One Pope Does Not a Summer Make
When the faithful’s voice is silenced and the people’s rights curtailed, it provides ideal and fertile ground for eruption of scandals and abuse of power which will then be followed by the ‘Tradition’ of protecting the church’s reputation through cover-ups and denials of any wrongdoing or simply by turning a blind eye to these scandals.
Anthony Joseph
The Catholic Church now waits in anticipation for the election of its new Pope. Some pray and believe that the new Pope will inject new life into the Church. Some say there is going to be a revival.
Unfortunately, I, a Catholic of 67 years do not share this optimism. One has to be living in a world of fantasy to believe that daily stories of priestly misconduct, debauchery or corruption at the center of the papal household, as proven by the Vatileaks revelation, will subside with the election of a new pontiff.
Let’s assume the conclave picks a historic leader, with courage, charisma and conviction to lead the Church. But what can he alone do if the same casts – Cardinals, Bishops and Priests – continue to occupy the positions all down the line of the Catholic hierarchy? Can we have the same people doing the same thing over and over but expect different results. Scandals have been a part of the Catholic Church for centuries and writers have pointed out the Roman Church has throughout time been a source of sin and scandal for the faithful.
I have been taught that the Catholic Church is not a democracy, and the authority of the Catholic Church should never be questioned. Herein lies the problem. When the faithful’s voice is silenced and the people’s rights curtailed, it provides ideal and fertile ground for eruption of scandals and abuse of power which will then be followed by the ‘Tradition’ of protecting the church’s reputation through cover-ups and denials of any wrongdoing or simply by turning a blind eye to these scandals.
Until these underlying rules are drastically altered and the Church chooses to join the modern democratic world, nothing will change and the horrific headlines will keep coming.
The Catholic clergy enjoys an aura of invincibility because Church rules are drafted by them to favor them. Thus, we hear the refrain, “Don’t question the Church”. “Obey your priests”.
But then, how can a Catholic remain silent when its leadership advocates a stance that counters basic human rights and tolerates corruption and abuse of power? I was taught to stand up for those who lacked the strength and ability to do so. To stand up for Truth and Justice. But the lay Catholic is shackled. He is silenced. It’s seems ironical I find myself speaking out against my own Church today.
A lay Catholic needs to sum up tremendous courage to report a priest’s shenanigans, transgressions, misconduct, skullduggery, subterfuge, devilment or chicanery to his superior. Why courage? Because he risks being admonished, humiliated and even ostracized as being a Devil’s Advocate. One has to be reminded as to what happened to the Pope’s butler, Paolo Gabriele. He was charged with stealing and leaking papal correspondence revealing how the Vatican was a centre of intrigue and infighting. Paola said he wanted to expose the many wolves in sheep’s clothing in the Church. But instead he was found guilty and jailed but nothing happened to the “God’s Chosen Ones”.
I have also learned from personal experience that church leaders will turn a stone-deaf-ear to any complaints, no matter how serious, against the clergy. Complaining to the Church leaders is an exercise in futility. Today I see the Catholic Church as a “Church of the clergy, by the clergy and for the clergy.”
There also seems to be an unwritten law within the Church which forbids one priest from reporting to his superior about his brother priests.
Calculated hypocrisy and broken trust are at the core of these scandals confronting the Church. Priests who publicly presented themselves as holy men were secretly abusing children or misusing church funds. Bishops who publicly presented themselves as shepherds of the people were covertly covering up the abuse. Priestly misconduct are viewed by the Church in terms of sin and repentance more than crime and punishment.
The Church seems a hypocrite. Though it preaches holiness, it lives in sin. Though it claims access to divine truths, it wallows in wanton debauchery.
We cannot forget about that secret Papal Dossier called the “Relationem”, requested by his Holiness which was presented to him on Dec. 17, 2011. It reportedly names cabals of corrupt power in the Vatican using sex and blackmail to secure and gain control. The Italian papers say he resigned the day he read the report.
If the Pope himself could throw up his arms in surrender, how, then, is the scandalized Christian to respond to a church so clearly comprised of the vilest sinners? What should our reactions be to the rumors of sex and greed and lies and power-mongering and cover-ups?
The wolves in sheep’s clothing Jesus Christ warned us of are still alive and active in the Church. And yet, we are expected to accept them as agents of our Salvation?
