Catholic Dioceses Pay the Consequences of Their Sins
While large Dioceses facing bankruptcy is no longer breathtaking news, the number of sexual abuse victims and the size of settlements is astounding. The Diocese of San Diago believes it will ultimately pay $550 million in legal fees and payments to victims. California is lifting the statute of limitations allowing cases from even further back in time to be considered.
Defenders of the faith often point out child sexual abuse occurs in many areas and organizations in our society. That is true. What makes the Catholic church (and the Southern Baptist Convention) so worthy of scorn is its holier-than-thou posture about sin and its advice on avoiding sin in its public political positions. Going back to Europe, Bishops and kings joined hands to make laws, collect money and serve each other's selfish interests.
Corruption was prominent in the historic Catholic Church in Europe. Its corruption opened the door for a reformer named Martin Luther. If it had "stuck to its knitting" back then Protestantism may never have become as successful has it has been.
When the Catholic Church expanded across the U.S. its leaders were not smart enough to recognize the human weakness for money found in its history in Europe came with it to the U.S. Had it been smarter, it would have set up monitoring of priests, Bishops and Dioceses by independent lay groups who would make everything transparent. Lack of transparency was a magnet to men with weaknesses that would ultimately cost the Diocese of San Diago $550 million.
There is a great irony that the institution which talks more about sin than any other is guilty of so many sins itself its various branches are taking out bankruptcy. The scheming of Bishops when they hid sex-abusing priests by transferring them from one diocese to another instead of turning them over to law enforcement is a sin greater than any they point to in others.
I would have a lot more faith in the Catholic Church's ability to find and turn over errant priests if it would stop condemning the sins of others. When it condemns others, one has to believe it will again hide from view the same sins of its own clergy.
Make no mistake, every institution has experienced the scourge of corruption and abuse, and each had declared itself above such scandal.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of 'lay oversight' would have spared the Catholic Church of problems. Who is watching over Congress, Hollywood, public schools, police departments, college campuses and labor unions?
The Church will continue to have scandals because of two things. One, it is made up of human beings. Two, it is the favorite target of Satan.
You may think you are above the fray but you are part of at least 3 things which are plagued by scandals; academia, elected officials and atheists.
anonymous--"... it is the target of Satan...you are part of at least three things which are plagued by scandals; academia, elected officials and atheists."
DeleteThat sounds like it was lifted from a Saturday Night Live comedy skit.
None of these three things declares itself the thin line, the last defense between sin and salvation. Only Christianity declares this. Lo and behold, it is not the defense against sin, it is the source.
All 3 declared their written, clear moral opinions on sexual misconduct, expected behavior, oversight' by authorities, etc.
DeleteAtheists have a sort of reverse set of those. Anything goes unless we look bad, sort of . Those folks turn out to be guys like Epstein, Daumer, Xi, Putin, etc.
Only an anti-theist, one who violently opposes Christianity would say religion is the source of sin. Sin is an act of separating one's self from God. Christianity strives to obey and please Jesus.
Deleteanonymous ".. Atheists have a sort of reverse set...guys like.. Putin"
DeleteYour stand-up comedy is bringing the house down with raucous laughter. Putin is a serious Orthodox Christian.
anonymous "only an anti theist would say religion is the source of sin."
DeleteFact check: The priests who sexually abused children and the Bishops who moved those priests around to hide them from the rest of the church and from the public were not atheists. In addition, the $550 million to be paid by the Diocese in California was not caused by atheists.
So much deleterious material has been attributed to "The Church" , both from within and without. Some of which is wrongly claimed to be dogma, and much which is called ecclesiology, (the what, where, when and how). Also confusing and imputing items of the secular where it does not belong, and not applying the secular where necessary in the separation of church and state. and the wisdom to divide the two.
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