The Catholic Legions of Christ Has Always Been Corrupt
Writing about corruption in the Catholic Church has become boring because it is so common. There are on going cases of sexual abuse and stolen money plus new allegations ones.
One pattern remains constant. These men have been told they are special, something apart and higher than ordinary people. Most take this to mean they are obligated to serve believers. But, the having been told you are apart and higher than ordinary people plays with the mind. Some reach the wrong conclusion and commit acts that are despicable. I believe President Trump is such a person.
There is a priest who typifies this attitude. He was Father Marcial Maciel. He saw the opportunity to create an enterprise under the Catholic brand. It is called the Legion of Christ. It had no clear purpose and that was the point. It could raise money which in turn allowed Farther Maciel to live like a king while molesting children.
The money, like happens regularly in Christianity, was the key to his crimes. He gave some of the money he raised to the Vatican and other church enterprises. That way, when rumors about his sex crimes came up there would be defenders at the ready. Among his defenders were the high and mighty of the faith.
The structure of the church with thousands of priests told they were designated as special people by Peter of the Bible is at the heart of the problem. They are able to collect money and abuse children. Of course, only a few do this but in the eyes of the public the church becomes a corrupt organization.
The church could take a big step toward correcting its serious problem by simply stopping the claim that priests are in the linage of St. Peter. The clergy itself do not see the wisdom of this so it is up to lay people to demand it.
re. "the claim that priests are in the linage of St. Peter." ...'so it is up to lay people to demand it".
ReplyDeleteThat won't happen.
Apostolic succession= dogma--ordination indelible, (once a priest, always a priest). layacization not defrocking.
To rescind apostolic succession would reveal fallibility. To do that, infallibility would fall, as would most of the rest of the house of cards. The RCC will never allow fallibility. They have a fat bull by the tail, and they can't let go.
helper "They have the fat bull by the tail and they can't let go."
ReplyDeleteWell said. Were it not religion, the most logical argument would win. In religion, the least logical wins.
On the other hand, the essential beliefs held by the majority of the Christian faith have no effect on those of non-faith. What some may do with it by extension, is another thing.
DeleteWe really don't know what we would do without the likes of Jon and Helper telling us what we should do, what we should believe, and how rotten we are. BTW, a suggestion: go pick on the Boy Scouts for a change.
DeleteThe Boy Scouts have their own problems. It's in the news.
DeleteUnknown; re. 7;56- 8;46. Not telling you what you should do or believe. Just stating the facts. Which parts are inaccurate?
Deletejust about all of them.
DeleteYou better study your Catholic.
DeleteI would give you the bull thingie though.
Your formula is wearing thin. The Catholic Church is massive. There are going to be sinners like Fr. Maciel. He does not typify the priesthood. The typical priest is a parish priest who works tirelessly for decades, dies while working and is missed by the many parishes he served. The typical attitude is a man of service; not arrogant or elitist.
ReplyDeleteWriting about corruption in the Catholic Church is boring for you, as you state. I haven't read about the typical, selfless priest who is holy and does not bring scandal to the Church. What's holding you back from writing about the millions of priests who are free from scandal? I know, it doesn't fit your bigotry.
By the way, Fr. Maciel was removed by Pope Benedict XVI. He had to give up all his ministries. Perhaps his greatest sins were sexual, e.g. boys, women, seminarians.
Priests are special. They are the ordained and have the power to baptize as well as the other 6 sacraments. They do not have the power to abuse people or collect money.
When you were mayor Fargo, were there any priests in Fargo that were corrupt or had illicit sexual relations? Can you name one such priest? Now, can you name a single priest that served his Fargo parishioners with dignity and love?
You would be better off focusing on corruption in Congress, entertainment, public schools, the judiciary, auto mechanics, doctors, attorneys, etc.
in religion the least logical argument wins: so sayeth Jon the apostate. for my part, I have seen lots and lots of arguments put forth by politicians, advertisers, the man on the street, bloggers that would be, should be laughed out of logic 101.
ReplyDeleteThe behavior of “Marquis De” Maciel d/b/a Father Marcial; grifter extraordinaire, latter day pacesetter of priestly perversion and corruption, is not representative of the vast majority of RCC clergy. This story is more an indictment of the clerical culture than the men and women that honorably serve the faith and the faithful. The soil from which such noxious weeds as Maciel find nourishment needs to be turned over. No doubt this guy and his ilk would behave the same way in any favorable environment. In my view it would be an error to term this sad tale as simply profane secular and atheistic behavior contaminating sacred ground. This strain of perversion and corruption occurs in both worlds. Old Fr. Marcial would have probably gone down quicker in the secular world. We’re talking human beings here not demigods by ordination or saints by nature.
ReplyDeleteAll that I see in my interaction with my church and my Catholic schools in Fargo indicate that more and more safeguards are being put in place so that the opportunity for corruption and sexual misbehavior is greatly diminished. That said, the deviant will always look for the weak chink in the armor.
Delete