BishopAccountability.org
	7 Reasons Why Church Officials Can’t Take Responsibility for Their Part in the Clergy Sex Abuse Cover up VFTD June 11, 2010 http://reform-network.net/?p=5604 NOTICE: If you are the type of Catholic for whom the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur determine your religious and spiritual reading and/or you think the 13th was the greatest of centuries, be forewarned. This essay calls into question areas of Catholic doctrine, especially the authority of the pope and the bishops. This may make you uncomfortable and/or angry. The pope and other top officials of the Institutional Church find it difficult if not impossible to take responsibility for their part in the clergy sex abuse cover up because: 1. They are human. The place to start is the Book of Genesis and the story of Adam and Eve and The Fall. Adam won’t take responsibility for his sin; he blames the woman. Eve in turn blames the serpent. Refusing to take responsibility is very human and is as old as Adam and Eve. This trait applies to popes, bishops, and priests—members of the elevated clerical state—as well as everybody else. 2. They don’t have passion for the truth. In his Pentecost 2010 sermon Bishop Thomas Gumbleton says “the first passion must be for the truth.” I agree. It is clear that the actions, and inactions, of the pope and the bishops with regard to the cover up of clerical rapes and other molestations against children demonstrate that truth takes a back seat to maintaining papal power and authority. 3. They don’t understand the gravity of the crisis; they are not problem-solvers. In a crisis, you need to identify the facts (truth) and then take quick, effective corrective action. The pope, with his head in the middle ages (the Latin Mass, the restoration of Christendom in Europe) and the 4th century (St. Augustine) and his responsibility to maintain Catholic doctrine (the deposit of faith), doesn’t have the mind set or skill set to effectively manage the crisis. 4. They are really fighting a doctrinal war. Things aren’t always what that seem to be. The reason for the refusal by the pope and bishops to face the truth, and adopt transparency and accountability, is not only to save their own skins and reputations but to defend rigid, uncompromising doctrinal positions, specifically the authority of the pope and the bishops, mandatory priestly celibacy, and the prohibitions against homosexuality. 5. They worship the Institutional Church rather than the God and gospel of Jesus. This is a sin against the first commandment (the formulation here is based on my memory from my Catholic youth): Thou shall not have strange gods before me. This is, in theological terms, idolatry. 6. They can’t tell the truth about the cover up because it would be bad for business. The pope and his lieutenants know that if they told the complete truth and nothing but the truth there would be a mass exodus of Catholics from the church. This is unacceptable. In the end the continuing cover up is a business decision.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.