"Perge modo et qua te ducit via dirige gressum," said Venus to Aeneas.
Friday, October 16, 2009
A Mother, a Sick Son and his Father, the Priest
A Mother, a Sick Son and his Father, a Priest is sure to take the wind out of whatever whallop the American bishops thought their Pastoral Letter might have in Maine. It is an amazing story. I disagree only with the reporter's aside, speculating that as much as 20% of the clergy are conducting sexual affairs with women. That presumes an awful lot of heterosexuality for which I see little evidence. Especially delicious is the fact that the guy was a seminary rector. I doubt anyone has done a study of this, but seminary rectors are among the most sexually active of the clergy. I got stories.
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7 comments:
Oh I bet you've got stories! Aside from making me horribly sad for this young man, it does make me wonder about one thing. Does there not come a point eventually when an institution (and I am not merely pointing fingers at the Catholics here) can no longer escape the overwhelming evidence that something in the plan is blatantly and obviously flawed?? This could equally apply to Goldman Sachs, congress or any number of others.
Is there not a point of systemic breakdown that becomes glaring to even the most devout? Is there not some tipping point inherent in such behavior patterns that eventually causes implosion? An explosion? Rebirth? Or at least an honest examination of some sort?
Sorry Tony, I think I really ought to hush up and stop listening to the news for a few days.
Dear Doralong,
Why on earth you think you should hush up I don't know. The breakdown moment you speak of will come soon for the Catholic Church. The money will drive it. They are an inflated beast that eats a lot. Starve them and they will suddenly have new revelations.
Or die.
Or both, because the revelations will have come too late to save them.
But COULD the revelations save them? Are they not trapped into everything that alienates them from relevance by the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility and the fundamental changes that would prevent?
The only thing about this story that surprises me is that isn't even more sordid. I, too, have had my experiences with the Roman Catholic Church and know firsthand about the lies and double dealing the hierarchy does. More and more I wonder just how much longer the church can exist before it implodes. And why aren't more Catholics protesting? Why aren't they demanding accountability? That bothers me as much as the lies and abuse.
Dear Donald,
That's the big question: why do the Catholic people tolerate it all? They used to tolerate it because priests had the power of condemnation and/or redemption (or so they had everybody believing). No one buys that anymore, so what is the fear. One thing I know for sure. A 45 year old priest has nowhere to go if he upsets the apple cart. Seriously, it is close to impossible to start a new and respectable career at that age with only that as a background. That's why I left at 29. The prudent ones work on degrees while in their parishes so they can jump into academia, but most of them need that gig and won't help unmask the phoniness at the heart of it.
I'm one that knows first hand what the Roman Catholic Church does to folks and my only surprise about this story is that isn't even more sordid. But what bothers me even more than the abuse and cover ups, is how the Catholics in the pews do nothing about it. They don't demand their bishops and Rome do anything about it. They don't withhold their donations (that would make Rome sit up and take notice!). They don't demand accountability. No matter how much the pope blathers on about morality, the Church no longer has any moral standing in my eyes. What was it Jesus said about removing the beam from your eye before worrying about the speck in your neighbor's?
The unfortunate thing is I used to be a very devout and devoted Catholic. Now religion of any kind makes me physically ill and I have come to doubt everything, considering myself pretty much an agnostic. I keep coming across more and more like myself, all from our experiences with the Church of Rome or other controlling and pharisaical churches like her.
Is it really true what you say? I thought most of the molestation was priest with girls. Am i wrong?
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