounded into Christ's hands and feet, and the lance that pierced his side, the wounds of sexual abuse permanently scar the victims. When Christ presents himself to the disciples following the Resurrection, he bears on his body the wounds of his torture; they remain. (This is how St. Thomas, "Doubting Thomas" is able to recognize Jesus after the resurrection.) The victims of abuse and their families will always carry those wounds.
So the church itself suffers: that is, the People of God suffer. For abuse victims, Good Friday has lasted many years, sometimes decades.
The day between Good Friday and Easter, called Holy Saturday, is a time of waiting. Two thousand years ago, on the first Holy Saturday, the disciples were crushed by their terrible loss, close to utter despair and fearful of the terrible future. Cowering behind closed doors, they felt robbed of hope. Many Catholics understand those feelings. Living in a church that has seen its current credibility seriously weakened, its authority lessened in the public mind and, worst of all, seen the most vulnerable under its care abused, the Church seem to be in the same position as the first disciples. Many of us wait in fear: What will happen next? What will we do? How can we go on?
However -- the story of the passion, death and resurrection reminds us that Jesus surrendered his life for something--something new, which was fully revealed only on the morning of Easter Sunday. This profound image of death and resurrection, which lies at the absolute heart of Christian spirituality, may help the Catholic Church meditate on what it must do to be reborn.
But means that something has to die.
What needs to die is a clerical culture that long fostered power, privilege and secrecy. What needs to die is an attitude that had placed concern for a priest's reputation above that of a child's welfare. What needs to die is mindset in which investigations of dissident theologians and American Catholic sisters were more swiftly prosecuted than investigations of abusive priests. What needs to die is, in a word, a certain pride. All of this needs to be surrendered.
And it needs to be surrendered even if we don't know what will come of that surrendering. Did Jesus know for certain that he would be raised from the dead? "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" he cried from the cross in his agonizing last hours. Perhaps Jesus knew only that he was invited to give himself totally to his Father, abandoning his earthly project, offering up his body and surrendering his life. His dying was an act of complete trust.
For conversion is not simply a surrendering of what you can afford to give up. It means giving up things that are so much a part of you that you couldn't imagine yourself without them.
The story of Jesus does not end on Good Friday. This is what those who believe that the Catholic Church is already dead, already a bankrupt project, already devoid of any meaningful future, may not be able to see. What spiritual writers call "dying to self," painful as it is, always leads to something new. And surprising. Jesus's willingness to die--and turn himself over to a future that perhaps not even he could not imagine--led to everlasting life on Easter Sunday.
If we can let those old patterns die, the Catholic Church can be reborn. It can be a church more willing to confess its sins, more willing to seek forgiveness, more willing to do penance. Simple, humble, poor -- like Jesus.
This is not to say that God intended abuse for the "benefit" of the church, any more than God intends any other kind of suffering. That is a monstrous idea of God, and one that I reject.
And many readers will think that the idea of new life coming from a hopeless situation, in the wake of terrible crimes, is either misguided, ignorant, laughable, ridiculous or plain wrong. But the image of dying and rebirth is at the heart of the Christian message: It is the final meaning of Easter.
This Easter more than ever, the passion, death and resurrection of Christ invites the Catholic Church to ponder what must die--so that it may live anew.
Catholic Church - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catholic sex abuse cases - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cardinals defend pope on church sex abuse scandal - Yahoo! News
Pope's preacher: Accusations akin to anti-Semitism - Yahoo! News
The Catholic Church and the Scandal of Sex Abuse by Priests
Vatican: Pope has immunity in sex abuse trials - Europe- msnbc.com
The Decline of the Catholic Church – Sex Abuse Scandal ...
Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cases News - The New York Times
This is the Reverand trying to shoot the messengers (priests) instead of shooting the message, the scriptures, hence, the doctrines of the Church. This is the Church refusing to change, as many Catholics have been waiting for thousands of years.
Don't be fooled.
Take a stand.
The scriptures will always remain the secret weapon to continue "suffering the little children to come unto me". Those little children are not just those whom we consider children, but all of us, adults included. Women were considered no different than children in these ancient religions. The OT and NT are filled with violent acts against women and children.
