Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Below you will find an exchange of comments between someone identified as Hunter902 and myself in the comments thread that follows the "Two Catholic Churches" story in the National Post by Philip Mathias. I offer this exchange not as any sort of proof of the persuasiveness of my arguments, but simply to point out that by engaging in the debate in that forum, we can bring forth elements that may lead to a cleansing of the church, and more importantly perhaps a healing for victims in the experience of being able to have their voices heard. The first few posts were not directed at each other, but they are necessary to understand the context in which we are both writing. Fr. Tim ------------------------------- 1. by hunter902 Nov 07 2009 2:42 PM Ecellent article Matthew, There is a very distinct difference in bashing an organization filled with hypocracy, filled with disrespect and contempt for those who choose this as their faith, and those who follow its doctrine...

Philip Mathias of The National Post blog writes today that there are two Catholic Churches; essentially the church of believers and the hierarchical structure of the Church. The allure of this duplicitous argument is that it opens the possibility in the minds of believers that they can attack one while remaining faithful to the other. Alas he undermines his own argument by proceeding to venture into the realm of defined teaching of the Church (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, infallibility of the Holy Father in matters of faith and morals) and denouncing them as simple constructs of the hierarchy of the church. In doing so, he breaches his own arbitrary division of the church into two forms by questioning what the church actually believes and equating it with the malfeasance of Bishops who improperly dealt with the spate of sex abuse scandals that have been exposed in the past 20+ years. Whereas it is possible to offer criticism of the hierarchy and remain united with the Church ...

While the important cost of the litany of sexual abuse cases should be measured in souls, it is noteworthy that there is a major financial cost to be paid by the church for the malfeasance of its' unfaithful clergy. Below is a link to a story announcing settlements with victims in the Savannah Diocese (Georgia, USA). Just as the church is desirous of compensating these victims, let us commit to a crusade of prayer for the souls lost to the Church through the infidelity of its clergy. http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/local/67091462.html

In the editorial section of Cornwall’s Standard Freeholder the following Letter to the editor was written by Bishop Paul-André Durocher on October 2, 2009. In the letter he expresses his shock and shame, bewilderment, and sorrow. “My heart goes out to all those who have been deeply shaken by this revelation. My prayers are offered for all of us.” Here is his full letter: Shocked By Charges Against Fellow Bishop: I imagine most readers of this newspaper have been shocked and scandalized at the news that a Canadian bishop has been charged with possession of child pornography. I share their shock, I also feel a great sense of shame that a fellow bishop could have been involved in such a horrible activity. The seriousness of the charge and the immediate resignation of the accused shakes our confidence in his presumed innocence. It also undermines our trust in all persons in positions of authority, including those who, like Bishop Lahey, have used their authority positively to heal breach...

It is pretty much held as conventional wisdom that pedophiles cannot be "cured". Much of the trouble that grew out of the first wave of abuse cases was made far worse because Bishops who sent their offending priests for treatment at various centres unfortunately accepted the wisdom of expert psychiatrists and psychotherapists that these priests could be reintroduced to ministry: a decision that resulted in many more children becoming victims of these predatory priests. Regis Scanlon of Homiletic and Pastoral Review has published an excellent article on whether or not these abusers can be helped. I found this article through a link found on Ignatiusinsight.com , an offshoot of Ignatius Press. The article can be found at the following link: http://hprweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=213:can-clergy-sex-offenders-be-helped&catid=34:current-issue