Category — Current Events

The (Unfortunate) Source for this cartoon: http://www.gospelaccordingtohate.com/

During the past few weeks both the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict have faced unparalleled criticism from the media. The Church always known detractors, often rightfully so, but what makes this situation unique is that the intensity of the scrutiny has not been limited by geography. The Universal Church is continually facing universal opprobrium.

As members of the mystical body of Christ, Catholics everywhere are facing the repercussions of abuse perpetrated by men they’ve never met, in countries they’ve never even visited. Throughout the world there are countless persons whose faith - honest, genuine and good – is being attacked for the most tenuous of associations with priests who may have died long before many of them were even born. These men perpetrated atrocities which the faithful can scarcely fathom and Catholics everywhere are wondering how to appropriately respond when the Church they so love is facing reproach for deceptions and crimes which antithesize love.

And an appropriate response is no longer just an expectation. It is being demanded. Take for example the letter to the editor published in the Globe and Mail on April 10:

The Christian notions of grace and forgiveness are not unreasonable, even applied to pedophiles, but to ignore the suffering of the victims – who may be affected for generations – and knowingly protect the perpetrators, is unforgivable. Where is the outrage from the intelligentsia within the church? - Gorm Damborg, Vancouver

Where is the outrage? Not just from Catholic scholars and social commentators who are observed as defending the papacy and offer commentaries on all that has not gone wrong within the Church. Where is the outrage of the average Sunday church-goer?

Simple questions, really, to which no one should hesitate to respond. The first and foremost response of every Catholics within the Church of Christ must be an immediate, unequivocal and sincere apology and an expression of immense regret. Earlier this year Pope Benedict XVI offered such words to Irish victims of abuse and their families:

You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen. Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from your sufferings. It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel.

The reality, as Pope Benedict acknowledged, is that for some victims and their families no apology will be able to suffice. The hurt and harm is deep and its wounds can only be healed with time and our prayers. Nothing more can or should be said.

But for many others, neither direct or indirect victims of abuse themselves, what is is being asked of members of the Church is not an apology on behalf of the Church but rather outrage against it and rejection of it. This is evident when one observes that the Globe placed Mr. Damborg’s comments just below Norman Rosencwaig’s opinion that “the Catholic Church has become the Toyota of religions.” And the concluding sentence of the day’s editorial piece? “When the church puts the protection of its reputation ahead of the protection of children, it is bound to suffer a much larger and more devastating injury, once the truth emerges.” To me it seems more the author’s wish than a prediction.

It is to these inquisitors and critics that it is imperative that not only the great minds of Catholicism but also all the faithful respond. Yes, first with an apology, but secondly with a defence of that which is always defensible: the Church founded by Christ and against which the gates of hell shall not prevail. Indeed, not even the horrendous and inestimable damage perpetrated by a small cohort of pedophiles and abusers can overcome the good done by the over one billion Catholics world wide and Christ Himself on the Cross.

So what do you do next time your faith is questioned or the Church is remonstrated because of the abuse of individual Catholics? Apologize for their sins. But if the questioning becomes a general attack on the Church or the remonstration a plea for renunciation: “Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence.” (1 Peter 3:15) Make no apology for the faith of your ancestors or for the good deeds of the millions who serve the poor, the helpless and needy, those who do so with true love and in the name of Christ and for the glory of His Church.