Over the past few weeks, there was a lot of puff pieces in the Catholic media about how much progress the Bishops have made on sex scandals in the past ten years. I suppose the puff pieces were convince the regular pewsitter coming and going once a week and the people who alienated themselves from the Sacraments because they were so scandalized that the fix is in. But, from the standpoint of the catechized Catholics who tied themselves to the Arc with the Sacraments to ride out the storm and whom have repeatedly run up against the same flaw, it the Mr. Fix It media blitz was more than an empty gesture that gives us a queasy feeling on our stomach.
This is what it was like before:
Catholics who called the Chancery to report corruption, crimes, were 'listened to'.
When the listening was over, that was the end of their actions on the matter. Naive people who are 'listened to' inside of the Catholic Church feel a tremendous sense of relief. They did the right thing. It is implied in the listening that the people they told will then 'do something' about it.
But, they don't. They only veil it or shuffle it.
Some whistleblowers returned to a Chancery to insist something be done about it.
That's when they did something.
They used money, 'obedience', a sob story, to get people of good will to be silent.
If the whisteblower wasn't satisfied with those offers, they would circle the wagons to slander him or her as a whackadoo. They were bullied, threatened, shunned.
The priest being reported was protected. Some of them honored with public statements from the Archdiocese saying what a swell guy he was. Sometimes, they roasted them with honors.
You know what has changed from the above?
Not a thing.
In my opinion, the whole dynamic is worse than it ever was.
Everyone in the Chancery and Episcopal Conference is shocked, shocked I tell you, to learn this week Gabino Zavala had a cookie shacked up somewhere and fathered numerous children.
Tell me something, do you suppose there are signs and red flags when a married man is living a double life with a family in another state?
Weird behavior.
Phone calls.
Absences.
Money starts to disappear.
Here's another question for you. If he had a bunch of children holed up in a house somewhere, he could have been getting away with it all these years, right?
A woman, a man or a bunch of children. To this day, they can still shack them up somewhere and have a go at it.
Everyone looks the other way. Pretends they don't see. When they are close enough to see and know, they cover up for them.
That was the problem.
It remains the problem.
Happy 10th Sex Scandal Anniversary.
7 comments:
And, it should be noted, concubinage is a clerical and prelatial problem going back over a millennium, and by all accounts quite alive to this day in Africa and South America.
I was disappointed to see Phil Lawler giving a big thumbs up to "Cardinal Sean" (in his Crisis website column regarding the celebration of the Boston Globe on the 10th anniversary of their clerical sex abuse series).
Lawler correctly points out that the greater scandal was the coverup by the majority of bishops. Lawler points out that almost none of the guilty bishops have been held to account.
Inexplicably Lawler then goes on to give "Cardinal Sean" a big wet kiss for his largely PR approach to the scandal.
Curious and troubling that Lawler is treating the Chancery with kid gloves.
Good post, Carol.
It appears the bambinos have a tuition stipend due them on the pew puppies dime. Such bountiful charity on the part of Mahoney's clone. I wonder whether they have a sliding scale, you know, bishops' bastards due this much, priests' that much, deacons' this, subdeacons' that, exorcists' less etc, etc, in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
A recent appeal from a novus ordo presbyter: "My brothers and sisters in Christ, as the ushers pass through the church for the fourth time, in your charity open your hearts and your pocketbooks and wallets and let us assist those poor unfortunate babes sired by the concupiscent bishop Zavala who has strayed from the flock but whom we must forgive. We must not judge lest we be judged. Of course, if we don't judge, it follows we won't be judged. And we'll all reunite in Heaven.
Also, in your charity, may I petition a few dollars more for Sister Sappho Immaculata and her unfortunate partner who is suffering from a yeast infection. They have both been faithful servants of the Lord in the parish school and have inculcated the precepts of the Faith into your children.
In addition, I wish to remind you that next week's third collection will be for the sick priests of the diocese most of whom are HIV positive.
The sixth collection today is to cover my bar bill at the Theology on Tap benedictions. This is the Word of the Lord."
Breathnach, I absolutely love your description of Phil's very peculiar piece!
Jacko - bishops' bastards collection?!!
LOL.
"We must not judge lest we be judged. Of course, if we don't judge, it follows we won't be judged. And we'll all reunite in Heaven. "
Hysterical!
Well, Carol, that's the novus ordo Vatican 2 shtick. A valid convenant for the Jews. Works for me. I'll convert. I get contraception, abortion, even atheism. And the Olam ha-Ba (the World to Come). What the hell, I'll be a Jew. V2 affirms it. Nostra Aetate and all that. Eternally valid covenant. So why did Rabbi Zolli and Cardinal Lustiger convert? And Elizabeth Stein?
But .... V2 .... you know .... eternally valid covenant. Of course there's the little matter of the foreskin and a knife-wielding rabbi without specific medical training. St. Saul wasn't a dummy. Maybe a botched bris in his case?
Carol, when you click on the link to Jimmy Akin's piece, it doesn't appear. Apparently, the National Catholic Register took it down. Akin also removed it from his own Web site (www.jimmyakin.org).
I know you don't want me posting but I think you should know about this. Perhaps you can look into it.
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