The Roman Catholic Church and Me

This may seem an odd time and an odd place to write a blog of this nature, but what tripped my trigger was Pope Benedict announcement that he was advancing the cause of Pope – toward Sainthood. Pope Benedict tried "fast tracking" – to Sainthood and was blocked by other Roman– officials. I have some thoughts about all of this but first some self-disclosure.

We all know that there is no one quite as self-righteous as someone who has "overcome". Overcoming can be any one of a number of things: smoking, over eating, religious convictions, political convictions, over indulgence in alcohol, etc. In my case, I consider myself a "recovering Roman Catholic". In spite of my best efforts, I am sure that status will color my remarks. I ask that you take that into account.

There are several different varieties of Catholics, Roman, Greek Orthodox, and others. But the only one that I know anything about are the Romans. For the purposes of these remarks the term Catholic (as well as "Church") will refer to the Roman variety unless noted differently. In fact my personal experience is based almost entirely on Roman Catholicism as practiced in the US.

I was a good Catholic; a serious Catholic. I attended Catholic grade school through 5^th grade, graduated from a residential High School taught by Franciscan priests, and attended a college taught by Benedictine priests. Like most boys I was an altar boy for years (the Mass was still in Latin when I started), and gave some (brief) thought to becoming a priest. Over the years, I lived and worshipped in parishes from south Florida to Harrisburg, Pa., to Madison, Wi., to West and Central Texas. Although I never lived west of the Colorado River I know that the organization of the Church was generally the same throughout the US.

A serious Catholic. I helped to found a parish choir for adults and another for children, a St. Vincent De Paul Society, and a men's auxiliary to a chapter of the Ladies of Charity (one of the first in America). As a professional family and marriage councilor I offered my services on a pro bono basis to the Diocese to evaluate the appropriateness of divorce in specific cases. I was also a 4^th degree Knight of Columbus. As I said, I was a serious Catholic.

Being Catholic takes a LOT of faith. Not so much in God but in His relationship with the Church. Looking back it seems to me not so much faith as "double think". I grew up as part of the "pray, pay, and obey" crowd and believe me that process is still alive and well. As for faith in the Church, of course it was the one true church, there was an unbroken line of Popes from Peter on. Of course sometimes the Church was not exactly sure who was Pope so it entered several possibilities just to cover its bets. Popes of course are selected by the Holy Spirit through the interaction of the College of Cardinals. Clearly the Holy Spirit was having an off day when the Borgia Popes, among dozens of others, were chosen. Did I mention that it takes a lot of faith to believe in the Church? At some point one begins to question why it takes more faith to believe in the Church than it does in God.

One of the major points that my teachers always made, and to which I still subscribe, is that "by their fruits you shall know them." The point being that in spite of all of its foibles, the Church has always been rescued by the goodness of its membership. As proof, the lives of the saints are offered, especially of those like Francis of Assisi. Still the question remains, where is the tipping point? How much evil can a Godly organization perpetrate before it is no longer Godly? In the case of the Roman Catholic Church it takes a lot of faith. The priesthood of the Church is supposed to be a "no sex zone". Being a good Catholic requires that one ignore the common practice of homosexual behavior in the seminaries. Being a good Catholic requires that one ignore the Pink Bishoprics where the Diocesan administrative headquarters is composed almost exclusively of practicing homosexual priests. Understand, it is not so much the sex, or even the kind of sex, that is so disturbing, it is the hypocrisy.

For me the tipping point came with the pedophilia scandal. Every priest that had anything to do with any parish in America probably knew what was going on. The American priesthood is a relatively small, close knit organization with a myriad of informal, horizontal and vertical, information pathways (in other words lots of gossip). In order to move a pedophile from one diocese to another, the sending parish and its priests know, the sending deanery and its priest knows, the sending bishop, his aide(s), and at least one person in "personnel" knows. It is also likely that the office staffs who are mostly civilians in all of the associated offices know. Almost none of these people know who the victim is but they surely know who the pedophile priest is.

Then there is the receiving Diocese. The receiving bishop, his aide(s), and at least one person in "personnel" know. The receiving Dean knows. The receiving parish and its priest(s) know. It is also likely that the office staffs who are mostly civilian in all of the associated offices know. Almost none of these people know who the victim is but they surely know who the pedophile priest is.

Pope John Paul knew. If not the particulars at least he approved the practice of moving the pedophiles around. His close confident, the current Pope Benedict knew. It is likely that certain high members of the Roman Curia knew what was going on.

Returning to America, how many of the thousands of people who knew what was going on, warned their fellow parishioners to be careful for their children? Of all the thousands who knew, did anyone pick up the telephone and call the cops? Render unto Caesar.

I would suggest that every serving bishop today, has played some knowledgeable part in this outrage and no diocese deserves the financial or moral support of its membership. Most parishes don't either.

Most bishops and many on their staff should be criminally prosecuted, as should many Deans and parish priests. Certain civilians who participated in the cover-up should also be prosecuted.

I believe that Pope Benedict is in a sweat to get Pope John Paul canonized to cut off any investigation of either John Paul's or his (Benedict's) culpability in the pedophile scandal.

I believe in God. I no longer believe in the Church. So I guess that I shouldn't care what they do, but I sure hate to see evil break even, much less win.