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The Holy
See and the Unholy Un; Pope Francis and Usury
By Matt C. Abbott
Renew America
February 8,
2014
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/140207
In typical pot-calling-the-kettle-black fashion, the
morally corrupt, Antichrist-stage-setting United Nations –
specifically, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the
Child – has blasted the Holy See for its handling of the clergy
abuse scandal. And it has blasted the Church for being, well ...
Catholic.
I write this as a (practicing) Catholic commentator
who has, over the last nine years or so, covered various aspects
of the clergy abuse scandal. It hasn't been pretty, to say the
least. My head is definitely not in the sand.
But no, the U.N. is not your friend.
Two respected priests are among a number of Catholic
voices speaking out on this latest development.
Father
Shenan J. Boquet, president of Human Life International, noted
in his weekly reflection (excerpt):
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The last century saw the unprecedented growth of
governments and ideological systems that suppressed religious
truth and human dignity. Yet, in the midst of such turmoil
there were some willing to witness for truth and freedom of
conscience – even at the cost of their lives. Martyrs give the
ultimate witness and force humanity in every age to consider
the truth placed before them and the seriousness of the duty to
seek the truth. When man's law is unjust, God's law still
demands our assent. 'It is necessary to obey God rather than
men.' (Acts 5:29) Sadly we are seeing a new era of martyrs in
Africa and the Middle East, as Christians are targeted by
Muslim mobs and forced to convert or be killed.
Although we are not yet facing martyrdom following the
U.N. committee's offensive and unjust demands, it is wise to
remember history. We have ample reminders today and in recent
history of what faith, hope, love and courage demand of
Christians in times of persecution, much of which was preceded
by blatant rhetorical attacks on the Church from political
powers. The Church has seen many centuries and has weathered
many storms. She will as she has always done speak and witness
the truth no matter the cost.
We pray that the committee's overreach may serve as a
wake-up call to many inside and outside the Church about the
radical direction being taken by some at the U.N. But let's be
aware of the moment we're in, and prepare accordingly.
Father John
Trigilio Jr., author, theologian and president of the
Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, wrote in an email (edited):
What is most irksome is that the report ignores the
progress made by the late Pope John Paul II and Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI in response to the sexual abuse of children by
Catholic clergy. Any act of child abuse is reprehensible and
inexcusable. All crimes against innocent children should be
vigorously prosecuted and justly punished. That applies to all
perpetrators, however.
While the press gives front page coverage to every
priest who sexually abuses a child, they do not give equal
publicity to ministers of other religions, to scoutmasters,
coaches, teachers and family members, especially parents and
siblings, who commit the same disgusting acts.
Government reports show that 81.5 percent of child abuse
is perpetrated by one or both parents. Twelve percent is
perpetrated by persons not biologically or legally related to the
victims. Jerry Sandusky was not a celibate Catholic priest. He
was a married man and a football coach who was indicted on 52
counts of molestation. Is the U.N. going to investigate and
dictate to colleges and sports programs what should be done to
prevent abuse?
Clergy of all denominations have committed abuse against
minors, as have other public figures, such as teachers, coaches,
scoutmasters, and so on. It is not a Catholic phenomenon, nor is
it even primarily limited to one religion, career or vocation.
Statistically, an overwhelming number of schoolteachers have
abused children in comparison to members of the clergy. Will the
U.N. now speak to our neighborhood schools and educational
facilities? What about sexual misconduct in the military, or
among politicians?
The second egregious part of this report – next to the
unjust presumption that sexual abuse of children is mostly a
Catholic crime – is that the report seeks to redefine and remake
the Catholic religion in its own politically-correct image and
likeness. Suggestions (exhortations at times) pervade the
document, such as changing Catholic doctrine and canon law to
allow abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage. Yes, as
incredulous as it sounds, this U.N. committee recommends that
children be taught and given access to 'reproductive health
measures,' namely, abortion and artificial birth control, with
the insinuation that to deny such access is a form of abuse.
Unbelievable. Preposterous.
Marriage should no longer be limited to just one man and
one woman in a sacred, permanent and faithful covenant, according
to the U.N. Having children out of wedlock should be completely
acceptable, according to this report. The sexual inclination of
parents and children is inconsequential. The report promotes a
modern myth that sexual activity is a right rather than a sacred
gift from God entrusted to those united in matrimony for the
exclusive purpose of unity (love) and procreation (life).
If sex is a right, then any and all forms of sex are
also guaranteed, if you follow this logic. The sixth commandment
applies equally to those of a homosexual orientation as to those
with a heterosexual orientation. There is just one set of
commandments, one natural moral law and one human nature. There
is not a separate 'straight' morality and a separate 'gay and
lesbian' morality. The U.N. report, however, sees things
differently.
