I saw a beautiful idea in the Letters To The Editor section of tomorrow's edition of The Catholic Herald, Britain's leading Catholic newspaper.
This letter so eloquently sums up my feelings about the abuse scandal. I am sickened by the details and feel helpless to do anything for the reputation of a Church that has done so much good throughout the centuries.
As a card-carrying member of the news media and a passionate Catholic, I am saddened by the way this scandal is being used by some to sell newspapers and boost TV news viewership.
Don't get me wrong, a light needs to shine on this atrocity. But I ask this question of my brothers and sisters in the news media, how much of this coverage is motivated by hatred or disdain of the Catholic Church? Or hatred or disdain for faith itself?
The same percentage of abusers existed in the Catholic Church that exist in Little League, Boy Scouts, etc., and other such entities in our modern world. Less than 5-percent. That means 95-percent of clergy are upstanding shepherds of the faith.
As members of the Catholic Church, we should stand united in seeking repentance for the horrendous sins of members of Church clergy. We should vow as laity and clergy to never let it happen again.
A call is out for an Universal Day Of Repentance. Who will join in the effort?
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2 April 2010
The Holy Father should not have to face the abuse scandal alone. We should stand beside him.
From Mr Kevin Greenan
SIR - The seemingly endless scandals relating to child abuse within the Church are both devastating and shameful (albeit that the guilty were/are a very small, sick minority of priests and religious). The question of the suppression of the exposure of these evil individuals being either protected or ignored by the hierarchy, to protect the reputation of the Catholic Church, is something that fills me with both bewilderment and anger.
The latest story of 200 deaf children in the United States being abused is utterly repulsive.
Not only have the lives of countless thousands of children been affected, the trust and love of the vast majority of our decent priests and religious is now virtually in tatters as the public hear the word "priest" and think of child abuse. How the Church will recover, none of us can truly say. What is for sure, it will be decades before this shameful period is in our past. Why should the Holy Father stand alone and apologise?
We as a Church people need to have a universal day of repentance, standing beside the Holy Father and asking those hurt and abused to forgive us. Pope Benedict should not bear this burden alone.
Yours faithfully,
Kevin Greenan
London SW1
Wow, Dennis.
ReplyDeleteYou're really indoctrinated into this mindset, aren't you?
The media doesn't hate the Catholic Church. The media hates SEXUAL PREDATORS.
To compare the misdeeds of little league coaches, who only have the power of a bat and ball, to that of priests, who claim to have the weight of God and YOUR IMMORTAL SOUL in their hands is the weakest argument I have ever heard.