I found myself nodding my head throughout Mr. Skojec’s comments.
My problem with what has been done is multifaceted:
1.) These problems have been going on for years. By some accounts, the Vatican was made aware of these issues nearly 20 years ago. Why was it dealt with only when it became a media/legal issue?
2.) Since it has become an issue, it hasn’t been dealt with very effectively. Many dioceses have implemented programs, like “Talking about Touching” which are anti-Catholic, anti-chastity, graphic sex-ed programs which likely do more to harm children than to help them.
Simultaneously, a strong moral voice has been lacking amongst the U.S. bishops, and the Vatican hasn’t been extremely forthcoming either. The appropriate moral outrage should have been voiced quickly and unequivocally by the Bishops who knew they had handled their affairs correctly. The scandal that this caused amongst the populace is so great, it’s damage can hardly be measured. It has sullied the reputation of the Church anew, and in the same breath with “what about the Crusades” and “what about the inquisition” and “what about Galileo” we will be attacked with “what about the sex-abuse crisis?”
3.) I’m willing to admit I haven’t studied this extensively, but that’s kind of my point. I am an active Catholic, I attend Mass regularly, I read several Catholic publications, I am in correspondence with a number of active and educated lay Catholics, as well as priests, and I can’t put my finger on why I should feel any better about what has been done. The fact is, this is a massive failure on the part of the bishops, and as I continue to see the decay of the liturgy, the loss of belief in the true presence, the lack of adoration or sacramental reverence in Churches, and the abominable continuation of a false and foolish ecumenism – I’ve come to expect nothing from these bishops but the same old crap. This has been evident in their uwillingness to deal swiftly and firmly with the public scandal caused by pro-abortion “Catholic Politicians”.
They don’t seem to learn, do they?
4.) I want an ardent and active movement, beginning with the bishops, to keep homosexual men out of the seminary. I know a priest who was turned away from his home seminary because he wasn’t open enough to tolerating the homosexual lifestyle. We see that most of these cases of “child-abuse” consist of the abuse of post-pubescent males. That’s a homosexual problem, not a pedophilia problem.
The Church MUST recognize that the homosexual orientation, even when lived chastely, is so intrinsically disordered that it speaks to deeper emotional and psychological issues that conflict with the priesthood. At a very basic level, it inhibits an authentic sense of masculinity, which the priest needs in order to properly emulate Christ.
At the worst, it leads to the rape of altar boys. It’s got to stop.
I want to see some episcopal spine that goes beyond reports and task forces. I want to hear voices crying out in the wilderness. I want to see outrage, not feigned sympathy. I want a sense that the bishops care if any grave sin or scandal wounds the Holy Catholic Church, other than in those instances where it causes an inconvenience to them personally.
These are broad statements, and there are exceptions to the rule here, but they are few and far between, and lack the substantiality to make the world at large recognize the nobility of the apostolic successors.
We need credibility, and it starts with episcopal virtue, authority, and teaching – no matter how politically inexpedient.
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