Gender equality seems to eclipse person equality.
Catholic morality teaches that all human persons have equal
dignity and worth. Gender equality, however, attempts to convince
people, mostly children, that there are no significant
differences between men and women. The Church never said one
gender was better than the other. She does say men and women are
different – and that difference complements the human species.
That's why marriage is restricted to a man and woman; the
complementariness is signified with the two becoming one flesh.
The U.N. report wants the Catholic Church to instruct
our children that gender means nothing, especially since one can
'change' or 'redefine' your sex at will. You can also smell the
odor and aroma of bias against Church doctrine restricting
ordination to males alone. Ironically, the U.N. does not go after
the Eastern Orthodox Church or Islam, both of which have an
exclusively male clergy.
The document scorns the practice of rescuing abandoned
babies, as adopted children may never know their biological
parents. In an obscene inference, the report seems to prefer to
offer unwanted or unplanned pregnant mothers the option of
abortion to save their unborn children the possible inconvenience
of not knowing their blood relatives. How diabolical!
Finally, the document condemns any all forms of corporal
punishment, be it parents or teachers. Physical discipline is
forbidden and considered a form of child abuse. While common
sense and reason should discern the distinction and difference
between legitimate corporal punishment and authentic physical
abuse, it is the parent who decides what kind of legitimate
discipline, not the state and not the U.N.
We've already seen a few places in the U.S. where
hospitals discriminated against Jewish parents who sought to have
their infant sons circumcised according to the Hebrew religion.
Political correctness sees religion as superstition and as having
no rights whatsoever. Church and state are both natural
institutions that depend and rely on the first institution: the
family, which is built on marriage, the cornerstone of the other
two.
The U.N. wants canon law amended to give women, even
girls, abortion as a reproductive health right. The right to life
of the unborn totally escapes the minds of those who wrote this
idiotic document. Does the U.N. condemn the state-enforced
abortions of female babies in Communist China? What about the
denial of school education to girls in countries run by radical
Islamic fundamentalists? No, the U.N. prefers to attack the
Catholic Church.
Adolescents should be given contraceptives rather than
be taught the value of abstinence and chastity. That is the
thinking of the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Children (no.
57). Sexual promiscuity is perceived as a right. Avoidance of
sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, requires
'protected sex' instead of 'no sex' before marriage. Take the
same logic and distribute cigarettes, alcohol and drugs to
teenagers to prevent them from getting them from notorious and
seedy sources. Let them experiment. Let's go back to the hippie
era. One must ask if the writers of this document have children
of their own and, if so, how did they raise them?
It would be laughable were it not so pathetic when the
document asserts that accusations and allegations be treated the
same as convictions and confessed crimes. Our American
jurisprudence prides itself on the primary principle that
everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That applies to every
man or woman who has ever been charged with a crime. We use the
term 'accused' and 'alleged' on purpose. If someone is proven
guilty, then justice demands just punishment. Justice also
demands that everyone be treated equally under the law. If the
state wants to dissolve the statute of limitations on the sexual
abuse of children, it should apply to all cases, be it a member
of the clergy, a teacher, coach, scoutmaster, parent, neighbor,
and so on. Bishops were not the only ones guilty of cover-ups.
Principals, administrators, and others in all lines of business
and enterprise have had their share of criminal silence.
The sad reality is that the initial intention is good,
i.e., child welfare. Protecting youth is not an option but an obligation
that society shares with the family, for the youth are our
future. Prosecuting all perpetrators is a necessary component,
but persecuting a religion is just another injustice. Pope
Benedict XVI was accused of being lax on the issue, yet just
recently it was disclosed that he defrocked (technically,
laicized) nearly 400 priests who had been convicted of, or had
confessed to, abusing minors.
As the majority of abuse took place during the late
1960s, '70s and early '80s, you see the parallel with the
so-called sexual revolution when Humanae
Vitae was being trashed by dissenters and when the sex and
drugs of the counter-culture reached an all time high. It is no
excuse for this heinous and reprehensible behavior, but it does
give it context. Bad people, clergy and laity alike, used bad
theology to justify their bad behavior.
What the U.N. could and ought to do is work for the end
of the abuse and persecution of Christians in the Middle East.
Many of these communities lived in those places three hundred
years or more before Mohammed ever established Islam. The gospels
of Jesus Christ were read and proclaimed long before the Koran,
yet instead of peaceful coexistence, we see bombings, murders and
terrorism against men, women and children whose only crime is
their faith and religion. There's a job this committee
could spend their time and effort on.
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