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	A Church of Saints and Sinners By Fr. Joe Borg The Times of Malta May 31, 2009 http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090531/fr-joe-borg/a-church-of-saints-and-sinners A number of shocking stories hit the Catholic Church in recent days. Scandalous and shocking stories are frequent fare in an organisation of one billion or so members; but perhaps the reports published in the last couple of weeks were more serious than the usual dose published from time to time. These stories which must have hurt and scandalised many Catholics as well as many men and women of good faith. 2600 pages of abuse The worst one, in my opinion, was the report published in Ireland, which revealed that abuse of minors was endemic in several institutes run by religious orders in Ireland. A 2600 page report documented the physical and sexual abuse that was endemic in Irish institutions for children run by religious between 1940 and the late 1970s. The Report of the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse said that children lived with the daily terror of not knowing where the next beating was coming from. In addition to being hit and beaten, witnesses described other forms of abuse such as being flogged, kicked and otherwise physically assaulted, scalded, burned and held under water. Witnesses reported being beaten in front of other staff, residents, patients and pupils as well as in private. High Court Justice Sean Ryan chaired the commission of inquiry, established in 2000. Cardinal Sean Brady of Armagh, Northern Ireland, president of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference said, "The publication of this comprehensive report and analysis is a welcome and important step in establishing the truth, giving justice to victims and ensuring such abuse does not happen again." "This report makes it clear that great wrong and hurt were caused to some of the most vulnerable children in our society. It documents a shameful catalogue of cruelty -- neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse -- perpetrated against children." "I am profoundly sorry and deeply ashamed that children suffered in such awful ways in these institutions," Cardinal Brady said. "Children deserved better, and especially from those caring for them in the name of Jesus Christ." Priests go on strike The following unsavoury incident has not had the coverage that the Irish scandal had. The priest in the Central African Republic went on strike for a day on May 29 to protest the resignation of the nation's leading prelate, Archbishop Paulin Pomodimo of Bangui, and the appointment of a new apostolic administrator. Pomodimo's departure follows the equally unexplained resignation of the bishop of the northwestern town of Bossangoa, Xavier Yombaindje. Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of a 54-year-old archbishop following an investigation into priests of his diocese who live more or less openly with women and the children they have fathered. Passionist Father Ciro Benedettini, vice director of the Vatican press office, said Archbishop Pomodimo resigned because of "insurmountable difficulties in running the diocese." The news agency Africa News had reported May 25 that Archbishop Pomodimo and several priests in his archdiocese would be sanctioned "for adopting a moral attitude which is not always in conformity with their commitments to follow Christ in chastity, poverty and obedience." The agency said Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, had visited the Central African Republic and "concluded that many local priests have official homes, children and have accumulated private properties." Africa News also reported that priests from nine of the country's dioceses met May 22-24 in Bangui expressing their opposition to the removal of the archbishop and accusing the Vatican of being "discriminatory, partial and selective in the assessment of the situation since white priests and bishops are also guilty of the same practices." The priests of the diocese went back to work following the one-day strike but promised that the battle continues. A few years ago, I remember meeting a Maltese female missionary in another part of Africa who told me that celibacy was hardly ever practiced by the priests and bishop of that part of the world she was serving in. Celibacy, she told me, was foreign to the African culture. Of saints and sinners One could react to such stories in different ways. One could be angry with me for referring to such stories. Dirty linen should be washed inside one's home, a friend of mine told me. This is the attitude of those who prefer to attack the messenger when the message is not liked. This is a shortsighted position. These stories have been splashed on the news pages or bulletins of so many different media around the world and are easily available on the Internet. We should not run away from the truth. This is never a healthy or recommended option. One can react by mentioning "success" stories to counter these scandalous events. This is a more intelligent position as it is true that every story has to be seen in a context. The good that is done by the Catholic Church around the world is by far greater that the harm done by those who from time to time abuse their position. Priests or bishops who abuse - whatever the abuse - are in the absolute minority. There is another attitude which I propose. We have to realise that we are a church of saints and sinners. This does not mean that in the Church there are some who are saints and some others who are sinner. We are all saints in some respects and in some circumstances but we are also sinners in other respects and in other circumstances. Each and everyone of us has to look himself or herself in the face, warts and all. It is only after doing such a thing that we can start walking along the path which leads to healing and forgiveness. The belief that the Lord is merciful is the crutch on which we all rest. The mercy of the rest of the community is the other crutch. We carry the treasure we received at baptism in earthen vessels which are fragile. However, we all have to face the consequences of our actions. The story about the bishops and priests in the Central African Republic is a story which first and foremost touches the inner life of the Church. The issue has to be tackled mainly within the Church. It is to be expected that the secular community and adherents of other religions will also be interested as well. But such an interest is on the periphery of the issue. Criminal behaviour The Irish scandal is a very different matter as it probably includes criminal behaviour. In such cases, different authorities and different competencies are involved. All of them have to shoulder their respective responsibilities. This has not always happened. Now there is even the danger of a rift between the hierarchy and the religious orders. The hierarchy is insisting that the religious should shoulder all their responsibilities - moral as well as legal. Among some of the religious there is the tendency that they hide behind a deal they struck with government in 2002. According to that deal, they accepted to pay half the amount that according to estimates by government negotiators would have to be paid to the victims of abuse. In return, the orders' negotiators secured a full indemnity against any future claims arising, entered into the agreement "in good faith", and later secured a commitment that the Ryan commission would not name any religious directly implicated in abuse. However the investigation found out that abuse was more widespread that anyone ever dreamt that it was and the compensation that has to be paid is much larger that that originally estimated by the government negotiators. It would be disastrous for the Church if the religious orders in Ireland would not shoulder their moral responsibilities beside their legal ones.
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