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SCANDAL AND TRUSTQUESTION: Do you have a comment on the scandal of Catholic clergy, specifically the Legionaries of Christ?ANSWER:I STUMBLED across a cartoon in The New Yorker (Apr 12). It shows a portly matron (Irish maybe) in her winter coat clutching a handbag. She’s speaking to a priest dressed in a cassock. They're standing in front of a traditional parish confessional. She says to the priest, "Of course, my confessions probably aren't nearly as interesting as yours." Ouch. IN ALL truth, not the whole Church nor even the Church is complicit in the sex abuse scandals--there are over 1.3 billion faithful Catholics and well over 95% of faithful clergy throughout the world continuing to serve morally and ethically in very difficult and challenging circumstances. Likewise, our popes are moral and ethical shepherds. GREAT PRAYERTHERE IS no parallel in the world and its history to the extraordinary Spirit-filled trust that our Catholic Church was founded on and depends on to this day. The trust and good will that Cardinal DiNardo has extended to me as pastor of a small parish is profound—it’s truly "apostolic" in character. Where there is great trust, there’s great temptation—all the more reason for priests and bishops to commit to “great prayer”:
PERILOUSLY VULNERABLETHE PROMISES that ordinands (newly ordained priests) make to their bishops on the day of Holy Orders are predicated on a breathtaking act of trust—for example:
TRUST MUST exist as a "charism"—a gratuitous gift of the Spirit. It’s the only way forward. "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." [Rev 14:12] Unfortunately, the universal Church will remain perilously vulnerable to scandals of all sorts until the parousia, the coming of Christ in glory. Yet we cling to Christ’s promise to Peter: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” [Mt 16:18]
COLD CALCULATIONFATHER MACIEL of the Legionaries of Christ did not use a “spell”. He used trust—not as a charism but as a weapon. Over the years, he knowingly and willfully throttled the life out of his own heart. He coldly calculated that sincere people including John Paul II would not see him as he really was. People would see him through their love and trust for others in Christ. He and his parasitic cabal—whoever these people are and were—ruthlessly exploited and intimidated vulnerable persons and the trusting Church. ALL OF them need to be rounded up and driven into a monastery for life. But what monastery deserves that? The apostle Peter choked with remorse when the risen Jesus scrutinized him three times at the Galilee. I believe the innocent members of the Legionaries’ congregation deserve a chance to answer the question, “Do you love me?” If the Lord who knows everything sees their love for him, he will say, “Feed my sheep.” WHAT IT'S WORTHWE MAY say this or that bishop or founder or priest or layperson is fully culpable for certain crimes and conspiracies. We may have to say it many times in the months and years ahead. But we cannot say it of the Church. We may say the Church’s members need purification, and this is true always, but we must clarify exactly what we are talking about now: The great mission of the Church in this generation is the purification of the priesthood. In truth, what better work can be accomplished in any generation? FOR WHAT it is worth, here are my recommendations: 1.) root out deceitful and treacherous clergy, 2.) purge the secular humanism that has supplanted systematic & moral theology in the seminaries and houses of formation, 3.) forbid anyone with disordered sexuality from entering priestly and religious formation, 4.) improve canonical structures and Church discipline, and 5.) continue to strengthen the College of Bishops with impeccable appointments. FLOWING STREAMREMARKABLY, THE world needs trust more today than did Adam and Eve before the fall. Trust did not “fall” when Adam and Eve fell in sin. Whether abused or abandoned, virtues do not fall. Human beings may fail, but virtues never fail. Ironically, fallen mankind’s thirst for trust has not evaporated in the ages following Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden. To the contrary, the world’s appetite is much stronger. IT’S COMMONLY said that trust must be earned, and there’s great truth to this. But can any human being ever earn enough trust to live life meaningfully? The answer is no. In fact, an individual’s need for trust is so great in life that only the continual outpouring of others can fill it. Take away the free-will donation—the free-flowing stream of trust poured out by your family, friends, co-workers, and strangers alike—and you cease to be human. HOPING FOR BESTWE POUR trust into each other's lives, praying that it will not be squandered, hoping for the best. Like all virtues it’s an extraordinary gift and must never be betrayed. However, should the worst happen, trust must be withheld from the individuals who prove themselves unworthy of it. REALISTICALLY, WE cannot condemn whole classes of people, relationships, professions, vocations, religions, cultures and the like because one or many persons act abominably. Nevertheless, appropriate validation does not offend the virtue of trust, and this we must recognize continually in the years ahead with respect to the Church's wounded priesthood. AT THE end of the day, human freedom needs trust to flourish, a trust that is freely and responsibly cultivated by men and women of good will everywhere. Peter’s words to the people of Jerusalem are applicable today. The apostle said, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." [Acts 3:19] This thought should be uppermost in the minds of all Catholics—clergy and laity alike. We need the "times of refreshing".
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