Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Some Thoughts in Gray...

Maureen Dowd (of all people! - if you don't know her, she is kind of a bitchy New York Times analyst, one with which I don't usually approve even if I agree with her). Anyway, Maureen Dowd had a column this morning that made me think and question myself a little.
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So for a moment, just a moment, let's look at the current problems in the Catholic Church in a less contentious way. And I fully admit that is hard.
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I tell you the problem. The Catholic Church deals with black and white, good and evil, right and
wrong. Therefore, they are finding the critics of the Church to be motivated by evil.
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On the other hand, many critics of the Church (like me) look at this as black and white, child rape / abuse is evil, ergo the Church is wrong. Efforts to blame this on homos (per the Catholic League), or or call it "pernicious gossip" is inherently wrong.
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But let's step back for a moment into the real world of grays. Yes, preying on children is evil and wrong. But not all, not even the vast majority of the Church is doing this.
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If it is a small subset of Priests, then maybe the Church REALLY doesn't know how to deal with this. The Church deals with Faith and Forgiveness. If your worldview is dependent on Faith, then you need to have Faith that these people can change.
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What the Church needs to understand here is that some of the members are losing Faith in the church over this. The World still runs on Faith and Forgiveness, but earthly forgiveness requires (in the words of Dr. Laura) taking responsibility for your actions and being truly repentant. Comparing child molestation to "pernicious gossip" is neither repentant nor taking responsibility.
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As for me (and I use "ME" in this sense as people who are livid at the actions of these Priests), I need to step out of my worldview which says many of these Priests are rapists and should be flogged, damnit, why isn't that happening now? To his credit, before he was Pope, as Cardinal Ratzinger, this man did start trying to address this issue. Not always well, but my guess is that turning the Church is like turning an Ocean Liner, it takes a little time and you can only see the correction from 10,000 feet. The Church cannot take responsibility for condoning child rape, nor should it - no sane person or institution condones attacking children.
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So let's step to the gray. Me, I should cut them some slack for a little while. I DO NOT MEAN that I accept the actions of the guilty, not that much slack. But enough slack to admit that the Church tried to handle it the only way they knew how. They are trying to right that ship now. And they are steering in the dark. Giving too much power to civil authorities has been bad for the Church in the past, so they are hesitant. Hesitant is understandable.
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And the Church should see some gray here. People attacking the Church are angry. They aren't attacking Jesus or even the Catholic teachings. They are attacking what they see as evil actions. What the Church itself has defined as evil actions! Painting all those people who criticize the Church on this issue as attacking Catholicism is wrong. They are mad about this issue precisely because they love the Church and don't understand the response of the Church Hierarchy - which is seen (rightly or wrongly) as protecting the molesters not the victims.
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So I shall try to be less strident and remember the good the Catholic Church does. That is the best I can do.
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Plus I love you can spell it grey or gray.