Men were fooled into believeing that they were the Vicars of Christ in their own homes. They became victims of the violence as well, in that they were encouraged through the scriptures to preform the violence.
This abuse and worse has gone on for CENTURIES... and its been known about and managed with zero respect for law or the dignity of the abused.
The Church seems to have dealt with this in the same manner that it dealt with its many other crimes, travesties, etc. through denial, obfuscation and worse. It goes all the way to the Pope himself with recent revelations.
The Church is responsible for some of the greatest travesties against humanity in history...and no amount of contrition or sincerity can erase the blood of one dead innocent, much less the many thousands upon thousands of dead and violated.
Yes, seeking forgiveness doesn't hurt but there is an institutional problem here that is ingrained into the very stones of the Vatican. Good luck changing that culture.
In your heart of hearts do you really think you superiors will change?
Your superiors and your Church ran a criminal conspiracy to protect Child Rapists and let them loose to prey on the "Community of The Faithful".
You seem like a decent person with a real personal faith, I can't understand how you can continue to minimise the sins of these monsters.
Isn't real repentance a prerequisite for absolution? Do you see any real repentance from the church you continue to defend?
God bless,
Mary
The chastisement will come first with a universal Church, told by Conchita in 1961 warning the Catholic Church to repent and what would happen if they did not, then the chastisement on the whole world will come for all mere mortals to correct their conscience. Chastisement works for good. And when the chastisement comes on all man kind Conchita will tell it in advance 8 years before and there will be do doubt and all will see it, it will last for 12 months. The the miracle will come. Grace upon the whole world. Conchita is still alive it happened in Garabandal called the Warning and the Miracle. The catholic church did not accept it as a true message, wonder why? Now they will you think?
What has to die, be destroyed is not the Catholic Church but all churches who preach not the word of God and do also what they preach to others in their own lives.
What God calls evil (sins) of human beings, that can only bring death. God said all who practice such things deserve death.
in Romans- God's list of evil sins.
1,worship of creature, rather then the creator,
2.ones own self pride,
egos,
vanity,
Liars,
greed,
hate,
stealing,
wars,
murders,
They exchange the truth of God for a lie,
degradation of their own bodies,
boasting,
self righteousness,
heartless,
lust, ruthless, wickedness, rebellioius toward parents, full of envy, faithless, insolent, senseless minds, gossipers, slanders, haughty, drunkards, molesters, adultry, malice, doing shameful things, scandalmongers, treachery, spite, jealousy, their own perversity, treachery, rivalry, rebellious, impurity of thoughts, claiming themselves to be wise, everyone without excuse any one of you who passes judgment, exchange natural relations for unnatural, much more etc.
God said that you do such things yourself, then you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself. You to are without excuse,will have no escape from the judgment of God.
So if anyone condems the Catholic Church then throw out that Bible you are reading from.
And all have fallen, other wise Jesus would not need to come. For sinners cannot save sinners. God's children ( we are all his children young or old)suffering everywhere. Jesus prayer he taught begins with-Our Father.
There is only 1 Church, 1 Government in the end, will be only God's church, God"s Government which is a new world order also. and God alone is head over his Church (children us all) Jesus is high Priest over the Church for ever, it is written. God said Do you not know you are the temple of the Lord? Human beings all who believe make up God's church, all who obey his laws. We have all fallen short. And even Pastors Priests Popes Leaders Pres will all be judged. they to cannot save themselves and also fallen. Even Moses was punished for his one sin. Could not see the promise land and how he died?
Yes, the Catholic Church compiled the 66 books of the Bible into one handy volume, But not for reasons of faith. The Pagans and Christians of Rome were about to fight a civil war, so Emperor Constantine picked the side with the numbers and instituted their beliefs as the national religion. Almost every Christian tradition and symbol has its roots in polytheism. And lets not forget all the books that burned at the Counsel of Niccea when they were conpiling the Bible, because they didn't feed the worldview that the early church wanted to promote.
Your religion was founded on deception, and deception continues to sustain it.
I don't oppose faith, I oppose the institution of the church. As French philosopher Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
years after the big "C" event. He lived his life in a 'brotherhood', looking after
one another. Isn't it more likely that such was his intent for the world?
We live as we believe.
see my video: www.youtube.com/user/glendabeckk