You thought City Bible was bad…
Posted on July 25th, 2005 by catalyst into the Uncategorized categoryAccording Jack Bogdanski and his blog the Catholic church has decided to add their parishoners as defendants in a sex abuse lawsuit. The Catholic church is being sued for allowing its priests to molest children, and instead of just settling the case, the church is now making all of its parishoners defendants. Someone better warn Samuel John Klein.
Jack has some pretty interesting observations:
Is causing further anxiety and outrage on the part of rank-and-file Catholics the latest archdiocesan strategy? Is the idea now to try to get the folks in the pews all upset at those evil, evil former altar boys who dare to point their fingers at the priests who molested them as children?
Jack further argues that the parishoners/defendants could concede the case, and thus force the Catholic church to pay the accusers. In a sense saying,
“Stop using us as a shield, Archbishop Vlazny. Take your lumps, pay our debts, and let’s get it over with. Mortgage some property and sell some more, and settle these cases.
“You guys screwed up. People’s lives were ruined. Don’t make it worse by hassling all us little people over it.”
It probably wouldn’t have much legal consequence. But it wouldn’t seem at all inconsistent with something a very bright man once said: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.”
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July 25th, 2005 at 9:49 am
Some of you have noted in my posts that I identify as Catholic. I am actually what they call a “lapsed” Catholic, someone who has given up regular practice of the faith for various reasons but still thinks themselves as a member of that greater community.
it was the faith tradition I was born into. You all know how tough it is to give that up.
Anyway, the reason I floated away and became apostate isn’t one reason but many. I can’t abide the Church’s position on women, or gays, and think that in the little guy-big guy struggle, the Catholic Church comes down on the big guy’s side too often (I think the Church is dead wrong on the liberation theology issue, for example).
This issue-that of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests-is one that is especially continuing to keep me at arm’s length from the Church I still call my own. It is infuriating that the Catholic Church, after the lapses in judgment and integrity became public, looked furiously for ways to get out from under responsiblity. What’s bizarre is that they seem to think that, by doing so, they are ensuring the survival of the Church. It’s plain to me that they are hastening the American Catholic Chruch’s downfall instead.
Bogdanski’s comment about that the Archbishop should just get down to business and settle these cases is well taken. I’d take it further. Though the Catholic Church isn’t the richest organization on the planet (this is not to say that they aren’t embarrasingly rich), even as a self-identified Catholic I have a hard time believing that with the resources at its disposal, the Roman Catholic Church as an organization cannot institute an effective program of restitution and healing to the people the Church has harmed and rebuiding and strengthening the American Church (which is usually crapped on by Rome for going our own way).
Unfortunately, as long as we have Pope Cliffy I and his ilk (and, yes, even though I loved JP2 you can put him in there too) in charge I don’t see that happening.
I love the Church: that’s why I call myself Catholic. I can’t stand the leadership: that’s why I’m “lapsed”.
July 25th, 2005 at 11:11 am
Interesting. Thanks for your comments SJK.
July 25th, 2005 at 11:21 am
Thanks for clarifying Sam. I didn’t think you were a serious Catholic. I was just poking fun…
Also, just in case some of our readers didn’t know:
“True love is the soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another.”
July 25th, 2005 at 12:52 pm
These are indeed trying times for not only the Catholic church, but for the church universal as well, in which undoubtedly (although many Protestants may differ) the Roman Catholic church is a part of. The priests and clergy members who have committed these detestable atrocities must and will be brought to judgment by the very living God, however that does not give Protestants the right to sit in the seat of scoffers and intensify the already foolish Catholic-bashing that is present amongst many Protestants. Instead, we must pray for our brothers and sisters in the Catholic church; pray that the judgment of God may come in due time and pray for unity in the church (yes that includes unity with Catholics), not a theological or doctrinal unity but unity in the Holy Spirit and unity in the cause of Christ.
We must not tolerate the incidents of sexual abuse that have taken place in Catholicism, we must speak out against the sins of the church and we must stand for change, but we also must remain ecumenical and in constant dialogue with our Catholic brothers and sisters, for in doing so we are closer to fulfilling Christ’s desire for all of us who believe in Him (John 17:20-21) to remain as one.
July 25th, 2005 at 12:54 pm
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July 25th, 2005 at 1:02 pm
Catalyst:
I wouldn’t call myself serious about anything about the Catholic Church except that I want to see it emerge better, healed, addressing the people it harmed as children with sexual abuse, and reminded of its own humanity (the Church has long been too impressed with its own percieved not-of-this-worldliness). Whatever you believe about the Pope, if you believe he really does communicate with God, unless you remember that he is also a human and humans misunderstand a great deal, you’ve just been dishonest with yourself.
I didn’t think of your post as a jab at all and I accept that people of differnt POVs on faith will think of thier fellows’ beliefs as friggin’ ridculous on occaision. I think we all hear God, just on different wavelengths. It’s what we do to or for each other in that name that matters.
I think Jack Bogdanski’s viewpoint on the ongoing imbroglio was refreshing and intellectually challenging in the good way, and your posting about it was timely and appropriate. This is a discussion that needs to be had, or at least Catholics need to be thinking deeply about it.
This may get me to join Voice of the Faithful yet!