Only total candor can help at this point. And it was not forthcoming. Angst, the wringing of hands, and the requisite apology are enough for a schoolgirl caught in an indiscretion.

But for the spiritual leader of over a billion decent folk something more is required. The faithful expect clear and direct action. Not more mealy mouthed mumbling as in today's pastoral letter where he apologized for “a misplaced concern for the reputation of the Church and the avoidance of scandal."

For non-Catholic readers I should point out that "scandal" has a specific meaning in the Church. For us the sin of Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil.

If they wanted to mitigate evil they would surrender the criminal element within the clergy to the civil authorities as well as those conspirators who covered up the abuse.

The Pope said, ",,,sincere sorrow for the damage caused to these victims and their families, must lead to a concerted effort to ensure the protection of children from similar crimes in the future.”

He's talking about tomorrow!

By silence and consent the Church has participated in sin. The great sadness that this provokes in the faithful deserves more than apologies and promises.

Angst, the wringing of hands, and the requisite apology are enough for a schoolgirl caught in an indiscretion."

These are very well said words by the previous member of the commentariat here, who identifies as a Catholic. The only good news in all this is that the manifest inability of the Church to handle these issues is producing one good effect. One can almost see their position as meta-analysts of human affairs, both in religion and ethics, which they have had by dint of their size, slipping away like a sunset on a day badly lived.

What will be left hopefully, if the decent laity can work some change, is a lovely religious tradition with no more or less validity and clout than any other. But as to their bully-boy flouncing around the world making statements about how everyone else should live, well, I think we are seeing the swan song. Praise God!

For the truth is, speaking from personal experience, the priests I encountered in my years in seminary both at St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami and Catholic University in DC mostly hardly compare as human beings with people I met later. I well remember their haughty mien and the sense that they somehow had a corner of sanctity or intuition. But lack of real-world humility is always a bad sign long run, and the comparison I made of those folks with later interactions in life made me realize how puerile most of them were. Let me say, there were significant exceptions, and I kept in touch with those people. But the sad tales one hears later only confirm my sense of things with the majority of them. But, as they say, I am sure they feel otherwise about themselves amazingly. I'm sure they feel quite holy and insightful, just ask them.

This was quite well crystallized by the the ever-useful Raymond Arroyo, whose show on EWTN continues to be a fount of striking prejudice and quite amusing malapropisms. Mr. Arroyo actually said that Catholic nuns, who most people who have grown up Catholic have quite fond memories of, actually had no more right to speak as Catholics than the Dalai Lama. I really found this amazing. The reason for his cattiness was that the nuns had dared to speak in favor of health reform. So let me get this straight -- if straight is a word one even can apply to Mr. Arroyo -- these nuns who have lost property around the country paying for priestly abuse pay-outs, and who themselves have vastly fewer cases of abuse in their ranks, and these nuns who are more well thought of than most priests or bishops by those who were or are Catholics ...these sisters have no right to speak about health reforms. I showed again how crude many Catholic males have become. I am happy to see their credibility evaporate. They have been sucking out the moral oxygen from society long enough. Perhaps it will make some room for some real authentic spiritual growth amongst the Catholic faithful.

As a “member of the commentariat here, who identifies as a Catholic,” I agree that there is room for “some real authentic spiritual growth amongst the Catholic faithful,” as you say. But, Anon, I have no bitterness towards the faith, only towards the hierarchy.

The Faith that is Catholic, universal, remains what it always was and will be; the fullness of truth. Historically this truth has been the comfort to the poor and the oppressed.

I see a radical shift to the right, among our Bishops and Priests, and among political activists and social commentators who carry the banner "Catholic." Without leadership the lay faithful are being led away from our ultimate calling, to love one another, toward a direction of distrust and divisiveness. Continuing in this direction we have come to lack diversity of community and have become an exclusive club.

The Communion of Saints is not a private party, it is not a country club. Yet if it were this way we would have just what we have today: Souls are being lost because the pundits, like Ray Arroyo, have more to say than good priests and nuns, and are usually much better at getting the word out.
And there still are good priests and nuns, Anon!

They have been silenced the Vatican induced disease of Moral Aphasia: The inability to speak in the face of overwhelming tyranny. This disease is not new, but it has become pandemic since the installation of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope. Yes, Anon, their credibility is evaporating. And the events of the past several days have been especially revealing.

For me this brings only tears and draws me closer to my rosary and my favorite saints. I am very angry. But I have not lost hope.

I suspect that your “Anonymous” post was an oversight. Your style is characteristic my friend.
Peace
Dana

I liked your response a lot. I especially liked it because it expresses a kind of paradox that all lived religion has if it is healthful and life-affirming. That is, that it seeks a balance between points -- it is neither right or left -- and thus has the chance of being truly human as well as a attempt to touch the Divine. In this sense one can believe that one's own faith is "the fullness of truth" and at the same time leave room, both civilly and personally, for the plentitude of grace that fills another heart. Thank you.

(Parenthetically let me add that I love having the chance to come to a moment of sublime summary like this -- you can't create, it it just happens in dialogue sometimes -- because this is precisely the sort of summa that right-wing nuts despise, caught as they are in the intense and not- mentally- healthful need to be utterly literal. You can almost sense their rushing to their Chesteton collection to find a quote as riposte, and thus calm themselves down!)

You're welcome Peter.

Dana I thought both of your posts were quite good and very appropriate. I was very disappointed that the letter seemed to lay all the blame on the Irish bishops and not accept the Vatican's responsibility for what has happened. Given how widespread the problem has been the Pope’s letter needed to say and do far more than it did.

I agree Ravensfan.

Irish Catholics have shown their loyalty to the Church for over fifteen hundred years. The Church had her chance to return the favor. And failed.

Dana's last comment makes me remember the Pastor of the parish I grew up in, one Monsignor Noel Fogarty of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Miami Shores, who had come over from Ireland many years ago. He was, incidentally, one of the few priests that I encountered who I am absolutely sure was straight. In his sermons he often railed against the "modren" world. That is no typo, he always pronounced it "modren". Poor Monsignor Fogarty, the Church has not remotely dealt with the "modren" world, and has apparently signed its own death warrant in order to keep from confronting its implications.

Benedict should be disrobed, tarred, feathered and prosecuted.
Ravensfan Anon