BishopAccountability.org
	Sex Abuse Scandals in the Church Have Shaken Some Local Catholics, but They're Keeping the Faith By Sheila Smith The Istockanalyst June 13, 2010 http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4207572 DECATUR -- Lifelong Roman Catholics such as Phyllis Howley are embarrassed and disturbed by the resurgence of sex abuse scandals in the church. But Howley, pastoral coordinator at St. Thomas Catholic Church, refuses to let scandal get in the way of her beliefs. "I do feel bad about what's going on in the Catholic Church -- it's not God made, but manmade," she said. "There is no perfect human. We are all to emulate Jesus, but we don't." Howley believes Catholics should focus instead on their faith in God. Jennifer Sharp, who joined the Catholic faith after marrying her husband, said the scandal has not changed her mind about where her 7-year-old son will be educated. He attends parochial school. "It starts in the home with how you raise your children and having a good relationship with them," she explained. "They then can come to you and tell you if something happened." New converts also express confidence in the church. "The spirit moved me to do this," said Jean Hogan, who recently joined the Catholic faith. Hogan's husband is Catholic and so are her children, but she was born Lutheran and raised as a Methodist. "It was a long process but a wonderful process in deepening and strengthening my faith," she said. Adam Buxton also is a recent convert. His wife was raised Catholic, and their 6-year-old daughter attends Holy Family School. "I became Catholic because I was interested in what they were teaching my daughter at school. My wife was my sponsor, and it was a refresher course for her as well," he said. "It makes me want to be more involved in the church and school now that I understand more about all the rituals behind the faith." Buxton also has confidence in Pope Benedict XVI. "Just listening to the news when it comes to the sex abuse scandals, I don't believe the pope knew all what was going on," Buxton said. The pope has come under fire recently from many Catholics who disagree with his handling of the thousands of abuse complaints worldwide. Others remain silent about the scandal and the Vatican's reaction. The Rev. Jeff Grant with Sts. James and Patrick Parish said his parishioners haven't discussed the latest allegations of sexual abuse. And the Rev. Rick Welton at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church said no one at his parish has expressed an opinion. Monsignor Carl Kemme, diocesan administrator in Springfield, said prayers are going out daily for Pope Benedict. "While we cannot know all the details of Cardinal Ratzinger's leadership in the Archdiocese of Munich, Germany, more than 20 years ago; we do know that as pope, he has addressed this crisis head-on and is insisting that the church do all it can and needs to do to safeguard the dignity of every person, especially the young and vulnerable," Kemme said. Over the past few months, Benedict has apologized for the scandals, met and prayed with victims and accepted resignations of bishops complicit in the abuse. "It's hard for a lot of Catholics to understand the complexity of what happens at the Vatican, and that the pope is not a micromanager," said Kathie Sass, communications director with the Springfield Diocese. "Our faith is in Jesus, but humankind is imperfect as we try to maintain our faith in Jesus," she said. Meanwhile, as priests marked the end of the Year of the Priest last week in Rome, victims and protesters called for reform in the priesthood, indicating the fallout of the scandals is far from finished. But for many, their path is clear. "People ask me why I stay Catholic, but it's who I am," Howley said. Contact: sheilas@herald-review.com To see more of Herald & Review, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.herald-review.com A service of YellowBrix, Inc.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.