STAUNTON (VA)
Staunton News Leader
August 18, 2018
By David Fritz
What’s a Catholic to do in the wake of the damning Pennsylvania grand jury report covering a half century of sexual abuse by priests and coverups by their superiors?
The complicated individual stories span decades. Some catalog the misdeeds of a single priest through an entire career. Too few stories cover one-and-done miscreants. Most were excused by bishops, shuffled between parishes or shipped across the country to offend again.
Individually, the details are horrific. Compiled, they’re devastating first and foremost for the grievous wrongs done to young people. But also in how they tainted the faith, the majority of the faithful – clergy and laypeople – and their works. They defame religion everywhere.
The first thing to do is get angry, suggests The Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit writer. Anger akin to Jesus’ when he drove the money changers from the temple. Martin urges embracing such anger as the way God can work through people.
And anger is easy. It’s out there. It’s flowing. We’ve had too much practice, as these stories have trickled out for decades now. We must make this an inflection point.
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