April Showers

It's been an interesting April so far, personally and professionally. Let's talk about something else, though. There has been a lot of press recently once again concerning the scandals in the church, and, as it does so many times, it has brought out the people who want to link the abuse with the church's teaching on priestly celibacy. This is a flawed argument. Celibacy does not cause abuse of children, as we see from so many other examples of abuse in our school systems, other groups, religious and secular, and even on our own families.

What we need at this time is prayer. Have there been problems with how the church has handled these cases, many from decades ago? It's easy to blame the church, yes. Has the church learned how to handle these problems in the last fifteen years? Again, yes. Many of these cases are cases that happened many years ago. That does not make them right, and we as Catholics have a right to be angry with the situation that has befallen our church.

But being angry must be productive. Arguing through your anger that priests must be allowed to marry and women must be ordained priests are simplistic. Demanding certain bishops and even the pope to resign is also not the answer. Putting policies in place that will protect our children is a given. There is no excuse for child abuse, whether it is at the hands of a priest or any other man, or even women for that matter. There is no excuse for covering up the sins and allowing the perpetrators to continue in their work.

The church is in the midst of being pruned. Our pope has asked for forgiveness in the name of the church and in the name of the bishops and priests who have been responsible for neglecting and harming the souls of the children. Do we have a right to be angry? Yes. Do we need to forgive? Yes.

The priesthood is a wonderful calling and many men have given thier lives in selfless service for the people of God. Celibacy is a beautiful gift of the Holy Spirit, and one that requires a strong spiritual life to succeed. Pray for your priests, especially that they be holy, faithful and chaste.