The big news for the Roman Catholics in the US is of course the Pope’s visit. Despite being raised and largely educated in the RC tradition I never understood why it was a big deal until I read an article in yesterday’s WSJ (April 16, 2008). In that article they quoted a member of the RC “faithful” saying that seeing the Pope was “…as close to God as you can get”– at least in this life. Well now there you have it. Who would have ever known!
Of course this little piece of misguided superstition — and it is both even using the standards of Catholic Doctrine– is the key to understanding much of what is wrong in Catholicism today. Contemporary Catholics see the members of the clergy as somehow “better” than they are, “holier” and “closer to God”. That, and that alone, is what has kept the lid on Catholic reaction to the cover-up perpetrated by bishops dealing with the sexual abuse scandal. Only a tiny fraction of Catholics dare speak up or, more effectively, show their disfavor with their pocketbook.
Quite a few people are complaining about the Pope’s paltry mention of the greatest moral scandal in the church since– well actually not that long (think Pius XII and his anti-Semitism just picking one from the hat). Unfortunately, the laity has to share the responsibility. So long as church-going Catholics refuse to stand up and take ownership of their own Christ-given moral authority, the sad story of priestly sexual abuse of children will fade away as the victims and their families simply die off, give up, or leave the church– until it happens again– and it will, or is right now! After all, they covered it up once, who is to say they just haven’t found a bigger alter cloth to throw over the whole thing now?
