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	Attacked by Accusations of Sex Scandals, What Will the Catholic Church Do to Redeem Its Tarnished Image? By Mike Ssegawa Sunday Monitor June 16, 2010 http://www.monitor.co.ug/LifeStyle/Religion/-/689744/918716/-/kemjl7/-/ For decades now, the Catholic Church has been plagued with stories of their clergy molesting young boys or going ahead to have relations with women and in the process fathering children. As these charges rage on, the top clergy insist that these are but a few of many otherwise good men, Mike Ssegawa writes. The Catholic Church proclaimed a year of the priesthood from August last year. Throughout the year, 1.2 billion Catholics have been praying for their priests in every mass said across the 2,795 dioceses around the globe. In Rome however, Pope Benedict XVI is remorseful. Some of his lieutenants are involved in sexual acts that are not only forbidden, but have also dented the image of priesthood and the church. The sex scandals include among others molesting children, rape, homosexuality and of course, though less pronounced, priests having informal relationships with women or raising families. The church has been here before. John Paul II laboured with calls of resignation when the Catholic priestly in Boston was exposed for abuse of especially minors. The statistics could never get it right (after all many people choose to remain silent), but the ones available are telling. A John Jay report in 2004, documents 4,392 priests and deacons in the US as substantiated sex offenders. That US number alone is high enough to cause action, for a clergy of a size of about 400,000 priests worldwide. In Uganda, like other sections of our society, statistics are hard to get, though it is public knowledge that the local Catholic clergy is not foolproof. However, Archbishop of Kampala, Dr Cyprian Lwanga does not mince his words on the issue. About a month ago, at Ggaba National Seminary, in the presence of hundreds of seminarians, he made his stand clear saying he would not tolerate sex offenders whose acts he called "shameful". But he also does not back down at the idea of priests remaining celibate. "Marriage is not the solution," he said, adding, "The number of sex offenders is very little compared to the many priests doing a wonderful job." What is celibacy? Wikipedia defines celibacy as the lifestyle of someone who is, and is striving to remain, unmarried all his/her life. It is also used to describe a state of life where one chooses to abstain from all sexual activities (also known as "continence"). Often, it is incorrectly used to refer to a mixed, an involuntary, or even temporary abstinence from sexual relations –(however) celibacy is by definition a freely chosen state of being unmarried and practicing sexual abstinence. A.W. Richard Sipe gives another definition. "Celibacy is a freely chosen dynamic state, usually vowed, that involves an honest and sustained attempt to live without direct sexual gratification in order to serve others productively for a spiritual motive." Does the church cover up sex offenders? The media has been awash with stories of priests abusing minors, and this has gotten the Catholic Church on the defensive, as calls of the Pope to step down have widely been published. Pope Benedict's "undoing" is when years ago, as archbishop of Munich, a priest with a history of sex crimes was brought to his diocese from Ireland. The media wanted him to treat him as a criminal and hand him over to the civil authority for prosecution. But like Msgr John W. Katende, the vicar in charge of public affairs in Kampala Archdiocese says, Archbishop Joseph Alois Ratzinger (before he became pope) of Munich, had to use the church conflict resolution plan in dealing with errant priests. Katende denies that the church covers up offenders. "The church addresses sin at levels of the gospel." These ways are as stipulated in Mathew 18:15-17 when Jesus said: "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector." "In our case, the bishop calls the errant priest and through a process; the priest and victim are helped to reform." Mea culpa (my sin) Following the child molestation, among other sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church, one would think, the largest Christian denomination is in trouble. "Not really," says, Msgr Katende. "As an insider, I cannot pretend that I am not moved with sorrow at so many scandals taking place in the church's rank and file." Katende says he is sorrowful for two reasons; that scandals are against the innocent and those with little faith. "An innocent person does not know what they are doing is wrong, so they can copy it and do it with someone else," Katende says. He adds, "People who commit these crimes were sometimes victims – though they may be clergymen now." Nevertheless, he concedes, "These abuses have a multiplier effect. Those persons are sick and need holistic treatment." However, the monsignor says priests are not made in heaven and it is wrong for people to hold them as inculpable. "We are human beings. We have lust. Sorry, I mean, we have sexual feelings like any other person." He calls for more prayers for the clergy. "You are aware that before ordination, we go for "fitness" tests with medical officers. For a priest to be, one has to make some sacrifice. As a human being, I want to marry, but by choice, I offer myself as a sacrifice for the lord." To marry or not marry With so many voices calling for relaxation to make celibacy an option for priesthood, Dr Lwanga sounds the stand of the church as marriage not solving the problem. Msgr Katende states, "The problem has to be addressed by seminary formation. Seminarians should be formed to appreciate celibacy as a value and not as a discipline." Consequently, the Catholic Church may not change this requirement for priesthood because priesthood is voluntary and the people who join know beforehand what awaits them after ordination. Quoting Bible verse after another, Katende says celibacy is treated by the church as a value and gift from God. So what? Citing Mathew 19:10, the archdiocese publicist says, when Jesus told his apostles that one can choose to be an eunuch for the sake of the kingdom of God, he did not mean everyone should become a priest. And he reads from the Bible in his hand, "Let anyone accept this who can." With that Msgr Katende sounds conciliatory but also firm, "If one is weak, let them say sorry and they will be forgiven. If one fails, let them leave. But let them not say, celibacy is bad because they have failed." Katende says the Pope is on the right path –asking for forgiveness and praying for the priests. He believes the church is on track and God's hand will guide them through the challenges. But if anyone expects to fail the church using priestly infidelity, Katende says, "The Church has gone through a lot of crises and it has survived them. Like Jesus told his disciples, not even the powers of the underworld will stop the church as long as we repent and believe in the gospel."
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