'Disproportionate'? Really? I can't say that I agree with my confrère on this one.
I think the Church gets more attention regarding the sex abuse scandals because in the Church, you get two scandals for the price of one! There's the horror of the actual abuse and, until very recently, there's the additional offense of the cover-up by Church officials. As sad as it is, I think we're only getting our just desserts when we stand in shame in the wake of these scandals, given that the cover-up is oft times more damaging to believers than the original crime in their eyes.
After all, people understand that there are perverts and predators in every walk of life. The fact that some are priests is at least comprehensible by the faithful. But if it's true that only the best and brightest among the clergy get to be promoted to the rank of Bishop or Archbishop, then their culpability in these sordid affairs brings another level of evil unto the Church.
Spotlight on Sexual Abuse: Why the Church Gets Disproportionate Attention | Daily News | NCRegister.com
I think the Church gets more attention regarding the sex abuse scandals because in the Church, you get two scandals for the price of one! There's the horror of the actual abuse and, until very recently, there's the additional offense of the cover-up by Church officials. As sad as it is, I think we're only getting our just desserts when we stand in shame in the wake of these scandals, given that the cover-up is oft times more damaging to believers than the original crime in their eyes.
After all, people understand that there are perverts and predators in every walk of life. The fact that some are priests is at least comprehensible by the faithful. But if it's true that only the best and brightest among the clergy get to be promoted to the rank of Bishop or Archbishop, then their culpability in these sordid affairs brings another level of evil unto the Church.
Spotlight on Sexual Abuse: Why the Church Gets Disproportionate Attention | Daily News | NCRegister.com
I would take issue with you comment that only the "brightest among the clergy" get promoted.
ReplyDeleteAbout 5% (according to many reports) of the clergy were involved in abuse. It's a small percentage but what kept the abuses happening in many case was that this 5% wasn't dealt with appropriately by the hierarchy and shuffled around with pledges of silence from the victims. Had they been dealt with appropriately the scandal would have been stopped in its tracks.
For a religion that claims moral absolutes, and accuses atheists of moral relativism, one absolute that all people believers or not would be willing to agree upon is that the sexual abuse of children and the cover up those acts can never be justified under any conditions. Not even "for the good of the CHurch"
Michael: I don't think we are disagreeing. My point is that Bishops (in the eyes of Catholics) are held in higher esteem because it's assumed they are the best from among the priests. But many of them have been revealed as being feckless and immoral by trying to keep the affairs quiet and failing to call in the Police. I agree that if they had done their job, these scandals would indeed have been 'stopped in its tracks'. Sadly, they didn't do their job.
DeleteFr. Tim