The Catholic Church is collapsing into a state of moral bankruptcy.
In America, the Church has been the leading advocate for universal health care and other social justice issues for generations. But Church leaders put that history aside in the weeks leading up to the House vote on health care reform, on the specious grounds that maybe, just maybe, federal funds might be used for abortions per the health care bill.
Meanwhile, new revelations in the sexual abuse scandal have reached the Pope himself. This Thursday the New York Times reported on the case of the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, a Wisconsin priest who molested nearly 200 deaf boys between 1950 to 1974. The future Pope may have turned a blind eye to multiple warnings about the abusing priest. On Friday the Times reported that Ratzinger was cc'd on a memo concerning the relocation of Rev. Peter Hullermann, the offending German priest whose outing kicked off the latest rounds in the sexual abuse scandal. Somebody, if not the Pope, should have blown the whistle.
The hypocrisy here is incredible. On the one hand, U.S. Bishops claim "vigilance" in their misguided stakeout of the possibility of government-funded abortions, while on the other, the Vatican largely ignores the plight of countless children whose lives have been blackened by molesting priests.
What argument could be made for the Church's inaction regarding sexual abuse? That the priests suffered from a psychological weakness? That the church acted in a pastoral role by assisting them and only in rare occasions punishing them? The implication is that the Church values its priests more than it does its children, that the clergy is worth more than the laity. The Church appears to value its institutional image more than it does its flock.
And what of the U.S. bishops? They hang on to paper-thin fears that the health care bill would fund abortions. They fought its passage tooth-and-nail and gambled with the security of millions of Americans who live -- and die -- with little or no health care. An infinitesimal risk, as it were, outweighs for them the acute, collective need of millions.
As a Catholic, I feel more distant than ever from the clergy and the Vatican. The Church acts like a corporation fighting for survival at the expense of what is right, at the expense of its shareholders. The Church has lost its way.
Follow Vinnie Rotondaro on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VinnieRotondaro
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What is new is that the press is becoming more emboldened, the Church's power to control and conceal the mess is lessening, and the continued pile-on via the courts has forced this issue out in the open. Scandals of this type emerged decades ago in St Louis, rural Massachusetts, New Orleans, then AGAIN in Boston (in which Law was "punished" by being whisked away to a tidy sinecure in the Vatican "home office")... these are not new scandals.
This sums much of it up so well:
"What argument could be made for the Church's inaction regarding sexual abuse? That the priests suffered from a psychological weakness? That the church acted in a pastoral role by assisting them and only in rare occasions punishing them? The implication is that the Church values its priests more than it does its children, that the clergy is worth more than the laity. The Church appears to value its institutional image more than it does its flock."
Bull's eye!
Moral authority was just part of their marketing campaign.
In my 16 years of Catholic education, for every one seemingly decent priest or nun there were at least 10 other fathers or sister that were not at all kind, morally superior, patient, and/or loving. Unlike you, I was never under the illusion that these people were special or better than us common parishoners.
As others have pointed out, the Church really never lost its way - they were never on the path to begin with. The RCC as a whole has never been a true bastion of morality or goodness, sorry.
Where do you get that from?
(Thank you by the way, Diogenes)
this has been the way forever!
starting with the first lie: the earth was created in 6 days
up through: jesus is the son of 'god' (whatever that means), jesus is his own father (come on!)
come on - you put a bunch of anything, boys, girls, goats, with a guy who is not supposed to have sex, and what do you think is going to happen?
the church lies, religion is a lie, stop acting surprised.
That hypocrisy is unbelievable? It always is.
That managers of corporations burn the benefit and the wealth of their shareholders? Try Wall Street CEOs.
That the catholic church will accept millions of deaths as long as matters of principle are taken care of? There have been crusades against muslims and wars against protestants lasting for decades for no good reason other than matters of principle.
Face it: the monolithic appearance of the catholic church isn't due to a convincing doctrine. It is due to the self-stabilizing forces of a system of hypocrites providing shelter for still bigger hypocrites.
At least that's what it has been for the biggest part of history. They might have another chance to change that now.
But as far as that's concerned, I wouldn't worry at all. The church continues to do charitable work. And I wouldn't count healthcare reform among the charities. Health insurance makes sense. It's the kind of solidarity that demonstrably creates value. That may well apply to most of the charity extended by the church, but it is much harder to demonstrate. In the case of healthcare, it is clear.
They don't even care if this change in the law will protect kids in all organizations, they just don't care about kids.
The bishops are gutless, and the victims are brave.
The victims face their fears, they speak up and expose their predators, they tell their horrific stories, they care about kids, and they work extremely hard to get this sexual abuse of children stopped.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, 636-433-2511, snapjudy@gmail.com
http://www.snapnetwork.org/
Ok as the the subjest at hand. Some of the men in the Chuch are being less than human. Yes they are. This has to be fixed and Yes, it is horrible to have even one child molested.
Vinnie you have made some very good points and I too am upset that the powers-that-be are acting WRONG, just Wrong. The Bishops are disconnected. However, the Nuns and the Catholic lay organizations supported the health bill.
Real work is needed to open the doors and windows and let clean air in. I have an idea set the Jesuits as a moral army.
One of Josef Goebbel's dictum was: accuse others of what you are doing in secret.