Abuse Must Never Be Dismissed Archbishop Unspeakable Evil behind Scandal Priests Told, by Charles Lewis, National Post, March 31, 2010

Abuse Must Never Be Dismissed: Archbishop
'Unspeakable Evil' behind Scandal, Priests Told

By Charles Lewis
National Post
March 31, 2010

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2745952

CANADA -- Roman Catholics should not try to minimize the crisis facing the Church by making reference to the small percentage of abusive priests in their midst or by dismissing reports about the scandal as media exaggeration, Thomas Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto, said yesterday.

"We cannot escape the horror of this by pointing out that almost all priests serve faithfully -- though that fact is a grace that gives joy to the Catholic people," Archbishop Collins said in a homily.

Archbishop Thomas Collins delivers Mass attended by 400 priests at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto yesterday. Collins dismisses allegations against the Pope as "unfair and unjust."
Photo by Tim Fraser

"But even one priest gone wrong causes immense harm, and throughout the world priests have done unspeakable evil."

Archbishop Collins, who oversees the largest diocese in Canada, was speaking at a Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral at which 400 priests renewed their vows as part of the Easter season.

While most of his 15-minute sermon addressed the "life of faithful service" that most priests live, he made a point of reminding those in attendance of the higher moral standard to which they have been called.

"We should be grateful for the attention which the media devotes to the sins of the Catholic clergy, even if constant repetition may give the false impression that Catholic clergy are particularly sinful. That attention is a profound tribute to the priesthood.... People instinctively expect holiness in a Catholic priest, and are especially appalled when he does evil."

Later, outside the church, he added: "A priest is supposed to be a holy person you can trust. If he's not, then that's news. If it wasn't, that would be a terrible thing."

The abuse scandal, which has plagued the Church for decades, was given additional impetus recently as new revelations of abuse in Ireland during the 1980s emerged.

Then, in the past two months, media allegations have surfaced that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope who was head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, failed to remove clerics in both Germany and Wisconsin who were known as dangerous to children.

An editorial in a major Catholic newspaper, the U.S.-based National Catholic Reporter, said the Church now faces " the largest institutional crisis in centuries, possibly in Church history."

But yesterday Archbishop Collins dismissed allegations against the Pope as "unfair and unjust."

"[Pope Benedict] has acted decisively, fairly, consistently and courageously to purify the priesthood and to make the Church a safe place for everyone," he said.

After the service, he said: "He is a fair and loving and holy man and when he sees evil he has dealt with it. It's amazing that people who were so critical of him for being so strict now say he was too lax."

Archbishop Collins noted that since the bulk of the abuse cases took place, the Church spends more time screening out potential abusers and applies police checks to those who volunteer with local parishes.

All priests are also obligated to report any cases of suspected abuse immediately to either the Children's Aid Society or the police, he added. "That's their first call."

He also dismissed the notion that celibacy, which all priests must practice, is the root cause of the abuse scandal.

When a politician or an athlete commits a sexual sin we call it sin, Archbishop Collins said. "But if a priest commits a sexual sin the problem is celibacy. This is not right. But we shouldn't use the tragedy of those who suffered to be pushing an agenda against celibacy. The problem is the human heart can do terrible wrong. The problem is sin and human weakness."